A look at Spring: The artist modeling her inspiration

Is fashion your muse? Then, why not recreate the frocks you fall for on paper? Artist, vintage seller, and stylish gal Anja Verdugo of Clever Nettle does just that, and ModCloth was lucky enough to have her paint lovely watercolors of some of our most popular dresses.

Anja was inspired by Summer to paint the Beachcomber Dress

In seeking inspiration for the delightful ModCloth paintings, Anja looked for interesting and appealing designs, colors, and prints. She chose pieces that represent each season, “going from the silky, floaty florals for Spring, to bolder bright prints for Summer, then moving into deeper colors for Fall and then ending with good ol’ Winter black.”

Green going gold: Anja painted the Chartreuse Chanteuse Dress for Fall

Not only does she love the “instant outfit” that is a dress, but finds them to be “pretty epic,” as well. “I don’t wear a lot of fancy or complicated things,” she says, “so painting frilly and ornate frocks is a cool way for me to explore that without having to look like a cupcake.”

“There’s definitely a connection between the aesthetics that I find appealing and how I dress myself,” she says when asked how art finds a way into her daily outfits.  “A combination of colors might stand out to me, or I might consider a texture or print that I hadn’t really noticed before.”

Anja painted the Cabaret Voltaire dress in honor of "good ol' winter black."

Other than painting clothes, Anja produces eclectic and imaginative prints, including her “Billuminati” series, which she calls her “weird little baby.”

Currently, Anja is sporting a lot of stripes, red lipstick, and chambray as part of her “weird French” look and is endlessly entertained by her pet chickens. “Best friends, always wandering around the yard together,” she says of Scramble and Bunny.

With a beautiful blog, a talent for art, and a taste for whimsy (not to mention a successful Etsy shop) Anja has a lot of cool stuff going on for her. Be sure to bookmark her blog and check out her digital scrapbook!

Peace Corps volunteer Sarah Bender with her host brother, Ali.

Welcome to the first installment of our month-long “Women Making History” blog series!

In honor of today, International Women’s Day, I interviewed Sarah Bender, a remarkable 22-year-old who, in October, left her life in America to work for the Peace Corps, and has since been teaching, learning, giving, receiving, and growing in Jordan.

Read about Sarah’s life, work, and deepening love for Jordanian people and culture, after the jump!

When Sarah Bender applied to the Peace Corps last year, she had her heart set on going to Africa. In college, she’d spent a month in Tanzania and a summer in Uganda, and she’d fallen in love with the African culture’s slower pace of life — with the sense of living freely and roughing it. “I wanted to go somewhere with palm trees and mangoes,” she says. ”That is what I was looking for when I applied to the Peace Corps, and not at all what I got.”

A photograph of Ar Ramtha, a city in northwest Jordan.

What did she get? Sarah received a placement teaching special education classes in Jordan. Was this a disappointment? Hardly, though she admits it took her longer than she thought it would to accept the invitation.

“‘Jordan! You can’t go to Jordan!’ people would say. That freaked me out a bit,” she says. But Sarah, who lives for “the freshness and excitement of new things,” and finds challenges to be “invigorating and motivating,” decided that was exactly where she needed to be. “I feel like I was meant to come here, that this is what I am supposed to be doing,” she says. “Nothing else. And, there are palm trees here. So I still have palm trees.”

Sarah's Arabic class. When Sarah first came to Jordan, the only Arabic words she knew how to say were, "Hello," and "The little girl runs." Though most of her conversations still involve a lot of "charading," Sarah has recently started to have completely fluent interactions.

But living in Jordan has meant facing whole new set of challenges — challenges very different from the ones she was accustomed to while living in Africa. Sarah describes the difference in terms of “physical comfort” versus “social comfort.”

In Africa, some volunteers spend months in mud huts without electricity or running water. “Here, I have electricity, I have internet, I have a water heater,” she says. Yet “it’s more of a challenge for me to negotiate the social pressures that come with living [in Jordan].”

Sarah teaches a special education class five days a week. Here, her students are busy at work on creating leaf stamp artwork.

In addition to her daily special ed class, Sarah has taken on the project of teaching aerobics to local women. She was floored when she first saw the room that made up the women-only gym where she will teach her class. A fellow Peace Corps member introduced Sarah to the two Jordanian women who opened the gymnasium.

“[Discovering this gym and these women] just blew my mind,” Sarah says. “This is not aligned with the culture at all. Jordanian men play football; they can go outside and get exercise, but in the villages, the women’s exercise is housework, and then the rest of the time they spend hanging out and relaxing, since they are tired from all the housework they’ve been doing.”

Sarah's long sleeve shirts drying on a clothesline.

Sarah says she is inspired by Jordanian women. “When I read things or hear these awful, shocking things about women in developing countries, it makes me hurt inside, because I am trying so hard to do the opposite — to tell people about the really awesome things that women are doing here, like these two women who started the gym where I’m teaching aerobics. And sure, someone has to tell us about the 10-year-olds who are married, or the women who got acid poured on their faces because they were trying to go to school. But I’d rather talk about the good things, because the good outweighs bad. I don’t want to try to hide the bad, but it’s important to remember the good things, too.”

The Jordanian flag at sunset

Why does Sarah think talking about the “good things” is so important? Because otherwise, she says, Western society’s negative stereotypes of Middle Eastern cultures will persist.

