On the day of Joey Young’s QBurgh photoshoot at Opya Studios in the South Side, Brian David was, literally and figuratively, serving looks, wheeling in a rack of long, black, zipped-up garment bags, filled with elegant dresses in various shades of red from vermillion to maroon. He dressed L.A. Gaga, Primadonna, Warren Munroe, and Anemia Blunt, all ladies in red.
David, owner of Brian David Designs, loves dressing drag queens, especially Joey Young. David accompanied Young to Chicago with a coterie of queens to aid Young at the competition.
At the Miss Continental pageant, David created a quick-change look for Joey, because Young had to present as Miss Continental Newcomer and come right back on stage seconds later for the Miss Continental pageant. David made a tearaway dress with another underneath and Young was able to strip off the top layer, strutting off stage and returning within seconds. It was a quick-change worthy of a magician on “America’s Got Talent.”
David is a self-taught designer who grew up sewing. He said, “There wasn’t a time in my life that I didn’t know what I wanted to do.”
He designed and sold his first prom dress in 1997, when he was fifteen years old. By his senior year, he had four dresses for his high school friends.
The designer has a flair for Old Hollywood glamour. He credits Marianne Krostyne and Krostyne Studio for his early success. He worked beside Krostyne for years before venturing out on his own. David said, “I was supposed to fill in for six months at her studio, but I tried to make myself indispensable. I ended up staying for seventeen years.”
David said, “I started designing dresses because women’s wear is more fun, more creative. You have to be very precise when designing men’s clothes. Men’s wear is meticulous, down to the thread. They’re all straight lines, and the pockets have to be in the same place. If they’re too high up, everyone notices. I like creating women’s clothes. If you alter a man’s suit too much, it appears feminine. I like to mix different textiles.”
Marcy Metelsky, a management consultant by day and bon vivant by night, said, “Brian David is simply a genius-level couturier of the rarest kind.”
Metelsky, who wore several of Brian’s designs, including a long, beaded green dress for the Ballet’s Emerald Ball, and a long red and black statement skirt for the opening of the musical, “Something To Live For” at the Kelly-Strayhorn, said, “When we collaborated on a few custom pieces, I clearly recognized that the depth of his design knowledge was not defined by how many years he had lived, but by how fully he had embraced and excelled in his craft. His background in theater and pageants, combined with his studies in design and fashion, creates a stunning balance of artistry and craftsmanship. Every piece feels like wearable art. Each custom design that he has created for me reflects his gift for transforming fabric into statement pieces that exude confidence and personality. He doesn’t design just clothes, but experiences; pieces that empower the wearer and inspire admiration.”
