


Shaped by the summers of our youth, Wash House is a sartorial celebration of the cloth from which we are cut.
Our heart goes into everything we design, but this collection is deeply personal. It’s nostalgia stitched into garments, our childhood memories manifested into leather and lace.
Many of our summers growing up were spent on our Granny’s cotton farm, making corn-husk doll families, taking rides to the gin, and most impactfully, playing endless hours of dress-up in the Wash House, rummaging through the larger-than-life wooden trunks that housed multigenerational treasure troves of garments. We found beauty in the unexpected juxtaposition. In a sense, it was the freest form of fashion.
The Wash House collection balances softened blues and almost-black browns, with an undercurrent that implies weathered and well-loved. We incorporated aesthetic influences of old-timey cotton sacks, era-inspired Western garb, and one-of-a-kind vintage creations, from quilt coats to caps. We elevated traditional undergarments into elegant outerwear, bringing bloomers to life in velvet and putting the petticoat center stage.
It marries modern and vintage, industrial and intimate, heirlooms and runway.
Caroline Jacket - Bryce Henley
Double D Ranch Jewelry
Vintage Double D Ranch Belt
Double D ranch Accessory 4
this is a sartorial celebration of the cloth from which we are cut.
No, we mean the really teeny tiny things. At a glance and from a distance, this is a stunning squash blossom set, but it’s not until you really get up close and look at it that you can truly appreciate the incredible intricacy of it. Every twig and tiny turquoise stone is hand-set in traditional Zuni inlay style, smoothed and polished to perfection with the daintiest of details. We’ve never seen anything quite like it.
Any of these pieces on their own would be a treasure, but to find a three-piece set of earrings, necklace, and ring is unbelievably rare.
Legendary lapidary artisan Oscar Betz wows us once again with his statement Southwestern chandelier earrings, crafted specifically to accompany this collection. Exquisite compilations of indigo Venetian trade beads, teardrop turquoise, and freshwater pearls, expertly complement the cool blue hues of Wash House with a unique hand-crafted elegance only Oscar can execute.
“lace always felt grown-up and glamorous to us; it was the peak of chic.“
- CHERYL MCMULLEN
Amidst all the other treasures nestled in Granny’s trunks, there were some extraordinary quilts.
While we admired them (particularly Cheryl, who’d already developed an appreciation for sewing), at the time they didn’t excite us as much as the things we could dress up in. Nowadays, of course, we wish we had more of them, and ironically, we’ve decided that vintage quilts are, in fact, something we can – and should – dress up in.
“It’s a concept I’ve wanted to execute for a long time,” explained Cheryl. “Quilts – especially vintage quilts, the ones made by hand decades ago – are such an art form to me, and the sad reality is that most are in someone’s storage somewhere. On one hand, it almost pains me to cut up someone else’s masterpiece to make a coat, but by the same token, it’s giving it new life and getting it out of the cedar chest. It’s a second act, a whole new audience to appreciate it.”
The Wash House collection finally felt like the ideal opportunity to try it out, and we are ecstatic with the outcome. We collaborated with Lady Lancaster to transform two vintage quilts into extraordinary one-of-a-kind dusters, finished with luxurious fur.
Currently, only two of these quilt coats exist; one is pictured here, the other can be viewed on pg. 98.
Lady Lancaster Duster
Few things are more dainty, inherently feminine, and elegant than lace.
“As I recall it, many of the garments in those trunks were lace,” Cheryl said. “Church dresses, wedding gowns, gloves – because it was all special-occasion wear that they didn’t need to be accessible every day. Lace always felt very grown-up and glamorous to us. I vividly remember a particular hat; it had no top, it was essentially just an elegant lace brim, and I thought that was the peak of chic. Needless to say, lace was integral to the authenticity of this collection.”
We incorporated it in a traditional sense,
in embellished sheer tops, layered petticoats, and dainty trim, but perhaps the most extraordinary iteration is the leather-madelace application on the Emelia’s Trousseau Jacket. The stunning white leather biker is embellished with intricate embroidery that gives the appearance of lace applique. It has a minimalist monochromatic motif with just enough embellishment to give it a universal appeal, but it’s guaranteed to be a go-to among bachelorettes, brides, and beyond.
We found beauty in the unexpected juxtaposition. It was the freest form of fashion.
Or outside the trunk, in our case. Most of what is debuted in the Wash House collection is inspired by the cherished garments we dug out of Granny’s trunks, but the Preston’s Chaps pieces are more of an ode to the era.
“These designs are a daring duo that aren’t exactly the type of thing we’d have found in the trunk,” Cheryl said. “But they definitely feel authentic to the era and our nostalgic imagery of it. The pieces are more akin to things that wouldn’t have been in the trunk because they were everyday workwear; they’d have been kept in the barn.”
Simultaneously unusual and traditional, these pieces channel qualities of classic Western garb, like toebox style stitching and warm weathered browns, but they also carry an avantgarde appeal in the silhouettes – the jacket is chicly tailored and the pants are embracing the wide-leg trend in a whole Wild West way, mimicking the statement swing of chaps without the layering.
