The Ambition Issue

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COLLECTION

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THE BEST IN THE SOUTH. Tootsies - Swank - Crate & Barrel - Seven Lamps - Kendra Scott - lululemon athletica Suitsupply - The Impeccable Pig - Paper Source - Bhojanic - Ona - DEKA Roots Juices - American Apparel - fab’rik - Dantanna’s - Bill Hallman - Bevello

S H O P S A R O U N D L E N OX S H O P. S I P. S A V O R .

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OSCAR BLANDI’S

noun, plural of ei·dos [ahy-dee]. The distinctive and formal expression of the cognitive or intellectual character of a culture or social group. It is the essence of each thing and its primary substance.

Tova Gelfond EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/ CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Craig Rosenberg CFO

Avi Gelfond ART DIRECTOR

Jaime Lin Weinstein SENIOR EDITOR

Tian Justman FASHION DIRECTOR

Christina Montford EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Mark Haddad ASSISTANT DESIGNER

Joanna Berliner, Victoria Knight Borges, Jess Graves, Denise K. James, Sheyda Mehrara, Anna Morris, E.J. Ogle, Kelly Skinner, Han Vance and Gina Yu CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Chelsey Ashford, Colby Blount, Claudia Bost, Max Eremine, Brett Falcon, Julia Gartland, Maddie Harney, Jamie Hopper, Jameykay Huffman, Jimmy Johnston, Elliott Liss, Alex Martinez, Faisal Mohammed, Brooke Morgan, Caroline Petters, Brianna Roth, Paul Thatcher, Sara Tiberio and Brittany Wages CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Hannah Johnson and Belinda Martin CONTRIBUTING STYLISTS

Brooke Hutchins and Meghan Jackson EDITORIAL INTERNS

Curtis Carter and Cassie Kaye FASHION INTERNS

© Enlightenmint Media Group, LLC 2014. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used or reproduced without the written permission of the publisher Enlightenmint Media Group. The views expressed in Eidé Magazine are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily shared by the magazine or its staff. The registered office of Enlightenmint Media Group is at 1200 Foster Street NW, Suite 20, Atlanta, Ga 30318. All information contained in the magazine is for information only and is as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Enlightenmint Media cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. Readers are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to the price of products/services referred to in this magazine. If you submit unsolicited material to us, you automatically grant Enlightenmint Media a license to publish your submission in whole, or in part, in all editions of the magazine, including licensed editions worldwide and in any physical or digital format throughout the world. Any material you submit is sent at your risk and, although every care is taken, neither Enlightenmint Media nor its employees, agents, or subcontractors shall be liable for loss or damage.

Published six times a year by Enlightenmint Media Group, LLC 900 Dekalb Ave. Suite D, Atlanta, Ga 30307

CONTRIBUTORS CHELSEY ASHFORD Chelsey Ashford is a photographer based in Greenville, S.C. “I am drawn to photography because I’m compelled to tell a story,” she says, which is why she was so honored to photograph the hip Greenville boutique Custard and her friend, owner Tara Kirkland, whose style is a reflection of her store. “This was creative adventure and collaboration at its best, where inspiration was found in exploration, and artistry was conveyed in a still moment.” (chelseyashfordphotography.com)

COLBY BLOUNT Colby Blount was born and raised in East Dublin, Ga. After completing the photography program from Portfolio Center in Atlanta, he worked at Big Studio where he gained invaluable knowledge. After a year post-PC, he then moved to New York, where he currently resides. For this issue, Colby worked with Hunter Bell and Wes Gordon. For Hunter’s portrait, he wanted to really capture her great personality and the fact that she is a modern day #GIRLBOSS. He also had the honor of shooting the iconic Wes Gordon with one of his favorite models, Nina. For the shoot day, he put his favorite crew together (mostly comprised of fellow Southerners) and created as many beautiful images as possible. (colbyblount.com)

MAGGIE HARNEY Maggie Harney is a Savannah, Ga. native currently working as a freelance writer and photographer. When she’s not on the hunt for her next international adventure, she can be found checking out the local music, art and fashion scenes, which is why getting to hang out with Brooke Atwood in her design studio for this issue was such a treat. “I’ve worked on shoots with Brooke’s designs before but I’d never met her,” Harney says. “Getting a sneak peek into her natural habitat, complete with her pit rescue Hank, was such an insight into her creative approach and vibe.” (margaretharney.com)

ELLIOT LISS Elliot Liss is a freelance photographer born and raised in Atlanta. He primarily shoots fashion and lifestyle portraits, but has recently entered the world of drone photography. He produces images that show the various forms of beauty and energy that all subjects hold. “I loved having the opportunity to work with some of my best friends on this project,” Liss says of photographing Jim Chambers and Camryn Park of boutique Henry & June for this issue. (elliotlissphoto.com)

ON THE COVER

WES GORDON

Photography by COLBY BLOUNT Styling by BELINDA MARTIN Model: NINA DE RAADT Makeup by KATY ALBRIGHT Hair by CLAY NELSON (More on pg. 70)

SARA TIBERIO A graduate from RIT with a BFA in professional photographic illustration, Sara Joy Tiberio specializes in fashion and portraiture photography. She is constantly exploring and looking for ways to evolve and develop her personal artistic style and enjoys collaborating with other creatives to develop one artistic vision and turn it into a reality. “I typically shoot posed portraits, so I enjoyed the challenge of photographing Stacy at Hampden Clothing in a more photojournalistic style,” Tiberio says of her shoot for “The Rise of Fashion South” in this issue. (sarajoytiberio.com)

CAROLINE PETTERS A native of Atlanta, photographer Caroline Petters now calls Brooklyn, N.Y. home.

She strives to tell stories through images, and is inspired by creating genuine imagery that captures a subject’s genuine nature. “Billie was such a delight to photograph,” Petters says of shooting jewelry designer Billie Hilliard for this issue. “Her joy, passion and curiosity for her craft is inspiring. Billie is constantly looking for her next creative outlet, and I look forward to seeing where she goes!” (carolinepetters.com)

BROOKE MORGAN As a photographer, Brooke Morgan believes the greatest source of inspiration is always the subject. “Connecting with the four Nashville artists and learning about their brand and their place in the city’s fashion revolution has been such a wonderful experience,” Morgan says of photographing designers for “The Rise of Fashion South,” in this issue.

“I’ve been incredibly inspired by the innovation, hustle and vision of these individuals. It’s an exciting time to be in Nashville right now, and I’m honored to bring some of the city’s premier fashion industry talent to the forefront.” (brookemorganphoto.com)

W W W. Z E N Z I I . C O M

Yo u r n e w j e w e l r y o b s e s s i o n !

LETTER FROM THE

THREE YEARS YOUNG Three years ago, a spark set flame to an idea that the craftsmanship and ingenuity of the South deserves to be front and center. We assembled a team with these ideals and a pride for our Southern cities that seemed unmatched by sports fans with warrior paint and team colors. It caught fire throughout the region and banned people together through ideas, design and the written word. We didn’t know what would come of our dream to entertain and delight with a zealous proclamation that the business and communities in which we live are the ones that inspire us most.

Three years ago, Eidé began with a website and a name meaning “the essence of culture.” Our culture.

And out of the woodwork came a never-ending well of talent from Florida to Virginia to Texas that rivals any major city in the world all vying for a “New South” that grows and celebrates as they do. We discovered an aesthetic that’s refined and soulful — a thread stitched into Photography by Jimmy Johnston each of our styles that’s better than seersucker or hiphop streetwear. It’s more comforting than fried chicken and more refreshing than sweet tea. Because it’s not a cliché. The South is real and dynamic and possesses a collective of burgeoning artists that renews our sense of exhilaration.

One-hundred-and-fifty-six weeks ago, we decided talking wasn’t enough. We had to do something and tell these stories in the way they deserve to be shared. We watched as the nation embraced bacon and pickling, preserves and mason jars as if it were their own, but wanted a deeper view. We told the truth. We’re not the “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” and we are not trying to be New York City.

There’s something charming about our pace and our grace that manifests in every food festival and dinner party. And it’s special, even treasured. It launched us into a print edition that people couldn’t put down, and a demand we could hardly keep up with — from newsstands to bookstores to airports.

One-thousand-and-ninety-five days ago, we unearthed an exploration that took us to the rise of “Fashion South.” Some of the world’s best designers, entrepreneurs and style innovators live, build and create here in the region — humble and complex individuals that share our passion for the culture enough to make it their home. And we fell in love with our own backyard all over again.

Three years ago, we decided to break the rules, and Eidé Magazine was born.

Thank you for your unwavering support, from the South and beyond.

Love,

Tova Gelfond

and the Eidé Team

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WHILE PREPPING THIS ISSUE WE...

Gained a sister-in-law.

Spent a weekend in Puerto Rico.

Ate gourmet butter from Banner Butter (try the pumpkin!).

Karaoked late into the night at a bar in New York City.

Visited Gibbs Gardens, home of the largest daffodil, lily and Japanese gardens in the country!

Saw Cirque du Soleil’s “Amaluna” — amazing.

Played a rousing round of darts at Ormsby’s in Atlanta.

Ate lots of pie: pizza pie, pumpkin pie, apple pie, peach pie…

Felt nostalgic for the early 2000s seeing Brand New in concert.

Discovered the amazingness of Whole Foods’ macaroni & cheese.

Celebrated our editor-in-chief’s 30th birthday!

Made a skeleton costume for Halloween by hand.

Watched the series finale of “Video Game High School.”

Ate a lot of biscuits from Highland Bakery.

Discovered and trained in Transcendental Meditation.

Shared the beauty and addiction of reddit with others.

Saw Abbey Glass and Megan Huntz runway shows.

Made fake snow with a secret recipe (no, you can’t have it!).

Researched authentic mugshots from the 1920s.

Bought an incredible art print for the new office at Crafted Westside.

Taught a cat to sit on command. Yes, a cat.

Walked the Atlanta beltline every sunny day we could.

Ate dinner at The Luminary (loved “The Secret Girlfriend” cocktail).

Wore matching cat pajamas.

Drank Campari like it was going out of style.

Called Comcast, a lot.

Got locked out of the office several times.

Finally had a reason to wear fur.

FOLLOW THE JOURNEY ONLINE @EIDEMAGAZINE and EIDEMAGAZINE.COM

Illustration by Ally Hodges, “In the Grass,” 2013, Watercolor and Oil. allyhodges.com

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TABLE OF CONTENTS: 32

WES AND HIS WOMEN (70) With an old soul and a modern charm, 28-year-old Wes Gordon is becoming one of the most coveted fashion designers in the industry, wooing women of every era.

THE RISE OF FASHION SOUTH (80) The rise of Fashion South has begun, and a new era of style savants lead us down the runway.

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CIDER BRAISED PORK CHOPS (18) With fennel, porcini and thyme.

DINNER PARTY DNA (22) A rustic Italian evening.

RETRO-GRAIN (28) Ancient grains are making a modern-day return.

DÎNER EN BLANC (31) The world’s largest dinner party comes to Atlanta.

SAVANNAH RISING (32) TV icon in the making, Savannah Chrisley.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT (40) From tragedy comes triumph in Atlanta’s restaurant industry.

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CRIMINAL PER SUITS (44) Suited elegance from a time when there was truly honor among thieves.

FASHION ANATOMY (56) What makes a tailored suit worth all the money?

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RISE & SHINE (58) A collector’s spirit dictates Jonathan Shapero’s art-filled apartment.

A WEALTH OF SUNSHINE (62) LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort draws travelers to Naples, Fla. A SOUTHERNER’S CHI-TOWN (66) The windy city has never felt so much like home.

NOT THAT KIND OF LOVE STORY (69) Colleen Oakley delivers a page-turning debut novel on life and death.

TRUE SOUTH (102) Southern designers remind us that we don’t have to look so far for fashion.

TURTLE POWER (138) The turtleneck makes a statement beyond style.

IN A FLURRY (142) Embrace winter weather with accessories made for snow and style.

GETTING TECHNICAL (152) Accessories highlight how technology is dominating fashion.

FOR ART’S SAKE (154) Fashion illustration has enjoyed a recent comeback.

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Ingredients 2 TH I C K, BONE-I N P ORK C H OP S 3 TABLESP OONS OLI VE OI L, DI V ID ED 5 SMALL SH ALLOT S, WH OLE OR HA LV ED 2 - 4 GARLI C C LOVES, WH OLE 1 SMALL FENNEL H EAD, QUARTER ED 2 LADY APP LES, H ALVED 22-OUNC E BOTTLE H ARD C I DER 1 OUNC E P ORC I NI MUSH ROOMS , D R IED 7 - 8 FRESH TH YME STEMS

Recipe and photography by JULIA GARTLAND

PEPPER

GARLIC

THYME

FENNEL HEADS

BONE-IN PORK CHOPS

L A DY A P P L E GARLIC

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Directions

S

EASON P ORK C H OP S ON BOTH SI DES. HEAT A LARGE C AST I RON SKI LLET (10 - 1 2 I NC H ) OVER MEDI UM-H I GH H EAT.

ONCE PAN I S H OT, ADD 2 TABLESP OONS OL IVE OIL, TH EN SEAR P ORK C H OP S FOR ABOUT 3 - 4 MI NUTES ON EAC H SI DE. TRANSF ER P ORK C H OPS TO A P LATE TO REST.

USING THE JUI C ES LEFT I N TH E PAN AND ANOTHER

TABLESP OON

OF

OLI VE

OI L,

USE A WOODEN SP OON TO LOOSEN TH E BROW NED BI T S STU C K TO TH E PAN. OVER MEDIUM-HI GH H EAT, SEAR SH ALLOT S, FENNEL , APPLES AND GARLI C , MI XI NG OFTEN TO PREVENT BURNI NG.

ONCE EV ERYTH I NG I S BROWNED (ABOU T 5 - 7 MIN UTES), ADD A BOTTLE OF C I DER (SOMETHI NG BRI GH T, BUT NOT TOO SWEET), THY ME STEMS AND P ORC I NI MU SH ROOMS. BRING TO A BOI L FOR 5 - 7 MI NUTES OR UNTIL MIXTURE H AS REDU C ED BY ABOU T HAL F. ADD P ORK C H OP S BAC K TO TH E PAN, MAKING SU RE TO I NC LUDE ANY LEFTOVER JUICES, AND COOK FOR AN ADDI TI ONAL 5 - 6 MINUTES OR UNTI L I NTERNAL TEMPERATURE IS 145 F. ENJOY!

FOOD & BEVERAGE

T H E T H E M E : Rustic Italian T H E L O C A T I O N : Studio 20 at the Goat Farm Arts Center. Hosted by SOFIA XIV of XIV Dinners.

P H OTO G R A P H Y BY B R I A N N A R O T H

THE DÉCOR: Adorned with ripe lemons and greenery straight from the garden, the dÊcor evoked a rustic and warm aura. Lit candles with melting wax displayed throughout the room recreated the romance of Italy, softening the splashes of orange on the wine bottles spaced over the set tabletop. Transparent green carafes of water caught flickers of the candle light,

immediately drawing the eye upward and offering a sense of form and function to the table.

A mix of yellow wildflower and green rosemary created vibrant and fragrant centerpieces that lined the dark, wood table. Bright, yellow lemons sat next to plates and long-stemmed wine glasses, emitting a scent reminiscent of the Amalfi Coast of Southern Italy.

T H E P L A C E S E T T I N G : The table, made from reclaimed wooden pallets, created a simple canvas for the place settings.

A linen napkin neatly hung off the table from each seat and sat upon two white, ceramic plates. A single fork sat to the left of each plate while crystal water and wine glasses, as well as a knife, rested on the right. Simple. Beautiful.

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hef Luca Barolli, Atlanta’s own “Vespa Chef,” was brought in to create the most important aspect of the evening: the menu. Born in Parma, Italy, he spent his childhood roaming his grandmother’s farm and learning the value of organic produce during the Sunday feasts she prepared for dozens of friends and family. After moving to Atlanta with his wife in June 2014, Barolli began offering cooking classes and creating one-of-akind dinner parties in clients’ homes to share his passion for Italian cuisine, packing 3,000 years of history into each customized meal.

Barolli created the evening’s menu based on the authentic Italian cuisine he grew up with in the countryside of the Province of Parma.

Each course toasted a final goodbye to warm weather and lasting daylight hours, highlighting a few of the season’s fresh ingredients. The night started off with a Campari spritz cocktail — an Italian classic of bitters and Prosecco — and a light Caprese, finished with various salts sourced from around the globe. The meal continued with a torta di patate (potato cake) with Taleggio cream, using Taleggio cheese that’s

Caprese SERVES

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produced in northern Italy each autumn and winter, “when the cows are ‘stracche’, or tired.”

The main course featured a simple but flavor-packed spaghetti alla pesto Genovese. “The trick to a delicious pesto is not spoiling the flavor with the heat from a food processor,” Barolli says. “You can avoid this by freezing the processor’s removable parts for a few hours before using it. You should also put all your dry ingredients in the processor at the same time and blend on minimum speed, slowly adding the olive oil. By reducing the amount of time the leaves are in contact with the blades, you’ll make a great pesto.” The evening capped off with a sweet affogato al caffè, complete with ice cream, espresso and cacao powder.

“My ultimate goal is to have every dish, every bite and every glass of wine tell a story — a story about one of the most beautiful and incredible countries in the world,” Barolli explains. “I’ve been fortunate enough in Atlanta to meet new friends from all social and economic classes, and to share the one common passion among all of us: satisfying our souls through different tastes, colors, sounds and textures, while socializing with those around us.”

INGREDIENTS: 4 organic tomatoes 4 fresh pieces mozzarella 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 4 leaves fresh basil, ground 1 teaspoon oregano 1 teaspoon salt Pinch black pepper DIRECTIONS: Slice tomatoes and mozzarella, then assemble the Caprese by first placing the tomatoes on the plate and placing the mozzarella slices on top of each slice of tomato. On the side, mix extra virgin olive oil and basil; let sit for 5 minutes. Last, pour mixture of olive oil and basil on the plate and sprinkle with salt, pepper and oregano.

Torta di Patate with Taleggio Cream SERVES 6

Taleggio Cream

Potato Cake

INGREDIENTS: 1 pound Taleggio cheese 1/2 cup whole milk

INGREDIENTS: 2 pounds potatoes 4 tablespoons butter 1 cup whole milk 2 cups ParmigianoReggiano cheese, grated 1/2 onion, chopped 2 teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Breadcrumbs

DIRECTIONS: Mix ingredients in a pot and melt slowly. Once melted, let sit for 5 minutes and pour onto plate, where you will add 3 small squares of potato cake.

DIRECTIONS: Boil potatoes with skin for 20 minutes. Remove skin and mash, then add salt, milk and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

In a separate pot, add extra virgin olive oil and onion, and cook for 10 minutes on low flame. When onions are translucent, add to mix of potatoes and blend slowly with a wooden spoon; let sit for 15 minutes. Grease the surface of a baking pan and sprinkle with breadcrumbs to cover the bottom. Add your potato mix to the baking pan, filling to approximately 2 inches, and sprinkle breadcrumbs on top. Bake in oven for 25 minutes on 300 F. WINTER 2014/2015

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Spaghetti alla Pesto Genovese SERVES

INGREDIENTS: 6 cups fresh basil leaves 1 clove garlic 1/2 cup pine nuts 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated 1/4 cup Pecorino-Romano cheese, grated 1 box pasta (any pasta will do) 2 tablespoons butter DIRECTIONS: To make pesto, add basil leaves, garlic and pine nuts to a food processor.

Blend on low speed while slowly adding extra virgin olive oil. Cook pasta al dente following the directions on the box. When ready, strain and add butter, cheeses and pesto. Mix gently and serve while hot.

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Spritz Cocktail

INGREDIENTS: Campari Prosecco Tonic Water DIRECTIONS: Mix 1 part Campari and 2 parts Prosecco, then top off with tonic water. Garnish with lemon and orange slices.

Affogato al Caffè

INGREDIENTS: Stracciatella ice cream Mocha or espresso coffee Crushed walnuts Cacao powder DIRECTIONS: Take one scoop of stracciatella ice cream and place in bowl. Add 3 tablespoons mocha coffee and crushed walnuts, and top off with cacao powder.

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FOOD & BEVERAGE

Retro-Grain Story and photography by GINA YU

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Ancient grains are making a modern-day return.

arley tea was common to my Korean-American childhood home. I could always count on the roasted barley flecks that just escaped the tea strainer at the bottom of my cup. Served tongue-burning hot or throat-tingling cold, the tea has a deep amber color — bright and golden, like honey. Mildly nutty and subtly mineral-sweet, it tastes roasted and wholesome (if “wholesome” were a flavor).

Thoughtfully sipped or haphazardly gulped, the result is the same. Renewed. Refreshed.

