Denim goddess

She has a passion for denim and her offbeat designs have already caught the eye of the chic chicks of Hollywood. Gan Tian looks at Michelle Siwy's first showing in Beijing.

She's half-Vietnamese and half-Polish, and the exotic mix manifests itself in a tall, slim and stylish body with smooth long locks and a mega-watt smile. When Michelle Siwy, 34, showed up at her fashion show in Beijing, many thought she was one of the models.

In fact, she is the designer behind Siwy Denim. The New York-based fashion label, launched in 2005, specializes in chic denim items and has already attracted a clientele that includes fashion icons Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Ritchie and Ashley Tisdale.

Her first show here was held at the China International Clothing & Accessories Fair 2011 recently, the country's premier annual event. Siwy says her look is all about the "aesthetics of Bohemia".

"Fall 2011 (collection) keeps the rock 'n' roll theme while offering new silhouettes ranging from skinny to wide, with details such as zippers, leather, patches, vintage washes that have a fashionable cut," she says.

Siwy first studied to become a nurse at the University of Rhode Island, but lost interest and secretly started design classes instead. She then went on to the famous Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.

"Meeting and living amongst iconic New Yorkers really made me dream big," she says.

Her best creations were jeans - boyfriend jeans and bootcut jeans, lined either in lace or glitter. Now she is the only female denim designer in New York. In her book, the jeans tell the stories, and she has included some of hers in all her designs.

"Denim is a very emotional fabric that has the ability to translate through different types of washes. For example, a couple of years ago, I did a lot of distressed, ripped washes when my country was at war or when our new president was elected. There was a new feeling of hope and dreaming again, so I did more treatments that reminded us that we can have fun again through fashion," Siwy says.

Her clients are always amazed that her jeans can get popular so quickly with celebrity trendsetters.

"On their time off, they just love wearing our classic blue jeans, and they wear them well," she says with a grin.

Sometimes, they are so comfortable with her that they ask for specific items. Kate Moss is asking for black cut-off shorts and ordering multiples so she never runs out. For Christina Aguilera, Siwy has just created special colors for her world tour. And in Beyonce's music videos, take a closer look at the dancers' togs: those were also Siwy's designs.

Siwy says her clients have an eye for style and appreciate details. "They not only love beautiful things, but also imperfect things. It takes special people to notice that kind of beauty and art."