- buy dollpart’s original clothes and vintage finds from the online store that just opened this week

- help fund the clothing line through kickstarter.  there are only 12 more days left – ends October 27!

what do you think of dollparts?

Mademoiselle VG (Italy) - friends who design t-shirts with fun, feminine designs.

EXTRASEED (Addis Ababa) – cute eco-friendly shoes made from scrap fabric and leather that would otherwise be considered waste at garment factories and rubber from used car tires.

Tame (Canada) – really cool, bold jewelry.

How did you get started creating your clothing line?

I have been a working visual artist for quite some time and started dabbling in prints and wanted to transfer that to clothing. It turned out to be an easy transition.

What three words would you use to describe your current collection?

Minimal, soft, sensual.

What do you think makes your designs different?

The balance of femininity with simplicity along with the fact that the prints on my designs are hand-drawn as I am firstly an artist and an illustrator.

What do you see in the future for your collection?

Keep continuing with eco-friendly wares as well as evolving with themes. I have been thinking of incorporating eastern feminine deities lately and taking some steps out in new directions with the line quality.

Why should people buy clothes from an independent designer over a mass-market store?

For so many reasons… supporting a working designer versus a mass-market store which may not hold ethical or environmental standards too high seems obvious to me. Also, it makes the purchase more personable and memorable because of the quality of supporting that designer and their individual vision.

How did you get started creating your clothing line?

In 2001 we started silkscreening t-shirts. We were using American Apparel t-shirts.  Many people didn’t know who they were back then and thought they were our own shirts. When they started saturating the graphic tee market at the prompting of our boutiques we took the leap and made our own tee. We then made a dress and just started slowly adding products. We don’t have fashion degree backgrounds. We are the slow and steady types.

What three words would you use to describe your upcoming collection?

fall 2010 – seventies, future, ski lodge

What do you think makes your designs different?

We try to make classic items with little twists, an unexpected pocket or a pleat here. We also try to use organic products where ever possible and make our goods in small batches in San Francisco. We keep a close eye and hand on our items.

What do you see in the future for your collection?

We just opened a boutique in San Francisco and are really loving this aspect of the business. Our next big hurdle is to get our shop curator (curatorsf.com) online. We have lots of gifty things and accessories that are specially made for our shop. We’d love to open that up to our web customers. Think Tom Selleck portraits, handmade salted carmels, knit dogs, the most amazing jewels!! There are some mini-projects in the works but sometimes its hard enough to design, produce and run the store the two of us.

Why should people buy clothes from an independent designer over a mass-market store?

It’s a personal choice.  I know first hand it can get expensive to always shop with independents. I’m not here to condemn people for going to H&M or the like. I think the best closets have a mix of high and low.  For me in particular I’m super busy, and I don’t like things that wear out right away. I lean on my clothes and I don’t have time in the morning to fuss with what I’m going to wear.  I do favor investments pieces – the $60 t-shirt I may wear for 3 years, or the $200 fleece coat that will see me through several seasons.  Of course I think independents add a flavor and design choice that someone in a boardroom may not approve, so it’s likely you will get more fresh ideas out of smaller companies. It’s important to us that through the sampling and production of our collection we are adding jobs to the local economy and supporting other small businesses.

hat – onnesti

floral tank – bird apparel

shorts – daal

bag – pansy maiden

green and orange dress – ES one of one

white dress – nixxi

bag – pansy maiden

Uniform Project Picture Book from The Uniform Project on Vimeo.

this spread of ready to wear clothes and accessories from indie designers.  and the fun thing about these online magazines, is you just click on the page and it will bring you to the site to buy what you see!

this fashion shoot on a set made out of paper.

show & tell, inspired by the owner of the vintage online boutique, bleubird vintage, where bloggers and designers show and tell something meaningful to them.

what are your favorite things in this issue?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

the video features a bunch of great boutiques in canada and featured 2 of my fav clothing designers, allison wonderland and dace.  allison wonderland’s online store is carrying her fall/winter 09 collection (many of the items are on sale), including the dress featured on the today show.  the spring line will be out soon..i’ve seen a sneak peak of it and it’s definitely worth keeping an eye out for!  you can buy from dace’s spring 2010 collection now, which is full of lots of great timeless-with-a-twist pieces.

one of my favorite eco-friendly clothing designers is canadian line, deux fm.  deux fm is committed to using environmentally friendly fabrics and following fair labor practices, but is also focused on making stylish clothes for women.

deux fm’s spring 2010 collection is one example of this great style.  denim and chambray are at the heart of the collection, mixed in with neutrals like gold and tan.  this mix of colors has been huge on the runway, so i’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of it when spring starts!

Gina Michele : makool loves you : Cori Jean : ccdoodle : holly stalder