Sabrina Jones designs for the modern woman who adores vintage va-voom. Her collection of bridal and evening wear, unveiled last fall at Omaha Fashion Week II, is heavily influenced by the corsets and bustles of the Victorian era.

“Most of my inspiration comes from the past,” says the Omaha-based designer and alterations specialist. The corset is her specialty. She became intrigued with its place in fashion history while studying textile and clothing design at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. For her master's thesis, she created corsets inspired by famous women, including Coco Chanel, Marie Antoinette, Cleopatra, Joan of Arc and Degas' “Little Dancer.” The project, she says, “pushed me to develop my thinking and my technique.”

Sabrina's latest collection — a crowd favorite in the final runway show for Omaha Fashion Week — features beautifully crafted corsets and full skirts in rich-looking fabrics with graceful draping and feminine movement. Prices range from about $450 for a short style to $800 for the long gown featured here. (Sabrina also makes dresses for junior bridesmaids and flower girls. Prices start at $450 and $250 respectively, depending on size, length and fabric selection.)

Every design starts on paper. “You don't just start sewing. You sketch first.” Sometimes, an idea comes to her at 12:30 a.m. and she reaches for her sketchbook on the nightstand. “It drives my husband crazy,” Sabrina confesses.

It's a passion that emerged as a child, when she cut off her jeans to make skirts for her dolls.

Today, dresses are created over a period of months, not days. Pintucking, piecing, shirring and other high-craft techniques that distinguish her designs take time.Then there's the matter of being a wife and mother. And working part-time as a fitness instructor for Gold's Gym. Sabrina and her husband, John Stapp, are parents to Madeline, 1, and Taylor, 7.

For convenience, Sabrina keeps her sewing table and fit mannequin in the front room of their southwest Omaha home. “With sewing, it's OK to stop and start,” she says with a glance toward Madeline.

In addition to her dress line, Sabrina makes figure-enhancing competition suits for bodybuilders. “There's no mass production of these suits. They're all custom,” Sabrina says. A former bodybuilder herself, she knows just what her clients need to show off their sculpted physiques. Her creations, velvet with rhinestone embellishment, sell for about $400.

Her passion, however, is in bridal and evening wear design. Her line of corseted gowns is young, but don't underestimate where she will take it. Sabrina is hooked on her art. Clients will be, too.

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