I started to notice headlines touting “farro” or “chia” on magazine racks, followed by cardboard displays at Whole Foods with pyramids of boxed quinoa. It was

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like the fro-yo phenomenon, a Yogurt Town or two for every suburb and mall.

I could say this was just another food trend: topping salads, becoming salads, soaking soups, replacing pasta, replacing rice, substituting flour, blending into yogurt, becoming the source for smart carbs and protein. But really, I think that the humble grains have always been around, just like yogurt and wine, and people now strive to consume more of them, knowing that there may be more to them than satisfaction (i.e. probiotics, antioxidants, all the good stuff).

Though the origins of the grains aren’t clear, the stories and speculated history around these four varieties only seem to deepen their flavor and enhance their texture.

SPELT The Old Soul More than any other ancient grain, spelt has a definite age — approximately 9,000 years. Mentioned in the Old Testament (i.e. Ezekial 4:9 Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself …), spelt grains have been found all over Stone Age excavations across Europe and explorations of the Middle East.

Roman armies were said to have deemed spelt their “Marching Grain,” while mystics throughout history have praised it for its uses — most notably, Hildegard von Bingen, named “Doctor of the Church” by Pope Benedict XVI, who said, “Spelt creates healthy body, good blood and a happy outlook on life.”

Spelt was introduced to the States back in the 1890s, where the ground grains were short-lived due to the popular rise of bread flour. Now, it’s mainly grown in Europe but has made a recent return to this side of the hemisphere. With heart-healthy nutrients like niacin and magnesium, and less gluten than wheat, the happy grain can be used in similar ways to farro. Spelt flour is more commonly used as a denser and sweeter substitute for normal wheat flours in anything from bagels and pound cakes to puffed cereals.

FARRO The Grandmother Farro is the oldest ancient grain. All the others are merely variations of it. The Italian word farro is actually thought to reference three different types of wheat families that originally came out of the Fertile Crescent, which is now a region that spans across Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Syria and Iraq. Julius Caesar dubbed farro “Pharaoh’s Wheat,” because it was believed to be what sustained Roman armies for years. The grains were also unearthed from the tombs of ancient Egyptian kings, which meant that farro was thought to be essential for their souls’ journey into the afterlife. Farro is derived from farris in Latin, which means “a kind of wheat.”

Today, farro is grown in Italy, mainly Tuscany. It’s nutty, a little chewy, earthy and almost slightly sweet. The firm but easily digestible kernels make it a versatile choice for rice replacements in risottos and hashes, as well as protein and texture builders for veggie burgers and soups. High in iron, vitamin B and fiber, the wholesome grain is even delicious over yogurt and berries with a drizzle of honey.

Spelt Olive Oil Cake with Pistachios and Lavender*

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Kamut Butter Cookies*

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KAMUT The Survivor

AMARANTH The Phoenix

Kamut is the grain that almost never was. Or at least, almost never made it to today. The story dates back to a time following World War II, when a U.S. airman was said to have taken a handful of the grains from a stone box (some say tomb) near Dashare, Egypt. The 36 or 37 grains (sources are conflicted on the exact amount, but just think a small handful of the last remains of an existence on Earth) were then brought to the States where the airman handed them off to a friend who then mailed them to his father, a wheat farmer in Montana.

The grains were planted and harvested in a small quantity to be shown off at a local fair. From then on, the grain kernels were rumored to be a novelty from an Egyptian tomb, thus kamut acquired the name “King Tut’s Wheat.” The grain was later revived in 1977 by T. Mack Quinn and his son Bob, who finally named the kernels “kamut,” which is Egyptian for “wheat.” It’s also said that Noah took kamut with him on the ark, bringing the grains to the washed Earth, but the former is more popularly accepted.

The official name for kamut is khorasan wheat. Khorasan kernels are twice the size of normal wheat, which makes them a hefty choice for slick pilafs and tossed salads. Nutty sweet and near buttery, kamut is known as the “high energy wheat” for its levels of fatty acids and protein. Now seeded all over the U.S., the grain flour is frequently used to make denser breads, crackers and sweets.

Amaranth was essential to the Aztecs for nourishment and religious practices. Not only did the grain-like seeds supplement corn tributes to the Aztec emperor, amaranth was also used in worship to their gods. Some sources say the Aztec people created art in likeness of their deities from a mixture of amaranth grains and honey, but others say the grains were mixed with blood instead. In both cases, the masses were then worshipped and broken apart to be eaten (blood, grains, all of it).

When the Spanish conquistadors heard of this, they made it practically illegal to posses amaranth, in an attempt to halt what they considered a savage interpretation of Christian communion. The crops were burned, and for centuries, the grains could only be found in remote, mountainous areas of Central and South America.

Amaranth can be found all over the world now, growing in areas like Nepal and even New York. The malty and crunchy grains are especially important to Mexico, where they create a treat with popped amaranth, honey and chocolate called “alegría,” which means “joy.”

Popped amaranth also makes appearances in cereals and snack foods. The grains are rich in iron and calcium, adding texture when sprinkled into soups and stirred into cake or cookie batters. When simmered, the grains become sticky, creating warm breakfast porridges just asking for fresh blueberries or cinnamon apples.

EIDEMAGAZINE.COM

*Recipes available at eidemagazine.com.

DÎNER en

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Story by CASSIE KAYE Photography by CLAUDIA BOST

BLANC The world's largest, secret dinner party comes to Atlanta.

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ring a meal, bring a new friend and dress in white so we can find each other.” This simple message from François Pasquier to his friends in 1988 sparked an international dining event known as Dîner en Blanc. Now celebrating 26 years of elegant fêtes, the Paris-born, secret dinner party (up to 12,000 people strong in the French capitol) has expanded to 50 cities across five continents, and the allwhite affair graced the streets of Atlanta for the first time to celebrate the release of Moët & Chandon’s Moët Ice Impérial — the first Champagne made to be served over ice. “It was the brainchild of the winemaker a few years ago,” explains Donae Burston, regional marketing director of Moët & Chandon, of their new line. “For traditionalists, it takes some getting used to, but it’s meant to be fun and make you realize you should drink Champagne every day as you would wine.”

On October 16, 2014, hundreds of Atlanta influencers stepped out in their chicest white ensembles to gather for an elegant picnic in one of the city’s most beautiful areas. The rules of Dîner en Blanc are pretty simple: gather together a table, two white chairs, white table linens and a china dinner service, dress in white and await the revelation of the event’s location. (To retain the mystery surrounding the festivities, the party’s locale is kept secret until the last minute.) “Each city brings its own unique elements.

We love to include local performers, local music and musicians, local chefs and local businesses in each of our events,” says Sandy Safi, co-founder of Dîner en Blanc International. “We felt that Atlanta, being such a vibrant metropolitan city would make an excellent addition.” Dîner en Blanc was held on the lawn outside the Millennium Gate Museum in Atlantic Station, and, after enjoying an evening of high-quality food, Moët & Chandon Champagne and dancing, the partygoers took their belongings and litter home with them, leaving behind no trace of the sophisticated revelry that took place.

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Gown, LAUREN COLE, at Miz Scarlett's.

SAVANNAH RISING T V I C O N I N T H E M A K I N G , S AVA N N A H C H R I S L E Y, S TA R O F “ C H R I S L E Y K N O W S B E S T, ” G R O W S U P B E F O R E O U R E Y E S

ALEX MARTINEZ

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STYLING BY TIAN JUSTMAN | ASSISTANT STYLING BY HANNAH JOHNSON MAKEUP BY KATIE BALLARD | HAIR BY BRIE NICHOLS FOR B. YOU BLOWDRY & BEAUTY BAR | SHOT ON LOCATION AT SWAN HOUSE

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y dad’s going to hate this,” she says with a sly grin. Savannah Chrisley pulls an $8,000 plunging, V-neck couture dress off the rack of glistening designer pieces. She runs her fingers over the delicate lace of the dress, then the tight beadwork of a cardigan, flipping through the looks as if swiping through a vintage catalogue of records. She sighs, taking in the moment, calming her nerves. Today, she walks onto set a pageant queen but will emerge a fashion model. Outside, the sun is starting to rise over the Atlanta History Center, and we want to get first light.

The young star, known for her lovely, mischievous ways and charming, but relentless father on the instant-success reality show, “Chrisley Knows Best,” has become a Southern icon in the making. Her good looks, coupled with wild family antics, has turned the heads of network powers that be — proclaiming this the next Kardashian family. And if so, then she is Kim — though obviously more demure. She’s spent hours parading down pageant runways, answering questions on world peace and chasing crowns (a hobby she acquired to develop Story by TOVA GELFOND her public speaking and self-confidence), finding herself now drawn to an edgier space in the modeling realm — as proof by her new locks, cut off to reveal a more sophisticated appearance. No longer the bubbly sprout of a teenager we met in Season 1, a year of sun-drenched limelight in an increasingly public world has changed her. She’s calmer, more self-assured, unknowingly more in control.

At 17, there’s a team of beauty and hair stylists fawning over her, powdering here and curling there to stay on the call sheet schedule. And she’s glowing, as comforted and unaffected by this routine as she might be grabbing her order through the Starbucks drive-thru window. Although it’s safe to say there’s no real routine left in her life, on-camera or otherwise. “All the normal things that I used to do aren’t so normal anymore,” she says, candidly. “The mall is my go-to hangout spot because, let’s face it, shopping is my get-away when I just need a break. But now, going to the mall gets difficult at times because there’s always people stopping me, so now I have to strategize and go at the least busiest times of the day.” She takes a breath and smiles. “Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE our fans and I wouldn’t trade them for the world but, it’s still nice to have a little quiet time,” she amends graciously. And now I see how different her childhood must be than mine; than all of ours. She has fans, for one. Not the ubiquitous few hundred ever-present social media supporters that thumbs-up your selfie efforts.

She has a sea of strangers fighting over every 140th character for a shot at her response. And she loves them back, responding with heartfelt sincerity you’d expect from a cherished pen pal. “I try to have a conversation. I get their name and I try to hear their story because we all have a story of some sort. I want to make people feel special and feel the love that we all deserve.”

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Dress, BELLVILLE SASSOON-LORCAN MULLANY, at Miz Scarlett's.

Dress, SAM & LAVI, at Anthropologie.

Dress, ETINCELLE COUTURE, and Cardigan, MISSONI, both at Miz Scarlett's.

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hough, not every engage- high school football games, going to homement is even worthy of coming, going to prom, taking a spring break this kindness. She’s had to with friends, regardless of the fact that she develop a balanced world bumps elbows with famous people and gets perspective — one that to collect expensive designers the way most rivals most of the Dr. Phil 17-year-olds collect Forever 21 (favorites inguest experts I’ve seen. She clude Givenchy and Chanel; Alice + Olivia deals with challenges that would tear most and Ted Baker). adults to shreds, and does so with grace.

We’re on set now; she readjusts her straps People call her fat, they say her dad is gay, and gathers her nerve, shaking off the restless or make fun of her niece for being biracial. energy in her fingertips. As she gets comfort“The world that we live in can be so amaz- able with the flocks of people watching her ing but also so horrible at the same time,” pose, the movements become more connectshe says with a clarity speaking beyond her ed and her stares more haunting. She comes years. “The absolute hardest thing for me to behind the camera to see one of her shots get over would be the labels. I don’t get why and she’s instantly giddy. “I love it! Oh wow, people feel a need to define a person with a I love that one!” she jumps back in front of word.” A comment revealing a sad wisdom the camera to continue the series, poised that has come hand-in-hand with her op- with the confidence of her slender body and portunities. “It’s hard always being around good looks. “I’m not the ideal model” — adults and having to act like an adult,” she one of her few grievances. “I’m not 6-feet says. “But at the same time, this whole expe- tall, nor am I 100 pounds, but I work with rience has caused me to grow as a person and what I have.” There are those who tell her definitely mature.” she doesn’t fit the criteria for a career in this At times, Savannah wishes she was 6 again, field, and they’d be right. Yet, greatness nevand I understand why. The pure simplicities in er comes from the obvious standard. “Little life tremble in the face of her universe. To cope, do they know that only pushes me harder to she speaks about God. Not once. Not twice. achieve the dreams and goals that I have set It’s the pervasive out for myself.” thread sewn There is a fight “WHEN I STEP ON A STAGE through her brewing inside OR IN FRONT OF A CAMERA, favorable point her to pursue of view. A spirher ambitions, EVERYTHING JUST SEEMS ituality that she evTO GO AWAY … IT’S LIKE I’M IN challenging was no-doubt ery naysayer.

MY OWN LITTLE WORLD AND “I mean, this raised with in the South. Rich world can be so IT FEELS INCREDIBLE!” ties to family crazy at times, and faith are steadfast answers to her every but when I step on a stage or in front of a question. It has manifested itself through toler- camera, everything just seems to go away … ance in lieu of conformity, and ends up forging it’s like I'm in my own little world and it a rhythm in her conversation. A cadence that’s feels incredible!” wholesome but never preachy.

She talks about wanting to leave a legaShe’s still an innocent, but she can’t go cy behind in an overly romantic, Spartan back; she’s gone too far along her path, and kind of way. Thinking about tomorrow there’s too much ahead. There are dreams of and yesterday seems to be the focus of her college — Vanderbilt or UCLA — and run- ever-buzzing mind. But today, we are here way shows at Fashion Week. There’s a drive on set and she’s present. Straddling the line to step out of her father’s shadow — a big between who she was and wants to be — a one at that. And in reality, she’s still just a kid child at heart, a woman in mind; a normal — something I have to remind myself while high schooler, a Miss USA; a success, an alwe converse. Like every other teenager in truist — but today, she’s a model. Or mayAmerica, her life’s dramas are wrapped up in be, she’s just a girl.

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Gown and Fur Coat, both ERMANNO SCERVINO, both at Miz Scarlett's.

FOOD & BEVERAGE

FOOD f THOUGHT or

The Giving Kitchen and Staplehouse: From tragedy comes triumph in Atlanta’s restaurant industry.

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t was one evening, just on a date night … And we stumbled on Staplehouse,” says Jennifer (Jen) Hidinger. “Staples, meaning the things that you love and crave, and house, the place you go to get them.” She’s explaining how she and her husband, Ryan Hidinger, came upon the name of their restaurant, slated to open in the spring. She’s standing in the middle of its future home in East Atlanta, an old building from 1906 that used to provide overnight lodging for railroad workers; downstairs was a grocery store. It certainly has the makings of a cherished home. The old wood floors and exposed brick walls have an authenticity that tells of actual age, rather than new décor made to look vintage. An outdoor courtyard (where guests will enter) provides a sense of secluded comfort amid Atlanta’s bustling streets just outside the gate.

Story by JAIME LIN WEINSTEIN Photography by BRETT FALCON

Richard Blais “In many ways, our industry can be archaic and get away from the simple facts of celebrating life. Food is just that — food — but people are the most integral ingredient in a restaurant’s recipe. I certainly am in awe of their mission and use it as a reminder often of why we cook in the first place: to make people happy — ourselves, our staffs and our families — first and foremost.”

FLIP BURGER BOUTIQUE, THE SPENCE, JUNIPER & IVY (SAN DIEGO) WINNER, “TOP CHEF: ALL-STARS,” SEASON 8 JAMES BEARD AWARD FOR “COOKBOOK: GENERAL COOKING,” 2014

Jen Hidinger standing in the future home of Staplehouse.

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he restaurant itself is actually a five-year-old dream, finally coming to fruition. Ryan, a seasoned chef, was well known throughout the Atlanta culinary community. He worked at the city’s acclaimed fine dining restaurant, Bacchanalia, and held the position of sous chef at Floataway Café (both owned

by James Beard Award-winning chefs Clifford Harrison and Anne Quatrano), before ending up at Muss & Turner’s in Smyrna, Ga., a neighborhood joint that he helped develop into a full-service restaurant. Ryan ran the kitchen there for about seven years, but always knew he wanted his own.

So while seeking funding for a brickand-mortar locale, the couple decided to build a customer base on their own.

“It was January 2009 when we started our underground supper club called Prelude to Staplehouse,” Jen explains.

(The trend may have already taken root in places like Seattle or Brooklyn, but in the South, this was well before your average foodies began curating dinner parties for strangers.) Ten guests at a time, almost every Sunday, they welcomed individuals to come and dine in their own home and try Ryan’s food. “We were that couple who just really believed in starting from the grassroots, ground up, and we really allowed people to kind of get to know us very personally,” Jen says.

“So inviting them to our home, on that kind of intimate level, was very us.” But there’s another date when the story of Staplehouse, as it is today, really began.

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The world may not have ended when the Mayans predicted it would, but for the Hidingers, December 21, 2012 marked a different sort of terminus, and the perceived end of their dream of creating Staplehouse. “That’s kind of when life started to change … The dream for us stopped … When you’re told you have six months to live, I mean, what do you do? You don’t, really.”

Jen talks fast, and it’s hard to establish if the speed is a natural quality or a forced one; a strategy for getting through the details of the past two years without allowing the chance for emotion to interrupt. At 35, Ryan was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic cancer of the gallbladder. He was given roughly six months to live. The news not only struck the young couple, but their devoted supper club fans and the larger Atlanta restaurant scene as well. In an outpouring of support, their friends and community came together to form “Team Hidi” (short for their last name) to raise money to assist in funding the care that insurance didn’t cover: like out-of-pocket expenses including medication, travel, co-pays and tumor testing, for starters. “It was headed up by Ryan Turner and Todd Mussman of Muss & Turner’s. And we had a committee of about 20, 25 people, who said we’ve got one purpose in mind and we need to create this event to help them with anything they might need financially during this medical battle,” Jen says, almost matter-of-factly. Within three weeks, the fundraiser was formulated, constructed and produced, ultimately raising $300,000 for the couple.

“So with that, there was an immedi-

ate need that was revealed,” she explains.

And over the course of the last year, what began as a single fundraiser for a couple in need turned into a nonprofit called The Giving Kitchen, a 501(c)(3) designed to provide hardship grants to workers in Atlanta’s hospitality industry.

Restaurants employ more than 13 million people across the United States, comprising 10 percent of the entire U.S. workforce — and the majority of them live paycheck to paycheck. In Atlanta, — a city that has been privileged with a burgeoning food scene rife with “Top Chefs” and 5-star cuisine — the 200,000 metro area restaurant employees “earn an average annual income of just over $17,000,” TGK’s executive director, Stephanie Galer, tells me. And in an industry built on servicing others (read, tips), you have to show up to get paid.

Even if you’re lucky enough to have insurance — like Angela Riley, the victim of a hit-and-run accident — a crisis situation that takes you out of the workplace for days, weeks, even months at a time, can leave you penniless. In May of 2013, Riley, a server at Leon’s Full Service in Decatur, Ga., was crossing the street one night when she was struck by the car of a drunk driver, shattering the windshield with her head. “I was 25 at the time and Obamacare had just been extended to cover dependents until they’re 26, so I was on my mother’s health insurance,” Riley explains. “I was very fortunate,” she says, punctuating each syllable as to articulate the severity of her situation.

Insurance covered her time in the ICU and several weeks in a rehabilitation facility, where she spent time recovering

Kevin Rathbun

Ford Fry

“Helping others in the restaurant community goes hand in hand with the passion for making people feel good, and The Giving Kitchen goes even further in its respect for the souls who provide that vision. It has changed the fabric of Atlanta and its focus on helping our own.”

“As a chef and restaurateur, it is super clear that our industry is about passion for what we do; and more often than not, it’s not the most financially rewarding. The Giving Kitchen has filled a void by serving its own in times of need. ”

RATHBUN’S, KEVIN RATHBUN STEAK, KROG BAR, KR STEAKBAR CONTESTANT, “IRON CHEF AMERICA,” 2008

JCT. KITCHEN & BAR, NO. 246, THE OPTIMIST AND OYSTER BAR, KING & DUKE, ST. CECILIA, THE EL FELIX, SUPERICA

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from fractures in her spine and a severe traumatic brain injury — re-learning how to hold a fork, how to walk, how to talk. But during that time, it was a grant from The Giving Kitchen that afforded her the ability to keep her apartment, her car, a sense of financial stability and the independence she needed to hasten her recovery.

But it’s not just about dire, crisis traumatic brain injuries or stage 4 cancer diagnosis situations. In the past year, for example, The Giving Kitchen has provided grants for a server who needed the funds to cover a security deposit and one month’s rent after the house he was living in was condemned, and another who used the money to purchase a plane ticket so he could participate as a pallbearer in his grandmother’s funeral in Virginia. “It’s literally anything. It’s any sort of unanticipated hardship or crisis, whether it’s natural disaster, death, anything,” Jen asserts.

