Grand Designs

High-flying lawyer Carol Taylor always loved fashion, and when a car accident left her paralysed, she created a new career for herself as the world's first quadriplegic designer. Now she has taken her clothes to the most prestigious catwalk in the land.

- By Genevieve Gannon

Carol Taylor was studying law when she found herself facing a problem that even the finest legal mind would be unable to argue their way out of: A wealthy friend had invited her to "a very posh ball" and she had nothing to wear.

"I wanted to hold my own and look glamorous. I didn't want to let my friend down," she says. But she knew all the other guests would be buying their gowns from frightfully expensive boutiques where prices were upwards of $3000, and she was just a student. Fortunately, Carol had a plan. "I went to a city fabric store and bought some crushed velvet and a pattern. I bought organza to make the sleeves seethrough, satin binding and some diamantes to add some bling."

She took everything home, spread it all out on the floor of her apartment and tried to remember what the nuns had taught her in home economics class. "Back then there was no YouTube. I was trying to remember all the ins and outs. I remember getting really frustrated with it."

By the end of the week, she had created an old Hollywood-inspired crushed velvet gown with a sweetheart neckline, organza sleeves and diamante accents.

"When I entered the room, my friend's mum said, 'Wow, your dress is amazing.' I certainly felt that I held my own. I couldn't believe that less than a week prior I hadn't had anything. It ended up looking very beautiful, as long as you didn't look on the inside," she laughs.

After the ball, Carol enrolled in a Saturday course to learn a few more sewing skills. It was a decision that would one day change her life.