Plaid and I have not always had the best relationship. In fact, we started off on the wrong foot back when I was in grade school, but shortly thereafter, I came to appreciate it's beauty. I think the main problem all those years ago was that my plaids had also been my sister's plaids at one point. Like most families, we passed down clothes that were in good condition to the younger siblings when the older outgrew them. In our case, the younger sibling was (and still is!) me. However, my sister and I did dress my little brother in a pilgrim outfit that had belonged to me for Halloween one year! But, that was an exception.
me (left) and my big sister, Kim (right)
my expression clearly says, "Aren't her pants ridiculous? And aren't my favorite buckle shoes fabulous?"
I remember a particular pair of red plaid pants that my sister wore; I was really bothered by the flared silhouette. I don't know any other four year old who thinks this way, but I've always been odd unique. So, when the famous plaid pantalones were passed down to me a few years later, I resented them. I tried everything to get out of wearing them. I puffed out my gut to pretend they were too tight, pulled them up to my armpits to try to make them into high waters -- but my mom wasn't buying what I was selling, and these pants ended up in my life for way too long.
I call this picture "THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PLAID PANTS"
A few years later... that's me again on the left, but this time I'm "wearing the pants." I was already mixing stripe and plaid patterns-- so ahead of my time.
It took me quite a while to warm up to plaid, but thanks to my interest in punk music as a teen, I not only warmed up, I fell in love. Plaid suddenly looked cool, edgy and dare I say... sexy! In fact, I've been wanting to recreate and modernize (of course!) a pair of those old red tartans for a long time! And now, all of a sudden, plaid is all the rage in fashion -- largely due to Dries Van Noten's influence in the industry. The King of Print and Pattern showed a grunge-inspired collection for Spring 2013, and plaid never looked so fresh. Shortly thereafter, The MET embraced a punk theme for its annual gala in May, and plaid spread like wildfire. Even Spaceball One has "gone to plaid." See for yourself...
"They've gone to plaid!"
As a designer and an individual, I never follow trend. I always allow my personal style and taste level dictate what I design and wear. I strive to create flattering, innovative, high quality items and if they happen to be "on trend" well, that's just fine. This is exactly the case with my Fall 2013 Edwardian/Goth-inspired collection. I was lucky enough to work with the famous Harris Tweed mill whose incomparable fabrics come in so many beautiful patterns. When I saw a swatch of their purple/navy/green plaid, I had to have it.
STACY LOMMAN : FALL 2013
I've been getting such a great reaction to my tartan and leather trimmed suit that I decided to make a corset in the same pattern. The new piece will debut on the runway next week at the Chicago Gold Coast Fashion Award Show where I will be presenting my Fall 2013 collection along with seven other up-and-coming designers. Stay tuned...
