Thursday, August 21, 2008 — Millsberry's very own Loretta Rivers sends her love from the fashion capital of the world.

She's been enjoying all that Paris has to offer: The Eiffel Tower, the famous Louvre art museum, world-renowned architecture, fashion shows, baguettes, bon bons, et surtout, la joie de vivre (translation: and above all, the joy of living).

We caught up with Loretta in a phone interview during her last days in Paris. She was still living the good life, and was quite excited about her fashion finds and her return to Millsberry.

"I've had such an amazing time, and my trip's not even over yet!"

"It's been a very educational trip. I consider myself a fashion expert, but I've learned so much."

When asked to further explain, Loretta responded, "Just the detail from hand-designed garments. I've really gotten into what the French call "haute couture". It's a very passionate thing, and requires so much dedication."

Haute couture is actually a very specific fashion classification, with certain strict requirements that must be met in order to attain it.

First, every part of the garment has to be made by hand.

Second, your garments must be made specifically for private clients, that is, just for a limited group of individual customers.

Third, you have to employ at least 15 people in your workshop.

"I really want to be able to have the haute couture status, but I'm missing one piece of the puzzle."

"I need some really talented Millsberry citizens to come join me in my workshop, so I can meet the requirement of having at least 15 people working for me."

"In order to work for me, you'll need to showcase your fashion-design talent."

"And to do that, all you need to do is go to Studio T and design your own T-shirt. Then, send it to me at my house, using Millsberry's package-delivery system. I'll review all your designs, and the top designers will get to work with me."

"Because we're under a tight timeline, I'll have to limit the entries to one per person. You'll have until September 6th, so time is of the essence."

Straight from Loretta herself, it's time to hit Studio T and get those creative juices flowing!

As they say, luck is when preparation and opportunity meet.

Time to get lucky.