Music of the night
Soothes the beast, yet flames the soul,
With a past loves fire.
Always loved dance, drums and base have always moved me. But I loved designing more. Clothing and it’s movement, went hand in lyrical hand. My first garment I made was in the 5th grade, a pair of floral bell bottom pants. Engineering a garment from sketch to runway was always easy .

Until I was deep in the business and had my heart broken. Watching my work get watered down to standard fare. It was like listening to Muzak. So I went into Tailoring and helped people get comfortable in their second skin. I would listen to what was said and what wasn’t, getting them to tell me their comfort zone. My rule has usually been, if the clothes are too tight you have something to fear. And if they are too loose, you have something to hide. ( Federal agents, and others, need a loose fit for conceal carry.)

I am Portuguese by birth and American by naturalization. Portuguese is my native tongue and I learned English from the tv. Later on in school, I took Spanish to better understand Portuguese verbs. Then when dealing with my Latino cousins, I learned Portuguese kept more of its Moorish roots. Even the word for Tailor was so far away from the rest of the Romance languages. In Portuguese the word is Alfaiate, but in Spanish it is Sartre.
I have two children, grown and onto their own lives. A granddaughter that calls me crazy Grammy Z, and just watching her turn into a strong young woman, I wonder if it’s genetics. Speaking of genetics, somewhere in my lineage is a little Bengali and Punjabi.

In High School , I was into volleyball and Basketball. Also helped coach my girls in Basketball when they were young. Later on, took Taekwondo for 2 years. In regional competition, I have a Gold Medal in Boardbreaking. Within these last few years I was not happy with my physical self, so I started getting back into shape. The favorite class at the gym was a dance class, but the instructor left, and they are in limbo. Then I remembered a Shark Tank episode with Bollywood inspired exercises, and got the dance tickle in my toes.

My saying is, Designing is an Art, and some people are finger painting. Well I guess it’s my turn to grow from finger painting in this Art of Dance. The goal is to push myself to the caliber of the coaches that are willing to teach and help me grow, and help others join the adventure.

Contact Info

Facebook: https://facebook.com/zelia.lima79

Instagram: https://instagram.com/zmldesigns