The Thrill of the Hunt

What was once a little side project for my teenage daughter, has now grown into a full-on Up-cycled collection of garments made with tender loving care by me. In between all the pattern-making and cutting for my regular line, I've been slowly assembling these pretty little backless halter tops using vintage hankies that I've collected over the years.

The first one I ever made was back in 2001 for my Brooklyn boutique using hankies found on a flea market trip to Paris. They were featured in Self Magazine in an ethereal spread of a model lying in a field of flowers (how coquette!)

Flash forward to 2022, my 16 year-old daughter found my 1st sample in my closet and suggested I resurrect these sultry little tops for Summer. During Covid, like everyone else, we began to scour local flea markets, antique malls, and thrift stores, my daughter reigniting my thrift bug. Her looking for treasured Y2K finds and me always looking for design inspiration or something I can take apart and make a pattern. Along the way, I fell in love once again with the antique crochet textiles and delicate vintage hankies I had collected all those years ago.

With a little push from my daughter, I pulled out my original 2001 pattern and began cutting up and piecing together my collection of 1950's hankies. A few TikToks later, we went viral. Those little backless halters had a new life with the Gen Z, creating a new era of Cottage Core/Coquette Aesthetic/Upcycled Love. It makes me so happy to see girls falling in love with these delicate, one-of-a-kind tops just as I do every time I make one. It's sad to part with each one that I sell, but it also means I get to go out and look for more hankies!

Next stop, Brooklyn, NY in June to continue the thrill of the hunt...

Then: Self Magazine November 2001, Brooklyn, NY

Now: March 2022, Pacific Palisades, CA