Tell us a little bit about you. How old are you and where do you live?

I’m 27 years old. I live in QC. I studied interior design in college. After graduating from college, I pursued ID at Parsons School of Design and decided to take fashion merchandising just for fun but I loved it so much that I decided to go back the following year and pursue a course in Fashion Design. I also took several classes in FIT.

What do you love about indie style? What is it that inspires you?

I draw inspiration from nature, anything whimsy, I love to look at children’s fairy books and vintage flora and fauna illustrations. Right now, Im obsessing over peacocks ( i love the colors of fuchsia, teal and violet ). and vintage baroque wallpapers.

Who do you imagine you are designing for?

When designing a dress, I always try to picture myself wearing it.I pay attention to details to make it more special. I design for women who are feminine, flirty and playful with a kittenish vibe.

Give us your favourite undiscovered designer/shop.

There is this small homey boutique on Mulberry St. Nolita in New York City called Poppy. They carry unique pieces from up and coming designers and vintage pieces as well. The interior of the store is fab but not over the top. They found all their furniture from the armoire to the lamp in thrift shops all over Manhattan and they mixed it with modern pieces. After shopping or window shopping, walk a few steps and there’s Ciao Bella for ice cream. Makes me miss New York.

Favourite Fashion designers?

My favorite fashion designers are Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte, Alberta Ferreti and Giambattista Valli.

If you want to shop her creations, visit her site: WANDERLUSTManila.multiply.com. She accepts made to order!

For details on what Celine was wearing in the photos, check out Style Manila: Celine Cruz of Wanderlust.

Photos courtesy of Celine Cruz.

Post from: Splendicity. Check out our new community features!

Take Five: Celine Cruz

OK, now remember when I gushed about the new Rose La Biche collection?

Well, the fantastic Lucy, the genius behind the gorgeous tees, is here to answer some questions. As a bonus, I’ll sprinkle in some pictures of the collection again. Just in case you forgot how freakin’ talented this woman is.

Tell us a little bit about you. How old are you and where do you live?

I turned 33 last month (ouch!) and I’ve been living in San Francisco for the last 2,5 years, right in front of a charming park full of century-old trees. I lived in a lot of different places before that – Paris, London, Lisbon, Buenos Aires, Los Angeles – but SF is a city with one of the best urban-nature mix to me : you’re right in the middle of downtown and still, you’re surrounded by a breathtaking nature. I cherish this ‘duality’ a lot.

What do you love about indie style?

What I value the most in indie style is that you know who makes the apparel you’re buying and in what conditions it has been crafted (contrarily to trendy mass-market brands that usually outsource their production in some Third World countries). I love that ‘intimacy’ with the indie designer, its work, its vision, its philosophy. That’s what inspires me when I design my collection: very modestly, I wish to create apparel that brings authenticity, confidence and joie de vivre. Indie style goes beyond fashion to me, it has to do with values you identify with. I love to wear clothes that mean something to me and I truly hope this is what my customers feel when they wear a Rose La Biche tee.

Why t-shirts? What is about them that inspires you?

Because a t-shirt is a quintessential wardrobe staple – the most simple, versatile go-anywhere piece of clothing ever. And whereas screenprinted t-shirts are everywhere now, I find the offer pretty small for chic feminine tshirts that are truly different. As a designer, it inspires me to think about how to transform a basic tee into a chic, refreshing and unique piece. I’m thrilled to constantly challenge myself to reinvent the “perfect elegant yet atypical tee”. I deliberately choose to work on a sober urban color palette (white, black, grey, charcoal) that pushes me to be even more creative, more innovative, more precise. Artistically-wise, it is very fulfilling. That’s what makes me happy!

Give us your favorite undiscovered designer/shop.

Marie Labarelle is a Parisian designer whose work I admire a lot. Her website is unfortunately in French only but you can still see her marvelous creations http://marielab.canalblog.com. She has a very artistic and poetic approach towards fashion and towards creation in general. Her work is very nature-inspired, just like mine, and I like that very much. Her dresses and coats are delicate and airy, like flowers or leaves. Just beautiful. Her small Parisian boutique is a true gem.

What is the story you are telling with the latest collection?

I shot my latest collection in two different moments, in two separate parts of the World: in April in Madrid, Spain and in June in NYC. Because this collection tells the story of a cosmopolitan woman, a woman who travels, a woman who speaks different languages, who likes to discover other people’s cultures. She is sophisticated yet cool, confident yet sensible, atypical yet uncomplicated. She is Spanish, American, French, Australian, Mexican or maybe Italian or Argentine or Japanese. She’s a citizen of the World. She is a urban-nature woman and her style fuses ‘wow factor’ & ‘everyday wearable’ in a clean yet creative way.

Are you a cake or pie person?

Oh my, that’s a difficult choice! I think I’m both actually! As a good French woman, I love to cook and I’m known for my small chocolate fondants cakes and my super creamy lemon custard pie. These are my two specialties and I love them both SO much that I wouldn’t be able to choose! So I guess I am a cake-pie person (does it even exist?)

(Kim says: indeed in does. I love cake and I would kill for a lemon custard pie right about now)

After reading about why Lucy makes these great tees and how she works, you’ll want to go shopping.

So go shopping at Rose La Biche.

While you’re at it, read more from Lucy at her blog.

Post from: Splendicity. Check out our new community features!

take five: rose la biche

When I asked her to do a Take Five interview with me, I figured she was too busy being fantastic. But she happily agreed, so I ended up with 6 questions instead of five. I couldn’t help it.

Read her answers below.

Tell us a little bit about you. How old are you and where do you live?

I am 34 years old and I live in Portland, Oregon. I recently sold a retail clothing store that I owned for 8 years and now plan to concentrate on designing my clothing line. After the sale I moved into a studio/storefront where I can design my line and meet with clients.

What do you love about indie style? What is it that inspires you?

I love how immediate it can be. I can design something new and sell it the same day. I am also inspired to make limited edition or one of kind pieces out of the antique fabrics- something that can’t be done in the mass market.

Who do you imagine you are designing for?

Myself, although I hardly ever wear my own designs for some reason. I always design things I imagine either myself or my close friends wearing.

How did you get started designing? What is your process from idea to product?

I started 8 years ago when I opened up the store. From there I started making one of kind dresses out of
reconstructed vintage clothing. Now, I make “fancy” clothing, mostly dresses and dressy separates. A lot of my design process starts with fabric shopping, with either second hand or new fabrics. On saturdays I go to estate sales looking for fabric and lace and I end up hand dying a lot of the what I find. I don’t sketch out what I am making beforehand. I usually work by draping and or making samples from flat patterns and then I sketch it or take pictures to have a record of it. Every once and
awhile I will reconstruct a vintage piece that I find just for fun.

Give us your favorite undiscovered designer/shop.

I would have to say estate sales- that is where I shop the most and find really great vintage pieces.

What book is on your nightstand right now?

Seven Gothic Tales by Isak Dinesen and a bunch of fashion magazines.

Holly’s etsy shop

Holly’s bio and full collections here.

Post from: Splendicity. Check out our new community features!

take five: holly stalder

image courtesy of betsi. isn’t she cute!

Tell us a little bit about you. How old are you and where do you live?

My name is Betsi Goutal, I’m 25 years old, and I live in Waltham MA. I’ve lived here about a year now, after having moved around a lot in my early twenties. I’m loving the feeling of finally being a bit more settled down, and being closer to Boston. There is so much to do and see in the city, I’m really kind of a city girl at heart despite growing up in small towns.

What do you love about indie style? What is it that inspires you?

Indie style is generous and brave, because it’s such a form of self-expression. Wearing something because it means something to you, expresses your personality, brings you joy – that’s a form of art. Stepping outside the mainstream of what’s hip and trendy to say something meaningful with what your wear is a courageous act of sharing yourself and your spirit with those around you.

How did you get started designing jewelry?

It’s tough to say, because I’ve been creating and designing with every crafty thing I could get my hands on since I was a wee sprat. I’ve been designing jewelry pretty much my whole life, but got started doing it for a living because I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and I knew I had to choose one of my many interests and settle to it, at least for a while. I’m sure somewhere down the road I’ll be doing something else. Right now my work is mainly with beads, but I’m looking into adding some sewn items like headbands and arm warmers in the next year. My creativity drives me, and is always pushing me toward new things.

Give us your favorite undiscovered designer/shop.

Every designer is discovered, by some one at least. But probably my favorite little-known designer is Lindsay from Kid Pirate. She designs awesome characters and graphics and makes them into tees and buttons, and recently even started doing belt buckles. The designs are super amazing and cute, and she has such a distinctive style. I bought this great neon pink ray gun tee from her and I really wish I’d bought it in a more fitted size, but she’s since discontinued it. Her designs are often limited run, so if you see something you like you’ve gotta grab it!

What do you see out your window right now?

Ugh, one of those dreary grey days! Aside from the overcast weather though, the view is pretty lovely. I live about twenty minutes from the wonderfully hip and geeky Cambridge, but living on a little side street I still these amazingly picturesque suburban views. My studio has three windows, facing two directions. From one window I can see beautiful flowering trees in one neighbor’s backyard, and in the other direction is another neighbor’s front yard where lately at nights I’ve actually seen bunnies frolicking around in the dark!

the surprise!

Betsi is kind enough to give away the boombox necklace I was so excited about!

To enter, just hop over to her store and tell us what your other favorite piece is. Leave a comment on this post and you’re entered!

You’ve got until May 23rd, 11 p.m. Pacific to enter.

Post from: Splendicity. Check out our new community features!

take five: betsi from zlanarama

Oak is full of handmade items that you need to own, like, yesterday. For example, these pebble earrings, $25.

Find out more about Keara and Oak Boston in this fantastic installment of Take Five.

Tell us a little bit about you. How old are you and where do you live?

My name is Keara, and I am 20 years old. I grew up in Nashua, NH, working in my mother’s children’s/maternity clothing store. I moved to Boston a few years ago, and I love living in the city!

What do you love about indie style? What is it that inspires you?

I think that handmade indie style is even more exciting. Even if the designer made 50 of the same piece, each is still going to end up being one of a kind. You know that the artist was a person sitting at a sewing machine making sure they were satisfied with the final product… not a nameless machine in a warehouse spitting out thousands of the same garment. This same ideal applies for jewelry, printing, etc.

What has been the most hectic part of setting up a brick and mortar shop?

Oh jeez, finances! It’s hard to stretch your resources, but it can almost make it better when you have to be creative with how you spend your money. The other hard aspect was actually finding the retail location. I looked and looked for months, and then the perfect spot fell into my lap.

Give us your favorite undiscovered designer/shop.

I can’t pick a favorite at Oak! But, I do love this new designer “Joodito” that I have yet to contact. Very fun, modern clothing. Designed right here in Boston. I will have to get in touch with her soon!

What’s sitting on your desk right now?

I’m writing to you via laptop right now. But, next to me I have a Dunkin Donuts coffee, my ipod and Aveeno face lotion.. and lots of messy papers.

(Photo: courtesy of Keara)

Post from: Splendicity. Check out our new community features!

take five: keara, owner of oak boston

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How old are you and where are you from?

Ruffeo (aka Mackswell Sherman): I am 25 or 26 I cant remember, I am from Oblivion, I didn’t exist until I was almost 3 years old. I was born on the outside. I became a reality when my parents dropped back into society in 83, we lived in Seattle then, But Im more from the San Jan Islands. I lived there from age 7 to 18, then I moved to Olympia to go to The Evergreen State College, where Lil’ Snotty and I met. We had to move to Seattle because Olympia is a poverty loving, Olympia beer guzzeling Swamp Of Sadness. We’ve been in Seattle for 2.5 years.
Lil Snotty (aka Sarah Jones): I am 22 years old and born in Houston, Texas. I lived there until I was 16 and eventually ended up in Seattle.

2) How do you choose the materials you use?

LS: We use exclusively salvaged materials. Fabric that comes from the thrift stores or excess of the garment industry. When looking for materials I go for anything brightly colored, bold and stretchy.
R: If it hasn’t been bled on Im into it.

3) How did Ruffeo hearts Lil’ Snotty come about?

R:We were working for the Thomson Gunners fighting the Congalese, Roland’s head got shot strait off and then we were like “Woah this is not cool at all” or at least something along those lines, Somewhere inside of Warren Zevon’s horrific fantasies I was impregnated with the passion to contribute momentum to the handmade allegiance. To sidestep blundering politics and foreign affairs by taking the power of commerce as votes against the established world of slave laborers and environmentally mental garment manufacturing industry. To face fuck the fashion industry.
LS: We meet in Olympia spray painting t-shirts together. Once that became too toxic and messy we turned to sewing garments together. We joined the Olympia Clothing Project and never looked back.

4) Tell us your favorite undiscovered site or designer.
LS: www.foundationgarmentsinc.com
R. www.paperdollfashion.etsy.com

5) If there were only one dessert in your life for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

R. Fruit salad with Lime squeezed on top. I don’t like sweet things unless Im getting super psychadelic.
LS: super dark chocolate

Go look at Ruffeo hearts Lil’ Snotty.

