Christian Joy is lucky. Because of her fame as a costume designer her ready-to-wear line, only in its second season, has already experienced a cult following. However, that is not to say that building her line has been easy. In fact, it has been a challenge reeling in her explosive creativity to design items people can wear on the street. “It is a challenge for me to even do it. I like to wear things more upbeat. I don’t mind wearing things that are off the wall, but people like to wear things that are a certain way.”

Take her first season, Spring ’08, for example. The collection was nothing like her elaborate stage costumes, but very wearable, and sophisticated even. The clothes were comprised of streamlined black and white dresses, with splashes of red, and edgy zippers. It sold well, but it left Joy unfulfilled creatively. “The first collection I was just being really safe. Thinking about what people would wear, and a lot of the more sophisticated girls I know wore the spring collection,” Joy admits without a hint of reluctance. Once Spring ’08 was in stores Joy found herself pleasantly surprised, and encouraged by responses from people who were upset she wasn’t, “doing the crazy stuff.”

Fall 2008 is more of the “crazy stuff.” The collection has much more detail, color, and fringe. It is something one would wear to a western ‘80s prom. (She wore pieces from her fall 2008 collection in the whitecanvas video piece). Joy’s inspiration for the collection was clothes her mother made her wear as a kid. Clothes that she “really hated.” “I was raised by a born again Christian, and my mother never let me cut my hair or anything. There was a horrible pair of burgundy culottes that I was horrified my mother was going to make me wear and now I think about that stuff, and I think I could rock some of that stuff now, but back then I felt like sort of the dorky home-schooled girl.” Joy describes the type of person who would wear her fall collection as very much like herself. The collection is a lot more “out there” than her first, and it is certainly less wearable for the main stream. “I figured somebody was bound to wear it. I don’t except a super cerebral avant garde girl to wear it, but the more quirky Anna Piaggi type.”

Joy’s upcoming collection, Spring 2009, is a combination of the first two. In only three seasons her line has evolved from simple and sophisticated, to challenging to wear (but well worth it if you can pull it off), to something in between. “I tried to blend my previous two collections together, more minimal, but still with all the color.” However, when asked, Joy will tell you, “ Fall 2008 is definitely my favorite collection.”

So, does Christian Joy plan to bring the out of the world ideas she uses for her stage costumes to the everyday? “It certainly would be a challenge. I feel very bored with fashion right now. I might just be into younger style. I would want to see more fun and exciting kinds of things.” When asked if she would ever be interested in designing for children, Joy responded, “That would be one of the best-suited things for me to do. Women don’t want to be wearing prom dresses. Younger audiences would. I always feel so excited about kids.” Clara McCartel, a sports wear designer from 1950s, is the aspiration for what Joy would like her line to develop towards. “She [Mc Cartel] would make quirky and funny little things, and at the same time very wearable. Like what Vionnet made, but on a more basic level.”

Although Joy’s clothes are available in stores across the globe, her dream come true is to have a Christian Joy store. “If you have a store of your own people can go there expecting to find something kind of quirky. That’s a definite goal of mine. I’d like to make quirkier pieces for people.” Other future plans include a multimedia show in the fall of 2009. “I’ve already started planning it. There are going to be a bunch of different contributors, and basically they are all going to give me ideas for different costumes. I’m going to work on the idea of designing for specific people. And eventually, the pieces are going to be shown in an art gallery.” The show will include painting, fashion, music, and film, and will be open during fashion week.