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For her Halloween night show on “The Sparklemuffin Tour,” Suki Waterhouse glimmered, and stayed on-theme, in a stage-ready interpretation of Jane Fonda’s 1968 sci-fi siren, Barbarella.
“It felt like a Project Runway moment,” says indie designer Sheila Frank, who burned the midnight oil to custom-design the shimmering cropped bustier and skater-shorts set. She only had three-days to whip up Waterhouse’s headline-making ensemble—and from her base that s not in New York City or Los Angeles.
“It is Central Pennsylvania,” says Frank, from her atelier in Mechanicsburg, about two hours west of Philadelphia. “I m just in this little bubble of creativity.” Thanks to efficient video calls, text and voice messages, and Dropbox folders to share sketches, Frank and Waterhouse’s stylist Cassy Meier fine-tuned their long-distance collaboration down to a well-oiled machine. Frank, who prides herself in low-waste practices, and sources “everywhere,” from Mood in NYC to SwatchOn in Seoul, had to think quickly—and locally.
“Believe it or not, I went to JoAnn Fabrics and pulled out FaceTime. I went row by row, down every aisle,” says Frank, about remotely teaming with Meier to hunt down a mesh texture to layer over a shimmering silver fabric—mimicking Fonda’s sexy space-adventurer chainmail.
“The Barbarella look that Sheila brought to life for Suki’s Halloween show was one of my favorites of the whole tour,” says Meier. “I think Suki would agree.”
Meier and Frank have maintained a long-distance relationship since connecting on Instagram in 2023. The Moore College of Art and Design graduate was regularly commenting and messaging stylists in her ambitious but earnest hustle for custom red carpet commissions—a dream of Frank’s since interning for Charlotte Ronson in the mid-aughts. “Her office was based right at Bryant Park, so I got to be a part of fashion weeks, which was so exciting,” says Frank. Thanks to 2008’s Great Recession, she moved back to her hometown of Mechanicsburg to work in retail and ultimately launched her now-shuttered bridal business in 2016.
After admiring how stylist Jessica Paster styled client Chrissy Metz in a red Tanya Taylor dress at the 2019 Golden Globes, Frank took a chance. “I thought to myself, ‘I want to do that, so I DM Jessica and told her that I would love to design for Chrissy. I didn t think she would ever reply back, but she did,” says Frank. The This is Us star’s sequined black dress for a post-Oscars party in 2022 led to Paster asking Frank to design a pink spaghetti strap gown for Miranda Kerr two months later—a pivotal moment.
“I do remember seeing the dress she made for Miranda Kerr and being super impressed,” says Meier.
In a timely move last summer, right before Waterhouse kicked off her tour, Frank messaged Meier to offer “quick turnaround” custom-design services. “[Meier] immediately wrote back and requested something inspired by a striped rhinestone men s shirt,” says Frank. She looked to her own love of Waterhouse’s dreamy indie pop sounds, plus ‘70s icons like Elton John and Diana Ross for her mood board pitches.
Frank then translated Waterhouse’s “sparkle, shine, texture” directive into a deep-plunge sequin and velvet bodysuit referencing the aforementioned menswear-shirt; a circa-‘74 Cher-inspired silver-sequined mock-neck and butterfly sleeve crop-top and hot-pants set, a gauzy ruffled red cami that made it onto on a Times Square Billboard; and versatile, glitter tap pants effortlessly paired with an oversize neon t-shirt or a slinky short robe and over-the-knee boots.
The mélange of radiant fabrics, dynamic finishes, and hauntingly flowing silhouettes sartorially support Waterhouse’s introspective sophomore album, “Memoirs of a Sparklemuffin”—which the artist has described as a treatise on “enchantment and entrapment.”
Frank mentions her favorite, a “peachy rose” cut-out bodysuit with contrasting textures: a chunky lace bodice, stretch-glitter fabric bottoms, and detachable chiffon bell-sleeves. The tones-of play with color, and varying fabrications almost come to life onstage. “That was a wild card design of mine,” says Frank. “Cassy was jumping up and down, like, ‘Yes, that s it!’”
“Suki ended up wearing seven looks by Sheila, which is roughly a third of the shows she played,” says Meier. “I think that speaks for itself.”
With the help of her active Instagram efforts, Pennsylvania-based Frank is quickly becoming the go-to for pop music-slash-style icons looking for custom looks. “I have been following Sheila for a few years,” says Sarah Nearis, who styles country-soul singer Maggie Rose. “I’ve always been drawn to the quality of her work and how everything she does is timeless, and sophisticated with a hint of etherealism.”
For the 2025 Grammys, Rose’s red carpet moment actually marked two milestones: her first nomination, for Best Americana Album, and her seventh month of pregnancy. So, “I knew custom was going to be the only way to go,” says Nearis.
Within a relatively generous two week window, Frank submitted a round of sketches to kick off another seamless (sorry) remote design process. “[Frank] understood Maggie s music and overall direction and she said she even listened to Maggie s nominated album while she was in the studio working on the dress,” says Nearis. “She could feel the energy and that translated perfectly into Maggie’s dress.”
On Grammys night, Rose looked resplendent in a diaphanous pistachio cape over a gleaming gold sequin gown, with a curved drop-waist detail and fluttering floral appliqué. “It felt ethereal, dreamy and glamorous and we were so happy with the finished product,” says Nearis, who went on to ask Frank to design jackets for Rose’s upcoming performances with Chris Stapleton.
“I m really into the ‘70s right now,” says Frank, excited for her take on ‘70s Western-wear and Nudie suits for the “Body on Fire” singer.
Continuing to manifest her dreams, she’s currently in discussions with Maddie Louviere, stylist to Kacey Musgraves—who’s known to enjoy sparkle and short shorts. “I just slid into [Louviere’s] DMs, and I was like, ‘Hey, I really love what you do,’” says Frank. Her wish list also includes Lady Gaga, Chappell Roan, Scout Willis, Sofia Isella, and her favorite childhood band, Garbage.
“I love music,” says Frank. “It s my heart and soul.”