Check it out... Smitten by Smith is featured in Pensacola's Bella Magazine!
Pensacola designer creates party-perfect style
Whether you’re headed to a holiday soiree or on a girls’ night out, you can look party-perfect with a color-drenched cocktail dress that’s festive and fashion-forward.
These short and sassy styles are not only handmade, but they are designed by someone you may know: Smith Sinrod, a budding designer who grew up in Pensacola. She is introducing her first line, Smitten by Smith. The holiday and spring collections consist of cocktail dresses and separates that are full of girly glamour.
“They are made to perfection,” said Peggy Woolverton, owner of Mainly Shoes, an upscale boutique in downtown Pensacola. “Not only are the shapes fantastic, but the fabrics and construction are unbelievable.”
The Market/Mainly Shoes is the only local boutique that is carrying the line, and Angelique in New Orleans also picked it up. The pieces start at $200 and up, and sizes run from 00 to 14.
Bella caught up with Sinrod, who recently moved to Atlanta. Here, we ask her about her line and about her passion for fashion:
Q: Tell me about your line.
A: My line consists of classic pieces with bright colors and bold patterns. Each design allows the everyday women to look her best while feeling sophisticated and sexy.
Q: Who are the women you envision wearing Smitten?
A: Women who have a sophisticated style and aren’t afraid to wear bright colors. Both of my collections consist of novelty pieces that can be versatile for many types of occasions, whether it’s a cocktail party, family wedding or just a night out on the town.
Q: What was your inspiration for your line?
A: Fabric has always inspired me when I am working on design ideas. I went to Thailand with my design silhouettes sketched and sewn samples. Once I found my manufacturer and fabric source, I was able to pick my fabric for each design, bringing the collection together.
Q: What does creating your own line entail?
A: I went over every inch of each design with the owner of my factory. She would make the patterns, and I would approve each one. The next step was the creation of the samples. Once the samples were produced, I had my photoshoot in Pensacola for the Web site.
Q: What was the hardest part about creating your own line?
A: Getting my foot in the door with boutiques has been hard, right off the bat. I guess it can be hard for people to take me seriously when they first meet me: I’m 23, but I look 16. But once store owners and buyers have seen my collections, they seem to believe in me a bit more.
Q: What has the response been to your line?
A: So far, I’ve gotten a really good response to my line. The quality of my dresses is the best it could possibly be. Every dress is fully lined and has a hand-stitched hem.
Q: How does it feel to have you own line?
A: It’s very exciting! There were a lot of people along the way that discouraged my starting a line right out of college, but I’m so glad that I did. I feel that because I just graduated I have an edge. My life is Smitten, day and night, but it’s worth the hard work.
Q: How and when did you get your interest in fashion?
A: I’ve always been interested in fashion. When I was a little girl, my mom let me dress myself for school, which was probably a mistake because I had some pretty wild outfits and hats. I wore a different hat to school every day because I liked feeling unique. I was called “the hat girl.”
Q: What are your long and short-term professional goals?
A: My long-term goal is to make Smitten a household namebrand. Eventually, I’d like to produce a casual line for Smitten. My short-term goal is to have a photoshoot for the summer 2010 pieces I just designed, and then put them on the Web site. Also, I’m working on selling the line to other boutiques. I have meetings with stores across the Southeast.
Q: What was the best advice you got that you could pass on to other aspiring fashion designers?
A: One of my teachers recently told me, “Of course, it’s hard, difficult, time-consuming, life changing. If it weren’t, everyone would be doing it.”
About Smith
• Summer 2008: Smith lived in New York City and interned for Mary Howard Studio. Howard is a set designer whose ads appear in Vogue. At the studio, Smith shopped for props, organized the studio and helped on set.
• May 2009: Smith graduated from the University of Alabama, where she majored in Apparel Design. After graduation, she traveled to Thailand to create her clothing line, Smitten by Smith.
Want To Go?
• Oct. 1: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A trunk show of Donald J. Pliner shoes and handbags, and Smitten by Smith
designer Smith Sinrod for holiday and spring fashions.
• Oct. 13: The Bobbi Brown Artistry Team from Saks Fifth Avenue, New Orleans, by appointment.
• Where: The Market and Mainly Shoes, 248 W. Garden St.
• Details: 434-3012.
• Online: Smittenby
smith.com/portfolio, or Smittenbysmith.blogspot.com.
• Upcoming: In addition to the trunk show, Smitten by Smith will be featured in The Market/Mainly Shoes’ Fashion Show on Nov. 5, a fundraiser for Ballet Pensacola. Look for more details in the next
issue of Bella.
PULL QUOTE
“The quality of my dresses is the best it could possibly be. Every dress is fully lined and has a hand-stitched hem.”
– Smith Sinrod
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