“People in America don’t want to go to the Middle East,” she says. “They are scared of coming here. But I am here, and I am safe. I love it here. This is a culture that is still intact from a long time ago, with deep rooted traditions, and it is a beautiful culture. I think it is a shame that people don’t talk about the positive aspects of this culture, of these people’s lives.”

When I asked Sarah if she had any advice she could share with you, our readers, she said this: “Be open to finding out what your passion is. Stop worrying about what other people want you to be, or what you feel pressured to be. Find what makes you tick, then pursue it. Be true to yourself. “

Click on the “play” button for the music video above. Go ahead. I’ll wait…

Did you find yourself bobbing your head along to the infectiously catchy tune? Maybe you smiled as the chanteuse cutely crooned “I’d go for Thai with you, if you asked me to.” There’s just something about that song (and its accompanying music video) that makes you feel kind of… well, happy!

So, who’s the voice behind such a sweet song? I’d like to introduce you to Casey Hanner…

Image Above: Jordan Beckham

The tale of Donora goes like this:

Jake H. met Casey a few hours after she was born. He was disappointed that she was a girl and cried. Eighteen years later, he got over it, and they started a band. A few years after that, they suckered another kid named Jake into playing bass. After shooting down Casey’s idea to name the band “Casey and the Jakes,” they became Donora.

Cute. Concise. Candid. It’s a great band bio. “Thanks!” Casey said with a smile when I told her just that. “I actually wrote it myself.”

Image Above: www.soundandtonic.com

As I sat chatting with Casey Hanner at a Pittsburgh bakery, I discovered that she is not only the lead vocalist for Donora, but also writes most of the lyrics, directed their most recent music video (for “Shh” which you’ve probably heard – it’s the track in PostSecret’s Valentine’s video), and… there’s something I’m forgetting. Oh, yeah – she’s currently writing her Master’s thesis for Transportation Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. She’s a real, live renaissance woman.

So, let’s talk about the band. Despite the lovely legend Casey penned above, Donora’s name came about in a fairly random fashion. “We were trying to come up with a name that was one word. My brother’s wife walks on the trails in North Park, and the pavilions are named for different towns.  ‘Donora’ was one of them, so she suggested it, and we thought it sounded nice. When we brought it up to our bassist, Jake, he was like, ‘I’ve always wanted to name a band that!’” she laughed. Apparently, Churton used to pass a highway exit sign for the small Southwestern PA town on his way to practice with a former band. And thus, they became Donora.

Image Above: Rebecca Chiappelli

As the the female lead, and one-third of the trio, I wondered if Casey ever felt pressured to look or act a certain way. She took a moment to reflect, then said, “I’m definitely more aware of my image. I want to be taken seriously [as a musician], but I’m a girl, and I love fashion, so I try to find a balance. I wear sneakers and jeans on stage, because I’m conscious of things like not rolling an ankle while I’m jumping around, or flashing the crowd. It’s tough sometimes when I see photos of myself and think, ‘Oh my god! I’m sweaty and I have a double chin [in that shot]!’ But, ultimately, I just want it to be about the music, not what I look like.”

However, in her off-time, Casey Hanner is not always in the Converse kicks and skinnies that she dons on stage. “In my day-to-day, I’m much girlier,” she said, “I love dresses and boots!” (Swoon – a girl after my own heart!) Topping Casey’s current list of ModCloth favorites: The Brilliant Blossom Dress, Drumline Jacket, and Lipstick in Centrifuchsia.

Image Above: Jordan Beckham

When you listen to Donora (on a sidenote: their self-titled debut album is the only CD I’ve ever been able to listen to the whole way through without skipping songs), one thing you’ll notice is the absence of negativity. There’s no unnecessary swearing, no lackluster lyrics, no melancholy melodies. Casey said, “Music for me is fun and positive. We’d never swear just to be cool, and I think sometimes indie bands try too hard to be edgy. We’re writing indie pop, and we’re not trying to pretend that it’s something it’s not.”

Casey manages to infuse even lyrics like, “Say goodbye to the life you want/And sing the chorus of the broken-hearted,” with such genuine emotion that you’re always left feeling uplifted. I read a review somewhere that said if Casey had sang Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl,” it would have come off as sweet instead of smarmy. I’d have to agree.

How do the songs that’ll make you smile happen? “We write all of them ourselves. My brother does a lot with samples and sounds – a sort of musical montage – and Jake [Churton] comes up with most of the melodies on his bass, so the lyrics, which I write most of, are usually last. They just kind of go along with how the music feels and sounds,” Casey explained.

Image Above: Kris Mortensen

Wondering what Donora is up to now? “Writing for the new album!” Casey exclaimed. “It should be released at the end of Summer or beginning of Fall, and we’re currently sending a bunch of CD’s to indie and college radio stations.” Expect to hear them on your favorite one soon!

When I asked if they had plans to tour, Casey said, “Well, my brother and his wife are having a baby soon, so probably not! That might change things. It’s weird – we’re all kind of in different stages right now: I’m in grad school, Jake [Churton] is just finishing his undergrad, and my brother is about to have a baby. If it weren’t for music, we might not all hang out, but it brings us together.”