And then, of course, there’s Staplehouse. After that initial fundraiser, Team Hidi, the Hidingers realized there was both a need for financial assistance in the hospitality industry, and a place for Staplehouse within their new, altruistic mission. “That was, for us, a turning point perspective change that our dream does not necessarily have to die,” Jen says. “We can keep going, we can even keep going in a bigger, better way where we slightly change it conceptually.” In a unique hybrid structure, Staplehouse will be a for-profit subsidiary of The Giving Kitchen.

How does that work? Jen explains: “It will still be a standard, structurally run

restaurant. It just so happens that now, because we’re owned by a nonprofit, all of our net proceeds and profits after taxes at the end of the year are donated to The Giving Kitchen.”

With Chef Ryan Smith in the kitchen (formerly the executive chef at “Top Chef ” judge Hugh Acheson’s Empire State South in Atlanta), Staplehouse will surely be among the best casual fine dining restaurants in the city. (Smith, Jen’s brother-in-law, left ESS to become a partner in Staplehouse at the end of 2013.

His wife, and Ryan’s sister, Kara Hidinger — formerly of Abattoir, also owned by Harrison and Quatrano — will serve as general manager.) “[Smith] is one of the most talented, creative individuals in the Southeast for sure, and I think that his career could have gone anywhere. And I still think it can. And I think it will,” Jen says with a passion in her tone that tells you her words aren’t escalated just because he’s family. “But it is interesting to know that you have this platform that you can just literally soar and fly on, but what’s most important to you is a tightknit family and doing something for the greater good, and he chose to do that. So I think I have a pretty awesome family!” she says, laughing.

While Staplehouse will serve as the ongoing financial engine for The Giving Kitchen, ensuring the sustainability of the nonprofit, there has been no shortage of support from the surrounding culinary community, which started with that initial fundraiser led by the principals of Muss & Turner’s and Chris Hall of Local Three. Dozens of restaurants throughout the city have since held TGK benefit

nights and partnered with the organization to raise funds through campaigns such as “Multiply Joy,” which encourages diners to make a donation via a line item on credit card receipts or by cash. Atlanta-based SweetWater Brewery even collaborated with Ryan Hidinger to create a custom beer — 250 barrels of an IPA called “Second Helping” — all proceeds of which (totaling nearly $40,000) went back to TGK. Woodford Reserve also distilled a custom bourbon blend, “The Spirit of The Giving Kitchen,” and Richard Blais’ FLIP Burger restaurants served “The Giving Burger,” both of which donated sales proceeds to the organization.

“We saw what a band of people coming together, what it was able to do to help us with our peace of mind,” Jen remembers. “And I think that’s what The Giving Kitchen is really about.” She goes on to explain how the financial assistance means more than money. For grant recipients, it means relieving the stress of meeting their fiscal responsibilities while they’re unable to work so they can focus on healing and surviving in times of need. “That’s actually what happened for us,” Jen says. “And I know, or what I believe, is that it helped extend Ryan’s life.

He was given six months to live and he lasted 13.”

When Ryan Hidinger passed in January of 2014 at the age of 36, he had, in essence, transformed the care of Atlanta’s restaurant industry. And the dream of Staplehouse was fully alive. Ryan and Jen had secured a board of investors — including Ryan Turner, Todd Mussman and Chris Hall — and that 1906 building that will become its home.

Jay Swift

Hugh Acheson

“The restaurant industry spends thousands of hours and dollars each year working for charities. It is part of who we are. Finally, there is an organization that’s for our people in their times of need.”

“It’s an organization built on great intentions, tons of heart and a willingness to work hard to give back.

One of the most beautiful things that has happened since The Giving Kitchen was created is a strengthening of the spirits of camaraderie among restaurants in the Atlanta area.”

4TH & SWIFT

FIVE & TEN, THE NATIONAL, EMPIRE STATE SOUTH, THE FLORENCE JAMES BEARD AWARD FOR BEST CHEF: SOUTHEAST AND “BEST COOKBOOK IN AMERICAN COOKING,” 2012 WINTER 2014/2015

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Suit, $995 and Shirt, $135, both MORGAN CODA, both at morgancoda.com. Tie, $95, HUNTZ & WHITE, at Henry & June. Hat, Stylist’s Own.

Suit, $4,895, Shirt, $570, Pocket Square, $185 and Cashmere Tie, $295, all BRUNELLO CUCINELLI, all at Brunello Cucinelli. Vintage Glasses and Cane, both Stylist’s Own.

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Three-Piece Suit, $1,195 and Shirt, $135, both MORGAN CODA, both at morgancoda. com. Tie, $95, HUNTZ & WHITE, at Henry & June. Buffalo Nickel Tie Tack, $20, MEGAN CASH, at Crafted Westside. Pocket Square, Stylist’s Own.

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Suit, $995 and Shirt, $135, both MORGAN CODA, both at morgancoda.com. Bow Tie, $35, EW MCCALL and Scarf, $98, A. FINELINE, both at Crafted Westside.

Vintage Watch, Stylist’s Own. WINTER 2014/2015

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Suit, $5,075, BRUNELLO CUCINELLI, at Brunello Cucinelli. Shirt, $135, MORGAN CODA, at morgancoda.com.

Tie, $35, EW MCCALL, at Crafted Westside.

Glasses and Hat, both Stylist’s Own.

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Shirt, $148 and Jacket, $180, both HAN KJØBENHAVN, Jeans, $250, IMOGENE + WILLIE and Tie, $95, HUNTZ & WHITE, all at Henry & June. Bead Bracelet, $65 and Cord Bracelet, $65, both BY JODIE, both at Crafted Westside.

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Shirt, $220, WON HUNDRED, Layered Shirt, $160, NATIVE YOUTH, Overcoat, $345, HENRIK VIBSKOV and Pants, $186, FILES FROM A JOURNAL, all at Henry & June. Suspenders, $55, MEGAN CASH and Weekender Bag, $225, RIVERS AND COMPANY, both at Crafted Westside. Vintage Watch, Stylist’s Own.

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Shirt, $129, Sweater, $149, Overcoat, $576 and Gloves, $129, all SUITSUPPLY, all at Suitsupply. Bullet Tie Tack (worn on lapel), $20, MEGAN CASH, at Crafted Westside.

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FASHION ANATOMY

THE

JACKET What makes a tailored suit worth all that money?

Story by CASSIE KAYE

T

he suit jacket. Fewer articles of clothing are more steeped in history and tradition or evoke more of a die-hard following. A high-end suit can cost upwards of $3,000, and many don’t always understand what exactly their money is paying for. What makes a Giorgio Armani suit better than something you’d pick out at a department store? Craftsmanship and fabric. But it goes much deeper than that.

The first mass-produced suit for men — the zoot suit — was purposely made big and baggy so as to fit many body types without additional tailoring. Before that, everything was hand-stitched. “Patterns for suits were passed down through generations,” explains Rosemary Hopper, master tailor and professor at Bauder College in Atlanta. “They were protected like gold. You didn’t give up the secrets of the trade, and you never tarnished the craft with any talk of money while a garment was being made.”

In today’s world of standardization, Hopper fears the tradition and artistry behind hand tailoring is slowly disappearing. Fewer men know the way a luxury suit feels — how the fabric hugs the body in a way that truly makes you understand the term “power suit.” But as the legendary Tom Ford himself said, “Dressing well is a form of good manners” (for Jay-Z, it’s better than drugs: “I don’t pop molly, I rock Tom Ford …”), and there is no finer way to dress well than with a well-fitting suit. Sure, the suit (or simply the suit jacket, in this case) may not make the man, but a highend, well-tailored garment can make all the difference.

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Styling & Fit As in women’s fashions, popular suit styles are cyclical, and the same trends come and go, albeit at a slower pace and with fewer nuances. For men, the baggy suits of our fathers are being replaced by a double-breasted variety that is snugger in fit — the suits on today’s man remind us why they say suits are to women what lingerie is to men. In terms of fit, everything about a high-end jacket is done to create the perfect fit and, ideally, a suit jacket will gently hug the body. “Men often come to me for tailoring complaining the jacket fits too tightly, because it pulls the taping across the shoulders when they’re driving,” Hopper sighs.

“But gentlemen don’t drive in their suit jacket.

You don’t do acrobatics in your suit either; it’s not what it’s meant for.”

DESIGN

Collar A collar should roll rather than have a stiff crease, and the hand pad stitching with a canvas interior will give the collar a permanent roll — imitating this with a machine will give somewhat the same effect, but it won’t be lasting. All the stitching at the gorge line — which attaches the collar to the lapel — is done by hand on high-end garments, and a half-inch of shirt linen should show above the jacket collar in a well-made piece.

Shoulders

Lapel Hand-tailored garments typically have a hand pricking done to roll the seam along the edge of the lapel toward the jacket, so it won’t be seen.

High-end suit jackets will have pad stitching and taping in the shoulder area. The pad stitching prevents “breaks” (wrinkles) in the fabric, giving the garment a smooth finish from the shoulder down to the bottom flaps.

The canvas sewn inside the jacket makes the garment turn toward and hug the body.

Cheaper, factory-made pieces tend to flip out, particularly around the flaps. With expensive, hand-tailored garments, “there’s a reason for everything,” Hopper explains. The taping also works to bring the garment toward the body.

When you sew, the fabric is stretched, and taping helps form it back into shape and keep the jacket closer to the torso.

Armholes & Sleeves The armholes are always taped because you put a sleeve in differently on a jacket than you do with a dress or a blouse. You tape it to bring the armhole back in and hug the body; otherwise, you could see the stretching that would occur. A two-piece sleeve is always going to fit better, because it tends to curve and take on the shape of the arm. The sleeves are supposed to have a roll line, not a crease, to snugly fit the arms. Even men’s shirts shouldn’t have a crease down the arms, “but nobody knows any better these days,” Hopper says. Suit sleeves should also be short enough to reveal a half-inch of the shirt fabric, just like with the collar.

Buttons Whether the suit jacket has one, two or three buttons is dependent on style, but regardless of the number, the bottom button is never fastened. In terms of buttons on the sleeves, a high-quality suit jacket will have four, whereas a sport coat or cheaper suit may only have three.

Pockets Pocket flaps tend to use more fabric, but now the insides are done with a lining, which, Hopper explains, is something you hardly see anymore. “It makes the pocket flaps melt into the garment,” she says.

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DESIGN

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S H I N E Story by KELLY SKINNER Photography by BRETT FALCON

Modern leanings and a collector’s spirit dictate Jonathan Shapero’s art-filled apartment.

W “This zebrawood piece is pure ’20s French Art Deco. I found it at a Sarasota antique shop when I was 23. The owners of the store had it shoved at the back of the store and I loved it but couldn’t afford it, so I would go visit it every day. The owners eventually cut me a deal for about $1,800 I think, which they let me pay in $100 - $200 segments each month. Today, it’s highly collectible. The pottery on top is by Jennifer McCurdy. It has such a lightness of being, like whipped cream. The art is a thrift store find and the lamps are mercury glass from the 1920s.”

“The coffee table, sofa, white chair and black table were all my mom and dad’s. They built their dream home in 1959 and hired a designer who loaded them up with really great stuff.” The black chairs are by Le Corbusier.

hen I first moved to Atlanta, I thought I’d miss the water, but, this is kind of like being by the ocean,” says Jonathan Shapero. He’s the owner and designer of Atlanta’s lauded jewelry emporium, Jonathan Buckhead, and we’re standing on one of the two balconies at his stunning Park Place on Peachtree apartment. It’s after 7 p.m., and the stars have started to emerge. Below, forest rustles to the left, skyscrapers twinkle to the right, and mountains loom on the horizon. Shapero lived in Sarasota, Fla., and Martha’s Vineyard before moving here over a decade ago. But he’s right. Close your eyes and you have indeed found the ocean, right above the Buckhead skyline.

Inside the 2,000-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment, Shapero has created an opulent, yet comfortable nest that caters to his love of art and entertaining. Despite this building’s prestigious reputation and famous residents (Janet Jackson, Coretta Scott King and Elton John, to name a few), Shapero’s lair exudes an inherent ease and sense of comfort that’s unexpected, yet very Jonathan. “To me, what’s important about an environment is that it’s liv-

able, peaceful and restful, and that it indicates who I am, where I’ve lived and where I’ve traveled,” offers the gregarious host. “I’m extremely aesthetic-oriented; any outward extension of myself, I try to make pretty.”

And how pretty it is. Stepping inside each room is like stepping inside of a life-sized jewelry box: Everything inside is meticulously placed and comes with its own sparkling anecdote.

Painted stark-white and minimally furnished, the art dictates the space. As you step from corner to corner, you’ll find that Shapero excels at putting together dynamic vignettes, comprised of finds he’s taken a lifetime to acquire.

Here, a thrift-store chest Shapero bartered for in his 20s; there, a small painting by Katharine Hepburn and a monogrammed tea set of his mother’s.

It’s a far cry from the state of the apartment when Shapero purchased it in 2002. “It was in hideous shape,” he recalls. “But all I saw was the view, the amount of space and room for potential.” With Shapero’s Art Deco and modernist leanings in mind, he and his contractor brought the apartment to its bones and rebuilt it around the incomparable vantage point. Twelve years later, and it’s still a work in progress. Here, we follow Shapero on the grand tour.

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Shapero’s bedroom is the only room in the apartment with a wall color other than white.

The hue — a cool, charcoal shade called “Obsidian Glass” — is from Pratt & Lambert Paints.

“I lived in Sarasota for 13 years and was an original corporate sponsor of the Sarasota Film Festival. This is the poster from it. The smaller piece is by a French artist named Patrick Boudon who passed away from AIDS.”

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“I bought this piece about 24 years ago.

A very close friend of mine, Virginia Hoffman, did this piece as part of a series. It’s called ‘Caduceus.’ It’s about 3,000 pounds, and I’ve carried it with me from Sarasota, to Tampa, to here.

It’s made of glass and concrete.”

“I love being very high up. It feels peaceful and safe.”

“This is a lucite Parsons table I got many years ago and a photo of my mom when she was 19 (she was born in 1918). The painting in front of it was done by Katharine Hepburn; a friend gave it to me. The mirror I bought at an antique show. It’s made out of tin ceiling tiles taken from an old building in Boston.”

“This is by a woman named Joan Altabe. I met her when she was doing a series of these for outdoors. It’s made of marine plywood. This one is called ‘Man on Surfboard,’ but it always looked like ‘The Thinker’ to me, or like a man in a yoga pose with his head in his hand.”

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A Wealth of Sunshine LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort draws world travelers to the wealthy coast of Naples, Fla. Story by Tova Gelfond

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thought I knew Florida vacations. Really knew them. My grandparents have lived there for decades and I visit St. Petersburg often. There have been one too many Orlando trips to count, ones where Jaws and Mickey Mouse have been the center of attention. I have partied my way around Miami, enjoyed the best of pies Key West has to offer and

amassed a large collection of tall tales from camping and beaching excursions alike. Each time driving south or emerging from a plane to that salty, humid, algae smell, it feels distinctly Floridian, swatting away mosquitos and gazing up at the palm trees. I’ve had ideas in my head of what to expect from the state that brings us navel oranges and Harry Potter theme parks — until I visited Naples.

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aples is like the 1970s South-of-France version of Florida, the luxe edition. It’s glamorous and charming the way you might expect for a region that attracts some of the world’s highest-income travelers.

It’s not the same crowd that listens to Jimmy Buffett or tours attractions like crocodile-tamers of the Everglades. Located on the western side of South Florida, the Gulf of Mexico insulates the sandy shores from rocky, tumultuous waves, leaving the beaches tranquil and calm. The placid waters, golfing and high-end shopping have long made this a fashionable destination for retired Fortune 500 execs. According to Forbes, some of the richest people in America live here, which has, in turn, made it ultimately desirable for vacationing (and beachouse acquiring if you can afford it). Want to see a $40 million home for sale? You’ve come to the right place.

As an outsider embarking on these elite and foreign shores, there’s one major locale that will give you a passport into this lavish way of life, and that’s LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort. As a part of Noble House Hotels & Resorts collection, this destination features not only accommodations for travelers, but also a membership club for locals to come and partake of their well-manicured surroundings and amenities. It translates into an authenticity that you feel as a guest when you can see that the little oasis is beloved by the community.

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But the LaPlaya mission is to make people feel a part of it — local or outlander, at all of their properties — in Florida at Little Palm Island, Ocean Key and Pelican Grand, in Washington (The Edgewater Hotel in Seattle) or Colorado (Gateway Canyons Resort). The general areas of the hotel feature an array of colorful, bright prints and design choices that make you suspect you’ve wandered into Lilly Pulitzer’s living room. Warmth is added to the staging through traditional light fixtures and charming Southern details like rustic, wooden, picture frames and stylish rocking chairs. The governing feeling the common areas create is that of home — a very expensive and elaborate home, but yours nonetheless. The rooms share the overarching theme, followed through by design and attention to detail with comfort. Palatial marble bathrooms are a reminder it’s posh, while the quaint patios have the intimacy of your own backyard.

Out on the shoreline, there’s no greater allure than beach butler service. A staff of gentlemen trek your supplies down to your prime spot — towels, umbrellas, side tables and all. Then it’s a quick raise of a flag, and you have cocktails and lunch delivered at your beck and call. The mood on this beach is serene; you won’t end up down-wave from someone’s college spring break, or get relentlessly pursued by Speedo-clad, oiled-up egoists. It’s quiet enough for you to rock yourself to sleep in a lounge chair while reading on your tablet and listening to the waves, yet

free-spirited enough for you to block out several hours collecting salmon-pink seashells or running into the waves to cool off.

But even this is outshined by the almost-daily sightings of wild dolphin pods playing in the late afternoon hours. So friendly, they’ll nearly swim up to your kayak or paddleboard if you’re skimming across the water at the right time.

Mealtimes are the great unifier; people gather to cool off and indulge under the cabanas or on the patio of the BALEEN Restaurant. At sunset, guests merge together to take in the generous view as the last halo of sunlight dips into the sea, over an excess of fresh ceviche, cold water oysters, yellowtail snapper or broiled lobster risotto. Never to be had without a chilled,

muddled cocktail or crisp glass of Champagne. After dinner, the BALEEN’s famed fire pit is ablaze with cinematic ambiance and incredible conversation (one evening around the pit, I found myself laughing at jokes from the former CFO of Citigroup with a woman who owns a slew of marinas around the world).

Here, locals and travelers become old friends over single malt Scotch and cigars, making plans to return year after year.

After just three days traversing the sandy alcoves of LaPlaya, finding new companions between dried-up sand dollars and afternoon massages, I was already planning my return. I had just welcomed a Florida I never knew existed, while having to say goodbye to a second home I never knew I wanted. laplayaresort.com WINTER 2014/2015

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A SOUTHERNER’S CHI-TOWN The windy city has never felt so much like home.

STAY t’s the optimum union of location, style and spirit. Iconic in name, the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago seamlessly blends the sleek appeal of modern design with classic elements and attention to detail.

Earthy, wooden headboards offset damask-inspired carpeting, shiny fabrics and plush pillows. But the truly eye-catching feature of this hotel is the view of the city. Reaching nearly 40 stories high, the hotel rests in the Carbide & Carbon building, an Art Deco masterpiece of historic significance, designed by the Burnham Brothers in 1929. Incredibly apropos, the construct was assembled to resemble the shape and color of a Champagne bottle — a party spot, indeed. The omnipresent rock ‘n’ roll theme with mounted guitars, signed posters and framed albums is just enough to be fun, but not cheesy. And this Hard Rock Hotel pays Southern tribute featuring a lavish medieval style coat that was worn by Atlanta-based Elton John to Elvis Presley’s birthday party in 1971. 230 N. Michigan Ave. hardrockhotelchicago.com.

Pull up a seat at the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago’s bar, Angels & Kings.

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EAT If you’re staying at the Hard Rock, why not eat at their resident restaurant, Chuck’s: A Kerry Simon Kitchen?

Chef Simon is known for his win of the “Iron Chef America” Battle Hamburger challenge, among other things.

But if you’re not in the market for a burger, it’s hard to go wrong with the Lollipop Lamb Chop made with red wine and garnished with bacon greens. Try it with a side of creamed spinach with bechamel, parmesan and white cheddar. And if you want a fresh take on a Southern favorite, brussels sprouts, their version is tempura battered.

If you’re venturing out, it’s a 15-minute walk from the hotel to Carriage House, a restaurant featuring Lowcountry Carolina cooking located in Wicker Park. Here, you’ll find Charleston favorites mingling with new-South interpretations. You’ll taste a modern take on home when you try the baby back ribs made with pepper jelly glaze, pickled onions and topped with spicy peanuts. 1700 W. Division St. carriagehousechicago.com.

Baby back ribs at Carriage House in Wicker Park.