The summers we spent at Granny’s were always covered in cotton. It was their livelihood, it seemed to be everywhere, and the days seemed to revolve around it –picking it, loading it, or taking it to the gin.
“Going to the gin was a treat,” Cheryl recalled. “It was a break from the heat, it was a change of scenery, and quite frankly, it was just something to do. And, well, you might just get a tiny treat while you were out and about. I remember going with my grandparents, and we’d see other farmers in there while they were waiting for their load to be weighed; it was almost as much of a social outing as it was an errand.”
Cotton certainly put its stamp on our childhood and we couldn’t resist putting its stamp on this collection – from mimicking cotton sack labels on Henleys and sweatshirts to incorporating an elegant abstract cotton boll into a suede statement jacket.
You can’t contain a childhood in a single object, but we could stash several summers’ worth in our grandparents’ old wash house trunk. And believe us, they’d all have fit.
“That trunk was unlike anything I’d ever seen before,” recalled Chery. “Or since! And believe me, we searched high and low in hopes of finding one for this catalog. It was about the size of a twin bed, truly just enormous; you can imagine how massive that seemed to small children, and how bottomless the treasure felt.”
The trunk itself was a rich dark wood, sturdy and sound, with a lid so heavy that opening it was a team effort for us as kids. It contained a multitude of garments once donned by the generations before us, dating back to our greatgreat-grandmother; everything from petticoats to summer Sunday dresses – even a wedding dress or two – and all the trimmings from bonnets to glasses to gloves.
We could play in it all day, for days on end. We spent entire summers sifting through that massive trunk, and in a way, that trunk will forever house a heap of our childhood.
Inside that seemingly bottomless trunk of Granny’s, we’d find all sorts of sundry accessories, including beautiful bonnets and lace-brimmed hats. While none of that felt particularly on brand, we did want to create some sort of topper that felt authentic to both the era and Double D, so we developed these darling denim newsboy caps. The coolest thing about them? They’re all uniquely adorned with vintage pins that were carefully chosen and arranged, making each cap truly one of a kind.
It sounds shocking - scandalous, even - but hear us out: some of your ancestors’ underpinnings might be suited for the spotlight.
Think of it not so much as trying to pass lingerie as an outfit (we’ve all seen that go terribly wrong before) and more as elevating modest pieces of undergarments into something super-chic. The avant-garde ensembles are appearing on the most elite European runways, and it’s in line with our foray into the nostalgic fashion of yesteryears.
Petticoats are no longer the supporting cast, but the main character. Dressing gowns are being donned as dusters. Bloomer-style shorts have become chic in luxurious rouched velvet and pantaloons have transformed into posh pants.
The idea of donning these delicates as daily wear can feel, well, delicate, but we encourage you to embrace it, because we can assure you the outcome is actually more exquisite than it is exposed.
It may sound trite that ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’, but Dian Malouf has transformed chipped and broken china into cherished statement pieces.
Back in the day, when the railroads were frequently traversed by interstate travelers and the accommodations sought to suit those of the economic class that could afford to travel, the dining cars were outfitted with unique trademark china. When the pieces would inevitably chip, they’d simply be discarded, though still mostly intact.
The sets were emblazoned with emblems and scenes that encapsulate an era of Americana in an unrivaled way. Renowned Texas-based jewelry artisan Dian Malouf has made a niche by salvaging these pieces of railroad china and transforming the iconic imagery, from bison to the flag, into one-of-a-kind statement rings set in her signature style of substantial sterling silver setting. The finite nature of railroad china makes these pieces not only uniquely conversational, but also collectible.
The indelible impact of country summers and cotton farming, as told by middle McMullen sister, Hedy Carter.
“You’ve got to consider that by this time, we were ‘city girls’,” Hedy said. “And by that, I mean, we lived in town. So going to Granny’s was unlike anything we were used to; they did everything themselves – milked cows, grew vegetables, all of it. We loved it when we got to go out there.
There were a bunch of tiny old buildings. There was the smoke house, the wash house, and the house Mama grew up in, which was, by that point, used for storage and was filled with trunks; we’re talking big, sturdy, real-life wooden trunks. And they’d let us play in all of it.
On one side of the main house, there was this concrete slab porch, and it was shaded by the oak tree in the afternoon. There was no AC, of course, so that’s where everyone would spend the afternoon; where they’d have lunch, where they’d shell their peas, where Granddad
would sit and roll his Bull Durham, and where they’d all be our audience as we paraded through in the outfits we’d made from our trunk treasures.
Of course, nothing actually fit us – we were little bitty things -- but we’d turn it all into something. We’d pull up petticoats like sleeveless dresses and belt them and put on gloves and hats and whatever else, and we’d parade down that porch and Granddaddy would slap his knee giggling. See, all the other grandkids were boys, so they’d get the biggest kick out of us.
