From the Sketchpad - Part II

It's been quite a few years since I hit the Shore, the Jersey Shore that is. My next vacation in fact will be in Bay Head, NJ. I can't wait to stroll the boardwalk, savor my Hoffman's ice cream, view the colorful seaside cottages, and feel the sugar-white sand between my toes, even if it's only for a quick weekend in July.

There's a collection just dying to come out of this vacation. I'm already thinking nautical stripes in vibrant shades of barn red, aqua blue, sherbert orange, and classic navy, all tipped in white of course. The Jersey Shore is a completely different animal than the beaches of Santa Monica or even Hawaii for that matter. There's something about those East Coast boardwalks, salt-water taffy, Italian hoagies, and hand-scooped ice cream experiences that just can't compare to any other beach lifestyle. Before I grew up in Hawaii and Alaska, and even New York City, I began life in South Jersey, and still remember those idyllic Summers at the Shore. So it be only fitting that I design a collection around those sensory memories and I've got one cooking in me right now.

This will be the perfect backdrop for my sustainable cotton/seaweed yarn, mixing nautical stripes with my signature spacedye patterns and pops of solid trim. I'm can already envision an orange and turquoise blue space-dyed combination with accents of blue and white stripes (as illustrated in my photo above.) I'm sketching braided cord accents in drawstrings hoodies, bandeau bikinis with an oversized grommet for a sexy halter tie, short-sleeved sailor hoodies with nickel grommets and lacing, and the quintessential striped hoodie. By the time I actually take this vacation to Bayhead, this collection will have already come to fruition, but my memories and expectations of the Jersey Shore are inspiration enough.