Collection II
The first new pieces since my shop opened are online now.
Collection II features the painter’s top, shearling dickey, and shearling vest. Each of these are practical staple pieces to layer in winter and beyond.
The Painter’s Top
The Painter’s Top was born from a practical desire– to create a piece that was simpler and less labor intensive than the museum top. However, I couldn’t help myself and added a few elegant and somewhat fiddly design elements. I’m glad I did, I think the painter’s top strikes a delicate balance between wearability and art.
When I envisioned the painter’s top, I pictured a writer wearing it at their desk, coffee nearby, books piled askew on the floor. Or an artist at their easel, wearing it as a smock with the cuffs rolled up, embracing potential paint stains or charcoal smudges.
I was really inspired to make a piece that an artist or maker could wear while working. This is why the sleeves are a slightly shorter length and why there is ample room built into the piece for movement. I realize these are perhaps unrealistic visions of how many people will wear a $275 garment, but I do hope that my pieces are worn and not just reserved for special occasions.
painter’s top design details
Shearling Vest & Dickey
My interest in using shearling was mostly practical– last winter, I found myself constantly annoyed by bulky scarves but in need of something that would provide additional warmth during nature walks and birding outings. I have watched every season of the television show Alone and was inspired by some of the warm pieces contestants made on the show using fur from animals they hunted. I also find it particularly fascinating to think about making clothing from a purely practical, non-aesthetic viewpoint, as I don’t often approach my own designs that way, though I do often gravitate towards practicality when choosing what to wear.
The use of fur and leather is a polarizing topic, one that I won’t get into here, but suffice it to say that it’s a personal choice and I have given a lot of thought to what materials I personally feel okay using. I was lucky to find a nonprofit whose values align with mine, and I purchase all my hides deadstock from them. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to work with such a precious material.
As for the actual design of the vests and dickeys, I really wanted them to be lifelong pieces that will not go in or out of style, that serve a practical purpose, and that can be worn in a variety of ways.
The vests are very simple in silhouette, reversible, and have built-in ease, so that they can be easily layered. The dickeys are more rugged aesthetically, a reminder of the material’s source as well as a nod to the bushcrafted pieces that inspired them.
the first sheepskin dickey I made, last winter
I made myself a shearling dickey last winter, and wore it the whole season to test it out and make sure I liked it enough to reproduce it. It kept me very warm and, like the vests, can be turned fur-in to provide even greater warmth.
I have two dickeys and four vests on the website, and with the remaining sheepskins I have I’m experimenting with more sculptural pieces that include other elements— ribbon closures, maybe buttons. I will have these available in the next mini-collection I release.
I’ll also be using the shearling scraps to make some smaller accessories and as accents on future pieces, to ensure none of it goes to waste. I’ll never be able to source this shearling again, as it’s deadstock, but I’m hoping to find other places to source that feel ethical to me. For now though, this is it.
As always, thanks to everyone who has supported me as I created this second collection— sharing my posts, coming to my pop-up and market, purchasing something, modeling for me. It means a lot to me.
shearling vest and dickey photos from a very blustery photo shoot