Granddaddy would save his tobacco pouches and we’d fill them up with real cotton we just grabbed from the field and make Barbie pillows. We made whole families – whole villages – of corn husk dolls. We played a lot of pretend out there. Kids just don’t play like that anymore. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
From the Marriage Chest Jacket, Oscar Betz for Double D Ranch, Double D Ranch Accessory
We’ve worked our family into designs in a lot of ways over the years, from including their brands into custom prints to naming garments after them, and this particular piece really has us by the heart strings. Henny is the endearing nickname of Cheryl’s first grandchild and this darling beaded top is an ode to the cute little cowboy he’s coming to be.
“Most vintage quilts are in someone’s storage somewhere. This is a way to give them new life; a second act.“
- CHERYL MCMULLEN
Even at a glance, it’s evident that blue is key to the color palette of the collection.
“Blue was always the vision for Wash House,” explained Cheryl. “Even down to the filter of the photoshoot, because, as strange as it may sound, it’s kind of the lens-tint through which I view the memories of that era. We grounded those hues with rich browns and supplemented them with warm whites; it’s an overall easy-to-love, soothing palette.”
The blues are softened rather than saturated, alluding to being faded. They’re light and lovely, less intense and bold than the colors we’ve seen in the previous collections. Even the deeper indigos have a desaturated presentation, as if they might’ve had a previous life. They evoke a comforting calm and sense of nostalgia.
The browns are alluring in that they’re almost black, and that’s intentional. These deep “bronco” browns are easily mistakable (and, pro tip: often interchangeable) as black and are designed to portray the fading that we’d have found within the Wash House trunk.
Fancy footwear is among the top tier of things we pride ourselves on, right up there with statement bikers. We commit ourselves to every detail, from shaft length to heel height and even how we embellish the pull tabs. This season’s statement boot is crafted in that beautiful dark bronco brown (it’s a subtle nod to the way black faded back then) and embellished with intricate florals meant to mimic the dainty details we’d find on the garments in the trunk.
DeWitt’s Damask Boot
Being a designer is a sort of play-pretend in its own right; it’s playing dolls on a grand scale, getting to imagine outfits and then put real people in them.
Those summers spent sifting through the Wash House trunks were Cheryl’s first foray into dressing live dolls (her sisters), turning slips into tube dresses and scarves into tops, accessorizing with gloves and bonnets and whatever was in there, but it’s a passion she cultivated from those early childhood days right up until, well, now.
“I’ve joked before that it feels like I never really stopped playing Barbies,” said Cheryl. “From the time I knew how to sew, I was adjusting and updating outfits for my dolls, making this skirt into a top or this pair of pants into shorts. I would squirrel away scraps for bandanas or bandeaus, it was just an ongoing exercise in imagination, and ya know, I just don’t think I’m ever going to outgrow it.”
When we arranged an acquisition with the long-time legendary label, Mummy’s Bundle, we felt that we had a vision – and a duty – to carry on the legacy of the label. It’s an honor that original founders, Doug & Mary Hancock, granted us this privilege and access to their original silver molds, allowing us to continue their unique brand of beauty with our own subtle spin.
AWestern wardrobe requires a certain set of staples: good jeans, go-to boots, and a versatile rotation of pearl snap shirts.
Let’s not be mistaken, some pearl snaps are statement pieces, decked out with all sorts of western welts and fringe, and they are designed to headline the outfit – those are key to your collection, too. But we’re talking about those understated, unsung heroes in your closet that don’t steal the show but undeniably elevate your look.
Of course, you can always anchor a layered look with a solid staple, a classic chambray or a denim workshirt, but you can add a unique element of depth to an
outfit by incorporating a subtle print.
Something like the McCoy top in that little gingham check (p.s. it’s coming in more colors!), the Parker polka dot denim top, or even the Cassidy pearl snap in pale pink can serve as an under or over layer that adds something visually interesting to your outfit. The idea isn’t to be matchy-matchy; in fact, it’s more effective layered in with something totally unexpected, which makes it virtually fool-proof and endlessly versatile.
“Design is an ongoing exercise in imagination, and I don’t think I’m ever going to outgrow it.“
- CHERYL MCMULLEN
We’ve always been dedicated to designing statement style from top to bottom, and this season, we’re ready to meet you in your middle.
With so many of the current fashions trending towards fuller and boxier silhouettes, it’s imperative to find chic ways to define, accentuate, and even create a waist. You can do that with creative tucking of your tops, opting for only one voluminous piece per look, or of course, with a statement belt that snatches your waist in. Feeling apropos of the era we’re channeling, we experimented with a limited-edition version of what we’ve dubbed in jest “the modern cowgirl corset”. In truth, it’s more in the realm of a bronc belt, crafted in traditionally tooled leather, but it does possess some corsetlike qualities, particularly the upward peak and the full-front lacing. It’s a commitment to cinch yourself into, but it’s undeniably an exclamation point on any outfit.