Archive for category: Designer Interviews

Last month The 3^rd Annual Connecticut Fashion Week took place.   In order to give you a more in depth look on this year’s event I spoke with one of the participants, Karlene Lindsay-Worrell, the designer and owner of Karlene Lindsay Designs. Karlene Lindsay Designs is made for the trendy and classy customers in mind.  Karlene not only showcased her spring 2015 collection, but she is also is one of  CFW partners.  Here’s what she had  to say.

You showcased at this year’s Connecticut Fashion Week. Can you let us know a little more about  your collection?

My collection for Spring 2015 is called “On the Go”.  It is for women that is busy with work life ,but still want to go out and have fun whether at a party, social event, or a wedding.  There is something in my collection for any occasion.

What is the inspiration behind your latest collection?

My inspiration is the tropical island of Jamaica with the blue seas, green grasses and trees. I travel back and forth maybe twice a year and always get inspired there. You can see it in the collection from the green print dress and matching shorts outfit. There are also spring colors of blues for the sea in my formal wear pieces.

Recently, you participated in Plitzs Fashion Show during New York Fashion Week.  Can you tell us a little more about that experience? Did it help prepare you for Connecticut Fashion Week?

Plitzs was a great experience for me. It opened my eyes to things going on in the big shows like NYFW shows. Their show is so organized, but as with any other show or event there are still little changes that take place, especially some models that doesn’t show up at all and you have to replace them with anyone. I had to replace about six of my models due to no call no show with makeup artists and hairstylists, even an intern that was there to assist me in getting the models dressed. Things happen and the show has to move on. I used my experience there to make choices and changes necessary after we had no call no show at Connecticut Fashion Week also. Those were some of our more experienced models too,but overall it was a great show and a great experience for me.

What advice would you give designers presenting in their first fashion week event?  

For designers making sure they are prepared for sudden changes that might take place. You might go to a fitting to fit your models, get everything perfect  thinking your designs will look so great on the models. Then show day comes and models do not show up. You have to grab anyone and put them in the garments just so it can be featured in the show. We have to learn to make it work regardless, because the show must go on.

Not only did you present in Connecticut Fashion Week you are also one of its partners. How does that experience compare to yours as a designer?

As a designer you get models or choose models to wear your pieces through a fitting or on the day of the show.  Then you just dress your models and they go out to present your line after that your day is over. Being a partner is way different, it comes with months of planning, sending out a lot of emails, going out to meetings for locations to host the event, and getting lots of sponsors. It is a lot of pre- planning and rehearsals for the show.  Then  the day of the show comes the big work of getting the backstage area organized and making sure all designers have the correct amount of models with the correct sizes they need. Sometimes there is no call no show, we did have some no calls this fashion week and it create a little disappointment especially with a designer that had not done a big show like fashion week before. The models she fitted did not show up. She was not happy, but the show must go on and others are available to go on too. The day turned out pretty well.

Lastly, what can we expect from next season’s event (Connecticut Fashion Week 2015)?

We plan to earn recognition that we are an official fashion week. We are a large show consisting of several models. We are different than a traditional fashion show, our goal is to increase knowledge of participating in a large venue or format such as bringing in the atmosphere of a trade show or expo.

You can find more about Karlene Lindsay Designs at www.karlenelindsaydesigns.com.   Also, you can connect with them on Facebook , Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest. & Linkedin.

This article is written by guest writer Tamarah. Follow her on Twitter @TZB86

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With an eye for fashion, art, dance, movies and music, Emily Daccarett is able to able to add a unique cultural flare to everything she creates. You can catch Emily, who is showing at this year’s Fashion X Dallas runway show beginning tomorrow, November 6^th. Emily will be showcasing her fun, and ‘playful’ Spring/ Summer ’15 “Doll Valley” collection. We had the chance to grab a quick interview with the talented creator, to find out her inspirations and how she evolved into the amazing fashion designer she is today.

What goals have you accomplished that you are most proud of thus far, when it comes to your label?

I think having people recognize my designs without seeing my label first is what I’m most proud of. I don’t like to make my collections repetitive, but there is always something that unites each collection to it’s designer. 
I’m very proud of the recognition I’ve been receiving from my short films. My first fashion short “Je t’ai aime dans le Noir” was recently screened in London for The Smalls Film Festival Selection.

What do you think has helped you most with your designing to date?

The biggest impact on designing I’ve had was being able to study and work in Paris. My style is constantly evolving, but it was in Paris that I defined my design aesthetic.

What obstacles have you had to face and overcome to get where you are today?

I think one of the biggest obstacles I’ve had to overcome has been finding the confidence in myself as a designer. It’s such a big industry with such great talent out there that it’s easy to fall in self-doubt. When starting my brand I knew I had to put aside fear of rejection and just go for it.

What inspirations did you draw on to create this collection? 


I was inspired by the movie “The Valley of the Dolls”. From its whimsical theme by Dionne Warwick to the colors used helped set the tone and mood I wanted to go with for fabric choices. I focused more on Sharon Tate’s character and began to create the story through the collection of the perfect flawless young beauty who appears to have no worries and carries herself that way, all the while harboring deep hidden secretes therefore never being true to herself. The use of darker colors, blacks and sheer fabric reflect on elements of film noir that play a big part in my short film for this collection.

How would you describe your process of inspiration? What do you do to keep your ideas fresh and interesting?

I draw inspiration from film and music. Sometimes I’m directly inspired by a movie or sometimes it’s an idea, which then I end up linking it with a movie. Once that happens I become somewhat obsessed with the concept and I begin to do research starting with that particular film’s history. I like to know who worked on it and their past projects, while I’m researching it becomes easier to associate different ideas to the initial concept.

I look to the past for inspiration, the 60’s and 70’s are my favorite, but I don’t like to restrict myself to that style. I like to mix different eras and genres together, while making them relevant to today and what women would like to wear.

If you could describe your new collection with one word, what would it be and why? What would you say the overall theme of this collection would be?

My new collection in one word would be “playful”. It’s not overly sexy or girly. It’s feminine, but at the same time there is edge to it. It’s dabs into each one of those characteristics, making the collection very “playful”. It’s a tease!
 The overall theme of this collection is fun and light hearted with it’s use of different floral prints and floral textures.

How did you start your design journey? 


I had always known I wanted to be in fashion, at age nine I would carry a sketchbook of my designs with me everywhere I went. However, it was not until I moved to Paris to study fashion design that I began my evolution as a designer. It was there that I adopted my way of draping and pattern making as well as a different design aesthetic. I developed this love of not only designing a collection, but also directing fashion shows, styling for photoshoots, creating accessories, film, and music.

Emily’s “Doll Valley” collection will be available for pre-order soon after her launch. You can check out her, and other talented Fashion X Dallas design’s pieces here.