Victoria Jones Collection
An Unexpected Debut
Almost 40 years ago, a friend invited me to attend a resort luncheon conference at which the Hawaii first lady, Lynne Waihee, was the keynote speaker.
In those days, mu'umu'us were the special occasion dress of choice-- colorful, graceful and dignified. I designed and sewed my own mu'umu'u for the conference, a cotton sateen dress.
At the conference there were 300 ladies gathered at tables for ten. My friend and I sat at Mrs. Waihee's table, and we chatted and admired each other's dresses. After lunch, Mrs. Waihee went to the podium to deliver her speech. Pausing, she turned to me and asked me to come up to model my dress on stage. After the speeches were over, many ladies asked me about my dress, wanting to buy one like it. A prominent Hawaii retailer was also attending and wanted to carry the design in their stores. The retailer asked me to oversee production of the garment in Honolulu, which was on another island.
At the time, I was a homemaker with two young children. When I realized how much time away would be required for travel and production, I decided to produce the dress as a sewing pattern instead.
I enrolled in the University of Hawaii to learn pattern making and did my work at night or while the children were in school. After two years, I produced my first pattern, #001, the design I wore to the conference. The dark haired figure on the envelope front is my friend who invited me to the conference. The other one is me.
My academic background is in studio art, art history and textiles. I am fascinated with the fluid nature of fabric, and I design with proportion and movement uppermost in my mind. I am the most satisfied when a design moves well while a person changes positions, flattering the figure in all aspects. Graceful clothing is timeless because the beauty of movement is always fresh.
-V