Casey had a final piece of parting advice: “I think it’s important in any career, or any life, to have lots of different interests. It balances you.” That seems to sum up how she steadies herself in her sea of various talents and passions. While we may not all be equipped for singing, writing, directing, and matriculating a Master’s degree in Engineering, it sure is inspiring to know that it can be done – and all by one gal.

I think Casey Hanner is pretty awesome. How about you?

When I first laid eyes the Haute Handlebar Ring, I knew that I had to have it. (Don’t worry everyone, it’ll be back in stock soon!) So I was extra excited to interview its creator!

Read about Tiffany’s inspiration for her mustache pieces, her experience in the music industry and a day in her life, after the jump.

Crystal: How was your vacation? I read that you went to Europe for Christmas?

Tiffany: My vacation was AMAZING, but for my California blood, VERY COLD. I hopped all over Spain, saw the surely LSD-induced Antonio Gaudi-designed Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona, went shopping in Madrid, hiked to the Alhambra Palace in Granada, and did more shopping and sightseeing in Seville! Basically walked all over every city and ate their amazing local delicacies. Then I was off to the Swiss Alps for Christmas with my family. It’s been over two years since I saw snow, and I’m glad I got plenty of it this holiday.

Crystal: Your pieces are very streetwear inspired. Where do you find the best inspiration for them?

Tiffany: I always quote music as my inspiration, because with every trend or counter culture, there’s a musical complement. And vice versa. Kind of a chicken and the egg conundrum: does music inspire fashion, or does fashion inspire music?

But in my case, music inspires the designs I put into KidViskous. Each collection is inspired by a musical genre: rock n’ roll, indie pop, nu-rave, and now a kind of hipster Americana with my Collection 4. My line doesn’t conform to one aesthetic venture collection to collection, and I’m fortunate enough to have people follow with me despite the polarizing directions I take.

The ROFL Necklace, Goldfeather Ring and Haute Handlebar Ring available at ModCloth!

Crystal: Tell us more about your love of music.

Tiffany: Music was always a big part of my life. I started interning at punk record labels at 16, worked by way to Assistant Music Director at my college radio station along with DJing my own show. I even worked at the booking office of the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood where The Doors and Iggy Pop got their start. Vince Neil’s tour manager wrongly accused me of stealing t-shirts there!

Most recently I worked at Yahoo! Music, programming streaming music and video channels, working with thousands of band pages and debuting new music videos and exclusive performances we put on. That place was a trip, you’d see everyone from Pink to Brian Wilson wandering the halls.

Crystal: How do the fashion & music industries compare?

Tiffany: Fashion and music are complete and utter cohorts in this outrageous love and sex, drugs and dreams, pinnacle and pit-filled rollercoaster relationship. They inspire each other, they feed off of each other, they need each other. For both it’s about making an immediate impression on the people looking and listening, like an immediate exposure of what’s going on inside your head.

Fashion and music have an equal place as defining each generation, each era. When you think of the 60’s, first thing I bet most people think of are hippies in flower prints and leather fringes listening to Led Zepplin and Jimi Hendrix. So it’s hard to compare the two really since they’re so intertwined. Designers make custom pieces for artists, and artists want to have the image designers create.

For me, making a transition from music to fashion was hardly a conscious choice because they’re culturally one in the same. I guess the difference is what you say on your business card, and switching between threads and guitar strings.

Crystal: Mustaches have been all the rage lately. Did you guys start that trend?

Tiffany: Haha, I think men started that trend waaayyy back in the day, but I couldn’t tell you how it blew up in the hipster scene. The mustache design started as a whim, seeing all these cute boys sporting their perfectly waxed handlebar mustaches, and seeing people at parties with stick on ones. I thought, why not make a mustache you can wear all the time without the upkeep or ability to grow one?

The response has been enormous, they’re my best sellers to date. Wear a KidViskous mustache out partying and it’s almost creepy how everyone wants to put it to his or her own face. And the photo ops are priceless. I got a comment recently from a customer had lots of fun at even Wal-Mart making people laugh!

Another pic from photo by Zak Krevitt of radiantjungle.com.

Crystal: Tell us about a day in your life.

Tiffany: Do you have your pillow handy? Haha, no, but my life is pretty simple nowadays. I wake up, cook some yummy vegetarian recipes (I’m finally teaching myself to cook!), and spend the day working on KidViskous, fielding orders, setting up photo shoots, designing, updating, and doing interviews.

But come nightfall I love going out, and am friends with Djs and party promoters, so if there’s a cover, I better not be paying! In better economic times my friends and I always went to parties sponsored by some company, magazine, or designer with open bar and gift bags where some high-profile artist or Dj performed, but not so much anymore. Probably better for my health anyway!

Crystal: How would you describe your personal style?

Tiffany: My personal style has always been pretty nebulous. It’s this random assortment of designer and vintage and unique uses of things you find at H&M and Topshop. Sometimes I’m a London pageboy, or a Margiela knock-off, or an Asian female Karl Lagerfeld.

I have it in my head that I want to start dressing more like a boy since I’m built pretty boyishly with the skinny suits and cardigans and rolled up jeans, but it hasn’t come to fruition yet. On the other end I’m a fan of the short shorts with tights and suicide heels and some sort of dramatic headpiece, like a crazy bow, or a tiny hat. Whatever it is, better have good shoes!

