Behind the Dress with Anna Coroneo
My grandmother, Mary Souris, has been designing and making exquisite dresses since she was ten years old. It started when she made a white linen dress, which became the talk of her small Australian town, Tamworth. Soon, my grandmother was making a new dress every week! Now, at eighty-two years old, she is still designing and making dresses.
Last Christmas my grandmother asked me if there was anything in particular that I would like as a gift, and I asked her to make me a red dress. She agreed, and before she could change her mind, I quickly sketched up a few ideas; one was based on a dress that she had made for my mother many years ago. She loved this sketch and using her very traditional methods took my measurements, drafted the pattern and brought the dress to life within a matter of days!
The dress turned out beautifully and I included it dress in spring collection. It comes in the signature red, black and lavender. It’s made of silk shantung, which travels well and is beautifully textured.
The fitted bodice and double peplum skirt grant this dress an elegant charm that reminds me of my grandmother, and is a dress that I will treasure always.
Luckily my grandmother kept most of her designs. I’ve raided her closets and I wear many of her vintage pieces in NYC and around the globe. My grandmother continues to be one of my biggest inspirations as a designer.
Photo: My grandmother on her honeymoon in 1950, wearing one of her designs.
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