Julie Stermasi is a designer of couture and bespoke garments commissioned for weddings and special occasions. She creates sophisticated one-of-a-kind garments distinguished by the use of limited source materials, from re-purposed antique textiles and trim to the addition of custom crafted jewelry and embellishments. As a self-taught artist who emerged from another profession, she approaches design intuitively and with intelligence; her process - outside of the construct of formal training - is anchored by an innovative eye towards the possibilities. The result is expressive of a high aesthetic which establishes a definitive, refreshing, and uncommon elegance.

All images and designs Copyright 2010 Julie Stermasi

Born to immigrant parents, I was immersed in the richness of foreign cultures: tramping over deep red Bukhara rugs and colorful kilims, I polished hammered copper and played with silver trinkets.  Linens embroidered by distant friends and relatives were our family treasures.  Their work was individually loved and honored, and overflowed the drawers, tables and walls of our tiny apartment; these treasures invoked the old world - with its beloved traditions and celebrations - a place where one could never be lost in a sea of anonymity.

Thus, the art and textiles around me provided endless fascination, an indelible awareness of place and identity, a love of color, texture and luxurious fabric, and deep wells of inspiration.

..