Crystal: What’s next for KidViskous?

Tiffany: Just today I was thinking I want to take it somewhere SEXY. That’s really all I can reveal now, but I’ll be shooting very high-end couture the next time around. Also, going to seriously look into branching into clothing (gasp!).

Crystal: Anything else you’d like to add?

Tiffany: Happy New Year everyone! Let’s be friends:
Facebook.com/kidviskous
Twitter.com/kidviskous

[Images Above: Caitlin Shearer]

Caitlin Shearer keeps an unusual diary. She has sold over a thousand pages of it to people she does not know around the world, many of whom hang her musings up on their walls. She rarely writes in it. Instead, her thoughts spill onto paper in the form of watercolor paintings of slight, angular girls with scraped knees and rosebud lips.

Her lovely yet melancholy paintings have earned this 20-year-old internet art sensation a devoted following at her blog Caitlin Quiet, praises from Paper Magazine, and collaborations with labels such as Hopeless Lingerie and Tricolore. Meanwhile, her Etsy shop has sold over a thousand paintings since she joined in 2007.

Add the fact that she idolizes Fred Astaire, listens to Beirut, and sews her own vintage-inspired clothes, and swoon! Can you say new crush?

We tracked this talented young Aussie down for a Q&A about her work, New Year’s resolutions, and boys.

First off, how did you get into art?
I don’t think I ever planned to be an artist. In primary school I would hang out in my bedroom and draw pictures of the Spice Girls and mermaids. It was halfway through high school that I started to draw for fun again. By my last year, I was obsessed with art and would draw sneakily during classes, at lunch, and then go home and draw some more. It became a savior, some part of life I could thoroughly control, which I needed while going through exams and the pressures of impending university and adulthood. I suppose I fell in love with creating pictures. It makes me feel content.

How would you describe your work?
Watercolor paintings of people who don’t exist in this world. A neighborhood of imaginary best friends. None of the girls exist. I like being able to create people out of thin air. I think I’m becoming a control freak actually. Paper is limitless and real life is constraining and a struggle.

Why paint girls?
As a girl, I find it easy to project my thoughts in the form of women. The paintings work as a diary, as an evaluation of thoughts that plague me. These girls are usually the same age as me — twenty! Maybe when I’m 30 I will be painting different things.

And what about those occasional portraits of boys?
The boys… Well, boys are mysterious creatures to me, and I guess to figure them out, I have to draw pictures of them. Like a scientist dissects a frog. I’m working on focusing more on boys lately. I need to amp up the boy-to-girl ratio. Maybe then these girls wouldn’t be so lonely. Lovelorn and sick of waiting!

[Images Above: Caitlin Shearer]

Who or what do you draw inspiration from?
From everything my eyes take in! Superstition, The X-Files, cats, my friends, pressed flowers, shiny shoes, boudoir queens, Jeffrey Eugenides, Tim Burton, Tim Walker,  Enoch Bolles, J.W. Waterhouse,constellations, boxes of old knickknacks, sleepover giggles about girl stuff, loneliness, seclusion, seamed stockings… and the list goes on…

What has influenced your artwork the most?:
The experience of being a girl has been the ultimate influence.

You started receiving media attention in high school. Did you ever expect your Etsy and blog to become so big?
I never expected any of it to become big at all. It was a a very nice surprise indeed! I try not to think about the attention because it’s just way too weird and very hard to comprehend. All of that stuff happens inside the internet — so it feels like it’s happening to someone else, you know. You turn the computer off and it all disappears. Saying that, I’m very flattered my art gets noticed at all and am very proud there are people in other countries who have my art up on their walls.

You recently left Sydney’s College of Fine Arts to pursue art on your own. Why?
It was a good school, but I had such high expectations — life-altering expectations — for art school, and in the end I didn’t feel comfortable there. One day I might like to continue studying, but this just isn’t the right time.

What is your typical day like?
Drawing, checking e-mails, watching TV, talking to my cat, cooking, packing prints, walking to the post office.

Describe your personal style.
1950s-inspired witch crossed with Shirley Temple, crossed with Anne Frank. I wear a lot of vintage and half my wardrobe is black. I like novelty patterns and black patent shoes. I have a rule against pants.

[Images Above: Caitlin Shearer]

If you could trade places with anyone, dead or alive, for a day, who would it be?
Fred Astaire! So I could go on a movie with Ginger Rogers and dance the night away wearing a shiny top hat and sequins.

What are your goals as an artist?
Improving the art itself. That’s what matters most to me. I’ve still got a lot to learn and the longest way to go, so every six months I get a thrill from the developments made — neater brushstrokes, more realistic-looking faces, better use of tones, that kind of thing.

Seeing as we just hit a new year, what are some of your resolutions for 2010?
Work steadily and conscientiously, publish a book of drawings and poems, discover more new friends, fall in love, and be daring.

Any life advice?
Be good to your mother and always tell the truth.

First, I bought the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Neckwarmer, and fell in luv with it.
Then, I got to chat with Rachael, the creator of both Spratters and Jayne and the ModCloth-exclusive line, Circa!
What an exciting wintertime!

Read my interview with Rachael to learn what oak spaltwood buttons are,  how she found her niche, and whether she loves or hates wintertime!

Crystal: Your scarves are so cool! What inspired them?

