Blue Bayou

My collection has reached a point where I can take a very brief breather from sewing. Very brief.

Which is a good thing, because I have a big, hairy mid-term due for Portfolio next week. I am to design a five-piece collection of either holiday-wear (winter) or resort-wear (summer). I have to illustrate the collection, make flats (technical drawings) of each piece, make a mood-page and color-page, possibly have fabric swatches, and arrange it in a beautiful layout to put into my portfolio.

While I was sewing a few weeks ago I found myself listening to Roy Orbison and thought Blue Bayou would be a great name/idea for my resort collection!  So that's what it will be. (Click the link; take a listen. This version is a little faster-paced than the recording I have.)

Now, being a fabulous designer ;-) (you can giggle here), I started doing some research. Obviously there's the feel of the song to go by, and some of the lyrics (but not the part that says "I feel so sad, I've got a worried mind...").  I'm going with the parts of the lyrics that make me think of a lazy vacation—where you sleep all day.  And then there's fishing boats with their sails afloat, and that familiar sunrise through sleepy eyes, and silver moon and evening tide. And, of course, what is a vacation without that girl (guy) of mine by my side?

So here's my inspiration/mood/color page:

Then, being the amazing designer that I am ;-), I did even more research.  Where, exactly, is Blue Bayou? Louisiana is the first place I think of when I hear about bayous—is Blue Bayou in Louisiana?

It turns out the only place Blue Bayou exists is in Disneyland. :-/  Now I like Disneyland as much as the next guy (although probably not as much as Laura or Bethannie), but I am not designing resort-wear for the Disney resorts.  So I asked the all-knowing Google if Blue Bayou was a real place, and here is what I learned:

"Blue Bayou is an intangible figurative place. It only exists in the hearts, minds, and emotions of people."

I'm OK with that. It sounds like it could be kind of relaxed and vacationy, doesn't it?

So now I'm creating a collection of resort-wear for your vacation in New Orleans. Naturally you will play in or on or near the water—probably at a beach about an hour away (see, I really did do my research). You will go to nice restaurants that have live bands and dancing. You might go tour some of the plantations. You will go to museums and, of course, you will go shopping. You might even go see a real bayou, who knows?

So what do you want to wear?