DO The Hard Rock Hotel Chicago has a lot to offer right on its campus. Take advantage of their “picks” program, which offers a menu of 20 legendary Fender guitars you can select from to play for free — they’ll even deliver one to your room with an amplifier and headphones. No need to air guitar when you can play on a classic Stratocaster like your favorite Nashville star. Then kick back at their bar, Angels & Kings, where there are events nearly every night (and a “Gone Country” gathering each month replete with Firefly Moonshine and Jim Beam Kentucky Fire). Stand-out events include an annual Playing It Forward Ping Pong Ball (yes, there’s a ping-pong table right off the lobby). When you’re ready to tour the city, it’s just a short walk to The Magnificent Mile, the theatre district and Navy Pier. Don’t miss a showing at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater; patrons rave that seeing a show there feels like being at The Globe. 800 E. Grand Ave. chicagoshakes.com.

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THE THE GENIUS GENIUS ISSUE ISSUE IN SEARCH OF THE

SUITABLE MAN

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ARI GRAYNOR HOLLYWOOD IS CALLING

THE GENIUS IN SEARCH OF THE ISSUE

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SUITABLE MAN

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Not That Kind of Love Story Story by JOANNA BERLINER

Southern author Colleen Oakley delivers a page-turning debut novel on life and death in “Before I Go.”

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eet Daisy: 27 / Masters student in Athens, Ga. / Happily married to Jack (we’ll meet Jack later).

Daisy may be the fictional protagonist of “Before I Go,” the irresistible first novel by New York Times-published Southern journalist Colleen Oakley, but soon you’ll be more like friends who swap organic kale recipes. Which means you’ll be especially upset to learn that Daisy’s cheerful-sounding name is actually ironic. Because unlike the flower, which opens its petals to the world each morning at daybreak, Daisy’s story isn’t one of renewal. Daisy has, as she would say, “Lots of cancer.”

This isn’t the first time. At 27, Daisy has already conquered the disease once. But on the eve of her third “Cancerversary,” it’s back with a vengeance and a stiff prognosis: four to six months to live.

It all sounds so sad, doesn’t it? Strangely, it’s not. Yes, you will cry. But you will also laugh out loud at Daisy’s honesty and her ability to say exactly what you were thinking before you even thought it as you journey with her in present tense through every last moment. So it comes as no surprise that before she goes, Daisy doesn’t want pity. She wants you to think of her husband, Jack.

Meet Jack: Vet / Crooked smile / Froot Loops for dinner. Jack is helplessly messy, in a charming way. At night, he jumps into bed wearing only socks, cocoons himself in the covers, then peels off his socks one by one, letting them fall to the floor where they stay, piled high, until Daisy scoops them up with a sigh into the laundry bin. To Daisy, this is all part of Jack’s charm. But it’s also what makes her heart skip a beat when she thinks about the after.

When she’s gone, who will take care of Jack?

The meat of Oakley’s plot revolves around this question and Daisy’s unconventional answer: Jack needs a wife. And she’s going to find him one — be it on the Internet or in the bookstores and dog parks of Georgia. It’s silly, perhaps, especially if you’re imagining a woman out there swiping right to Jack on some hot new iPhone 6 app (Have you seen this guy on Find Love For Your Husband? Can’t imagine why any wife would want to give him up!). But Oakley’s premise never reads as unbelievable. The task of finding Jack a wife is, in the end, not bizarre, but relatable. It is a way of finding order amid chaos, a showcase of love.

Because in the end, this isn’t a Buzzfeed “Top 10 Weirdest Things in Online Dating” story. It’s a love story. One that will surprise you, delight you and touch your soul almost Nicholas Sparks-deep. The author’s debut aims high for that same sort of strange and one-in-a-million romance — the kind you find in Sparks’ “The Notebook” or Audrey Niffenegger’s “The Time Traveler’s Wife” — and, in its own way, delivers.

Except unlike the great love stories of today, it’s not the couple’s love that makes you remember “Before I Go” — and beg Oakley for a prequel. It’s your immediate connection with Daisy. From the first sentence, it’s Daisy that makes Oakley’s novel a page-turner; Daisy who transforms a book about death into a book about life.

Be prepared: You will mourn her. Your love will be quick, like the read itself, but it will also be great. And in the end, as with every great love that’s passed through your life, you will be oh-so-very thankful for those introductory words: Meet Daisy.

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With an old soul and a modern charm, 28-year-old Wes Gordon is becoming one of the most coveted fashion designers in the industry, wooing women of every era.

Story by JAIME LIN WEINSTEIN

Photography by COLBY BLOUNT | Styling by BELINDA MARTIN | Model: NINA DE RAADT for New York Model Management Makeup by KATY ALBRIGHT for Agency Gerard Management | Hair by CLAY NIELSEN for Opus Beauty Photo Assistant: MICHELLE KAPPELER | Stylist Assistant: RACHEL BARE

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utside his Financial District studio at 8 a.m. on a cold New York morning, Wes Gordon is running late (and as a young designer with a team that you can count on two hands, he’s the only one with the key). The potential culprit? An event for Cartier the night before. “Wes showed up with an entourage of eight girls with him,” his publicist explains.

One might call it careless; Gordon might call it work. “The perpetual source of inspiration for me are the women,” the designer says the next day from his latest trunk show in San Francisco. Indeed, while the average millennial males are browsing Tinder profiles to discover the women meaningful to their lives, Gordon is traveling the country to find his. And at 28 years old, he may have the looks of youth — including a clean-shaven, undeniable “baby face” complete with a full head of (gorgeous) hair and an almost impish grin — but the sophistication in his designs tell of a man who has far more years experience attracting women than his age might convey.

Granted, Gordon is no fashion industry ingénue. Born in Chicago and raised in Atlanta, he was seduced by style at a young age. “I was always kind of under the spell of fashion, and the way beautiful clothes make you feel,” he explains. By the time he reached high school, he had chosen fashion design as a career and started taking patternmaking and sewing lessons from a local couturier before enrolling at Central Saint Martins (the London school with notable alums Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Stella McCartney, among others). Summer internships with Tom Ford and the late Oscar de la Renta prepared him to begin his own line upon graduation in 2009. His eyes light up when thinking back to his first presentation at the Fall/Winter 2010 New York Fashion Week. There may have only been five models and a dozen or so press and

buyers at a time, but Gordon’s sleek aesthetic and tailored elegance proved his potential; Harrods and Saks Fifth Avenue promptly picked up the line.

Almost a dozen collections later, his vision, along with the women he aims to dress, are becoming increasingly refined. “There are so many different elements and components that go into a strong collection, but definitely the overarching theme is the woman that I imagine wearing it and that I know to be wearing it,” he explains. Thus the trunk shows — an opportunity to spend time with the clients, get to know them, get to know the lives they lead and see what they love from the collection. What he’s learned to date: “They’re tired of things that are so precious, that have to be wrapped in tissue paper at the back of the closet. But they’re also tired of androgynous uniforms,” the designer muses. “So I want clothes that women wear in their lives, that can become a part of their wardrobe, and that can become that piece they constantly go to because they love how it makes them look.” This translates to streamlined garments that don’t overpower the woman wearing them (“There aren’t unnecessary seams; it’s not origami.”) enhanced by feminine details and a quiet edge. Think slip dresses in Chantilly lace, chunky knits over lightweight silk and organza skirts, or a baby-blue wool bomber with a fox collar paired with a pencil skirt — all from Gordon’s Fall 2014 Ready-to-Wear collection.

One might call it clothing for the “modern” woman, though lately the term gets tossed around in association with just about anything this side of the second millennium. “So often today I think modern means narrow and vulgar,” Gordon says. His collections nod to a more “ladylike” sensibility, which makes sense, considering he calls himself an “old soul.” And his ability to balance what appears fresh and new with the romanticism of a sartorial past has made him a red-carpet favorite for celebrities that span generations — from Lena Dunham and Katy Perry to Gwyneth Paltrow and even Michelle Obama. (The First Lady wore one of his metallic, houndstooth jackets to the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in 2012.) “I actually found out on Twitter!” he exclaims. “I continue to just get perpetually star-struck … It never gets less exciting.”

“I was always kind of under the spell of fashion, and the way beautiful clothes make you feel.”

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Glacier/Slate Silk Chiffon Long Sleeve Draped Gown, $4,750, WES GORDON, at shopbop.com.

Earrings, $49.50, BANANA REPUBLIC, at Banana Republic. Ring, $29, TOPSHOP, at Topshop.

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ut the most thrilling moment in his career thus far was when he started to notice strangers wearing his clothes. “At first, you’re a small business, and you have very small volumes so you’ll make five of a dress, and you know exactly where those five are, and it’s a friend of a friend, or someone you have two degrees of separation from,” Gordon explains. “When you start seeing a stranger on the street in a piece, that’s really exciting because that means that she walked into a store, and with all the options there in front of her, she fell in love with that piece you made, enough to buy it, take it home and wear it, without knowing you, without having a relationship with you.” Of course there have been more public moments of pride. Gordon received the 2012 FGI Rising Star Award and is a four-time recipient of the coveted Swarovski Collective sponsorship (Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014 and Spring 2015). He was also a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist in 2012 and 2014 (you might have seen him posing alongside actress Grace Gummer in the November 2014 issue of Vogue).

Even with all the recent fanfare, it’s apparent that his focus remains on his brand — and with that, his women.

One might expect a designer to prepare a rack of clothing options for themselves, but at his shoot the day before, Gordon brought only three (and a pair of misplaced cufflinks narrowed the selection further). “I spend so much time thinking about my collection that the idea of trying to think about what I’m going to wear, I don’t have time for it,” he says. And when he’s not perfecting the look of his designs on the model beside him, he’s taking every opportunity between shots to head back to his desk and talk with his team. Owe it to an unprecedented work ethic. Or the tenacity of youth. Or utter ambition. “For me, the idea of having my own collection and being a fashion designer were always one in the same … I want to spend my life building my own brand, brick by brick. And I didn’t want to have a second not devoted to that.”

For now, that devotion is to womenswear. “It’s really kind of a beautiful world to design in … There’s a creative freedom, a sense of adventure, a sense of reinvention,” he says, in a way that almost mimics the clothing he designs, if a tone could imitate apparel. It sounds romantic and charming, but his words are direct and honest. Currently working on his Fall/Winter 2015 collection that he describes as a dichotomy between sweet and tough that stays true to his signature refinement, it seems it’s only a matter of time before women the world over will be wearing Wes Gordon.

“When you start seeing a stranger on the street in a piece, that’s really exciting because that means that she walked into a store, and with all the options there in front of her, she fell in love with that piece you made, enough to buy it, take it home and wear it, without knowing you, without having a relationship with you.”

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Black/Navy Basketweave V-Plunge Dress made with Swarovski Crystals, $10,990, WES GORDON, at Bergdorf Goodman by Special Request. Earrings, $129.97, ZSA ZSA, at Nordstrom Rack. Bracelet, $55, BANANA REPUBLIC, at Banana Republic. Black Ring, $29, TOPSHOP, at Topshop. Silver Ring, $95, MICHAEL KORS, at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Bronze Satin Twill Dress, price upon request, WES GORDON, at wesgordon.com. Earrings, $92.97, ZSA ZSA, at Nordstrom Rack. Necklace, $245, MAX AND CHLOE, at maxandchloe.com.

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“THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT ELEMENTS AND COMPONENTS THAT GO INTO A STRONG COLLECTION, BUT DEFINITELY THE OVERARCHING THEME IS THE WOMAN THAT I IMAGINE WEARING IT AND THAT I KNOW TO BE WEARING IT,”

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ew York. London. Paris. Milan. Tokyo. These are

the longstanding meccas of fashion, the places that have become synonymous with the ever-evolving world of style. But the tables have turned. Direct your eyes to the global runways of fashion weeks over the past decade, and you will see that Southern designers have earned a well-deserved spot amongst the ranks of revered fashion veterans and newcomers alike. Flourishing with notable designers, unique boutiques and those whose names you will surely one day recognize, the South is home to a number of high-fashion moguls, and now more than ever, they are choosing to stay here to grow their businesses. The rise of fashion South has begun, and a new era of style savants lead us down the runway.

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are fabricating a new legacy of Southern design.

craftsmanship, reinventing itself with each generation. These bright individuals

place; the title marks them as a maker in a line of succession hailing from a rich history of

Being a Southern designer now means more than a growing perspective in the market-

What was once a barrier to entry has emerged as a rite of passage.

DESIGNERS THE RISE OF FASHION SOUTH

AFRIYIE POKU Spartanburg, S.C. oberimaafriyie.com

Story by MEGHAN JACKSON Photography by FAISAL MOHAMMAD

“IT WAS LIKE 3 O’CLOCK A.M. I woke up, my TV was on and this guy was just standing right in front of the camera,” Afriyie Poku reminisces on his decision to become a designer. “He had on this beautifully cut, kind of orange-yellowish suit. I was like … that is how a suit is supposed to look. The cut on it — everything. I watched the show and at the end of it everything went off like … yeah, that’s what I want to do.” The well-dressed person he’s describing, who left such an impact on him, is Ozwald Boateng, the English designer known for putting a twist on British tailoring and his shop on Savile Row. But being enamored watching “House of Boateng” wasn’t the first indication that the Ghana-born Poku would have a future in fashion. He was used to seeing the men in his family dressed in well-tailored suits and clothing — a polar opposite to American trends circa 2004. “Everything was baggy!

Baggy pants, T-shirts, your white tee used to be by your knees.” So he used his mother’s sewing machine to alter his own clothing to make it fit. “Sometimes when I was done, there would be no pocket left on the pants, or the pocket would be sewn shut,” he remembers. But, for Poku, it worked and served as his first steps into the industry.

After being unable to find a tailor he could apprentice, he taught himself through a series of trial and error. He would buy jackets from the thrift store just to take them apart and put them back together to learn the complete construction of how they were made. Soon, Poku was skilled enough to create pieces of his own, focusing on fitted slacks and tailored jackets, and a line was born. Taking the overall prize at the 2012 Peroni Style Atlanta: Emerging Designers Competition, as well as the Emerging Designer Competition: East at Charleston Fashion Week 2013 solidified and, more importantly, validated his decision to pursue creating his own line, Oberima Afriyie.

And while Poku continues to develop his craft and grow his brand, his goal is for his customers to use his pieces to express their own individuality. “I want to provide every gentleman with a key arsenal of pieces they can use to present themselves, whoever they are.”

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ABBEY GLASS Atlanta, Ga. Clothing available by appointment at Showroom Ampersand in Atlanta; Select pieces available online and at Henry & June and Tootsies, both in Atlanta. abbey-glass.com $150 - $1,450

“I’VE BEEN TOLD I’M LIKE A ROCK ‘N’ ROLL JACKIE O,” says Atlanta designer, Abbey Glass, of her design aesthetic. “I love mixing the proper woman with the kid inside her, the woman who secretly wants to be a little wild and crazy.”

The same can be said of Glass herself — she’s a petite, smartly dressed woman who glides across the room, carrying inside her an explosive ball of energy. Although she first appears quiet and reserved, she transforms into a force of nature with a pattern and some fabric in front of her, and she visibly throws that hidden vivacity into her designs. Glass describes her style as “classic, American sportswear with a twist,” and her line is synonymous with clean cuts, beautiful fit and simple shapes, with a touch of the unexpected.

The child of two doctors, Glass was bookish in her youth and sewed for fun in her free time.

She never considered fashion design to be something she would do as a career until she explored the couture pieces at Saks Fifth Avenue in high school and fell in love with the way high-end clothing was constructed. After a stint at Central Saint Martins and four years at Rhode Island School of Design while taking business classes at Brown University, Glass moved back to Atlanta and started a small design venture, making mostly custom evening gowns and coats.

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Story by CASSIE KAYE Photography by JAMIE HOPPER

Now working with Rosa Thurnher and Regina Weir of Factory Girls, a fashion incubator for high-level designers in the South, Glass has been able to expand her business while still being personable with her customers. It’s this commitment to intimacy that sets Glass apart as a designer. She makes custom pieces for her clients, and most of her line is sold through personal appointments at her showroom. The one-on-one time Glass spends with her buyers is used to create a lasting relationship and drive home the fact that each item is special and not mass-produced. “I love seeing women with my clothes on,” Glass says. “... I’m making people’s lives better in some small way. And I don’t want to lose that. That’s what keeps me going.”

AMANDA VALENTINE Nashville, Tenn.

Clothing available online. amandavalentine.com $18 - $1,150 Story by ANNA MORRIS Photography by BROOKE MORGAN

MOST CHILDREN HAVE NO CLUE what they’re going to be when they grow up. Talk to a group of kids, and you’ll get a random assortment of answers, from the cliché fireman or veterinarian to the slightly bizarre unicorn fairy princess. But Amanda Valentine?

She’s the exception. After watching her mother make the family’s clothing, the Nashville-based designer began to toy with different materials, making costumes out of drapes around the house and her mother’s old hosiery. Fast forward to Valentine’s college years, and the University of Nebraska graduate was more than certain she was destined to enter the world of fashion design.

Despite her propensity to create, her post-college years consisted of styling for her brother’s band, Maroon 5 (James Valentine is the lead guitarist). Because styling allowed her to essentially be in control of her career, Valentine worked on every music video, commercial and shoot she could, but joining “Project Runway” proved to be one of her biggest turning points. “It was ‘Project Runway’ that brought design back into my life in a big way,” she says. “I always kept up with design and sold little collections here and there. But after the whole process, I have so much more confidence in my voice and my potential for doing design full time.”

Valentine’s garments boast a Saint Laurent aesthetic, but ask her where she draws her inspiration and, instead of listing top designers, she’ll give you a hodgepodge of influences. Big blocks of color in her designs are inspired by artists like Rothko, while tassels and crazy prints are a call to her love for funk music from the ’70s and the punk counterculture movement.

With Valentine’s second stint on “Project Runway” (and a second place ranking) at an end, you’d expect she would want to take some time to rest, but she shows no desire to slow down. Her brainchild, Valentine Valentine, is in full swing, with new pieces being added to her website every week, and a 10-look collection set to launch in spring 2015.

It seems as though Valentine has returned back to her roots and has found her niche, stating that she now knows exactly what sets her apart: “No one has my point of view, my weird mishmash of influences. I’m all about contrast, and I’m constantly playing with the idea that a woman can look gorgeous and punk rock at the same time; totally craft a dramatic look, but still look effortless; nod to history, but be strikingly modern. It’s all about that balance between opposites.”

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Story by BROOKE HUTCHINS Photography by JAMEYKAY HUFFMAN

ANNA TOTH Asheville, N.C. Clothing available at Shelter Collective in Asheville and select boutiques in California, Illinois, New York and Washington State. bowandarrowapparel.com $50 - $375

ANNA TOTH FITS RIGHT INTO the relaxed, creative atmosphere of Asheville, N.C.’s River Arts District, a place that has nurtured her hand-sewn, custom-fit, denim-based clothing company Bow + Arrow since 2010. A Charleston native, Toth first made her way to the bustling Western North Carolina city as a ceramics major at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Enthralled with the functionality of the art form, but feeling the urge to be more expressive in her work, Toth then turned to printmaking as her preferred field. Ultimately, a need to combine utility and creative expression was the driving force behind her decision to finally pursue patternmaking at the Apparel Arts Institute in San Francisco. Drafting clothing patterns by hand gave Toth the opportunity to explore both aspects of what she has always loved about art.

A simple girl, often spotted in her favorite pair of worn, blue painter’s overalls that she scored from Goodwill in high school, Toth decided to try her hand at making a new version of the favorite standby as soon as the well-fitting pair croaked. Take a peek at her denim-inspired line today, and you’ll see that one of Bow + Arrow’s most popular items (and the first piece ever for sale) is an overall jumpsuit with a side zipper modeled after her infamous lived-in pair that started it all.

Every last inch of Toth’s high-quality denim is grown, milled and processed in the United States, which is a point of pride and rarity with today’s ever-increasing carbon footprint. “I love that we live in a part of the world where we can really see our resources from seed to finish. We can work as a team to make products that all of us can use,” Toth asserts. The style of the Bow + Arrow line, inspired by workwear, menswear and the combination of functionality and elegance, turned many heads at Charleston Fashion Week in 2014. Toth walked away as co-winner of the Emerging Designer Competition and winner of the People’s Choice Award — a great honor as she continues to push the boundaries of denim apparel. “I’ve really had to creatively approach the confines of denim and embrace the challenge,” she admits. But there’s a simpler idea behind what drives her vision of custom-fit pieces with single-needle construction and hand-felled seams: “I like the idea of being able to not really worry about your clothing too much … to ride your bike or roll down a hill in it, and then just throw it in the wash,” Toth muses. And she’s excited to continue to introduce this versatile style into a realm of Southern fashion that can easily translate cross-culturally to other locales like California and New York.

