On Her First Fashion Inspirations

Who first inspired your interest in design?
Vintage Sears CatalogueI have always been interested in fashion, both clothing and accessories, since I was very little. I would say my first exposure to fashion was through my mother. We were very, very poor. My parents were both teachers and raised seven children in a two bedroom house with one bathroom. Imagine 10 people living in a two bedroom house with one bedroom on an acre of land in the Southwest part of Albuquerque. They scraped together every little dime they had and sent us off to private schools, because they both felt education was paramount. I remember thinking my mother, who taught in a very poor district, dressed like a million dollars. And this didn't mean she had a lot of money, she didn't. She got her clothes from the Sears Catalog and made a dress look different with a pair of earrings or a different bag, whatever she could. I just remember always thinking my mother looked like a million dollars. - Katy Keene ComicAnd then at the same time in the fifties, there used to be this comic book called Katy Keene. Katy Keene was this raven haired model who had three different boyfriends. In every single issue of the comic that came out, she was wearing these glorious gowns and fabulous clothes. She was just spectacularly beautiful. I was the president of the Katy Keene fan club, and we would sit in the garage with our little box, pads and pencils and draw fashions for Katy Keene, because they would ask you to send in your ideas for fashion. I don't think anything ever got published but we were inspired by this really great comic. In fact, I am trying to collect the comics now! I have two and there are five. [Photo via, via]
3 of 8

The Guest List

More