56 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JANUARY 2018 56 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • SEPTEMBER 2017 56 LONGISLANDPRESS.CO M • SEPTEMBER 201-----------TUTU111
PRESS BUZZ
Meredith Gill: Long Island’s newest
breakout fashion designer
BY RUTH BASHINSKY
At only 22 years old, budding
fashion designer Meredith Gill
of East Moriches is taking the
industry by storm with her headturning
evening and bridal wear.
Her designs have won numerous
awards and will be appearing on
the big screen later this year.
Next month, Gill’s designs will be
shown on the runway at New York
Fashion Week alongside fellow
emerging designers from around
the world. Her new 2018
collection, which
she named
Stained, is a variety of stainedglass
window-inspired designs that
feature a structured bodice and
neutral palette with a pop of color.
It’s a departure from last year’s
collection that had more movement
and was nature-inspired with
Swarovski crystal embellishments.
“Right now, I am experimenting
with different fabrics,” she says. “I am
going to be using chiffons, organza,
georgette, taffeta, silk, and satins.”
The Cinnia dress, a floor-length
white lace gown with
sheer bodice and
four-foot train,
won best wedding
gown construction
at the Fashion
Institute of
Technology’s Fashion Art and
Design Club. It was also the gown
that got Gill noticed. It caught the
eye of a movie director who wanted
the dress to be part of his romantic
comedy, New York Minute, slated to
open later this year.
“I was honored that he wanted to
use my gown from the thousands
on the market,” says Gill.
The Butterfly dress, a chiffonpaneled
dress with black trim
and designed like a butterfly wing
with hand-dyed edges and crystal
accents, was another one of Gill’s
designs drawing attention. The
meticulously crafted garment
that was worn by a contestant
in the Miss Latina USA pageant
was featured in a newspaper
advertisement last summer.
Pretty impressive, particularly
since Gill only graduated FIT
in May. The sewing machine,
she explains, always came
second nature to her when she
started taking lessons at age
12. Soon she was teaching
other young people how
to sew. It wasn’t until Gill
was in college that she
discovered how talented
she truly was.
“I never thought of
myself as a fashion
designer. For a while
I didn’t know what I
wanted to do,” admits
Gill, who works at a
retail job during the
day that helps her
pay off her student
loans. The rest of
the time, she can
be found in her
sewing studio in
the basement of
her home. “I feel
lucky and I
am grateful
that other
people are seeing this in me which
is giving me the push to move
forward.”
What Sets You Apart: “I see
whatever trend is current and focus
on the little details and making that
the big picture. Then I add a little
more creative and artistic ideas that
are subtle.”
What You Love Most: “Finding
the inspiration for my next piece
and being as creative as possible
with the research that I gather
for my next collection. I love
getting ideas from Pinterest and
Instagram and seeing what others
are doing.”
Favorite Designer: Australian
Designer Paolo Sebastian.
Secret Weapon: “I am very
patient. A lot of work goes into
making evening and bridal gowns.
It is not just making a t-shirt; you
have to be good with your hands.
It takes a lot of hand sewing.”
Biggest Influence: “My mom. That
is where I get my creativity. She
constantly inspires me.”
Next Big Thing in Bridal: “Lots
of sheer and lace. Showing a little
more skin and seeing gowns that
are not floor length, but
layered. White is still
popular but some are
going towards the
nontraditional, using
eggshell, ivory,
and light pink.”
The Butterfly
dress. Photo by
Kieran Bammann.
Meredith
Gill.Photo
by Kieran
Bammann.
Meredith Gill’s
award winning
wedding gown.
Photo by Kieran
Bammann.