Rachael: Thanks! I’ve always been a fan of suuuuper chunky knits and crochets. I like vintage 70s leather jackets too, which I love to dress up with scarves. What better than a cowl to accent some good 70s leather?

I was always looking for scarves that were really interesting, that also kept me warm during the fall and winter in Brooklyn – the bigger and chunkier the better! Finding what I really liked was pretty hard, so I started making my own designs.

Crystal: How did you choose Peruvian wool?

Rachael: When I was first making my samples, I was looking for some of the biggest yarn I could find out there at my local knitting shop. I came across a gorgeous line that had beautiful heathers in it and was MASSIVE in size. I just loved working with it – the crochet needles I use are huge and the combination was awesome.

The yarn was made in Peru – and highland wool is right up there in quality and softness with alpaca, so it’s great for gals with wool sensitivity like me – not itchy at all, and without the price tag of cashmere.

Crystal: Do you handmake all of the scarves? (If so, do you ever sleep!)

Rachael: Ha ha! In the beginning yes, I remember days where I was crocheting about 10 hours a day just to keep up with the orders. It was insane. When I truly launched the line, things had to change.

Peru has such a strong tradition of producing and working with the material, it just made sense. I work with a women’s co-op in the Andes who knit and crochet by hand; and the wool is sourced and custom dyed locally. I went down there in July and taught them my patterns, they’re WAYYY more accomplished with the crochet needle than I am- those women are incredible! So each piece is done by hand from start to finish; and the co-op assures that the actual makers reap a fair profit.

Crystal: Tell us about the buttons, too. They’re handpicked and made from tree branches, right?

Rachael: Yes, they are. I teamed up with a wood artisan, my good friend Jay, who has a woodshop in the mountains of North Carolina. What’s really special about the buttons is the process: the round buttons are made from fallen oak spaltwood. Jay actually hunts through the woods to find fallen oak branches that are spalted – meaning fungus has grown up into the wood from being on the forest floor- and it makes these gorgeous marbled patterns within the wood. And of course he makes them big and chunky for me too – my buttons are 2 3/4” in diameter!!

Crystal: Awesome! And how did Spratters & Jayne come to be?

Rachael: I wanted to have a clear vision, and make something that I just wasn’t finding in the marketplace: SUUUUPER chunky, oversized cowls, circle scarves and hoods. Nobody was doing it, so I started making my own. I was giving them to friends and family and kept hearing about how it was almost “annoying” to wear the cowl because people kept asking where they got it. The final straw was when I was walking one day in Soho here in NYC, and a woman wanted to buy it off my person! That’s when I got serious about starting the line.

Crystal: Do you run the company all by yourself?

Rachael: Yes I do – if you can believe that. It’s a full-time job, let me tell you. I’ve had to learn all of this as I go, which has been pretty overwhelming. I’m a music and fashion photographer by trade, so it’s a bit crazy coming at it from the other side, so to speak.

Crystal: How did you choose the name?

Rachael: Everybody keeps asking me that – ha ha! When all of this started, I was sitting around with my boyfriend trying to figure out what to call my company. He had two pet turtles named Mr. Spratt & Miss Jayne. We love those guys. We thought “Turtles – Turtlenecks – Scarves!” The rest is history. Everyone thinks it’s this super fancy name and I have to chuckle at tradeshows when people ask – I just picture those two turtles hangin’ out in the rocks in their turtle tank.

Crystal: When did you first learn how to crochet?

Rachael: Oh man, I must have been around 10 years old. My mom is amazing, but knitting/crocheting/sewing wasn’t her thing, so when I wanted to learn, she took me to a very close friend of my Grandma’s to learn on a neighboring farm. I remember learning on this really goofy thin yellow yarn with an orange hook. I got pretty good, but would start and stop periodically through the years.

It wasn’t until about six or seven years ago that I started noticing knitting shops were popping up all over the place, with finer and much more interesting yarns than before, so that really got me going again. I ended up incorporating some crochet into my artwork while studying for my BA at Vassar. I was so glad she taught me – coolest lady ever.

Crystal: Neat! And I have to ask: do you love or hate wintertime?

Rachael: Oh man- winter. Well let me put it to you this way, I’m from North Dakota. I grew up where kids drove snowmobiles to high school, where you’d get caught in blizzards and you literally couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Canadian winds at –20F with 10 feet of snow coming down – that’s cold.

I love living in places with all 4 seasons for sure, but I prefer NY winters – they’re a bit milder than what I grew up with. You know, a balmy 25-40 degrees F instead of “face-freezing off” bitter, evil, cold like in the northern plains. You know that scene in Fargo where he’s burying the money in what looks like the arctic tundra? Yep, that’s pretty on the money, there.

Crystal: What’s in for S&J in the future?

Rachael: I’m working on my fall/winter 2010 line now. The designs are awesome – and yes, the bigger, the chunkier, the better! I’m getting such a great response, but the best is just wearing them out. You get a really good sense of what works.

Crystal: Anything else you’d like to add?

Rachael: I just have to say I’m a huge fan of ModCloth! I wish you guys were around when I was in high school, when I was sewing my own clothes because I wasn’t able to find anything I liked where I lived. Keep up the great work!

Check out my line and get cozy for the winter!

