Couture
About
Commanda Couture was born out of my love for challenge. I have always loved making crafts and doing creative things, and they are a needed outlet for me from my busy life as an attorney. I credit my mother for any skill I have in the craft department, because I grew up watching her create fantastical things like life-sized model elephants, 3-D Little Bo Peep windowshades, entire villages of elves for Girl Scout parties, and on and on. There was nothing she couldn't figure out how to do and to this day she continues to make amazing things like seasonal gnomes, pillows, amazing gift wrapping creations, you name it.
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Back in 2014, my beautiful daughter Abbie started getting involved in the world of scholarship pageantry and a whole new world of projects opened up to me! I very quickly learned about the differences between Austrian crystals and loved seeing all the ways people used them in embellishing anything that could be embellished--dresses, hats, costumes, shoes--if it wasn't nailed down, it was likely getting blinged. Along the way, I've made wonderful friends who eventually nicknamed me "Commanda" for my tendency to, let's say, push a project along or get things done, and my pretty direct honesty. In other words, I'm bossy and blunt.
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I always like to say that I've never been one to ask for permission but will rather beg for forgiveness when it comes to creative projects. It has never occured to me to think I couldn't make something as long as I was reasonably confident that I had the basic skills to figure it out along the way. So, when the opportnunity arose a few years ago to help Miss Missouri 2018 Katelyn Lewis with her shoes for the world-famous Miss America "Show Us Your Shoes "parade in Atlantic City, I jumped at the chance to take my blinging to the next level. The project involved coming up with the concept, the engineering and sculpting and construction of the shoes themselves, and then finally the embellishing and stoning of the shoes with thousands of Austrian crystals and pearls. Her family trusted my vision and we turned a plain pair of pumps into models of the Spirit of St. Louis aircraft piloted by Charles Lindbergh as a tribute to not only the airplane, but to her grandmother's history as a pilot herself. I loved every minute of the project and was so proud when I saw her in the parade, turning the little propellers on the shoes to the cheers of the crowd.
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The truth was, I had no idea what I was doing when I offered to make those shoes for Katelyn! I just knew in my gut that I could do it and would make it happen. That is what I love about the process and what makes it that much more rewarding when I finish a project.
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Yours in bling,
(a/k/a Amanda Mueller)
From there, I've gone on to work on so many other projects including embellishing apparel, designing and creating all kinds of accessories, building and coordinating large-scale event decor (particularly organic balloon installations) and planning, and of course creating more amazing (if I do say so myself) shoes! Let me help you Take "Commanda" Of Your Look too by working with you on your special project!