Love, and the business of love, is tough anytime. It’s especially difficult during the time of coronavirus. But that’s not stopping Kelsey Choo or the people helping her prepare for her wedding.
So when it came time to plan for the big day, the Colorado Springs independent comic book artist had an idea: pastels. She uses pastel schemes in just about all of her work; art prints, stickers, refrigerator magnets, etc., as well as her own comic storylines.
For her wedding dress, she was looking for more of the same. It started with the perfect iridescent pink skirt — and unfortunately, it ended there. She couldn’t find any tops or accessories to match her ideal vision. That’s when she remembered Rebecca Moon.
“Her expertise on … fashion and design really helped with making it come together as a cohesive outfit,” Choo said.
Moon opened Moonbeam Clothiers, her boutique high-end clothing store, in Colorado Springs at the end of May, a risky proposition for a city that was just starting to reopen following the initial coronavirus closures. The shop holds a curated selection of independent fashion designers as well as her own pieces. It also serves as home base for her custom sewing work.
This fall, those one-off jobs have mostly been made for weddings. She thinks many couples put their summer weddings on hold, hoping for the pandemic to subside, only to recognize that was wishful thinking.
“At this point, they’re like ‘Well, we’re just gonna do it,’” Moon said.
The custom projects have recently been her most important money-maker. Her second job as a bartender has been hampered by statewide COVID-19 restrictions, and the income from her store’s sales has barely been enough to pay the business’ expensive downtown lease.
The handful of projects Moon has been commissioned to complete in the last couple of months have ranged from alterations to bridesmaid dresses and slight tailoring of gowns to the custom ensemble worn by Kelsey Choo.
Moon and Choo met while both renting space at an artist’s co-op in downtown Colorado Springs. Choo remembered being impressed by the simple, clean detail in Moon’s work. She was confident Moon was the right seamstress to finish her bridal vision.
The two collaborated on the design for almost a year. They sent drawings and fabric options back and forth until they landed on a tasteful lacey white crop top with fine golden pinstripes to go with the pink skirt.
Moon also made a wedding cape in the exact sort of pastel rainbow colors that Choo is so fond of using in her comic art.
After quarantining themselves for two weeks as a precaution, Choo married her longtime boyfriend in the Colorado mountains on Sept. 1, surrounded by a small group of family and friends.
In the meantime, Moon has been finishing up another bridal gown — her own. The 26-year-old is getting married this weekend.