The Uffizi Handbag from Helena de Natalio

Helena de Natalio makes beautiful, soft, leather bags, but there’s much more to her story! Helen, the founder, learned how to sew while in the Peace Corps, and takes pride in her socially-conscious company that’s growing- even in today’s economy!

Read my interview with Helen

Crystal: From what I’ve read, it seems like the Helena de Natalio story begins when you joined the Peace Corps?

Helen: You’re right. I was in the Peace Corps from 2003-2005 in Paraguay. My assignment was to work with the farmers’ cooperative in south Paraguay.  And as a side project I also worked with women’s groups to put together a small vegetable sale, kind of like a Farmer’s Market, with local goods. And while I was doing that, I was able to interact with some local artisans who created their own handmade goods, which taught me a lot about South American artisans and inspired me to work with them.

Crystal: And you learned to sew while you were there, too?

Helen: Yes- I rented an apartment from a woman who was a seamstress. She had a little quick-e-mart, and also did alterations for people in town. She let me borrow her sewing machine and taught me how to sew.

Growing up, my mother was a teacher and wasn’t much of a homemaker; so she didn’t really sew or anything like that. So I was 24 in Paraguay when I learned how to sew!

Then, following my experience in the Peace Corps, my husband and I (I actually met my husband in the Peace Corps- he’s from Seattle.) decided to move down to Buenos Aires.  And there I took leather-working classes, and started making my own designs and working with factories and artisans in Argentina.

Crystal: You also met your hubby while you were there? How did that happen?

Helen: Yeah! It was funny because we actually had friends in common in New York, but we met in the middle of South America!

Crystal: Did you have an interest in fashion before you moved to South America?

Helen: I definitely hate to admit it, but I wasn’t all that passionate about fashion growing up. Now, I realize that I always liked creative outlets, but I studied and played a lot of sports instead.

So, I think I was exposed more to the fashion world while living in Buenos Aires.  People there were very fashionable. I feel like people are more adventurous in their fashion there than in the States.

The combination of living abroad, and moving to a beautiful city that was so fashionable, and living in an apartment of a very artistic expatriate who used to work in fashion in New York (he was very influential) -all of this made fashion an amazing creative outlet that I’d never had before.

Crystal: How did you choose the name Helena de Natalio?

Helen: The name comes from the name of the town where I did my Peace Corps work. The name of the town was Natalio, and my name is Helen, and so my nickname there was Helena de Natalio (Helen from Natalio in Spanish), which I thought was pretty, so I decided to apply it to my business.

Left: the women’s group Helen worked with in the Peace Corps. Right: Helen buying leather in Argentina.

Crystal: Tell me about your company’s social responsibility.

Helen: Something that is really important to me is socially responsible production.  I guarantee fair wages are paid, and people have a healthy work environment- no child labor. I visit all of my production facilities and do cross-references and guarantee that they’re not sweat shops.

Crystal: Did your time in the Peace Corps influence this aspect of your company?

Helen: I think that when you live abroad in a third world country, it obviously gives you a great perspective on the world. I think you don’t really understand manufacturing until you live in that world, because what I’ve learned in the Peace Corps is that obviously we live very well here.

So I felt like one thing I could do, working in manufacturing, was to take the time to do the research. So yeah, I was definitely influenced by working with people living in different countries with different economic situations than I was accustomed to.

Crystal: What was the most important thing you learned in Paraguay?

Helen: I think I’d say exposure to living in the third world. The good thing about the Peace Corps is that you’re there for two years, so you become part of the community and make friendships. It’s not a little work trip- you really feel integrated in the community.

I feel like it really changed me and gave me a different perspective on life. Because I was fresh out of college, I’d worked for a few years, and then I went down and I had this opportunity. So, just exposure to other parts of the world- because it helps you look at the world in a different light.

Crystal: Where do you get inspiration for your purse designs?

Helen: Well, now that I’m back in the States, I was actually kind of worried because I had so many great muses and inspirations in Buenos Aires.  And now, I didn’t  know where I’d find my inspiration. But I feel like I’m more of a typical designer now. My experience was a little bit backwards- I studied business and economics in college. But now I do ‘tear sheets’ and take pictures of clothing. I like details – like contrasting piping on clothing or cute buttons or different textures – and I’ll integrate that into handbags. I’ve become more traditional because I’ll now study print trends, and those kinds of things.

And I still love to travel when I can. I’m hoping to go to India really soon because we’re moving some production over there. And I think that that culture and the bright textiles will really inspire me.

Crystal: Is your hubby part of Helena de Natalio, too?

Helen: Definitely- whether he likes it or not, he’s a big part of it. He works in international development, which is similar to what we did in the Peace Corps. I’m mentioning that because it’s something I’m very passionate about, because it’s what we did in the Peace Corps, and he’s turned that into a career. So he’s a sounding board for my ideas. I want to continue socially responsible production, and once we are profitable and have some money to give back, I’d like to work and donate my time to non-profits who do international development work. So we’re always discussing that. It’s interesting how our work relates to each other- like what’s going on in Argentina or India- he has to be aware of that because of his work.

But actually my father is now an active part of my business, and helps me with all kinds of things!

Crystal: What’s next for Helena de Natalio?

