For the specific fabrics used in Palette No. 23, please subscribe to CLOTH & KIND’s emails. Details for each textile are provided exclusively to our email friends. Happy Friday!
Annie Selke
what is your idea of perfect design happiness? THE MOST SATISFYING MOMENT IS WHEN YOU SEE THE SYNERGY OR SHARED ENERGY BETWEEN THE VARIOUS ELEMENTS COMING TOGETHER IN SOMETHING AS GOOD OR BETTER THAN YOU ORIGINALLY CONCEIVED OF IT.
what is your greatest fear in design? I DON’T REALLY HAVE ANY SPECIFIC FEAR AROUND DESIGN. IT IS SUCH AN ITERATIVE PROCESS, YOU CAN ALWAYS BACK UP A FEW STEPS AND WORK TOWARD CREATING WHAT IT IS YOU WANTED.
which historical design figure do you most identify with? NANCY LANCASTER, CHANEL, JOHN FOWLER.
which living designer do you most admire? BUNNY WILLIAMS, MICHAEL SMITH, AND VICTORIA HAGAN.
what profession other than design would you like to attempt? ART HISTORIAN, COWGIRL.
what is your greatest design extravagance? ART AND ANTIQUES.
when and where were you happiest with your design? I HAVE ALWAYS ENJOYED CREATING MY OWN LIVING SPACES.
what do you consider your greatest achievement in design? BRINGING AN ENORMOUS NUMBER OF WELL-DESIGNED PRODUCTS TO AN ENORMOUS NUMBER OF PEOPLE AT AN ACCESSIBLE PRICE LEVEL.
if you died and came back as another designer or design object, who or what do you think it would be? I WOULD LIKE TO COME BACK AS AN AMAZING ORIENTAL RUG THAT MOVES TO AND FROM FANTASTICALLY INTERESTING LIVING ROOMS AROUND THE GLOBE, WHERE I COULD WATCH AND LISTEN TO ALL THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN THOSE SPACES. PLUS, GREAT RUGS ARE NEVER TOSSED; THEY ARE PASSED DOWN OR SOLD TO OTHER FABULOUS HOUSES!
what specific design related talent are you lacking that you would you most like to have? I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO PAINT & RENDER THE DESIGNS THAT APPEAR IN MY HEAD BY HAND, BUT I DON’T DRAW VERY WELL.
what is your most treasured design related possession? THE PAINTINGS THAT HUNG IN MY MOTHER’S HOUSE AND A PAIR OF ROSE QUARTZ ELEPHANTS.
what do you regard as the lowest depths of misery in design? STRIP MALLS, FAUX COLONIAL ANYTHING, THE A-FRAME.
what curse word do you most frequently use? SHIT & MOTHERFUCKA SEEM TO BE THE MOST OFTEN UTTERED.
what is your favorite design related word? JUXTAPOSE.
what is your least favorite design related word? CURATED.
what turns you on in design? THE PROCESS AND SEEING IT ALL COME TOGETHER —THE THRILL OF THE HUNT.
what turns you off in design? PRETENTION AND TACKINESS.
what is your motto in design? DON’T OVERTHINK IT.
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ABOUT PROUST ON DESIGN | Answered by our design icons, these must-ask questions come from a 19th century parlor game made popular by Marcel Proust, the French novelist, essayist & critic. Proust believed the direct questions and honest responses that they elicited revealed the true nature of the individual. For this column, we have put a design related spin on the traditional questions. While this method has been used by many journalists throughout the years, we were primarily inspired by The Proust Questionnaire, which appears monthly on the back page of one of our all time favorite magazines, Vanity Fair (also Krista’s alma mater). Read all of the previous Proust on Design questionnaires here.
Katharine Kidd
Hi. my name is… Katharine Kidd Shippey
My company is… Katharine Kidd
I’m the… Designer
I make/design/create… I design a women's ready-to-wear collection, including cocktail dresses and day to night separates.
Something you need to know about me is… I grew up believing that it was important to give back and do something that helped other people. Both my father and my grandmother were big community organizers. It was this feeling of giving back that lead me to get a masters in Special Education. But I had always loved fashion and in my 30s I shifted my lens toward this direction. I began to see that if you do something you love, you’re also serving others; you’re developing relationships and building trust. You realize quickly you can’t do it alone.
Also, I love to write. I am now working on my second book (fiction). It is just something I enjoy doing, not something I am necessarily talented at, but it just helps me process life and stay grounded. It’s a great mental escape!
Here’s how this company came to be… About 5 years ago, I apprenticed under a veteran couturier in Santa Barbara. She taught me the foundations of fashion design beginning with fashion illustration and proceeding through the various steps of creating a garment: draping, pattern making and sewing. I worked in this way for a few years, designing one-of-a-kind pieces, experimenting with fabrics and detailing. An interior designer stumbled upon the scene (I was draping these mannequins in my house) and told a friend in New York in the fashion industry and ultimately he came to Santa Barbara and helped launch the line.
My absolute favorite thing we sell right now is… With the fall collection we’ve introduced a custom print and I’m crazy about it, especially on the multi-paneled Alina dress (below). The Charlotte blouse with pleated cap sleeves in this same rose print has been our top seller. There is a pleated coat that is also very special!
Here’s a sneak peek of something we’re working on now… We have modified our print from fall by altering the color palette, as well as added another one that evolved from sketching the outline of our rose print. Creating custom prints is like making art and is one of the best ways to guarantee that your designs are unique.
I’m most proud of… I am really proud that we are self-financed, and that along with my husband, we have started this from the ground up. It has been challenging to be responsible for so many other aspects of brand growth outside of the designing but we have a great team who are loyal and hard working.
