Tickling the Ivory

Some little girls dream of their wedding dresses. Suzanne Perron dreamed of everyone else’s.

It was this dream, coupled with a natural talent discovered at an early age and an undeniable drive that led New Orleans-based designer and former LSU instructor Suzanne Perron on a fantasy career adventure. She worked with fashion’s elite in New York before finally coming home to Louisiana to build her own legacy as a couture bridal and debutante gown designer.

Perron’s story is chronicled in her new book, Designing in Ivory and White, available through LSU Press. It’s a fascinating tale of her relentless pursuit of perfection—whether working on an art project in elementary school or fitting a gown for royalty. Coming from a line of talented seamstresses, Perron made her first garment when she was only 5 years old. “I was not interested in sewing clothes for dolls,” she remembers. “I wanted to sew clothes for me. My first project was an elastic-waist skirt.” An image of the skirt, with perfectly lined-up horizontal stripes, can be seen in the book.

“My mom insists I did it myself,” she says. “I am amazed every time I look at that skirt.”

After high school, Perron found herself at the little-known but widely praised school of design at LSU. “Attending LSU was the best college choice I could have made,” she says. “I must mention Yvonne Marquette Leak from LSU. There could have been no better teacher and mentor to encourage me to pursue this challenging and often unclear career path.”

After graduating, the former Golden Girl found herself in a cab in Manhattan, headed to the famed Fashion Institute of Technology. Although the Southern belle felt out of place, Perron soon realized she possessed the skills to compete in the big city. There she remained for 13 years, working with Vera Wang, Carolina Herrera, Anna Sui and other top designers.

In her book, Perron gives a rare insider’s look into working with renowned fashion icons. Readers get rich details on fast-paced creative processes and the impact each designer made on her own design repertoire. Her personal experiences with high-end clientele, like Holly Hunter, Katie Couric and the Duchess of York, Princess Margaret, are enviable, but the epitome of Perron’s fashion career was finding herself in the Vogue fashion closet, fitting Anna Wintour with André Leon Talley looking on. She remembers thinking, “How did I get here? With Anna Wintour and André Leon Talley … in the Vogue closet!”

In late 2005, following Hurricane Katrina, Perron returned to New Orleans to focus on couture, bridal and debutante gowns and her work instructing LSU’s young fashion design students.

“I am overwhelmed at times by how wonderful it is to be back in Louisiana,” she says.

In Designing in Ivory and White, Perron gives an intimate look at the process behind her couture designs. From the initial client meeting to sketching and creating the first “draft” of each gown out of muslin, to tricks of the trade and her personal techniques, Perron lets readers in on what makes her gowns so spectacular and unique. suzanneperron.com