Helen: We’re working on a new website. That’s in the near future and should be ready by the end of this month. And we’re looking to move more production abroad because fortunately we’ve been growing a lot in this economy, and it’s been kind of hard to keep up with production. So we’re looking into India and Hong Kong to look at leathers and production facilities and hardware, and I love the idea of working with Indian fabrics-saris and petit prints.

So for summer I’m thinking of doing fabric bags with leather handles out of India. But you just kind of never know. We’re trying to keep moving forward and just trying to keep it at a sustainable growth.

Crystal: That’s really great- in three years,  that you’re expanding.

Helen: It’s interesting because I know it’s a bad economy. But I think it’s a combination of the fact that I’ve surrounded myself with some great people, and I think we’re a really good price point for accessible luxury, so it’s not an $800 bag. But I feel very fortunate for sure that we’ve grown so much!

If you’re a faithful ModLife blog follower, you might remember Emily’s Etsy Post about Ryan Berkley Illustrations last fall. Emily discovered this artist’s charming animal collection, and now we’re carrying some of his most-loved pieces!

Ryan Berkley Illustrations is a husband and wife team based in Oregon. Ryan creates the illustrations, while Lucy maintains their blog and writes wonderful descriptions for the animal prints at their etsy shop.

Read on to meet Ryan & Lucy, and learn how they feel about real animals in suits…

Crystal: How did you two meet?

Ryan & Lucy: We met while working together at the University of Oregon Bookstore back in the previous century. We wish we had a more exciting “meeting” story. We worked in the art department, though. Does that add an element of foreshadowing?

Crystal: Haha, yeah! Also, I read in a previous interview that you two were working full-time, then coming home at night and working on everything etsy. (whoa!) Have you been able to work at the business full-time yet?

Ryan & Lucy: Alas no, not yet. Perhaps it will be easier if we can get some of that universal health care action…

Crystal: Man, how do you guys do it?

Ryan & Lucy: Basically we just work all the time. Even doing that, it’s amazing how many projects we just can’t get to in a timely manner…even the ones we are really excited about. But we don’t like to complain about staying busy!

Crystal: Ryan’s illustrations (especially the animals) have a vintage feel. Are you guys into other vintage- like furniture, clothing, etc?

Ryan & Lucy: We do like things with vintage feelings. We tend to mix up our furniture and clothes with vintage and modern pieces. We wish we had more time to hunt down vintage treasures in both departments! We’re probably have a lot more vintage in our lives if we had the time to track down the good stuff.

Crystal: What inspired Ryan’s animal series (and his other art, too)?

Ryan & Lucy: A few years ago Ryan did an old-timey portrait for Lucy’s dad as a birthday present. He got to liking the portrait style and for some reason he just switched it over to animals.

The first one he did was a tiny little koala in a black suit (which was extremely primitive by today’s Berkley Illustration standards). As far as general influence on his art, though, comic books and children’s books have probably had the most influence on his style. He is entirely self-taught.

Ryan and Lucy

Crystal: If both you could be any animals that Ryan has drawn, who would you be?

Ryan: The turtle because he’ll outlive everybody, he is laid back, and he eats vegetables all day.

Lucy: I’d go with the goose. Not just because of the name-rhyming action, but geese seem pretty smart, they can fly, and I really like his story. Ryan needs to draw more lady animals, though!

Crystal: Do you have any pets?

Ryan & Lucy: We don’t, but Lucy has been cruising the Humane Society web page lately…

Crystal: Have you ever considered making actual suits and ties for animals?

Ryan & Lucy: Ha ha. Another good question! Ryan is neutral on the subject but Lucy isn’t a big fan of living animals in clothes. Although, we did see some goats at the state fair in some cute nightgowns recently. Maybe a necktie on a horse would be okay.

Crystal: What’s next for ya?

Ryan & Lucy: We have a few ideas in the works. We’d like to create a greeting card line- something a little different from the animal portrait prints. There is murmuring of a book, or books. We also want to expand upon Ryan’s superhero creation, Kenny, and possible do a web comic with him. We have lots of ideas!

I was so excited to get the chance to interview Winona Dimeo-Ediger! She’s the author of the brand new book “Closet Confidential” (which we just got in!) and the the creator of the sweet fashion blog, Daddy Likey! Her quirky, lighthearted take on fashion makes her book both a fun and informative read. Born and raised in a tiny Oregon town, Winona couldn’t wait to grow up and find other people who swooned over clothes and loved wearing heels. While in college, she decided to start her blog as an outlet for her passion for fashion. Flash forward and she has a new book out.  So read the interview and hear what Winona has to say about writing a book, shopping for jeans, and looking cute during a recession.

(Image Above: Courtesy of Sasquatch Books)

Your new book, Closet Confidential, just came out. Tell us a little about the premise of the book.
I was so excited to write a style book that would be accessible to women of all sizes, ages, and budgets. Closet Confidential is full of fashion advice, inspiration, graphs, quizzes, illustrations, mathematical equations, and stories of personal humiliation, not to mention 50 enumerated style lessons you can easily memorize if you have an eidetic memory. It’s a fun, funny little book.

When you started your blog, did you have a book in mind? What incited you to start writing about fashion?
I wanted to write about fashion because getting dressed is something that everyone can relate to (except people in nudist colonies, I guess), and it’s something that is so often written about in an elitist, judgmental, humorless way. I believe fashion should always be light, fun, and entertaining, but also acknowledged as an important part of everyday life and a powerful way to change your mood. When I started my blog, I never thought a book would come out of it. Obviously I’m super excited that it did!

