style

I never wear sweatpants in public, but I do wear 15-year-old gap yoga pants to the corner for a bagel. Last week, I pulled on the old yoga pants and the rivet holding the drawstring fell to the floor.  Oops.  Then I pulled the string to tie the pant and the drawstring broke off in […]

Woke up at 5:30 this morning – guess I am still on Paris time – tossed on my caftan, made coffee, and watched the sun rise over Park Slope.  This is my absolute favorite time of year – the birth of summer…which means it is time to talk caftans! As I mentioned last summer, when […]

Finally, the sun is shining in NYC and we are all way too excited to start spring shopping!  The retailers feel like we are a month too late, but I know that means we will have the full selection of spring deliveries at our fingertips. One line in particular has knocked it out of the […]

Nothing says SPRING like a new pair of crisp white kicks! I wear my favorite white canvas sneakers with everything!  I take my white sneakers very seriously.  I have been known to style my favorite white canvas sneakers with a cocktail dress and a ponytail to brunch…and it looks awesome, if I say so myself. […]

As I madly refresh my browser on Emerson Fry’s Spring 13 shop, I thought I would share my picks with you. Obviously you need the Butterfly Caftan – my spring, summer, fall go-to outfit. When I wear the Butterfly Caftan, The Husband calls me Blanche from the Golden Girls, which I think is a pretty […]

here Carrie and Matt, who met at age 10 and fell in love at age 30, tell the story of the brand.

   
• imogene+willie is fiercely committed to producing in the United States.

   
• here Carrie and Matt discuss how the lack of production in the USA is killing their American dream at a TEDx talk.

   
• here I discussed how imogene+willie tried to do the right thing as local retailers and were wronged by a minority voice in their community.

   
• here imogene+willie take you behind the scenes to see one of their great quantity of one pieces being developed.

   
• And after all those reasons, imogene+willie produce beautiful, smart, updated classics built to last for years.

Carrie and Matt named imogene+willie after grandparents, in the same way I named james dry goods after my great-grandfather who ran a general store in Alvin, TX during the Great Depression.

My adoration boils down to this:  Based on what I have seen and read, this couple has the vision, the determination, and the drive to make their dreams come true.  But their dreams don’t just encompass themselves.  Their vision encompasses their family, their employees, and their community.  And let’s not forget, their country.

I believe that Carrie and Matt are running imogene+willie not just as their own business, but as a statement to the greatness of what they can build to better the lives of people around them.

People like my great-grandfather, people like my grandparents (who I was lucky enough to enjoy and learn from for many years), people like my parents (who tell me anything is possible), people like the Husband (who supports my every venture), people like my siblings and friends (who encourage my every move), people like Carrie and Matt, people like their pattern-maker and sewer (a couple who moved to TN to help make imogene+willie a reality), people who work for Carrie and Matt (who are encouraged to seek their own path as their shopkeeper, Mic, recently did becoming a barber)…people like this…people like this make up our country.  And for that reason alone, imogene + willie is at the top of my list when it comes down to businesses I admire.

And on a lighter note, I happen to completely and totally adore the women’s line – many pieces are at the top of my Christmas list!

 Interested in more made in USA contemporary brands?  Check out my top ten list here!

 

 

Update March 12: Ivy Kirzhner Collection NOW available! Original Post: October 2012 | During September fashion week, I was honored to be invited to the presentation of the debut footwear line, IVY KIRZHNER.  Ivy and I worked together in the industry a few years ago for a short period of time. Having worked with her, […]