The Inspiration

I suppose I could trace it back to 2014. While most of the American teenagers were engaged in either the hipster or fandom sides of Tumbler, I spent the summer totally enthralled in two things. (1) My dad's Beach Boys collection on cassette tape, and (2) a 1960s television show known as "The Man From U.N.C.L.E."

Every time a girl was on the show I remember being compelled by the colors, shapes, and designs of her outfit. My parents and grandparents got just as much enjoyment out of '60s media as my sister and I did. So it wasn't surprising we spent the next six years falling down the rabbit hole of 1960s and 1970s pop culture.

We watched TV shows such as "That Girl," "I Dream of Jeannie," "The Monkees," and "The Dean Martin Variety Show," and fell in love with so many musical groups I couldn't begin to name them all. For me the constant through all of this was the fashion.

I started dressing vintage very quickly. The more I shopped, the more interest I had in finding rare pieces. Traveling to find them and becoming discouraged by the size difference between my wallet and the sale price, I did the only thing I could do; I learned to sew. In between a lot of travel, my skills improved considerably. Soon I completely remade my wardrobe and began to experiment with pattern making.

That wasn't the only thing I'd been experimenting with either. I'd made it a hobby to make a dress out of anything I could find, including curtains, table cloths, pillow cases, afghans, doilies, and just about anything else I could get my hands on. Though the inspiration for style came from media, the inspiration for originality came largely from these projects.

Even in our upcoming line, you'll see the products of these creative exercises. A dress that was designed to be made from a pillow case, a pair of pajamas I designed with the sleeves of a bridesmaid dress, and more than one mini dress I came up with by making patterns with table cloths.

Inspiration is everywhere. You only have to be aware of your surroundings.