BILLIE HILLIARD Story by CHRISTINA MONTFORD Photography by CAROLINE PETTERS

Atlanta, Ga. Jewelry available online. billiehilliard.com $48 - $1,000

MADE FROM THE ANCIENT “LOST WAX” method of actually melting the wax away and leaving an impression of the piece in hard plaster, all of the handcrafted creations in Billie Hilliard’s eponymous line are named after family members who have come before her. “They are all sort of me paying homage to the people in my family that I admired,” Hilliard says.

“My grandmother was named Jimmy, and so my Jimmy line was birthed from a piece of jewelry she had that has been passed down, and I took it, revamped it and added my own twist to it.”

From a young age, the Atlanta-based jewelry designer knew a stifling career behind a desk was never in the cards. “I have always been very creative,” Hilliard says. “As a little girl, I was sewing my doll clothes and making little accessories. I got my first sewing machine when I was 7 … I never thought that I could actually make it my career until I started wearing my own stuff and really getting a reaction out of people.” Even when she was working as a triage nurse for a doctor’s office, Hilliard knew that

it wasn’t the end goal. “Whenever I was doing anything other than living out my purpose, I always felt incomplete,” she says.

Now, after having studied metalsmithing, casting and other traditional silversmithing techniques under mentor and blacksmith Mark Hopper for 10 years, she has honed her craft, bringing her clients the unique, handmade metal creations she is known for.

“One thing that Mark always says to me is that … you can go buy something for 20 bucks from any department store and it’s not gonna last because it’s probably plated or made with white metal — which is a cheaper kind of metal — but when you are handcrafting something, it’s the real deal metal and you can dig it up 100 years from now and just clean it up, buff it and it’s going to last,” which makes her designs even more coveted. “Chocolates melt, and flowers will wither and die, but how about giving somebody something that’s an heirloom and they can wear it for the rest of their lives?” Hilliard challenges.

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BROOKE ATWOOD Savannah, Ga. Clothing available at boutiques in Austin, Texas; New York, N.Y.; Rosemary Beach, Fla.; Savannah, Ga.; and Kuwait City, Kuwait. brookeatwood.com $250 - $800

Story by MEGHAN JACKSON Photography by MADDIE HARNEY

SWITCHING SIDES OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY, Brooke Atwood decided to follow her heart as a designer, rather than a store owner. So she sold her Mississippi boutique and headed for Savannah, Ga. to get her masters at Savannah College of Art and Design.

After graduating, she thought she would take a practical route for her first collection and create only one item, but do it really well. She stayed true to her rock ‘n’ roll style by designing a line of leather T-shirts and found a showroom in New York to sell them. But it wasn’t quite as simple as she’d hoped for. “[The showroom manager] of course comes to me and goes, ‘Well … I hate to tell you this, but you’re gonna have to do a full collection because everyone wants to see more. You can’t just do leather T-shirts, Brooke.’”

So Atwood added to the line of T-shirts to establish her first collection. And while she claims it felt a bit all over the place, it gave her a launching point for her second and now third collections. “As a new designer … you have to have at least five seasons to figure out who your customer is.” Though one can already tell, she’s effortlessly chic.

The “just rolled out of bed look” and “I woke up like this” mantra combined with her passion for the music scene (particularly Mississippi Blues) seem to play a role in her collection inspiration. “I grew up on a horse, on a farm. I grew up showing horses, and the fringe pants (from her latest collection) … were inspired by chaps I wore as a little girl. You know, there are definitely elements that come from my Southern past that are incorporated in my style.” However, she’s quick to add, “Definitely you wouldn’t look at my collection and say oh my gosh, she’s from Mississippi!”

And nearing that fifth collection, Atwood seems to be figuring it out. She has made her way onto the radars of Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York and Intermix, which means we may see her leather lines stocked throughout the country sometime soon.

It’s not surprising when you consider the quality of her pieces.

“I’m using 100 percent lambskin Italian leather. I’m just like a freak, everything is very top-notch. I don’t cut corners at all.

That’s just how I am.”

Story by MEGHAN JACKSON Photography by IAN KEAGGY

ERIC ADLER BORNHOP Nashville, Tenn.

Clothing available at Any Old Iron, Five and Tenn (Nashville Omni Gift Shop) and The Label, all in Nashville. ericadlerclothing.com $34.99 - $2,199.99

FROM TEXAS TO NASHVILLE to Atlanta and Nashville again, Eric Adler Bornhop has made his way around the South and hopes his clothing line will, too. Bornhop started designing clothes in 2012 upon returning to the U.S. after spending time soul-searching and teaching English in Spain. He began working under Manuel, the famed Nashville designer responsible for pieces such as Elvis’s iconic gold lamé suit, costumes for the Jackson 5 and garments for a plethora of other artists, athletes and presidents. Working under Manuel validated Bornhop’s epiphany that the fashion industry was where he belonged. “It’s really exciting that he’s such a legend and he supports me so much,” Bornhop says.

His designs feature menswear and accessories in unique patterns and fabrics. His tagline, “Menswear for the Tastemaker,” serves as a perfect blend of his high-end style with an understanding that to be successful in this industry, he’s going to have to find his niche. And when asked, “Why Nashville?” Bornhop laughs. “There are a lot of nice people here. It’s beautiful country. It’s not too big of a city, yet, there’s still free parking!” Joking aside, he’s becoming a bigger fish in a small pond.

The Eric Adler line is stocked in boutiques around the city, and Bornhop has plans to open a brick-and-mortar store soon. And Nashville, with all of its quirks, might just be the perfect breeding ground for his market, because the line, according to Bornhop, “is just for a fashion-forward guy, trying to get out there with people who are trendy and trendsetters, whoever they may be.”

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TUNDE, ONI & C. WILL Atlanta, Ga. Clothing available online and at stores across the Unites Stated, Asia and Europe; Find a location at market.freshiam.net/pages/stokist. freshiam.net $25 - $800 Story by E.J. OGLE Photography by BRITTANY WAGES

IT’S HARD ENOUGH FOR ATLANTA to be considered a national fashion hotspot, much less a fashion vanguard. But the dominance of urban music and style in contemporary pop culture means the city has an undeniable influence on fashion off the runway. The “streetwear” world established in the ’90s as rap really broke into the mainstream — FUBU, Phat Farm, Rocawear, etc. — was quickly marginalized as a separate entity from the world of “high” fashion, but the next decade saw an intermingling of influences that has since trickled down to the current generation of designers, rappers and tastemakers. Atlanta label +Fresh.i.Am+ is continuing to blur the lines between the streets and the runway, ready to seize the spotlight when it swings their way. +Fresh.i.Am+ favors an ever-minimalist, forever-fashionable, black-and-white palette with layered knitwear and bold, hieroglyphic-esque graphics. It is declarative, confrontational and punk in spirit, but intensely conceptual. It’s high-minded, underground fashion for the digital age. Indeed, Designer/Creative Director Tunde says his influences range from “the Internet, [the Japanese anime film] Akira, Blade Runner, the army and punk-D.I.Y. sensibilities.”

The label’s creative core — Tunde, head-of-production Oni, and Brand Manager C. Will — came together in the mid 2000s, when the Atlanta party scene was more divided and the pocket of club kids and creatives who straddled both the rap and hipster worlds were going unnoticed by culture-spotters at large. “At the time, the Atlanta scene was either really hood or very upscale, bottle-service-type places,” C. Will explains. “But we were in between that.”

The group didn’t begin with a clothing line, however. “We actually started out as a blog [in 2008],” Oni says, “where we were exposing Atlanta’s underground to the outside world.” Very much the big-picture conceptualist, Tunde states, “We needed our own look

and identity rather than relying on other designers and cities to give us what we want.”

The catalyst for +Fresh.i.Am+’s rapid rise was undoubtedly the FUKK hat, a black ball cap emblazoned with white letters, part of their debut +State.of.Mind+ collection in 2009. “It became its own thing on Tumblr, where one picture of our friend wearing the hat was reblogged a ton,” Will recalls. “That’s the item we couldn’t keep in stock.” He and Oni are quick to praise the Asian streetwear market for picking up on the label first, to the point that many people were surprised to learn they were based in Atlanta. Still, it took another three years for +Fresh.i.Am+ to gain recognition in their hometown, thanks to the always provocative, style-obsessed Atlanta rap world finally taking notice.

Since then, +Fresh.i.Am+ has continued to refine its all-black vision: the FUKK hats were expanded into a capsule line of tops, and 2014’s CYBER TRIBE collection merged cyberpunk sensibilities with street athletic wear. C. Will muses philosophically on the brand’s run thus far: “Our past collections were influenced by tribes, street gangs, fraternal orders. The idea of individuality out of homogeny — everywhere you go, the people that are into what you’re into will find you.”

Looking forward, the brand plans on opening a store locally in the next few years, while continuing “to move towards a more refined street style,” as Oni says. “Even now there’s still something ‘sloppy’ or ‘slouchy’ about streetwear, and we’re moving away from that.” Ultimately, +Fresh.i.Am+ seeks to prove its haters wrong, to not be defined solely by the now-ubiquitous FUKK hats — thanks to an unavoidable market of knockoffs — and push its vision of a new Atlanta underground to the world. “And that’s how you know that you’re doing it well,” Oni declares. “When the mainstream wants to be a part of it, when people want to bootleg it.”

MARIA SILVER Nashville, Tenn.

Clothing available online and at Fond Object Records and Sisters of Nature, both in Nashville. blackbymariasilver.com $50 - $500

ENTHUSIASTIC IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT when describing Nashville designer Maria Silver.

She’s adorably vivacious when discussing anything that has to do with her work: “I was roaming on some social network, and someone posted a video of what happens when you pour molten metal into cold water. Have you seen it? It’s fascinating!

So that led to an all-night YouTube binge fest on molten metals, lava, whatever, and out went my previous collection.”

Her newest line is proof that she knows exactly what direction she wants to grow, and she’s heading there with great fervor. “If ’70s Studio 54-era had a baby with early ’80s Spanish Harlem, then you would have Black by Maria Silver,” she explains. In fact, it’s this collection that will propel her forward, since before BBMS, everything had to be custom ordered, and now Silver will be able to have size options available for each piece.

She can attribute most of her passion for design to her mother. Living in a small town in the mountains of the Dominican Republic, her mom had all of her clothes made for her, but was unhappy with the matching dresses she had to wear alongside her sisters. Silver’s mother was told that if she was unhappy, then she could make her own clothing. And that’s exactly what she did.

Silver channeled her mother’s gung-ho spirit when creating BBMS, especially when designing her favorite piece: the Alloy Parka. With so many fall coats looking the same, she wanted something different. So her parka, in all its soft, warm and gunmetal lamé goodness, was born. The simplistic-chic style of this piece is a representation of Silver’s entire line. She created each piece with the idea that it can be balled up in a suitcase and pulled out without being covered in wrinkles, essentially making her clothes what she likes to call “easy glamour.”

And despite putting in nearly 80 hours a week on her new line, Silver has never doubted her career choice. “The biggest challenge as a designer for me is that I’m doing this whole thing like an American dream in the ’50s,” she explains. “There’s no loan, no capital, no investors. I make clothes I think will look fabulous on a woman, I sell said pieces and I make more. It’s a labor of love, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Story by ANNA MORRIS Photography by BROOKE MORGAN

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EMILY BARGERON Savannah, Ga. Clothing available online and at stores nationwide. mamieruth.com $38 and up Story by CHRISTINA MONTFORD

“SHE IS CONFIDENT, outgoing, unique and loves music.

She can be found front row at a festival dancing in tie-dye and fringe … She shops American-made whenever possible and genuinely cares about where her clothes come from … She has a fire for life and wants to make every day count.” She’s the “Mamie Ruth” girl — according to the Savannah, Ga.-based designer, Emily Bargeron.

Bargeron is no newbie to the style industry. She started her own website selling jewelry with her sister at the age of 12 and landed the cover of her local newspaper as a young entrepreneur.

From there, she attended Georgia Southern University and her studies in fashion merchandising and design were what eventually inspired her to create clothing. The emerging designer show at Charleston Fashion Week in 2009 helped finally transform her passion into a means of living.

The name actually came before the brand. “Mamie Ruth is named after my grandmother who taught me that I could do anything if I believed in myself,” Bargeron says. “She was an entrepreneur when women primarily stayed at home with the kids.

She had her own flower shop and worked non-stop while being a mother, a wife and an amazing Southern lady.”

And it’s the vision of the woman her grandmother embodied that she sees in her customer today. “The Mamie Ruth girl is a combination of all the chicks out there who care about making a difference, who love music, dancing, having fun, wearing cool clothes and who just get it,” Bargeron explains. “It isn’t a concept … it’s just the way we are. It’s more than a brand or a marketing gimmick. It’s the feeling you get when you put on your favorite dress and you are ready to head-butt the day.”

TIM SCOTT Atlanta, Ga. ttscott.com $75 - $300

Story by CASSIE KAYE

CURRENTLY IN HIS LAST YEAR OF DESIGN SCHOOL, designer Tim Scott took home the “Best in Show” award at the 2014 RAGTRADE Atlanta fashion show. His designs are clean and feminine, drawing inspiration from the past, while expressing it with futuristic silhouettes. This promising up-and-comer has already made a name for himself in Atlanta fashion with his custom designs and hand-stitched details, and the timeless quality of his pieces will continue to set him apart as a designer you won’t want to take your eyes off. And while Scott may not be at a place to mass produce his line yet, his unique vision has us excited to see what the coming years will bring for his brand.

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MEGAN HUNTZ

Story by ANNA MORRIS Photography by CLAUDIA BOST

OTHER THAN HER DOG GUSTAVO — who she got while living in Barcelona — the first thing to catch one’s eye upon entering Megan Huntz’s Atlanta apartment and studio is her mood board. “It’s something I’m continually working on; it’s ever evolving,” she explains. “This one is kind of specific in that it’s really reflective of who my customer is. It has elements that are not fashion related, but kind of inform us of what her daily life might be like, what her taste is like for other things.” And like her mood board, full of photos of classic style and strong women, Huntz’s designs are effortless, yet sophisticated.

It’s obvious she channels her time in Europe and cites the European “don’tcare-too-much” attitude as a driving force behind her clothing.

The most obvious examples of Huntz’s ability to effortlessly streamline her creative process are the happy accidents she adds to some of her designs. Using vintage fabric she bought from Italy, she manipulates her textiles any way she can: dip dye, digital prints, paint and, most interestingly, rust — a technique she discovered after laying a freshly washed, rusty cookie sheet out to dry on a piece of fabric. Because of her

Atlanta, Ga. Clothes available online and at Henry & June in Atlanta. meganhuntz.com $150 - $945

desire to experiment (she even commissions paintings to print onto fabric), Huntz isn’t just selling clothing to her customers; she’s selling art. “I love that it can never be recreated,” she explains when talking about her experimentation with her designs. “It’s those imperfections that give something its rich texture, and that’s why I do a lot of different manipulations with the textiles. I love the idea that there’s something really exclusive in the sense that it has this flaw that can’t be recreated, and that’s what makes it special, but still accessible.”

A fashion industry veteran, Huntz actually began her career working in Italy and Spain and previously launched her own line of hand-dyed silk dresses — a successful collection sold in shops throughout the two countries.

But four years ago, she decided to leave her Milan showroom for her hometown and is currently rebuilding her brand in the States.

Her clothing can currently be purchased locally, but she’s looking to expand nationwide, while building a connection with her clientele in the U.S. through her pieces.

BROOKE SERAPHINE Nashville, Tenn.

Jewelry available online and at boutiques in Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and Mississippi. seraphinedesigns.com $225 - $595

Story by BROOKE HUTCHINS Photography by BROOKE MORGAN

IT’S NO SECRET THAT NASHVILLE is currently brimming with up-and-coming designers. Brooke Seraphine, creator and owner of Seraphine Designs, is one of them. Her jewelry line is both distinctly modern and timeless, featuring raw stones that she uses to create naturally elegant handmade necklaces, bracelets and rings straight out of her quaint home studio.

Focusing on the regions of the South Pacific and Central America, it was Seraphine’s degree in art education and history that first sparked her interest in exotic ornamentation. This curiosity stemmed from the encouragement of her geologist father, who also contributed to Seraphine’s rock collection that filled up small cartons in her childhood room. A distinct eye for beauty ultimately carried her into coveted interior and event design jobs, working as a backstage event and dressing room designer while on tour with musicians like John Mayer. Seraphine even landed a position as Sheryl Crow’s personal assistant before working a production job with MTV Networks.

Her tendency to lean toward clean, modern spaces made its way

into her designs for CMA Awards after-parties, Universal Music events and the homes of her Nashville clients.

By early 2012, Seraphine’s decision to stay home with her newborn daughter, plus a hobby of jewelry making for close friends, led her down an unforeseen entrepreneurial path. “It was a very organic process in the way that it all came about,” she explains. She began receiving daily phone calls from strangers who saw a friend’s piece and just had to have their own. “I really try to make my jewelry enhance the natural beauty of the stone itself, rather than melding the stone to the jewelry,” she says.

And with eye-catching gems like pyrite, her signature piece, less is definitely more.

With nine U.S. retailers carrying her jewelry and a growing clientele that includes Gwyneth Paltrow and Kristen Bell, Seraphine looks forward to growing her brand while continuing to focus on the thoughtful, handmade touch that sets it apart.

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illustrious artisans may now have a new zip code, but take the South with them.

nings. With an appreciation for craftsmanship characteristic of their charming roots, these

lauded their triumphs each season. But the secrets to their success might just be Southern begin-

The eyes of the world have watched these designers grow and

BY WAY OF THE RISE OF FASHION SOUTH

Story by BROOKE HUTCHINS Photography by COLBY BLOUNT

HUNTER BELL, 2013 winner of NBC’s “Fashion Star” competition and esteemed New York City clothing designer, has a clear image of the woman she aims to dress. Born and raised in Florence, S.C. before studying fashion design at the University of Alabama, Bell still holds onto a hint of a Southern accent, despite the 11 years she’s spent in the Big Apple. And her clientele might, too. “She’s a Southern girl with a New York state of mind.

She’s feminine and sophisticated, but also has an urban edge. Our girl is not afraid to take risks and pays attention to trends. She selects quality over quantity,” Bell says. Although she has always been drawn to fashion, it wasn’t until one particular “aha” moment, watching the sun set over Manhattan on the last day of her internship with Rebecca Taylor, that Bell became certain of her desire to pursue a career as a designer.

“There were some struggles for the year leading up to ‘Fashion Star,’ and I was at the point where I felt like I was finished fighting for the dream and passion,” Bell admits. The opportunity to compete on the television show came at the perfect time, igniting that inner competitiveness she needed to regain her confidence as a designer.

While the Hunter Bell line has become more modernized since its inception, a decision to stay close to her roots can also be detected in her designs. The brand stays loyal to its many Southern customers and the bestselling pieces they continue to buy, while adopting a metropolitan feel that speaks to the larger international markets.

Although she embraces New York City’s vibe and draws inspiration from its culture-rich landscape, for Bell, “It’s about broadening your horizons and not being afraid to explore different cities,” she explains, fittingly, while waiting to board a flight to Paris. And as the clothing line continues to gain momentum and cause a buzz in stores across the U.S., Bell’s brand is catching the eye of modern Southerners and non-Southerners alike.

HUNTER BELL New York, N.Y. by way of Florence, S.C. Stores nationwide; Find a location at blog. hunterbellnyc.com/find-a-store. hunterbellnyc.com $170 - $500

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WALDRIP NYC New York, N.Y. by way of Atlanta, Ga. Stores nationwide; Find a location at waldripnyc.com/ pages/stocklist. waldripnyc.com $200 - $2,000+

Story by CASSIE KAYE Photography courtesy of WALDRIP NYC

WITH CLIENTS SUCH AS LADY GAGA and Lea Michele, Stephanie Waldrip of Waldrip NYC has made a name for herself designing beautiful garments for women of all styles. An Atlanta native, Waldrip spent her early childhood in her aunt’s atelier, watching her create custom gowns and wedding dresses. She went on to receive a formal education in design from Savannah College of Art and Design, after which she moved to New York to work for a number of fashion labels.

An entrepreneur at heart with a love of textiles and fabrication, Waldrip soon decided to launch her own line. “I wanted to offer the contemporary market something new, blending my affinity for textiles and texture to offer pieces with long-lasting wearability and novelty.” Indeed, her line is clean and streamlined, with classic silhouettes made from specialty fabrics. Her clothing can easily be described as rich — each piece is comprised of vibrant colors, unique patterns and luxurious textiles that can withstand the test of time, turning her garments into durable investments that can be passed through generations. Waldrip’s love for the enriching history behind European textile mills results in pieces that are simultaneously strong and romantic, making her the next big designer for the modern woman.

