photography by by Elizabeth Lavin
Khanh Nguyen’s artful lace and tulle creations look like the dresses you’ve swooned over on the pages of major fashion magazines, so insiders weren’t surprised when chic boutique Forty Five Ten picked up her ready-to-wear line last year. But Khanh Nguyen’s first love is her custom design business headquartered at her Flower Mound studio. After the client’s first consultation, Nguyen researches for several weeks before drawing sketches of three to five potential dresses. She then works with the client to make design modifications, and, over the course of up to seven fittings, the silhouette, fit, and final details are meticulously constructed and perfected. Creative time for evening dresses may be three months, and wedding dresses often require five months.