You've Got Me All Ruffled

October 25, 2009

I have to admit this post is a major tease. The reason? I collect images constantly and sometimes they don't get blogged about straight away which is a huge no-no when it comes to Etsy shops. Case in point: These deliciously exquisite ruffled capes, dresses, and neckpieces from Kate Towers - if you don't get on it immediately all of those pretty things are going to be gone well before you hit the Publish button. Sold to a lucky buyer. But maybe drooling readers can request that another of a love-at-first-sight item be made? Etsy is great for custom orders, no? It is. But what if the super talented designer has got some precious little lambs at home to take care of and can't keep up a constant churning out of breathtaking, one-off pieces? So what I'm saying here is, you can look but can't touch. Everything's gone (but one striking red-orange chiffon cape). Unless you live or find yourself in Portland, Oregon where you can buy Kate Towers at what must be the most heavenly boutique, called Seaplane.

Doing a little reading about Kate I found out that she opened Seaplane in 2000 before selling it last year and that her partner was Holly Stalder, a like-minded designer whose dreamy vintage shrugs I featured last March and whose newer pieces are well worth a gander. I've been mentally planning a post focussing on Portland designers. I don't know what it is about the U.S.'s most environmentally friendly city but it is exploding with independent fashion talent, its most famous export thus far being Leanne Marshall who you know as the winner of Project Runway season 5.

If you've fallen in love (like I have), don't fret. Kate Towers is still doing what she does best and is working on her next collection which will be for sale in her Etsy shop mid-November. And despite what your eyes tell you, her prices are ridiculously inexpensive.

I'm not so bad after all, am I?

Here's a glorious helping of eye candy from Kate Towers' past collections: