Text, Casi Densmore-Koon
Edited by Vivian G. Kelly
Images, Dan Lecca, courtesy of Mercedes-Benz
TIME & PLACE: October 16th @ 4pm,
LA Fashion Week at Smash box, Studios, the spring 2009 collection.
The tulle women's collection was conceived by design duo JENNIFER SMITH and AMOUSHKA SCOTT. The women were brought together by the desire to preserve past trends and by their love of travel.
WHAT THEY SHOWED: pants, tops, skirts and dresses, outwear & chic separates.
DESIGN INSPIRATIONS
Vintage fashion, flowers, architecture, as well as indie art shows and local boutiques.
THE DESIGNER INTERVIEW
LYRA MAG: Can you tell us a little bit about your inspiration for the Spring 2009 Collection?
TULLE: We were inspired by images of vintage bicycles, boats, and the idea of spring fever and love at first sight.
CLOTH LOGIC: It was inspired in part by launch of Cloth Logic and Spring fever in the Ivy League school campus of Boston. I was really taken back by a picture I saw of a couple walking, holding hands through a Boston school campus after a spring rain. In the background architectural elements of the old brick, ornately detailed buildings were so rich with hues of wet red brick and deep grays, the blue sky, with slight passing gray clouds and the lush green of new grass and blooming green and brown buds of trees waking from a winter sleep. I incorporated all those colors into this collection.The blue and deep taupe gray I used on preppy bodies of hooded windbreakers and waterproof poplin trenches and baracuda jackets, again with striped accents under collar and pockets. I used cool vintage geometric prints for the linings.
LYRA MAG: What can we look forward to in this collection? Who do you see wearing it?
TULLE: We are known for our bold usage of color and vintage inspired aesthetic. For spring 09, we brought a modern edge to the collection with pops of orange, yellow, fuchsia, and teal. We loved the high waist for short, flirty skirts, tulip and paper bag shapes, and cropped stovepipe pants.
The Tulle girl is confident, intelligent and creative. She expresses herself through her own personal style. She appreciates quality and detail, but doesn't necessarily want to spend a fortune to get what she wants.
CLOTH LOGIC: We're targeting a young creative professional, age ranging between 18-30.
The Cloth Logic guy likes and appreciates good design and is attentive to details, but does not have a lot of money to buy expensive clothes. OUR retail prices range between $50-$80.00 for sweaters and $65-$110.00 for jackets. To give you an example our woolen coats retail for $130.00
LYRA MAG: What influenced you to bring in menswear to the collection?
TULLE: Men deserve to express themselves through clothing just as much as women do, but there aren't really a lot of affordable options out there.
CLOTH LOGIC: Tulle's success inspired us to follow a similar philosophy for Cloth Logic - to bring high quality design with an affordable price tag. Cloth Logic is designed by Leon Shpayer.
PRICE POINTS & WHERE TO BUY
Retail prices range from around $40-$60 for a top to around $100 for a wool coat.
The Line is now being sold in boutiques all over the world, some of the LA boutiques include UnaMae's, Clover and Ananda.
PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT
They’ve recently launched a new lower priced line called TULLETTE- she is the slightly younger, more playful and girly kid sister of Tulle.
Also in the works - extensive development of organic and recycled fabrics ranging from wools, cottons, bamboo, polyester etc. They're integrating domestic production and eco-friendly fabrics into both lines Some manufacturing will be domestic as well, “made in LA”.
THE RUNWAY SHOW
The palette; avocado, sangria, blush, marigold, pearl, lagoon and scarlet. A high point in the collection: the jackets that were beautifully executed to perfection, such as a short Navy Trench, the Capes, and a Black Barracuda Jacket, to name just a few.
Some favorites in the women’s line:
Exit #1: The "marina pant" which channeled Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn and the fist 8 looks of the show, which was very strong.
THE VERDICT This collection offered the perfect blend of vintage chic and is effortlessly cohesive.
END NOTE: We were able to get a few vintage inspired "Happy Days" long sleeve 3 button sweaters that seemed to be unisex and a few marigold seamless camis from their new collection. Both can easily be paired with jeans for a relaxed chic look.