In what seems like an oversaturated market of cropped tops, low-rise pants and skin, it's refreshing to know that there's still someone out there who appreciates the beauty of looking like a lady.
Classy fashionistas unite, and bow down to your queen: Trina Turk.
Turk's simple, elegant designs put a spin on lady chic, with a splash of California pizzazz for good measure. Imagine the wholesome girl next door cruising around Palm Springs on a Harley, and you've got the idea: classic designs with a punchy kick.
The overall vision of the designer reflects her memories of growing up in Suburban California in the late 60s and early 70s. "I enjoyed the optimism...when it was all about Tang and supergraphics on the walls and painting your Art Deco bedroom set a high gloss chrome yellow," Trina tells HILARY. While she may have toned down the colour selection, her inspiration still comes from her surroundings, citing "the climate, landscape, architecture and multicultural mix of Los Angeles and California" as sources for her designs.
She was raised in a household that embraced creativity, with parents who encouraged her to follow her dreams. As a teen, she shopped at vintage stores with friends and loved the thrill of finding discarded treasures. Turk's admiration of fashion quickly developed into a career calling, wanting to be a designer "since I found out there was such a thing." Upon graduating from university, she began working her way into the fashion world, with stints at Britannia Jeans and O.P, the surfwear company. It was at the latter where Turk began to develop her trademark style of mixing bright colours and prints with simple lines.
While designing for others brought home the bacon, it just wasn't satisfying for Turk. Yearning for the opportunity to design her own line, she set forth on a new path in 1996 and hasn't looked back since. With flagship boutiques and her designs available in stores across North America, you'd think that she would have developed the over-confident personality exhibited by many designers. Instead, Turk is a spunky and warm individual, much like her designs. Married for 18 years to her college sweetheart, she understands what men and women want from their clothes and blends together the different concepts to create a look that anyone could wear.
Turk's designs have an avid following. Celebrity trendsetters such as Gwen Stefani, Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Aniston are all fans of her work, and Turk couldn't be more pleased. "I like to see creative people wearing my designs in an unexpected way, in ways that I might not think of myself," she says. Despite the attention from Hollywood, Turk still enjoys designing for those of us with slightly-smaller bank accounts. Her advice for a smart basic wardrobe? "Start with a white shirt, black and white pants and tanks, colourful sweaters, some great printed dresses, skirts and tops and lots of colourful accessories," she tells us. "For winter, a great tweed coat and a black turtleneck!" Turk also stresses the importance of ensuring that your clothes actually fit, so befriend your tailor or plunk yourself in front of your sewing machine. Alterations can really make a difference.
Despite fame and success Turk still stays true to her roots and keeps things simple, filling her free time with architectural tours, museums, films and plenty of vintage clothes shopping. We can only hope that these continue to inspire her, so those of us craving a little panache will always have a reliable supplier.
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