Thoughts, Musings, & other Delights

A few months ago, I was misdiagnosed with a skin condition that turned out to be a bit more serious. Normally I have a lot of energy, I can go and go and go, but one of the rarer side effects of this condition is extreme fatigue that comes in waves. There are mornings I wake up, despite sleeping for 9-10 hours, that I feel so bone tired. There are also days where I experience so much brain fog, I can't even succinctly recall how I got through the end...

The main source of inspiration I turn to for Atèlette are authentic one of a kind vintage garments. I'm an avid believer that nothing new exists under the sun and as a womenswear label and a self-taught designer, I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel. I love finding vintage clothing (whether from my own collection in real life) or listings online, as a starting off point for what I want to create. I wanted to share some of my reference images and my sketches of the four new additions coming...

It seems to be the norm now that I oscillate between feeling perfectly all right that I've barely just started to think about Fall/Winter for Atèlette and being in a state of mild to medium panic. I am a self-taught clothing designer starting and creating a clothing line from scratch with honestly, only an inkling of what to do. I have spoken to a couple of older women, who were designers in the 70s (how amazing!), and they both assured me, "It's better you didn't go to school, it's better...

One of the first Christmas gifts I received when I immigrated to America was a diary, a "Secret Garden" themed diary to be exact. I am not sure why my parents decided to get me this, though to be fair, I had asked for a Brittanica Encyclopedia for Christmas...so perhaps the diary didn't seem so farfetched. I remember my Dad having one of those large video recorders (he has and still is very into whatever latest tech gadgets exist) recording me opening up the Encyclopedia and me ripping open paper...

Stay, stay awhile,The days are long, carefree.We have today, we have tomorrow,Yesterday was ours too.Light filters through aged lace curtains,Golden dapples, hitherto, hitherto.On ironstone and clay,Sun kisses on late summer blooms.The quiet leafing through a book.Tendrils of your hair,Against your cheek.Lost in another world.Sussurus beyond the window panes,Your eyes close, a knowing smile.Of which I know of.Savouring these final moments,Of our summer ennui. Image credits: 1, 2, 3

I am currently at home nursing the tail end (I hope) of a migraine that started 24 hours ago. I don't get migraines too often, but when I do, they're whoppers. Anyhow, I spent a bit of this morning sitting out in the garden with my eyes closed, trying to meditate, but I kept seeing delicate black tendrils floating behind my eyelids and everything was turning bright fuchsia red. Still, a bit of sun is always reviving for me and there was a nice breeze. I picked some calendula and...

Taking a moment right now to give myself a pat on the back as I've just released my newest batch of designs for the upcoming summer season. I suppose I should preface by saying I don't really work in seasons, I tend to just design as the inspiration comes, but it has been interesting how rhythmic my creativity has been with the seasons, thus far anyway. I am so excited to see all my latest work all together! Some of these pieces still need a little more finetuning with fits and details,...

I am taking a leap of faith and taking a big risk on embarking on this new venture for Atèlette, a flagship brick & mortar shared with our sister shop, Adored Vintage! The opportunity fell into my lap when I wasn't really looking for it and so far everything has happened without too much effort and has felt very organic, so my heart and spirit feel really good about it all. Of course there's always a small tinge of fear, but this isn't my first brick & mortar rodeo, so I'm...

Madder root (Rubia tinctorum) is a natural plant dye material I have been wanting to work with for a while because of the various hues of deep red, pink, corals, rust hues acquired from it. I wasn't quite sure what to expect as I'm a beginner when it comes to botanical dyeing, but I was really pleasantly surprised with the soft palette of petal pink.I read several different posts and watched Youtube videos and decided on doing an alum mordant on four Atèlette pieces that had the slightest imperfections. I'm talking tiny pin...

Vashon Island in the Puget Sound, has been our favorite little weekend getaway since we first visited last winter. We used to frequent the coastal historical town of Astoria (which is in Oregon) as our weekend getaway of choice, but as of late, it's been Vashon. We love the peace and quiet, the rolling hills, the farmlands, and the sweet little main streets. Vashon during the week is pretty sleepy but usually is buzzing on weekends as it is very accessible via a 20 min ferry ride from Tacoma or...

I am someone that is moved by the small beautiful little details in life that reminds me of how poetic it is to exist, right here, right now. I have been brought to tears while watching the sun set at the ocean, have yelped in delight witnessing someone experiencing unexpected joy, and have shrieked with awe when driving by tall fields of grass dancing in the breeze. I feel fortunate that I am someone that can easily find beauty and wonder in things that most people overlook or don't bother to pay attention to. Or they're...