NEW YORK, July 6, 2012/ FW/ — Entitled ‘Feminine Suit Wear’, Bespoke suit designers Amber Doyle and Jake Mueser of Doyle Mueser recently teamed up with Tara Subkoff, the designer of Imitation of Christ, to design a Fall/Winter 2012 collection.
Catching up with designer, Amber Doyle of Doyle Mueser, she unveils the theme and purpose of the F/W collection, as well as what inspires her to design.
1. What was the theme for the Doyle Mueser and Imitation of Christ collection?
Typically, suits are meant to flatter a man’s shape. We wanted to change that by creating suits for women that are sexy instead of businesslike and boring. It’s not exactly androgyny that we’re going for, but it is something unexpected – a very tailored garment with a lot of structure that still looks feminine and shows off a woman’s shape. We also wanted to follow the tradition of bespoke and made-to-measure tailoring by creating garments that will hold up both physically and aesthetically for years to come. Great menswear is designed to look timeless, so we wanted to bring that timelessness to a women’s collection.
2. What fabrics and colors did you use for the collection?
We used a lot of classic suiting fabrics like English worsted wools – the same kind s of fabric we use for our menswear, but we put them to less typical uses, like capes. We also took the kinds of fabrics that we use for details on men’s suits such as things like Duchess Satin, which would usually only be used for tux lapels or trim, and then, made entire pieces out of them.
3. Why did you want to team up with Tara Subkoff, the designer of Imitation of Christ?
We’ve been friends with Tara for years and this is something we’ve discussed doing for a while. For the Spring/Summer 2012 season, Tara did a wedding-themed runway show for Imitation of Christ and we dressed all the grooms. It was the first time we were able to really see side-by-side how well our respective styles worked together. Going one step further and actually designing a collection together seemed like a natural fit. Doyle Mueser has always specialized in men’s suits and tailored clothing, and Tara wanted to get more into tailored clothing. Also, we wanted to expand our range of women’s items and styles.
4. What inspires you to design?
Inspiration comes from life experiences – it could be seeing an amazing work of art while traveling or it could be overhearing a conversation on the stoop of my building. The important thing is that I’m aways paying attention and finding it. Motivation comes from the excitement of creating something that nobody’s ever made before, and seeing it take its place at the leading edge of fashion.
5. What is your best career advice?
Don’t aspire to work for someone else, but instead invent your ideal fantasy world. To go about creating it, start with designing, making, and wearing the clothing, and then, that world will become your brand. Also, make it appealing, beautiful, and interesting, so other people will want to enter that world.
6. What has been the best moment of your career?
The best moment hasn’t happened yet. It just keeps getting better.
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[DARBY RADCLIFF] Photos by Darby Radcliff
