As a young girl, Dallas native Lindsay Weatherread wanted to take center stage as a dancer and carried that dream to Oklahoma City University via a dance scholarship. However, amidst her world of costumes and performing arts, Lindsay stumbled upon another dream. A dream revolving around fashion design. One of Lindsay’s philosophies, entitled “I love accidents”, embodies her transition into the fashion world. Her acquired taste for fashion enabled Lindsay to graduate from El Centro Community College as an honored member of their College Fashion Advisory Board, and true to form, Lindsay remains in the spotlight. Yet, her stage has taken on a new shape, and it’s that of the Campbell Modeling Agency’s runway as she launched her latest Spring 2010 collection on January 25th amongst the affluent Dallas fashion community.

 

Sloan Looney: Dancing, as mentioned on your website, captivated your interest as a young girl. What triggered your interest in fashion design?

Lindsay Weatherread: Actually, my plan at about 10 years-old was to do both. I was a professionally trained dancer and wanted to choreograph when my performance career ended. I even attended college for both, but it was fashion design that stuck, due to my passion and drive for fashion and art at that point. I miss dancing though and think about it all of the time, as it was an expressive outlet for 23 years of my life never to be matched.

 

LW: I have a love/ hate relationship with sewing. One thing is for sure.... people say that learning to sew requires patience and I definitely discovered what temperance and patience meant. Actually, I was scared of sewing and yet, I think everyone needs to take on a challenge that creates frustration, embarrassment, etc. There are two points in my life thus far that stand out when I think about overcoming challenges. One, sewing my first garment and having it ripped apart by criticism in front of peers and instructors, and two, while still a dance major in college I was forced to sing the RENT soundtrack on stage in front of about 400 18 year-olds. Although both mortifying, they resulted in a full sense of accomplishment that changed the course of my life, and the full design process is just that, a constant challenge that I love to overcome. Let's just say, I still design....but make very few trips to the Dallas Summer Musicals.

 

SL: Does your experience with dance influence your clothing designs at all?

LW: I love costume design and am constantly studying and researching different periods. What we choose to wear on a daily basis is forever inspired by all the many eras of costuming. It’s possible that my love for costume comes from my dance background, but I know that the fit of my clothing comes from studying the body movement in dance as well as the draping techniques at El Centro.

 

SL: What inspired your Spring 2010 collection and where can La Mode readers find it?

LW: As a pedestrian, I was hit by a car almost one year ago. During my recuperation, I was overwhelmed when thinking about the near tragic incident, how much worse my injuries could have been, that I still had my legs and even more so, my life. As a result, a feeling of humble understated strength flows throughout this collection and is projected by exaggerated shoulders, hips in grey and black, reclaimed leather shoulder covers and epilates in beige. The utilitarian stretch cotton skirts with extreme tailoring and even the flowing chiffon pieces are meant to represent this same feeling. The entire collection will be on my website, and I will be selling to stores (and market) by appointment.

 

SL: You call a portion of your line "Origami for Your Body", why is that?

LW: This goes along with my "I love accidents" philosophy. I like to follow the hand of the fabric, as it nearly creates itself. The folds, the natural creases, how the fabric flows and the sculptural position of the fabric interests me. I sometimes tend to follow the natural pull of the fabric, which in turn can result in my best pieces. They are "happy accidents" or "origami for your body".

 

Lindsay Weatherread, in addition to designing her own fashion line, recently accepted a position as the Director of New Faces and Development at The Campbell Modeling Agency. Among her many accolades, Lindsay was named Best Local Fashion Designer for 2008 by the Dallas Observer and has been featured in Lucky magazine and Fashion by Texas Monthly.