A staunch supporter of the city’s craftsmen, Waldrip has kept production of her line strictly local to Seventh Avenue and some of the last surviving artisans of the historical Garment District. With big hopes for the future, she plans to become an international house and expand her line by offering pre-collections. “I want Waldrip to be recognized as a brand for women everywhere who love classic style and luxurious fabrics.”

LEONA

Story by MEGHAN JACKSON Photography by RINA BRINDAMOUR

“I JUST COMPLETELY CHANGED MY PLAN and decided I’m not gonna go work anywhere, I’m gonna start a company!” Lauren Leonard, founder and designer of LEONA, says of her thought process after graduating college. Though she had a background in retail, studied design at the University of Alabama and held an internship with Milly in New York, Leonard really had minimal design experience before deciding to go out on her own.

And with nothing to lose, she moved to Atlanta and put herself through trial-and-error training, or what she’s deemed “LEONA Boot Camp.” But it was her retail background that she thinks helped get her line off the ground. “A lot of my experience was in how to sell to buyers and how to create a product that works for the retail floor.”

Leonard now personally designs everything from the fabrics down to each individual garment in her collections, specializing in pieces that are effortless to wear, yet polished. She admits that her goals and definition of success have changed as she has learned more about the industry,

New York, N.Y. by way of Tuscaloosa, Ala. Store in Nashville, Tenn.; clothing also available online and at stores nationwide; Find a location at leonany.com/stockists. leonany.com $59 - $398

her career and life itself. She says that these days, it’s less about appealing to everyone and more about becoming a significant part of her current customers’ wardrobes. “I’m more interested in finding those customers that really truly identify with LEONA and what we’re about, and that really understand and appreciate [that] all of our fabrics are custom designed, and everything is made by family-owned-and-operated manufacturers.”

Though she’s relocated to New York, her roots are in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and they are consistently apparent in her work.

“There are certain inevitable, innate things that make you Southern. For me, it’s really an inescapable femininity. Even if I tried, I would never be able to get rid of that girl.”

And after six years of being in business, the LEONA brand has made its way into boutiques across the nation and into the closets of some high-profile fans, including Taylor Swift and Giuliana Rancic. If becoming a treasured part of wardrobes nationwide is what Leonard wants, it seems safe to say that she is well on her way.

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LILLY PULITZER

Story by BROOKE HUTCHINS Photography courtesy of LILLY PULITZER

AT THE RIPE AGE OF 21, Lilly Pulitzer never dreamed she would one day become a clothing designer. Instead, she found herself escaping the big city of New York to open a modest juice stand in Palm Beach, Fla. Pulitzer and her husband, a citrus grove owner, eloped to the land of endless summer cocktail parties. A desire to hide the juice stains on her dresses and express her sunny sense of style led Pulitzer to start making her own brightly patterned frocks, creating quite a stir.

Today, over half a century later, Pulitzer’s contagiously bright and cheery personality lives on through the bold and optimistic prints worn by the “Lilly girl,” who continues the legacy of the Palm Beach lifestyle. “Our print design studio is always creating new prints that nod to the places, critters and moments that Lilly

King of Prussia, Pa. by way of Palm Beach, Fla. Stores nationwide; Find a location at lillypulitzer. com/custserv/locate_store.cmd. lillypulitzer.com $34 - $348

loved most — even with the tradition of hiding Lilly’s name in every single original design,” reveals Joanna Scholtz, Lilly Pulitzer public relations associate. Although it’s nearly unheard of to have a team of artists that sketch, draw, marker, watercolor and block print every inch of the line, it is this attention to detail through original artwork that sets the brand apart.

As the company continues the legacy of its iconic, resort wear, one thing remains the same: the longstanding tradition of women who are proud to carry the timeless Lilly name. “What we love about the ‘Lilly girl’ is that she’s every age. It’s about her spirit and the twinkle in her eye. She’s the life of the party, the girl who’s not afraid to stand out in a crowd, and she is the chicest of all her friends.”

TIBI New York, N.Y. by way of St. Simons Island, Ga. Stores nationwide; Find a location at tibi.com/ locations. tibi.com $175 - $1,495

Story by SHEYDA MEHRARA Photography courtesy of TIBI

IF YOU SCROLL THROUGH INSTAGRAM or comb magazines for the sartorial choices of “It Girls” like Olivia Palermo or Solange Knowles, it’s safe to say you’ll see Tibi. Consequently, Tibi’s striped peplum top, neoprene scuba dress and leather mules are hot commodities. These utterly wearable, minimalist designs stem from founder Amy Smilovic’s easy Southern roots, polished with years of living in Asia.

Growing up in St. Simons Island, Ga., a young Smilovic was always aware of the meticulous sense of care Southerners put into an outfit. “I can tell you my first-day-of-school outfits from third grade onwards,” Smilovic reveals. “I always matched my hair bow to my track pants — but it was an ultimate faux pas to match the lipstick.” Such observations grew into a lifelong fascination with fashion, and merged with her strong desire to start her own business.

Tibi was created in 1997 while Smilovic was living with her husband in Hong Kong. “I was very inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of the people, and their ability to get things done. I wanted to leverage what was available in Asia,” she says. “The factories were accessible and I worked closely with local artisans developing fabrics and prints. Once I saw the response to the pieces I designed, I realized there was a larger market for it.”

Her designs achieved the “effortlessly put together” look many women were desperately searching for in the early millennium — at a price point that didn’t cost you your cool. As a result, Tibi’s feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and Smilovic’s Georgian family pitched in to keep up with the incoming orders. And while the brand was born bearing dresses in bold colors and prints, Tibi has grown into a label for the modern woman, comfortable and confident in her well-curated wardrobe of necessary relaxed separates.

Smilovic’s personal travels and keen sense of detail developed the brand DNA without forgoing Tibi’s mission to dress the international woman. “I recently fell in love with Stockholm, and Prague is always a favorite. New York is home base for me and I’m constantly drawing new inspiration from the architecture, people, art and history here,” Smilovic says. But Tibi’s global success cannot keep Smilovic far from home for long. She and her family try to revisit the South frequently, absorbing all the allure of a simple life, one she imagines full of “Champion trees with Spanish moss and Cajun vodka lemonades.”

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E C H O I N G T H E W I L D LY V I B R A N T L A N D S C A P E S O F G I B B S G A R D E N S I N B A L L G R O U N D, G A . , T H E S E S O U T H E R N D E S I G N E R S R E M I N D U S T H AT W E D O N ’ T H AV E T O L O O K S O FA R F O R FA S H I O N ’ S N E X T WAV E O F TA L E N T.

Photography by JIMMY JOHNSTON | Styling by TIAN JUSTMAN | Makeup by ERICA BOGART | Hair by RACHEL CARTER, TARA KERR, SHANNON POSTA and MARIA RIGNEY for Dyer & Posta Salon | Models: KATIE LEDBETTER and SAMANTHA MCCOY for Click Models; CHELSEA LEWIS for Directions U.S.A; and AUDREY ANDERS for Ursula Wiedmann Models | Shot on location at Gibbs Gardens in Ball Ground, Ga. | gibbsgardens.com.

Clothing, MAMIE RUTH, at mamieruth.com.

Jewelry, BILLIE HILLIARD, at billiehilliard.com.

Brown Crop Top, $64, White Crochet Crop Top, $88, Printed Skirt, $96 and Feather Headband, $64. Chain and Bead Necklace, $88.

Maxi Dress, $152, Printed Top, $88 and Fringe Vest, $240. Necklace, $182.

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Clothing, BROOKE ATWOOD, at brookeatwood.com.

Leather Tee, $475 and Pants with Leather Overlay, $495. Necklace, $275 and Bracelet, $175, both SERAPHINE DESIGN, both at seraphinedesign.com.

Leather Dress, $810.

Necklace, $98, Crystal Bracelets, $78 each and Beaded Bracelet, $68, all BILLIE HILLIARD, all at billiehilliard.com.

Western Dress, $655.

Necklace, $1,000, BILLIE HILLIARD, at billiehilliard.com.

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Clothing, RAE FRANCIS, at raefrancis.com Jewelry, BILLIE HILLIARD, at billiehilliard.com.

Crop Top, $237 and Maxi Skirt, $598.

Choker, $798 and Cuff, $398.

Maxi Dress, $345.

Necklace, $968.

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Clothing, ABBEY GLASS, at abbey-glass.com.

Jewelry, SERAPHINE DESIGN, at seraphinedesign.com.

Shirt, $335, Coat, $630 and Skirt, $500. Bracelet, $220.

Dress, $900. Necklace, $195.

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Clothing, MEGAN HUNTZ, at Henry & June.

Dress, $570.

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Clothing, LEONA, at leonany.com. Jewelry, SERAPHINE DESIGN, at seraphinedesign.com.

Dress, $302. Choker, $245. Top, $207 and Pant, $211. Cuff, $255. Coat, $398 and Pant, $211. Necklace, $310.

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Clothing, HUNTER BELL, at hunterbellnyc.com.

Jewelry, SERAPHINE DESIGN, at seraphinedesign.com.

Dress, $253. Necklace, $355.

building something new.

are the entrepreneurs and risk takers that challenge our status quo by

is in the execution, and that’s where these groundbreakers stand out. They

It all starts with a passion and an idea. But success

INNOVATORS

THE RISE OF FASHION SOUTH

BELLA BAG “THESE ARE PRE-OWNED?” a customer exclaims upon walking into Bella Bag’s new flagship store in the Buckhead Atlanta luxury retail complex. The walls are lined with rows of designer handbags — Céline, Chanel, Dior, Hermès — in such pristine condition it is hard to believe they’ve ever had a life outside the showroom. Even the rare, vintage ones look like new. (And the Louis Vuitton Shopping Bag designed by Christian Louboutin on display practically is — the limited edition purse was only available as of October 2014.)

What began as a way for a broke college girl to sell a designer bag and reap more return than consignment would provide back in 2005 has grown into one of the nation’s premier luxury resale platforms — and it’s more than just a store. “Most know the Bella Bag that you see online or in store here in Atlanta. What you don’t see is that we are the largest provider of luxury vintage out there,” Cassandra Connors, the founder, CEO and president, explains. “Chances are, if you’ve bought a luxury pre-owned handbag somewhere on the web, it probably originated from someone on the buying team at Bella.” Think vintage handbag sales on Rue La La or Gilt. What else sets Bella Bag apart from the growing number of resale sites in today’s market? In addition to the largest privately held collection of authentic luxury handbags and accessories in the U.S., a 13-point

Story by JAIME LIN WEINSTEIN Photography by ALLIE BECKWITH

A luxury bag reseller is taking over.

inspection process ensures the authenticity of each bag. (Connors has been interviewed everywhere from Lucky Magazine to USA Today on how to spot a fake.) An upcoming VIP Program will soon allow customers to request literally any bag they want, and Bella will source it in less than 30 days, too. “I’m razor focused on listening to our customers and really trying to give them what they want. That’s my number one priority,” Connors says.

It’s all an incredible feat for a young woman who is only in her 30s. “This business has been an evolutionary process, growing up with me throughout my own maturation,” Connors says. And while fashion is certainly in her genes (“My mother was an avid shoe collector and my grandmother a huge handbag and jewelry lover.”), she has become one savvy businesswoman: Bella Bag has doubled revenues every year since 2010.

For 2015, Connors has plans to grow the company’s national compass through pop-up shops and trunk shows around the country. But she is happy to be headquartered in Atlanta for a wealth of reasons, from weather and family to cost of living and ease of entrance. “We are growing rapidly and we’re heading into the other cities quickly now,” she says. “But it’s fun to call Atlanta home base and have the city be proud to have raised us.” bellabag.com WINTER 2014/2015

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S S I SW

E X LU FORD MONT PER A N I RIST MIE HOP

by CH Story raphy by JA g Photo

A worldwide timepiece empire grows through Southern charm.

FOR MOST PEOPLE, going out to lunch at a local pizza place doesn’t result in a million dollar business. Alim Bolton and Tyler Gardner are not most people. “We went out to lunch one day and we were talking and we came to the conclusion,” explains Gardner, one half of their watch-brokering giant. “Alim had the go-getter attitude and I was able to procure some resources and the rest is history. We gave our old employers the finger and we became Global Watch Brokers.” A couple years and a name change later, Global Watch Brokers rebranded to become Swiss Luxe, and Bolton and Gardner had their hands on a thriving business. Swiss Luxe caters to everyone from the naïve first-time buyer to the seasoned luxury-watch collector, with watches anywhere from $1,200 to $160,000 and above.

Timepieces are sent to them and once verified, they will broker a deal between clients and a buyer or trader. If you don’t have a watch to trade, you can simply buy one through their service.

The two met when they began working for a watch brokering company that went under. But before that, they were leading very different lives. Bolton was working for Def Jam and had grown tired of the New York traffic, while Gardner was working at an electrical job and was lured to Georgia by a good deal on a house. They each heard about an opening at their former employer and the wheels were set in motion. Even with years of experience dealing with luxury watches together, the duo still look like the odd couple. Gardner sports tennis shoes and a T-shirt while Bolton dons a suit and some very elaborate socks. But, that’s what makes their business work. “If you go hang out with ‘T,’ you have a cold brew and that’s cool. Me, you’ll kick back with me, and we have some Glenn Brothers whiskey and an aged cigar,” Bolton says. “At the end of the day, whoever I can’t reach, he can reach and whoever he can’t reach, I can reach.”

Although the two may have a different approach to business — Bolton has a more in-your-face charisma while Gardner is known for a laid-back, good ol’ boy vibe — they connect over what is important. “We do have commonalities, like I do Muay Thai and he hunts,” Bolton says. “It’s that same warrior spirit in both of us … I don’t have to wear camo to know the decisions that he will make because they are the same decisions I would make and vice versa. He doesn’t have to wear crazy socks, but he’s going to make the same decisions I would 9.9 times out of 10. Our code of ethics in business is right on point. The only thing you can see a difference in is how we express ourselves.”

The business has more than tripled in the few short years it’s been around. But no matter how big Swiss Luxe gets, Bolton and Gardner will never forget their roots and Southern

charm. “Do you know why people like mom and pop businesses?” Gardner asks — then answers. “You have Walmart and Walmart does very well, but mom and pops have very loyal clientele because, maybe the price isn’t the cheapest, but it’s the experience. People [work with them] because the guy knows their name; he knows about their kids, he knows about their families. So we want to take that and put it into the luxury side of watches, even through a digital platform. For everyone local that we sell a watch to we give them a Cuban cigar. It’s nothing big but it’s just something cool we do to make it personal.”

Their full-service approach has ensured that no client is left unreached. From the farm hand to the busy city boy, whether you find a watch of your dreams with them is just a matter of time. swissluxewatches.com WINTER 2014/2015

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Factory Girls

Rosa Thurnher and Regina Weir make a place for design talent in the South.

Story by BROOKE HUTCHINS | Photography by JAMIE HOPPER

IT ONLY TAKES A FEW MINUTES sitting across from Rosa Thurnher and Regina Weir to recognize the strength of their shared passion when it comes to fashion and helping others — two elements that merged to create the Atlanta-based fashion incubator, Factory Girls, in 2013. By providing emerging, high-level apparel designers with studio space and resources like sewing machines, pattern makers and expert mentoring, Weir and Thurnher hope to develop a strong community of fashion designers in the South and encourage the local talent to grow their businesses in the place they call home.

Coming from a successful career in New York as a modeling agent, talent scout and editorial stylist, in 2008, Weir traveled back to her hometown of Atlanta to help her parents with their industrial uniform manufacturing business and take a much-needed break from NYC. Similarly, Thurnher spent her career in the corporate fashion world, moving through every position from retail management to visual merchandising in bustling cities. Determined to use her knowledge of fashion for a greater purpose, Thurnher, a native Atlantan, came back to her city as a boutique stylist and the owner of a vintage clothing shop around the same time of Weir’s return.

Although it was inevitable that the two women would meet and start stirring up some great ideas, Weir admits, “I didn’t even realize that such a high caliber of talent was in Atlanta until I met Rosa, and she introduced me to some amazingly talented designers here.”

The light bulb went off as the two women saw a unique opportunity — not only to fulfill their passion for helping others, but also to establish a marketplace. Weir had seen first-hand how many of the talented designers coming out of the South moved to New York or Los Angeles in order to expand their business. “I think the talent has been here for a while, but it has never had a real viable way to

remain here, because people rise up to a certain point where they have to go elsewhere to make it work,” Thurnher affirms.

With an understanding that growing a business becomes more realistic when designers can delegate some of the physical labor to other seamstresses, Factory Girls started offering a designer residence. Two of their current designers, Megan Huntz and Abbey Glass, are developing their businesses under the yearlong program that provides studio space, access to machines and tools, the extra labor of seamstresses, and expert mentoring. This opportunity has allowed both designers to branch out creatively and push the boundaries on previously restricting limits. The goal is not just to provide the physical resources, but also to do some goal setting and evaluation to ensure that their business platforms are set up for growth by the time they leave the incubator. Factory Girls hopes to create a larger community and association that is relevant to high-end design in the South — everyone from jewelry and clothing designers, to photographers and marketers. But most of all, the duo would love to see a designer be able to stay in Atlanta and sell their products on the level of designers in New York and Los Angeles.

The idea of the new South, a generation that makes their own terms about what it means to live and work in the region, is something that Factory Girls embraces. “There’s a lot of creativity here because Southerners don’t always follow the status quo,” Thurnher says. Today’s Southern designers are paying homage to the deep-rooted traditions and craftsmanship of their region, while taking what they’ve learned to create more modern, relevant pieces that still nod to the past. As Weir says, “If we have a means to be a part of that, then why wouldn’t we?” factorygirlsatl.com

Story by MEGHAN JACKSON | Photography by CLAUDIA BOST

MORGAN CODA Men’s suiting is customized and calculated through an emerging brand.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN you combine a former clothier with over 20 years experience, his ambitious millennial son, a technology guru, a financial advisor and an art director with a background in fashion advertising? Meet Louie, Walter, Nick, Ted and Thomas, respectively. Together, they’re the creators and curators behind Morgan CODA, a unique, online platform changing the clothing experience for custom menswear one suit at a time.

And each of their particular skills has enabled them to find and capitalize on the menswear niche of the fashion world and bring it to an e-commerce space.

It’s no secret that not all men have a sense of, or interest in, style (talking to you, Dads still wearing your 1992 Peachtree Road Race T-shirts). Morgan CODA is ready to be the eyes and voice of reason for men that neither know, nor want to know, the difference between a slim fit and a traditional fitting suit.

Those guys can go online to Morgan CODA for help and trust the process to easily obtain a high quality product. “That’s ultimately the goal of the business,” Thomas Bledsoe, art director — also president and chief creative officer — confirms. “Once you’ve bought one time, you know your size, you know it works and you can get whatever you want: shirts, pants, whatever else, online and indefinitely.”

The quality is unmistakable and at this point in time, every garment created by Morgan CODA is completely custom. The team takes 12 measurements from men to align with their patterns, which were created with the help of Louie Morgan’s extensive experience.

But, what gets spit out to the factory is the technological side of the business: over 100 measurements created from an algorithm based on the original 12 to create a well-fitting garment ranging in price from $45 to $845. “Taking less measurements reflects the fact that you know what you’re doing; one thing should relate to another,” Bledsoe explains.

And while Morgan CODA is proving to be a promising business model, they’re committed to working as clothiers who began a startup, rather than the other way around. “We feel like the competition in our space … most of the businesses that are in the online zone for this are really just that. They’re businesses.” Bledsoe makes it clear that the mission of Morgan CODA is not only to provide an easy resource for men’s custom clothing, but to create a superior product. “All we offer is the best and we have a variety of prices, but we know that all of our garments are great, so somebody should be able to trust that anything they buy is going to be something that they should be proud to wear and should last them for a long time.” morgancoda.com WINTER 2014/2015

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THE SPIN STYLE AGENCY Story by MEGHAN JACKSON Photography by FAISAL MOHAMMED

A styling collective sets the stage.

TALKING TO DARCIE ADLER feels almost like talking to a celebrity. Her hair falls perfectly, as if it’s just been blown out, and her petite demeanor gives off a Leslie Mann-type confidence: dainty, but down to business. Her business. She’s co-founder of The Spin Style Agency, an organization of stylists, designers and hair and makeup artists that are contracted for their respective work on photo shoots and all things creative, epitomized on location at the Atlanta Daylight Studio.

After getting her start with Atlanta lifestyle photographer Liz Von Hoene 18 years ago, Adler found her way into styling, in all of its forms. Working with noteworthy clients like Neiman Marcus, Adler was provided jobs she describes as “a stylist’s dream set,” frequently flying in incredible talent and creating unique shoots, falling in love with the freedom and endless possibilities of set styling.