Have you always considered yourself a writer, or is fashion your first love?
I’ve always been a writer for sure, but I’ve also always loved fashion–they are both forms of self-expression and self-expression is my second favorite thing in the world (the first being “Deadliest Catch”). I never thought I’d be a fashion writer until I started reading fashion blogs a few years ago and noticed that most of them were based around photos and the writing seemed to be an afterthought. I wanted to create a smart, funny, fashion blog where the writing was the focus, and I’ve met so many amazing people and had so many great opportunities as a result.

What do you think is the most important fashion tip in your book?
Take a half step out of your comfort zone in order to create an outfit that’s memorable and beautiful, but whether you’re wearing denim or diamonds (or both!), make sure you feel like you. Also, don’t dress like a zoologist (no offense).

Any advice for the budget-restricted fashionista? (This recession is not good for the wardrobe!)
Haunt thrift stores, discount stores, sale racks, affordable online shops, auction sites, and always be on the lookout for a sweet deal–just the other day I found a fabulous vintage plaid button-up shirt in a “Free Stuff” bin behind an antique shop. It may have been a dumpster, but who cares? I got a new shirt for free.

In your book you do a rundown of all sorts of jeans styles – what style do you think is the most flattering? Do you think there’s ever an occasion to wear mom jeans (one of the styles you mention in your book)?
I mention in the book that “dark wash bootcut jeans are most flattering” has become the gospel in fashion magazines and makeover shows, but it’s not necessarily true. Sure, bootcuts usually look OK, but they’re also a little boring. My advice is to throw a flask in your purse, then try on a TON of different styles–even those cropped white skinny jeans–because you never know which pair is going to change your life. And I think everyone should wear ‘mom jeans’…to’ mom jeans’ theme parties.

If you were stranded on deserted island with only an over-night bag, what wardrobe essentials would you bring with you?
An over-sized cardigan, some thermal underwear, a trapper cap, and big, chunky boots. Coincidentally, this is the exact outfit I often wear to the grocery store in search of cookies on cold winter nights.

If any actress could play you in a movie of your life, who would you want it to be?
Billie Piper, please.

What’s next? Do you think there will be any more books in your future?
I sure hope so!

Want to hear more about what Winona has to say about all thing fashion? Check out the book!

Have you been craving more indie and vintage inspiration? Well, look no further than N.E.E.T. Magazine (and their new blog)! N.E.E.T. is an online publication from the U.K.  filled with trendsetting art and fashion from around the globe.

Stephanie J. created the mag; and she plans, designs, organizes and edits all of its content! A few weeks ago, she took a little time out of her crazy busy schedule for a ModCloth interview.

Meet Stephanie

Crystal: Stephanie, how do you put together this entire magazine by yourself?!

Stephanie: It’s a full-time job! Every issue takes around two months to put together, and I edit N.E.E.T. alongside my freelance web design work (designbystephaniej.com). It involves about a million emails and some very late nights!

Crystal: What inspired you to create N.E.E.T.?

Stephanie: N.E.E.T. came about in 2005 as an online publication dedicated to showcasing independent talent – design, art, and general fantastic originality. N.E.E.T. is the first of its kind: online, free, and packed with everyone from a crafter creating from their kitchen table to a fashion design graduate straight out of college to a team of friends doing it for the love of it.

I hope and feel that I have in some way brought independent creativity to those who may not have had a prior interest in it.  I think that as long as there are people who create without needing (or wanting) the backing of a multi-million pound corporation (and there have been people doing just that since the beginning of time) there will always be an interest in things like N.E.E.T.!

I am the founder, editor and tea-girl of the magazine – everything is organized and laid out by me, and I think that gives the magazine a more cohesive feel.

Stephanie J., the founder of N.E.E.T. Magazine

Crystal: What does N.E.E.T. stand for?

Stephanie: N.E.E.T. is actually a UK government classification meaning “Not currently engaged in Employment, Education, or Training” – which I wasn’t when I started the magazine! It has a slightly derogatory meaning, referring to young people who aren’t employed or doing anything really worthwhile – I took the term and gave it to the magazine to show that there are many people who are self-employed, or doing many different things – not just working in one career or in an office.

Crystal: Where do you find everything included in each issue?

Stephanie: I find the talent featured in the magazine through online communities – Flickr, Myspace, Livejournal, Deviantart, emails direct to me, and the myriad of blogs about independent fashion and design.

Crystal: What is your favorite part of creating the magazine?

Stephanie: Discovering great new talent – it thrills me that after four years, there are still fresh faces creating independently.

Crystal: What encouragement can you give to girls who want to start their own mag or break into that industry?

Stephanie: There’s been tons of online magazines starting since N.E.E.T. began back in 2005. The best advice is: Be original. No one really wants to read the same old stuff rehashed over and over, nor do ordinary people (who are usually the most extraordinary!) really have the budget to wear Prada and Gucci. Make it accessible. That’s why N.E.E.T. works – it’s inspirational, not just aspirational.

Crystal: What’s next for N.E.E.T.?

Stephanie: I’d really like to try a collectors’ edition in print. And there’s a blog in the works (note to readers: it’s here!), and possibly even a shop…!