Say hello to a new era in home furnishings. Hollywood Regency, in it’s hey-day, was all about making your guests feel as comfortable as possible in your home. That’s why certain elements of this design aesthetic channel 1930’s and 40’s hotel rooms. The look is a bit more staged than comfortable – i.e. your living room organized according to entertaining, serving, and conversation, rather than all pieces of furniture in full focus of the television.

Editing is key in this aesthetic; it’s way too easy to get carried away with all of the tufted furniture, crystals, and gold detailing. Try not to jump at every formal piece of vintage furniture you see – go for cotton twill upholstery over velour, and blown glass over multi-faceted crystals. Modernizing Hollywood Regency can happen in a lot of ways, too. You can make it fresh and youthful with a bold, graphic print area rug in a coordinating hue, or soft and traditional with natural elements like coral and distressed wood.  One of my favorite, and widely conveyed themes in regency is that of chinoiserie (meaning chinese-esque in French).  This can come in the form of greek key print fabric, vintage oriental print China, and faux bamboo furniture.

Last but not least, one should ideally aim for only one piece of the quintessential Hollywood Regency mirrored furniture in each room - before it starts looking like Vegas.

Pottery Barn Chinoiserie Drapes $69+

Williams-Sonoma Home Chippendale Bamboo Chair $562 (30% off!)

Target Sunburst Mirror $69.99

Inside Avenue Greek Key Bench $715

West Elm Safari Rug $99+

I know, I know - It’s been over a year since my last post!  A lot has happened in the past year - a promotion at work, I married my long time love, went backpacking through Southeast Asia for our honeymoon (Bali, Malaysia, Singapore), and now we have gone and moved to San Francisco.

Goodbye Austin.  It was nice knowing you - but really anyone who knows me, knows that’s a total lie.  I’m more than happy to be back in a real city - with ethnic food (hello Inner Richmond!), bodegas, and H&M!  There’s a Mark Twain quote my husband stumbled upon that says, “In America, there is New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans.  Everywhere else is Cleveland.”  I have definitely lived that line, and agree whole-heartedly.  Some may be surprised we didn’t get on the next plane back to New York, and I admit I am a bit too.  I will always love New York, I still feel like a New Yorker and have dreams of being bi-coastal one day, but I already know San Francisco is going to be the perfect medium.  Plus, the 400 square feet apartment thing, we just…can’t…do…it.

So, that being said - I have some time on my hands with the recent move to dive back into my passions and agonize over spelling errors and proofreading.  Another move, another apartment - but same husband, kitty, and Jenny.  One of my old co-workers at RL once told me, change is always good.  Cheers to that!

Illustration by Megan Nolton - check her out on Etsy.

Austin’s innagural fashion week hosted a slew of designers and artists to showcase their talents at boutiques and venues throughout the city - but none so impressive as LA’s contemporary cool Corey Lynn Calter.  Calter is a Philly girl at heart, as well as an FIT alum who found herself on the west coast and “threw a lot of spaghetti at the wall” while creating her namesake line.  Austin Fashion Week housed Calter at 2100 South Lamar (former home of Moxie), where she was able to create a whimsical setting with local Austin artists for her three day pop up shop.  Just because Austin Fashion Week has come to a close doesn’t mean you can’t get CLC anywhere else in Austin - she’s carried at By George, Girl Next Door, and C. Jane.  And, as I was lucky enough to sit down with Calter in the midst of the shop setup, you can get even more of a glimpse of her honest design sense from the interview below…

As an east coast girl, what made you base your line on the west coast?

I moved from New York to San Francisco after a personal tragedy.  I wasn’t running away from it, I just thought it was a good idea to leave.  I ended up working for the San Francisco Opera - in costuming.  Then I made corsets out of my kitchen that I sold to Henri Bendel, it was a pretty good business for being out of my kitchen.

San Francisco was a little slow for me - New York to San Francisco was a tricky adjustment. I had always thought I’d move back east after San Francisco, but I ended up moving to LA - where I met my husband, started my business, had kids, a house.

Has your personal style and design aesthetic changed since switching coasts?

I’m still a girl who wears a lot of black, I like cream a lot more now, I find myself wearing a lot of white.  I didn’t have my business in New York so I’m not sure if it would have changed the way I approach it.  Costuming at the San Francisco Opera definitely changed the way I design - I approach it now from a very storybook place.  What’s this girl doing?  Where would she wear this?  I tend to think of her in theatrics.

Your current collection is heavy in print - specifically ethnic - what are some of your favorite foreign destinations for inspiration?

I just had my second child - so I havent done a tremendous amount of traveling beyond London, New York, Paris - and the Jersey Shore, (she giggles) which you’d be surprised at how much inspiration I get from it.  A lot of times it’s based on what I think a place is like.  I did a whole collection based on Capri once, but I’ve never been there, so I have no idea what it’s like.  But - I do think people wear a lot of aqua and bright sun yellow - so again, it’s like an imaginary approach, a lot of imagination.

Have you always wanted your own line, or was it a gradual realization?

I really didn’t think anyone would have a need to hire me, I didn’t know how to approach getting a job in the industry.  I think it was a very organic procession for me.  I learned a lot by just throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what stuck.  So, now I’ve been doing this for 9 years and a lot more spaghetti sticks - but, I dont know - I think it just happened organically, who knows if it was the right thing to do.  

A lot of what I got at fashion companies, was that it didnt happen fast enough for me.  I didn’t want to do what amounted to intern work for the rest of my life, or however long it took me to be creative in a position.  I was obsessively creative at that age, I had to create things all the time.  I used to sew every outfit in my kitchen that I would wear out that night.

What kind of advice, if any, do you have for any budding Austin designers?

I think you just know if it’s right for you, or if it’s not right for you.  Some people just shouldn’t have their own businesses - not because they’re not good at it, but because sometimes it’s not the right fit for everyone.  Having a business is hard, I deal with an enormous amount of B.S. every day - from HR to customer service.  Not to be callice, but designing is about 20% on a good day of what I do - and that’s probably more than a lot of designers out there.  You know what’s right for you - and I think you should always say yes.  Get the orders and then worry about how to produce it.  Trust me, if you get an $80,000 order from Bendel’s, someone will finance it.  The hardest thing is to get people to understand and buy your designs.  

Shop Corey Lynn Calter online

Courtesy of friend & photographer Wayne Tippetts

www.StreetStyleAesthetic.com

Contact: Wayne@waynetippetts.com

Me by way of the Austinist…

Clinton Kelly Makes Over Austin [Interview]

Me by way of the Austinist…

Review: Luminous UT Fashion Show

Lit is a stretch, and I may not be Jane Austen but I’m working on it.  Check out my first post as a fashion contributor for the Austinist - “Experiments in Porcelain and Silk: Finery at IF+D”.

Courtesy of photographer (slash street style maverick) Wayne Tippetts

www.StreetStyleAesthetic.com

Contact: Wayne@waynetippetts.com

Prada Fall 2008 - Prada $390 (left) and Forever 21 $7.80 (right)

Uh huh - looks far better than Barcelona! Ugh, ENVY!!!!!!!! Enjoy it New Yorkers!