Post from: Splendicity. Check out our new community features!

take five: ruffeo hearts lil snotty

Chloe is a fellow blogger, but more than that she’s a trained artist and makes a variety of gorgeousness at her Etsy shop, Painterly Works. Check out this really pretty portfolio that she makes! And don’t forget to read her blog, Her Accessories.
Onto the questions:

Tell us about yourself. How old are you? Where do you live?
I’m 27 and live on an army base with my husband (and our thundering herd of dogs, birds & fish) We live in central Alberta, Canada – and no, I don’t live in an igloo

What’s your inspiration? How did you get started?
I’ve been creating all my life – my mother got me started with drawing and even things like embroidery & sewing before I was in kindergarten.  I began making my own clothes as a teenager and it kept on evolving from there.  These days I’m just making accessories(handbags & jewelery)  I prefer making things that I don’t need to custom tailor to individual sizes! I think I’m most inspired by the world around me – nature provides the most amazing colours & shapes to work with.

What is it about indie fashion that you like?

I love the fearlessness and creativity with independant designers.  I think that indie designers generally create work that is a truer reflection of themselves, rather than a collection that’s strictly commercial.

Tell us your favorite undiscovered site or designer.

I have to admit – I’m an etsy fan!  It’s been around for awhile, but it’s so much fun to browse and see the amazing things people come up with.

If you had to eat one kind of pie for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

Home-made cherry pie!  No food colouring, no artificial flavours, just fresh picked cherries… oh blast, I’m drooling on my keyboard.

Post from: Splendicity. Check out our new community features!

take five: chloe of painterly works

Maki Squarepatch has been all ove lately. I’ve seen them featured on a buncha of blogs, both for their design and their eco-friendliness. They use recycled clothing to make bags and all sorts of cute stuff. Xin of the sister team took a minute (or five! that’s cheesy, sorry) just for me! She’s the one on the right in the photo above, Enqi (the other half of the team) is on the left and the pretty kitty is Maki Sqaurepatch.

Check out her answers below and definitely check out their site, which is having a killer sale right now.

How old are you? Where do you live?

I’m 24, and live in Singapore.

What’s your inspiration? How did you get started?

We got started in July 2006 with the key goal of recycling from pre-loved apparel and fabric scraps into something whole new, colorful and fresh to another person’s eyes.

What is it about indie fashion that you like?

That its a little like indie films and music, they are raw and unpolished, making art within limitations. There’s no stopping, and that should be the way.

Tell us your favorite undiscovered site or designer.

The girls of pencilsandneedles.blogspot.com.

What is going on in your workspace at this second?

Padding up an old bag of mine, so i can carry my new polaroid camera around.

Take a peek at Maki Squarepatch here.

Post from: Splendicity. Check out our new community features!

take five: maki squarepatch

New feature!  We’ll see how often I can do this, but I’m inviting indie designers and small business owners to answer five questions for me, a mini-interview if you will.

Kelly over at Killer Cotton is my first guinea pig. KC is a great listing of indie stores and designers. It also lets you rate and give feedback on the businesses on everything from design to product quality. It’s a great place for me to discover new stores to feature on the site and a great place for shoppers to find what they want.

How old are you? Where do you live?
I live in Los Angeles in my tiny, yet stylish, apartment from which I run Killer Cotton all by myself.

What’s your inspiration? How did you get started?
I first tried to start my own indie fashion line, but it was a big bust because I quickly found that I don’t have a talent for creating clothes. My real passion was always seeking out great underground styles made by somebody else, so I turned that into my business, and Killer Cotton was born.  I built the whole site myself in my spare time at my boring corporate job. It took about 8 months to complete, and was a ton more work than I ever thought it would be. It’s still a ton of work, but I love every minute!

What is it about indie fashion that you like?
I love finding that perfect little dress that isn’t quite like anything out there in the mainstream, or the hand-knit sweater that could never be mass-produced.  Even if it’s just a little hair clip, or cool t-shirt, indie fashion allows you to really define your own style, and not be dictated to by the mega-stores and over promoted design comanies.
Tell us your favorite undiscovered site or designer.
This is a tough one. I am looking for new designers every day, and adding new sites to Killer Cotton all the time. So much so, that we are launching a “new sites” tab on Killer Cotton to keep track of all that’s new there.  So I can’t really pick one. Sorry to evade the question, but I really do love them all!
What is going on in your workspace at this second? 
I’m at home, so in my workspace right now my two dogs are sleeping on the floor behind me, and my roommate is making a huge racket rushing to dry her hair and get ready for work. I can’t tell you how happy I am that I don’t have a regular corporate job anymore.  It’s the best!

Are you a designer or business owner and would like to be featured? E-mail me at the address on the sidebar and we’ll make it happen!

Post from: Splendicity. Check out our new community features!

Take Five: Killer Cotton