I really detest… A real challenge is when you put a lot of time into a design and for whatever reason it just does not work out, and you have to end up letting it go. It can be really disappointing and feel like a "failure", but I have now found editing easier knowing these pieces may be reinvented by using a different fabric or changing a small detail and end up feeling right.
I could never have done it without this person… I absolutely could not have done this without my husband, Crawford. He is the company President and CEO and handles most of the business but he has also given me emotional support when it comes to the challenges that arise during the creative process.
I consistently read these for inspiration… Favorite blogs - Man Repeller,Fashionista, The Coveteur. I have subscriptions to all the main fashion magazines and also take monthly trips to the magazine stand to peruse editions from around the world. I still like the joy of turning down the pages in a magazine.
I would like to share the limelight with… Monika Knutsson. We carry her Gilded Lace jewelry in our store. Monika started her career in Paris working for Isabel Marrant. She has a true artistic vision with her brand. She takes vintage lace and dips it in gold, and silver. Each piece is hand made and there is a story that goes with each lace that is used. She is also a great person.
Role Models: Nina Ricci + Neisha Crosland
Hue: Chocolate + Turquoise
Fabric: Kali in Chocolate & Turquoise from Allegra Hicks | Art | Knob | Rug | Vase
Fab Five: Our Kelly Wearstler Picks
It's the week of Kelly here on CLOTH & KIND. First, her insightful Proust On Design interview, which we were thrilled to have picked up by the likes of Huffington Post & Lonny. And today, since we just can't get enough of her, we wanted to share our personal favorites from Kelly's vast array of drool-worthy wares. We tried, but seriously couldn't limit ourselves to just five items so we each did our own Kelly Wearstler Fab Five. What are you loving from Kelly these days? TAMI'S PICKS | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
Huffington Post & Lonny
Kelly Wearstler rocks, no question. So it was exciting to see coverage of our Proust on Design interview with her earlier this week covered in Huffington Post and Lonny - two of our personal faves. Thanks, guys!
Kelly Wearstler
what is your idea of perfect design happiness? ANYTHING THAT TELLS A GREAT STORY.
what is your greatest fear in design? OVERDESIGN.
which historical design figure do you most identify with? JOSEF HOFFMANN.
which living designer do you most admire? THERE ARE SEVERAL… JACQUES GRANGE, PETER MARINO, JEAN-LOUIS DENIOT TO NAME A FEW.
what profession other than design would you like to attempt? PAINTING.
what is your greatest design extravagance? TAKING A RISK .
when and where were you happiest with your design? THE MOMENT I BRING A CLIENT’S VISION TO FRUITION.
what do you consider your greatest achievement in design? LEARNING TO BE A GREAT LISTENER.
if you died and came back as another designer or design object, who or what do you think it would be? TO BE IMMORTALIZED AS SCULPTURE.
what specific design related talent are you lacking that you would you most like to have? BEING ABLE TO DRAW BEAUTIFULLY.
what is your most treasured design related possession? A PAINTING BY VICTOR VASARELY (MY FAVORITE ARTIST) PAINTING THAT HANGS IN MY BEDROOM.
what do you regard as the lowest depths of misery in design? A LOOK THAT’S ONE NOTE - WHERE EVERYTHING COMES FROM THE SAME DESIGNER OR ERA. I LOVE A MIX OF SCALE, PERIOD AND TEXTURE.
what curse word do you most frequently use? FUCK!
what is your favorite design related word? RAW AND REFINED.
what is your least favorite design related word? RETRO, KITSCH, WHIMSY.
what turns you on in design? TAKING RISKS.
what turns you off in design? FOLLOWING TRENDS.
what is your motto in design? TAKE RISKS. LOVE COLOR.
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IMAGE CREDITS | All images courtesy of Kelly Wearstler, and via her Instagram feed. Josef Hoffman image courtesy of Apartment Therapy.
ABOUT PROUST ON DESIGN | Answered by our design icons, these must-ask questions come from a 19th century parlor game made popular by Marcel Proust, the French novelist, essayist & critic. Proust believed the direct questions and honest responses that they elicited revealed the true nature of the individual. For this column, we have put a design related spin on the traditional questions. While this method has been used by many journalists throughout the years, we were primarily inspired by The Proust Questionnaire, which appears monthly on the back page of one of our all time favorite magazines, Vanity Fair (also Krista’s alma mater). Read all of the previous Proust on Design questionnaires here.
Role Models: Balenciaga + Valentine Vinnay
Jean Nye (My Mom!)
ABOUT | Jean Nye is Krista's mother, a world traveler, a retired children and family minister, and a talented writer and musician.
I’ve had the opportunity to travel to India frequently because of my husband Jim’s work. Our first trip, when Krista was 8 and her sister Elise was 11, took place in 1982. We lived for a year in the lovely city of Pune, about 100 miles from Mumbai. Krista traces her love of fabrics back to this time. She delighted in watching the women going about their everyday tasks in their brilliantly colored saris.
India is a feast for all the senses, but particularly for the eyes. Jim and I have collected a variety of things on our trips, from old brass kitchen utensils to folk art animals to fabrics. On a recent trip I picked up several antique fabric fragments in the Hauz Khas Village area of New Delhi. Situated near royal tombs dating back to the 13th century, Hauz Khas is a delightful jumble of small shops and restaurants.
The fragment pictured may have originated in Rajastan, as it is decorated with mirror work and cowrie shells. I mounted it on a natural linen pillow and had fun embroidering a “frame” around it in chain stitch. I love seeing India throughout our apartment in the rugs, furniture, pictures, and accessories. These tangible objects remind me of the intangible, things that I can’t pack up in my suitcase and take home: the scent of jasmine in the air, the moon rising over the Indian Ocean, or the taste of a perfectly ripe Alphonso mango. India has enriched my life in so many ways. I just keep wanting to go back for more.