And just as Von Hoene was a great influence on Adler, Adler later found herself in a similar situation with her assis-

tant-turned-co-founder, Molly Webb. Together, they formed the agency as a sort of incubator for creatives; a place for new talent to learn under their guidance and become the best of the best in Atlanta. Though it officially opened in January of 2014, Adler has been curating her list of contacts for years; it’s the reason the business is able to exist. “When it comes to sets, I kind of have the name in town for it [as an art director]. So now my goal has been saying, ‘Hey, by the way, I have an incredible hair and makeup artist, and my fashion stylists can do it.’ So we’ve been able to start putting our foot in other areas.”

The entertainment industry’s increasing presence in Atlanta has meant increasing opportunities to work with big name talent for Spin Style, in addition to their steady clientele of local businesses.

“Because of the movie industry that’s here right now, the stars are here. And then if somebody like Dior wants to shoot the next fall bag line with Jennifer Lawrence, she’s here. So guess what? We get to get hired to do the job.” And they did. thespinstyle.com

Story by CASSIE KAYE | Photography by RINNE ALLEN

ALABAMA CHANIN

A farm-to-garment movement takes hold.

NATALIE CHANIN NEVER INTENDED TO START a sustainable clothing revolution with her company, Alabama Chanin; it happened naturally. While taking a sabbatical from working as a stylist in Europe, Chanin found herself in New York City making T-shirts other people wanted to buy. After researching how to fabricate garments on a larger scale and noticing the connection between her stitching and that of her grandmother’s quilts, Chanin headed back to her hometown of Florence, Ala. to connect with local seamstresses and create a line of hand-sewn clothing made from 100 percent organic cotton. Although she didn’t know it at the time, her commitment to sustainability would launch a “farmto-garment” movement that’s already gaining steam.

At its core, Alabama Chanin is about making beautiful products in an ethical way, while also supporting the manufacturing legacy of the South. The company’s mission is based on the Slow Design movement — a fashion industry practice that encourages designers and consumers to create and use products in a socially and environmentally responsible manner — but Chanin has taken this practice one step further with her own products.

In 2012, she partnered with long-time friend and fellow Florence resident Billy Reid to grow their own 7-acre plot of organic cotton. Hand-picked twice that year, the cotton was sent to a local cotton gin and then to a 100-year-old North Carolina cotton mill to be spun before returning to The Factory (Alabama Chanin’s headquarters) for production. “The more I learn about how our work impacts my community and the planet at large,” Chanin explains, “the more important it becomes to produce in a responsible way.” The limited edition Cotton Project garments were finally sold online through Alabama Chanin and Billy Reid in September 2014. (Chanin and Reid also partnered on a hosiery project, and most recently worked together to design a men’s knit top available in both of their online shops.)

Farm-to-table is a commonplace food industry idea, but the art of crafting a garment entirely from start to finish in the United States is a rare find. Chanin and Reid’s project, along with Chanin’s commitment to employing local seamstresses, is a hint at the changing tides of the fashion industry. While big fashion houses, mass production and overseas outsourcing won’t disappear anytime soon, the increase in designers committing themselves to local manufacturing and sustainable practices prove we’re headed for change, even if it’s slight.

The extensive Alabama Chanin brand includes A. Chanin clothing line, Building 14 Design and Manufacturing Services, The Factory (complete with café, production studio and workshop space) and the new School of Making to oversee workshops and educational programming. Everything Chanin does — from supporting local craftsmen and using sustainable materials to encouraging community involvement through workshops and events — works to evolve the brand naturally. “We don’t want to grow our business for the sake of growth; that would be creating waste — waste of time, energy and materials. We want to be a thoughtful brand that creates thoughtful products.” alabamachanin.com

MADE S O U T H E R N

ANDOVER TRASK Harper Tool Bag Atlanta, Ga. Founded by Matt Weaver in 2010, Andover Trask uses American-made canvas and leather to craft timelessly stylish aprons, bags and totes. With solid brass rivets and hand-stitched leather details, every item, like the Harper Tool Bag, is as durable as it is attractive. $180

BLACK SWAMP Black Walnut Bangle Eutawville, S.C. In an effort to recycle wood shavings from crafting furniture in her and her husband’s wood shop, designer Katie Thompson created Black Swamp — a line of handcrafted jewelry made from fine hardwoods and other quality materials. Each piece, like the Black Walnut Bangle, is hand-carved and one-of-a-kind. $35

ASHA PATEL Shanti Silk Red Bracelet Atlanta, Ga. Born to Indian parents and inspired by the traditional jewelry of her heritage, designer Asha Patel is known for her symbolic pieces, often crafted to represent aspects of symmetry like yin and yang with a modern aesthetic.

The Shanti Silk Red Bracelet gracefully wraps around the wrist with a brass ID tag reading Shanti, which means “peace” in Sanskrit. $50

NOAH MARION QUALITY GOODS Belts Austin, Texas Noah Marion Quality Goods’ products are made from natural vegetable tanned leather meant to change and darken with use, getting better with age.

When you buy a belt from Noah Marion, you’re buying for life. $70 - $110

BRACKISH Feather Bow Ties Charleston, S.C. A small company hailing from North Carolina, Brackish has added a touch of flair to men’s suits and everyday wear with their handcrafted bow ties made from genuine feathers. Bill Murray even sported one at the Oscars in 2014. $149 - $195 WINTER 2014/2015

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CRESTA BLEDSOE FINE JEWELRY Shark Tooth Fossil Double Drop Earrings Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. A family tradition of hunting for shark teeth during low tide at Ponte Vedra Beach was the inspiration for Cresta Bledsoe’s fine jewelry line. Enamored with the history of each fossil, she began repurposing them into unique pieces like the white diamond pave double drop earrings you see here, made with recycled 18K gold and conflict-free diamonds. $13,500

EMIL ERWIN Wallace Backpack Nashville, Tenn.

Known for their expertly crafted leather and waxed canvas bags, belts, wallets and accessories, all Emil Erwin products are designed with superior quality in mind. The Wallace Backpack is both practical and sleek, an updated version of a vintage Swiss Army Backpack. $800

NISOLO Women’s Smoking Shoe Nashville, Tenn.

What began as a way to help talented shoemakers in Peru gain access to a global market where they could sell their goods, has become Nisolo, an impressive social impact label. Focused on high-quality, simple designs and respectful conditions for everyone from the producer to the consumer, they use over 100 steps to create shoes like the minimalist designed Smoking Shoe pictured — a sophisticated and seasonless shoe that adds a timeless sense of style to any ensemble. $148

PETER NAPPI Women’s Fina Jodphur Boot Nashville, Tenn.

Designed in Nashville and handcrafted in Tuscany, Peter Nappi leather footwear and goods exude a unique blend of Italian style and American character. Their Fina Jodphur Boot, featuring a full vitello leather lining and washed vero cuoio leather soles, are meant to be loved and lived in, gaining beauty with time and age. $550

CORD SHOES AND BOOTS Men’s Mercer Boot Atlanta, Ga. Cord Shoes and Boots prides themselves on crafting high-quality shoes and leather goods completely in-house, while inspiring their customers to purchase sustainable products, like the Mercer Boot — a stacked heel boot made from Horween Chromexcel leather, natural cowhide lining and vibram rubber that is sure to last a lifetime. $495 WINTER 2014/2015

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YOUNG FRANKK Range Cuff Richmond, Va. Simple but bold, a graphic aesthetic is abundant in Young Frankk’s jewelry collections. By translating line-work drawings and inspirations into various metals, designer Christine Young consistently creates unique pieces, like the Range Cuff featured here. $100

GUNNER + LUX Riley Necklace Atlanta, Ga. Atlanta-based jewelry company Gunner + Lux grew out of a simple father-daughter bonding activity at the dining room table.

John Peterson and his young daughter, Riley, hand craft unique necklaces using jewels they collect from thrift shops, antique stores, and family and friends. The Riley Necklace is the ultimate statement, mixing feminine and industrial aesthetics to create a piece that is strikingly ornate and original. $449.99

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MARGARET ELLIS JEWELRY Fall/Winter 2014 Collection Nashville, Tenn.

A historic studio showroom in Nashville is home to Margaret Ellis Jewelry, a brand known for using precious metals with individually selected pearls and stones to make their handcrafted artisan pieces since 1983. The 2014 Collection, with pieces featuring sterling silver and fresh water pearls, shows the brand’s use of tradition metalsmith techniques. $215 - $1,190

SHELTON METAL Seahorse Necklace Wilmington, N.C.

A study-abroad opportunity in Tuscany where he learned from world-renowned metalsmiths served as the initial impetus for designer Colby Byrd’s jewelry line, Shelton Metal.

Each piece is inspired by the ocean, like the Seahorse Necklace crafted from hand-formed bronze. $75

UMANO T-Shirts Athens, Ga. With the motto “wear responsibly,” brothers Jonathan and Alex Torrey of Umano make shirts for a cause. Children draw the “PocketArt” on the shirts and with every tee purchased, Umano gives a child a backpack full of school supplies. $42 - $55

MARC NELSON DENIM Chambray Pant Knoxville, Tenn.

With the vision that it’s just as important for fashion to feel as good as it is to look good, Marc Nelson specializes in creating well-fitting denim that embodies “Southern comfort with a contemporary edge.” The lightweight Chambray Pant is a perfect example of this mantra, but get them before they’re gone — styles are limited. Only 214 pairs are created of each. $175

ZKANO Socks Fort Payne, Ala. Little known fact: Until the late ’90s, the small town of Fort Payne, Ala. was known as the sock capital of the world, manufacturing a very large percentage of our socks.

Today, Zkano seeks to bring back this legacy in their Fort Payne factory with unique socks in a variety of colors and patterns. $14 - $19

OCEAN ROCK DESIGN Bags Bradenton, Fla. Ocean Rock Design uses upcycled, vintage and recycled fabric to make one-of-a-kind custom printed bags. Materials like antique Kilim carpets, Japanese Obi belts and vintage horse reins make each handmade item truly unique. $40 - $300

areas through innovative stock lists, missions and experiences.

tivated looks you design your life around. These storefronts are reimagining conventional

both the customer and designer, they take far-fetched runway abstracts and turn them into cul-

Boutique owners are the truest curators of Southern fashion. With a direct line to

BOUTIQUES THE RISE OF FASHION SOUTH

TWEEDS 1009-A Marietta St. Atlanta, Ga. tweedsshop.com $35 - $1,195

STEP ONE FOOT INSIDE the 2,300-square-foot renovated horse stable tucked away in the heart of Atlanta’s trendy Westside, and it’s almost as if the exposed brick walls — adorned with the warm, yet masculine marks of a bison’s head, brown feathered fowl and heirloom trinkets — beckon you to come explore. Maybe sit on the London-imported, quilted leather couches for a spell. The impeccably designed TWEEDS clothing shop, owned by Athens, Ga. native Thomas Wages, is a place where you want to soak up the refreshing mix of Southern hospitality and sheer passion for menswear. At first glance, you’ll see an array of suits and button-downs in soft, yet sturdy fabrics and rich leather throughout: handmade bags, belts, wallets and shoes.

The shop took off in the summer of 2013 with the goal of embracing the tagline, “Be Well-Woven,” which are words that continue to drive Wages in his pursuit of getting back to the beauty of living and dressing well. Recalling his grandfather’s custom of putting on a suit before each business exchange — despite having lived most of his life on a farm — Wages asserts, “I think it skipped a lot of our father’s generation, the idea that it meant something to leave the house and dress well. It was a level of respect for yourself, and more so for

Story by BROOKE HUTCHINS Photography by JAMIE HOPPER

those around you. Dressing well isn’t out of vanity; it is actually out of respect.”

With customers like renowned Atlanta chefs Kevin Gillespie and Hugh Acheson, many men who frequent the shop work in creative and entrepreneurial fields. “Most don’t have to wear a traditional suit five days a week, so when they do wear one, they want it to look unique and incredible,” Wages explains. It goes back to the name TWEEDS: a fabric that, to Wages, represents a true gentleman with its appropriateness at both dinner parties and hunting fields.

Since shopping has become so digital and manufactured today, Wages feels that his customers crave a more tactile, authentic experience with their purchases.

And it all starts with the shop’s vendors, proudly serving as some of the oldest manufacturers still crafting handmade goods in America today. Carefully handsewn and crafted over months or even a year, it is not uncommon for vendors to only make one or two of an exclusive product for the shop. There is value in something worthy of passing down, because it was lived in and aged well with daily use. “No one wants their grandfather’s brand new leather jacket,” Wages jests.

And for this entrepreneur, it all comes back to quality: the true test of a thriving business and a life well-woven.

ANY OLD IRON 1629 Shelby Ave. Nashville, Tenn. anyoldiron.net $70 - $1,000

BY GEORGE Three locations in Austin, Texas. bygeorgeaustin.com $150 - $5,000

Story by BROOKE HUTCHINS Photography by CASEY DUNN

A HUSBAND AND WIFE TEAM with Texas roots, Matt and Katy Culmo of By George are dedicated to providing clothing as diverse and world-renowned as their Austin, Texas clients. At just 26 years old with no fashion retail experience, Katy was driven by a love for classic and timeless style. But it wasn’t until the original store owner, George Humphrey, decided to sell his store to a wideeyed, ambitious girl that Katy’s vision for By George really started to take off.

Offering a unique blend of sought-after international brands like Givenchy, and New York-based designers like Tibi, the boutique is known for their time-honored pieces with a sense of lasting value.

“We look for designers that have a story and a personal connection,” Katy shares. But mainly, the couple buys for their cherished Austin clientele. Appreciation for their market and local clients keeps the Culmos connected to their Southern roots, all while realizing that, as Matt asserts, “Fashion is ultimately global, but it all goes back to how we edit our collection in terms of who we are and where we are.”

There are currently three By George store offerings: the flagship men’s and women’s shop; a contemporary, casual women’s boutique; and a separate menswear location. It is a rarity when established designer collections, cutting-edge labels and warm, savvy styling advice come together in the form of a boutique, but

By George, I think they’ve got it.

Story by CHRISTINA MONTFORD Photography by BROOKE MORGAN

“ANY OLD IRON? Any old iron? You look neat. Talk about a treat! You look so dapper from your napper to your feet.” For most Englishmen, these are popular lines from an old music hall tune referring to an English dandy. But for Andrew Clancey, the lyrics to “Any Old Iron” are an homage to his family’s scrap metal business started in 1872 and the namesake of his boutique.

Co-founded by Clancey and entrepreneur Christopher Melon, Any Old Iron brings music-inspired collections from the U.K. to the South via Nashville, after having relocated from New York City. “New York for six years was enough. Nashville is a music city; we dress a lot of musicians, and we felt the city was becoming the next big thing and wanted to be one of the fashion pioneers.” So far, the city has been treating the British company well. “It’s cool,” Clancey says of the move. “We are the new kids on the block and hope to be a groundbreaker in forward-thinking fashion here.”

Clancey, from York in England, came to the United States to continue his styling and “saw a gap on the market for a music-inspired clothing store.” He ended up creating the first ever U.K.-only, multi-brand boutique in the U.S. Whether it’s a Vivienne Westwood bag you seek or a $1,250 Sons of Heroes jacket, you can find it all in this dandy shop of fashion and tradition.

ALCHEMIST 1111 Lincoln Rd. Miami, Fla. shopalchemist.com $85 - $20,000 Story by HAN VANCE Photography by ELLIOT LISS

HENRY & JUNE Story by CHRISTINA MONTFORD Photography by MICHAEL STAVARIDIS

WE’VE ALL HEARD THE PROVERB that those in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, but what about a glass box on the fifth floor of a car park (their term for what looks like a flashy parking garage)? Well, if you’re Roma and Erika Cohen, husband and wife masterminds behind Alchemist, the famed store in the sky, then you can probably do just about anything. They opened the 800-square-foot store with transparent walls and 22-foot ceilings in Miami at the tail end of a recession in 2007.

Alchemist was founded “to capture the spirit of the avant-garde customer, focusing on one-of-a-kind creations,” explains public relations point person, Lindsey Solomon. Currently, the boutique houses designers such as Haider Ackermann, Givenchy, Dior and dozens of other designers from Paris, Tokyo, New York and Los Angeles.”

Alchemist aims to give shoppers something new and fresh within the shopping mecca designed by Herzog & de Meuron. “Alchemist is different in that it isn’t trend-driven, but rather guided by designers who are original and have their own unwavering aesthetic,” Solomon says. And in true Miami form of glitz and glam, the “glass store in the sky” makes any house on a hill look like child’s play.

784 N Highland Ave. NE Atlanta, Ga. henryandjuneatl.com $50 - $655

A FEW DOORS DOWN from the oldest licensed bar in Atlanta, a dual-purpose emporium exists to facilitate a lifestyle enhancement for shopping tourists and local denizens alike. The freshly painted overhead sign by regaled artist Peter Ferrari boldly proclaims in all capital letters: COFFEESHOP & BOUTIQUE, and the crisp window logo design by Malcolm Montgomery seals the deal aesthetically. Inside, proprietary couple Jim Chambers and Camryn Park offer highbrow fashion from Scandinavia, Nashville, Atlanta and New York, while resident “Bean Curator” Daniel Mueller heads up a top-flight coffee program featuring varietals from around the world. “The same types of people who are fashion forward are thinking about a well-sourced, well-roasted, well-executed cup of coffee,” Chambers explains.

It started as a love story. Back in December of 2012, barista Daniel Mueller was working at local coffee house, Octane. His regular customer, Chambers, was holed up daily in that café writing a novel when he met Atlanta native, Park. The striking redhead fashionista had been busy selling vintage cameras and other fine goods and was thinking of opening a vintage boutique. Chambers, who hails from Brooklyn, fancied the idea of owning a gourmet coffeehouse. They visited superb boutiques and cafés across the country on this quest, eventually deciding to combine talents and bring their refined tastes to a convergence back in Atlanta.

Since the grand opening of Henry & June in July 2014, the coffee and clothing gallery has consistently offered CREMA Coffee from the acclaimed Nashville roasters, while rotating in widely sourced beans from other quality purveyors. Shoppers flock in for hard-to-find in the South fashion lines such as Objects Without Meaning, Han KjØbenhavn and Won Hundred.

CRAFTED WESTSIDE 1000 Marietta St. NW, Suite 102 Atlanta, Ga. craftedwestside.com $5 - $1,500 Story by MEGHAN JACKSON Photography by BRITTANY WAGES

VENTURE TO WEST MIDTOWN ATLANTA and amidst the saturated blocks of Georgia’s best restaurants, art galleries and formerly industrial buildings, you’ll find a quaint maker-community full of incredible talent. As a maker herself, Shanna Kenyon was more than familiar with the struggles of owning a business that produces handmade pieces. “There’s that balance there because you want to be successful, but then you also want to be able to maintain that quality of that handcrafted [product],” she explains.

With the needs of artists creating handmade goods in mind, she created a niche platform for their work in Crafted Westside, an eclectic boutique filled with high-quality handmade goods from local artists and designers. It’s essentially a win-win: Artists get retail space for their work, and consumers have access to superior-quality, handcrafted items that aren’t saturating the market. But be warned: one step into the store and you’ll fall down a rabbit hole and into a wonderland of Southern furniture, jewelry, stationery, clothing, décor and so much more.

But Kenyon is adamant about not labeling Crafted as a gift shop. It’s a collective, rather, of amazing talent via a range of artists and designers coming out of the South. In fact, out of around 80 artists displayed in the store, only two are not from the region.

And after only opening in April of 2014, she has already completed an expansion. She also opened a holiday pop-up shop, complete with upside-down hanging Christmas trees and appearances from Santa himself. Aside from a holiday project, the pop-up is also an opportunity to feature additional artists — just as Kenyon plans on doing with more locations in the future — to continue providing customers with unique products of the highest caliber. “That’s our goal; support these small companies that aren’t quite scaleable, but need that support, and need a retail outlet to sell their goods.”

K BOUTIQUE 200 Manufacturers Rd. Chattanooga, Tenn. boutiquebykr.com $24 - $700 Story by BROOKE HUTCHINS Photography by EDWARD GEORGE

KATHERINE ROBERTS, creator and owner of K Boutique in Chattanooga, Tenn., has been fascinated with fashion for as long as she can remember. Years of following designers and trends soon developed beyond her childhood dreams as she traveled both stateside and internationally to pursue a career as a model, and later a stylist.

But after leaving the South for a small stint, Roberts soon found herself drawn back to Tennessee.

Joining the ranks as a buyer and employee at a local boutique, she spent the next nine years discovering her passion for dressing the women of Chattanooga. But it wasn’t until a 2011 buying trip to NYC that Roberts decided it was time to create her own shopping experience for others. With the help of her husband, Ric, the store was built from the ground up in the heart of downtown Chattanooga, and the concept of K Boutique was put into motion. “The store has a mix of finds from markets and showrooms around the South, as well as unique pieces from our world travels,” Roberts shares.

With a variety of smaller, unique brands and popular labels like Sanctuary Clothing and MiH Jeans, K Boutique carries everything from apparel and handbags to candles and jewelry. For Roberts, “It’s about making our clientele feel like they’re shopping in the living room of a close friend and helping women feel confident in carving out their own personal sense of style.” Whether it’s by emailing and texting photos of inventory that they have in mind for a specific customer, or going on buying trips with a list of 40 shoppers in mind to order special pieces for, K Boutique has a special one-onone relationship with its customers. A warm shopping experience and great design come together to ensure that K Boutique will continue to be a Chattanooga favorite for years to come.

310 ROSEMONT Locations in Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia.

310rosemont.com $50 - $1,400

IT’S NOT VERY OFTEN THAT YOU’LL FIND a store where Blair Waldorf and Dan Humphrey types can shop together in sheer bliss. But 310 Rosemont is just that. Winter Hodges’* most prominent chain of fashion stores, 310, offers brands like Elizabeth and James, Alice + Olivia and Rebecca Taylor for women; Billy Reid, Southern Proper and Vince for men, amongst antique crystal chandeliers and Turkish rugs. Hodges’ boutiques offer these sought-after, high-end designers sans the intimidating sales atmosphere. It’s the ultimate shopping destination whether you’re in dire need of a new pair of jeans or just want to relax with drink in hand over a game of pool — there’s even a “Denim Bar” that serves the fixings for cocktails and coffee while showcasing the latest premium denim lines.

After graduating from the University of Mississippi with an impressive resumé that included becoming the first student body president not to be from the state, Hodges first tried working for Al Gore in Washington, D.C., then decided to move to Charlotte, N.C. to begin a career in real estate during the 1980s. Despite the flourishing accumulation of properties and investments, Hodges still felt something was missing. “No matter how successful I was in Charlotte, I wasn’t on 310 Rosemont (his childhood address) with my family. Thus, the eventual name of the store,” Hodges explains regarding his return to his hometown of Trenton, Tenn. in 1989. “And even though I kept my properties and investments in Charlotte, I opened my first retail store in Trenton. Population of 4,500.”

Story by SHEYDA MEHRARA Photography by BRITAIN BAKER

His first store, Westwin, became the go-to destination for the small town that carried brands that you couldn’t get for miles, like Ralph Lauren and Nike. But there’s a welcoming feeling that Hodges manages to instill in each of his businesses that keeps the clientele coming back and the business venture looking bright, even in the face of his first diagnosis of cancer in the form of mantle cell lymphoma in 2005. Just a year later, Hodges put cancer behind him and looked to Roanoke, Va., the location that would become the first 310 Rosemont.

These new stores were little snippets of how Hodges chose to celebrate his life and share that happiness with others. Not long after he set his eyes on Atlanta, Ga. as a new location in 2011, however, he was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, which later progressed into acute myeloid leukemia. Regardless, he continued to find strength in his family and the work he was bringing to fruition, and is happy to say he has been in remission since 2012.

Hodges continues to open stores, adding to his Southern retail reign. In fact, this past August marked the grand opening of his shoe and accessory boutique, William Wren, in Atlanta — his third store in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood. “It doesn’t matter who you interview after this, I don’t think you’ll find anyone any happier to be alive than I am without a doubt.”

*At the time of print, Winter Hodges passed away, but his spirit, courage and integrity lives on. We are honored to share his legacy.

HAMPDEN CLOTHING 314 King St. Charleston, S.C. hampdenclothing.com $65 - $1,488

“SORRY,” A PERKY VOICE CHIMES OVER THE PHONE. “Things are crazy right now! But isn’t this app cool?” Stacy Smallwood, owner and buyer of Charleston’s Hampden and James, respected clothing and accessory boutiques, has asked me to dial her via an iPhone application called Viber. Why? Free international calls, of course. Smallwood is in the U.K. for London Fashion Week. “I’m exhausted!” she says cheerfully. “We’re headed to Paris after this. But, I’m finding some incredible stuff.”

Smallwood’s eternal hunt for emerging design talent is vital to the DNA of her notable King Street shops. After cutting her teeth for five years as a buyer at Neiman Marcus in New York, she moved home to the South to be near family and soon recognized a gaping hole in the Southeastern fashion market. “When I opened, the popular designers in Charleston were contemporary: Milly, DVF, Trina Turk,” Smallwood recalls.

“People wanted to look beautiful, but only bought what they knew. I decided I wanted to bring the designers I wore in New York and couldn’t yet find down South.”

At Neiman Marcus, Smallwood discovered that emerging designers at the time — including Phillip Lim, Alexander Wang

Story by JESS GRAVES Photography by SARA TIBERIO

and Rag & Bone — were best suited for a boutique. “When I made my first buy from Rag & Bone, [founders] Marcus [Wainwright] and Nathan [Bogle] were helping me fill out the FedEx form,” she recalls, laughing.

She opened the doors of Hampden Clothing in February of 2007, hoping customers would fall in love with the same brands she had, get behind her direction and connect. “Hampden is a place to discover. It is intimate. When you shop here, you are only two degrees away from the designer,” she exacts. “At a department store, you are six degrees.”

Now that the designers she initially carried are household names of their own, the hunt for new talent is a large part of Smallwood’s job. By following the fashion flock through the New York, London and Paris shows, she travels the world talent-hunting, buying all the while and bringing her selections home for customers to peruse. “We want to be the shopping destination of the South. Even if people don’t at first know the designers we carry, we want them to trust the things we buy as standalone pieces and trust us to help them style them together. We want to suggest things you may have never chosen for yourself and discover fashion in a new way.”

CUSTARD BOUTIQUE

Story by BROOKE HUTCHINS Photography by CHELSEY ASHFORD

Locations in Savannah, Ga. and Greenville, S.C. custardboutique.com $12 - $400

TARA KIRKLAND, the creator and owner of Custard Boutique in Savannah, Ga and Greenville, S.C., began her career as a buyer for an independently owned toy store and learned the art of being selective early on. Today, she is proud of Custard’s ability to appeal to all different tastes, shapes, ages and budgets — a place where there really is something for everyone. It’s a locale that listens to and celebrates the different sides of its customers: women who come in needing an outfit to go to a punk rock concert one night and a cocktail party the next. “I’m genuinely interested in what’s going on with my customers. I love talking to them and experiencing their lives vicariously,” Kirkland explains.

While she has always loved helping to dress others, Kirkland’s favorite part of the store is her collection of one-of-akind accessories. “I work really hard to find things that are unique and not mass-produced,” she asserts. “You’ll find pieces like handmade cast bee earrings and necklaces from Asheville, N.C., and reclaimed silver necklaces made out of 18th and 19th century wax seals — each one

unique and with a different meaning.” Kirkland’s secret is finding small tradeshows that are farther away, often giving her the chance to develop relationships with original artists and designers. And when she’s not at shows, it’s all about being aware of the local talent — like when she strolled past what is now one of her favorite jewelry lines one afternoon at an apple festival in Hendersonville, N.C. “I’m so fascinated by people and their stories that I think it translates to what you experience when you walk in the store,” Kirkland says.

“It’s what sets us apart from other chain stores and franchises.”

Nowadays, Kirkland looks forward to expanding the Custard line with an accessory-based store that remains tied to her original vision of hand-forged designs, but introduces unique pieces for special moments like engagements and anniversaries. She’s beaming from ear to ear as she recalls the proud moment of seeing someone around town in a piece bought from the store when it opened back in 2008 — “It’s vintage Custard!

How awesome is that?”

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SID MASHBURN / ANN MASHBURN Story by SHEYDA MEHRARA Photography by ALI HARPER

“SID TAUGHT GUYS to take pleasure and delight in dressing themselves,” Ann Mashburn reveals. “It was kind of a bummer to see men not taking an effort. He came to the market with a kind, gentle way to solve that problem.” And with this ambitious mission at the heart of the venture, fashion veteran duo Sid and Ann Mashburn opened shop in the Westside Provisions District of Atlanta in 2007. Despite the inhospitable economy, the men’s shop, aptly named Sid Mashburn, managed not only to survive, but also prosper due to a message that transcends regional bounds.

Sid Mashburn was and remains a retreat for any man’s sartorial desires by amassing only the best — offerings include his own line of apparel, alongside brands like Barbour, Edward Green and Allyn Scura.

“We take a lot of joy in delighting people,” Sid says.

You might be greeted by a dapper gentleman and then be offered a choice of beverage (Would you like a Pellegrino?) or challenged to a round of ping-pong while the record player’s spinning vinyl (you bet they have Weezer’s Blue Album); it all creates a sanctuary, and the sermon of style isn’t forced onto anyone. Sid has become more than just a designer or retailer; he is a fashion educator trying to share

Locations in Atlanta and Houston. sidmashburn.com / annmashburn.com $10 - $4,000

lessons learned while designing for J.Crew, Ralph Lauren, Lands End and Tommy Hilfiger.

Having been a fashion assistant to Polly Mellen at Vogue and an editor at Glamour, Ann Mashburn shares the same affinity as Sid, but directs it toward guiding women to find their own style identity. The retail shop Ann Mashburn opened in 2010. “We started the women’s brand because we have these five girls and they looked around and said, ‘Mom, we have this family business, and you do all this awesome work, we want a women’s part in this too,’” Ann says. “We feel like you can get beautiful things anywhere, but I came to market as the fashion editor. I like to teach women about what they need, and what they don’t need.”

You don’t have to travel far from Sid’s shop to take part in what Ann’s curating. In fact, after browsing the silk pocket squares and wool jackets on Sid’s side, you can walk through to Ann’s, only to find yourself in the middle of a closet that would please Grace Kelly or Gwyneth Paltrow alike. You could reach for the navy cashmere mock turtleneck or a necklace of yellow African beads; it’s all there for your styling pleasure.

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FA S H I O N

Tibi Fall 2014 Ready-to-Wear

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T

T

urtle power

Story by JAIME LIN WEINSTEIN Photography courtesy of TIBI

The turtleneck makes a statement beyond style.

D

espite the general tendency toward apparel of a skin-baring nature, the turtleneck maintains a certain, lasting allure. Blame it on an association with the sense of comfort only a knit sweater brings to mind, especially when the temperature calls for covering up; or Steve Jobs, the tenacious tech mogul who is remembered for both his contributions to the consumer electronics field and for his wardrobe. High-end knitwear retailer St. Croix claimed that sales of its $175 “Style 1990” turtleneck doubled in just one day after Jobs’ death in October 2011.

The now-iconic black turtleneck was actually crafted by Japanese designer Issey Miyake, and you’d be hard-pressed to find an image of Jobs in anything else since he created this personal uniform in the 1980s.

If you’ve read Walter Isaacson’s biography of the Apple co-founder you already know how he developed his distinguished daily attire after seeing Sony’s factory workers in uniform.

While his own employees didn’t take to the idea of coordinated dress (Jobs had Miyake create a nylon jacket for his team that was vehemently rejected), he decided he would instead create a uniform for himself. “So I

asked Issey to make me some of his black turtlenecks that I liked, and he made me like a hundred of them,” Jobs told Issacson. As for the reason behind always pairing them with Levi’s? The world may never know.

But the term “uniform” evokes thoughts of uniformity and sameness, and Jobs was known for change and innovation. Apple’s slogan “Think different” comes to mind. He has cited convenience and efficiency as the reasons behind the consistent look, but the choice of the turtleneck as his signature style may have deeper significance.

The turtleneck originally evolved from a need for warmth in peasant clothing during the Middle Ages. It was “a functional working men’s garment,” explains Beth Dincuff, assistant professor at Parsons The New School for Design, and it was long associated with the laboring class. It wasn’t until the 20th century that we saw those more economically advantaged donning the turtleneck — first by college football and rugby players, and eventually by the likes of Pablo Picasso and artists of the existentialist movement. “It was kind of a rejection of the idea of wearing a shirt and tie,” Dincuff says of the existentialist adoption of the working-man dress.

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Like all good fashion trends, counter-culture crusades have propelled the popularity of the turtleneck through the past half-century or so.

And it has graced the torsos of the icons that drove change. Following the existentialists, it was the go-to garment of the anti-conformist youth of the Beat Generation, representing an inclination toward intellect over appearance (and memorialized on film by a turtleneck-clad Audrey Hepburn as Greenwich Village bohemia Jo Stockton in 1957’s Funny Face). The Beatles, for another example, are credited with changing the cultural landscape of the ’60s beyond their musical tastes — from promoting long hair to hallucinogens — and they wore black turtlenecks on the cover of their second studio album, “With the Beatles,” released in 1963. Then in the ’70s, American journalist and political activist Gloria Steinem was often seen in a turtleneck, adopting the androgynous look as a feminist statement of equality.

Though it may have lost some of its appeal sometime during the last decade due to an association with one too many sartorially challenged individuals highlighted on Awkward Family Photos, the high-collared pullover proved its staying power as a bona fide fashion trend on 2014’s Fall/ Winter Ready-to-Wear runways. Turtlenecks dominated Ralph Lauren’s collection where they made a refined pairing with pants and blazers, overcoats and furs; and even appeared as an evening look, in a snugger silhouette worn with a floor-length jersey skirt featuring a daring, thighhigh slit. Tibi’s turtlenecks — in solid black, baby blue and bright red — looked sleek with everything from a pinstripe suit to a pleated skirt over pants. Chunky, funnel-neck versions in mohair and what looked like a textured fleece stood out during the Helmut Lang show, and 3.1 Phillip Lim featured ribbed, cropped versions layered over silk button-downs.

“IT WAS THE GO-TO GARMENT OF THE ANTI-CONFORMIST YOUTH OF THE BEAT GENERATION” These are examples of only the latest reincarnation of the trend; the turtleneck seems to be recycled in runway collections every few years.

So why the high-fashion appeal? “It definitely frames the face beautifully,” Dincuff suggests.

“It’s a very flattering look on a lot of people.”

And who doesn’t want to look like Audrey Hepburn in a slim black turtleneck, dancing around a dimly lit downtown Parisian nightclub?

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Join us February 1 – 8 for a multifaceted festival of the decorative arts held annually to benefit our fellow Atlantans. www.Cathedralantiques.org

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Jacket, $158, MICHAEL STARS, at 310 Rosemont.

Hat, $225, SAKS FIFTH AVENUE COLLECTION and Gloves, $95, PORTOLANO, both at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Scarf, ECHO SOFT, Stylist’s Own.

In a

lurry

Photography by P A U L T H A T C H E R Styling by HANNAH JOHNSON Makeup by ERICA BOGART Hair by SAMANTHA GUNN Models: JEFFERSON BELL for Click Models and LINDSEY FOULKES for FactorWomen

Jacket, $895, VINCE, at 310 Rosemont. Fur Snood, STARING AT STARS, Stylist’s Own. Gloves, $150, SAKS FIFTH AVENUE COLLECTION, at Saks Fifth Avenue.

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Sweater, $195, POLO RALPH LAUREN, Coat, $695 and Scarf, $175, both BILLY REID, all at 310 Rosemont.

Hat, $54.95, SCREAMER, at Peter Glenn. Mittens, $34.95, EVEREST DESIGNS, at REI. WINTER 2014/2015

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Sweater, $395 and Fur Vest, $965, both ELIZABETH AND JAMES, both at 310 Rosemont.

Mittens, $110, SAKS FIFTH AVENUE COLLECTION and Hat, $195, PORTOLANO, both at Saks Fifth Avenue.

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On her: Turtleneck, $258, JOIE and Cape, $678, KATE SPADE NEW YORK, both at 310 Rosemont. Scarf, Stylist’s Own. Gloves, $110 and Earwarmer, $105, both SAKS FIFTH AVENUE COLLECTION, both at Saks Fifth Avenue.

On him: Shirt, $195, VINCE and Vest, $125, SOUTHERN PROPER, both at 310 Rosemont. Scarf, $55, SMARTWOOL, at REI. Gloves, $50, THE NORTH FACE, at Peter Glenn.

Jacket, $695, ELIZABETH AND JAMES, at 310 Rosemont.

Scarf, BURBERRY, Stylist’s Own. Hat, $198, ANNABELLE NEW YORK, at Saks Fifth Avenue.

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Shirt, $145, TRUE GRIT, at 310 Rosemont. Scarf, $55, SMARTWOOL, at REI. Hat, $24, TURTLE FUR, at Peter Glenn.

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Fur Jacket, $1,295, HAUTE HIPPIE, at 310 Rosemont. Scarf, Stylist’s Own.

Shirt, $145, TRUE GRIT and Coat, $745, CANADA GOOSE, both at 310 Rosemont.

Gloves, $35, SPYDER and Hat, $19.93, ROSSIGNOL, both at Peter Glenn.

FA S H I O N

Getting

Technical

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nowing how the newest iPhone app fares or the latest digital gadget performs is just as important as knowing who was named the “Sexiest Man of the Year.” From digital connectivity

Story by VICTORIA KNIGHT BORGES

Accessories highlight how technology is dominating the fashion industry.

and physical mobility to healthy living and even safety, iconic brands are working with leading technologists to develop personal, fashionable products that are unique, practical and, of course, chic.

Ringly Rebecca Minkoff x Case-Mate

As smartphone addicts, today’s generation is obsessed with staying abreast of received calls, texts and message notifications. Combine that with a fear of missing out, and the result is a society of individuals, heads down, checking their phones at every given moment. Behold Ringly, a New York-based jewelry company focused on designing accessories that sync with smartphones. Ringly’s intricately designed ring collection notifies users of a text, call or meeting — even Uber arrivals — through a color-coded vibrating signal. You’d expect nothing less from creators who are eBay and Etsy alums. $195 $260, at ringly.com.

It happens to everyone — out and about and unprepared, your phone goes dead and you’ve regressed back to the prephone Stone Age era. Thankfully, Rebecca Minkoff has teamed up with Case-Mate to create a lightning cable black leather bracelet, adorned in gold studs, with a USB connector that syncs or charges your mobile device. $60, at rebeccaminkoff.com.

Tory Burch for Fitbit On average, Americans spend more than 55 hours a week sitting. In fashionable protest, Tory Burch has teamed up with Fitbit to create a line of trendy jewelry that encourages

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mobility. With the Tory Burch Fitbit bracelet and necklace, users can track their steps, distance and calories, as well as monitor sleeping patterns. The Fitbit comes in different styles and colors. $195 for bracelet; $175 for necklace, at toryburch.com.

Hövding Helmet When Lund University, Sweden design students Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin presented an exam project on airbags for cyclists to their professor a few years back, the result proved to be more than an impressive grade.

The Hövding helmet is a giant leap into the future of cycle safety. The helmet, worn around the neck like an infinity scarf, is technologically fashioned to anticipate your body’s rapid movements.

Upon sensing a wreck or fall, it will inflate like an airbag around your head, ensuring instant protection. €299 (US$381), at hovding.com.

Apple Watch The world waited with bated breath to see how Tim Cook’s reveal would hold up against the iconic Steve Jobs moments. And although Jobs still reigns supreme, fans “oohed and aahed” over the new Apple Watch, releasing this winter. With features that include photos, email, calendars, messages, maps, health monitoring and even Apple Pay, you can now have a stylish timepiece that rivals the functionality of a 007 gadget. $349, at apple.com.

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for

Art’s Sake

Story by DENISE K. JAMES Illustration by SUNFLOWERMAN

Fashion Illustration: Art’s Comeback Kid

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ashion illustration was once the only way for admirers of couture to envision clothing in print. Whether commissioned for editorial or advertising, these depictions of dresses, suits, handbags, scarves and other articles of one’s wardrobe were drawn with color, whimsy and the indisputable air of imagination that, frankly, is not often found in a photograph. Before leading an artistic movement, Andy Warhol first gained fame as a commercial artist and advertising illustrator, drawing shoes for the likes of Barneys New York, Neiman

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Marcus and Harper’s Bazaar throughout the 1950s. But with the rise of photography, fashion illustration slowly began to decline. (Vogue put the first photograph on its cover in place of a drawing back in 1932 — what many consider to be a turning point for the popularity of the art form.)

For years, fashion illustration seemed in danger of becoming extinct (thanks to computers and cameras); it found itself on the fringes of the art and fashion worlds, nearly eroded from people’s minds. But it has enjoyed a recent comeback, beyond a presence in fashion

magazines, offering viewers the delight of looking at something not camera-made, but rather penned by the hand of the artist. Art works featuring vibrant forms of color and silhouette add life and imagination to the interpretation of fabric and texture. This and the complex variety of stylings have whet the appetites of new collectors, thus giving rise to a fresh generation of sketch design masters. Southern artists such as Matthew Miller, known as Sunflowerman, have already garnered a devout following for the rich drama and perspective the Southern fashion voice creates on paper.

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