I ask a lot of clients what their favorite colors are and they say, ‘I don’t know what I want to live in.’ I say, ‘Go in your closet and look at the majority of what color is in there; that’s the color you’re going to like living in.
~ Kelly Wearstler
Whether she is dressing interiors or dressing models, interior and fashion designer Kelly Wearstler is taking the world of high-style by storm — a very chic storm.
Since she started her own interior design firm in 1995, Kelly has taken lessons from celebrated decorators such as Dorothy Draper and William Haines, applying the modern sensible style of a strict colour palette and clean, graphic lines to the chic, plush and swanky glamour of old Hollywood . . .
from the fall 2011 ready-to-wear collection
Kelly’s home office: “The contrast of the Pedro Friedeberg hand chair with the pink Bengal bazaar fabric of the desk chair is whimsical and vibrant.”
charm bracelet from the new jewelry collection
from the debut collection, fall 2011
the Wearstler-designed Trina Turk boutique in Los Angeles
Designing the sophisticated interiors for places such as the Avalon, the Viceroy hotels and resorts, Maison 140, and BG at Bergdorf Goodman has gained Kelly much admiration and praise in the worlds of décor — The New Yorker has referred to her as “the presiding grande dame of West Coast interior design.”
Along with designer Johnathan Adler and Miles Redd, Kelly has been credited with bringing “the florid and the decorative back to interior design,”(New York Times) mixing modern and historical designs, such as a Roman head, against a wall of popping colours and designs, with a Rococo mirror, accented by a shag rug.
Her expertise in the design of interiors landed her a role as a judge in Bravo’s Top Design in 2008. In the same year, she also had collaborations with Bergdorf Goodman, The Rug Company, Pickard China, and F. Schumacher & Co.
At the gem show I came across some of Mother Nature’s finest work. I am crazy for the vibrant colours and incredible textures of these beauties. Working with gem stones makes me happy. They add an interesting and thoughtful element to everything I design from cuffs to keepsake boxes.
from the fall 2011 ready-to-wear collection
It comes as no surprise that Kelly’s mod-glam sensibility for interiors has generously flowed into the clothing she designs. Her clothing line is perfectly feminine, with an edgy touch. Mixing bold colours and patterns, as she does in her interiors, Kelly’s Ready-To-Wear collection includes graphic cropped jackets, hand-painted blouses and pouf skirts, all accessorised with her wide array of sculptural jewels and metal clutches that have a handmade, industrial-chic feeling.
The bedroom of Kelly Wearstler’s beach house, with hand-painted wallpaper and Mansour Modern carpet, a vintage bed, and Wearstler custom designed bedside tables . . .
rose pyramid necklace, cuff & twisted brass ring
chain necklace with pyrite sphere & pyrite sphere cuff
After having the opportunity to meet Kelly at a Tuesday evening champagne soirée at Bergdorf’s in NYC a few weeks ago, we had the chance to ask her:
{as an interior designer, what are the top five most fascinating things you have learned about the fashion design process when creating your new line?}
1. How so many disciples can be translated into a different medium — for example, a carpet design translated to a sweater or a decorative handle to a button.
2. The number of hands that touch one garment, from start to finish.
3. The evolution of a garment — where I start and where I end up in the design process.
4. The pace at which we design and have to work to complete a collection.
5. How much I am able to incorporate all the things in my life I love into the collection — for example, my boys’ artwork as inspiration for a print.
{images: 1, 3, 5 – vogue living australia via flickr; 2, 4, 8, 21 – fall 2011 rtw via style.com; 3, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23 – my vibe life; 6, 10, 12, 13 – fashionologie; 9 – elle decor; 13 – eva designs; 11, 26 – photography by françois halard via elle decor, november 2009; 22 – domino magazine, october 2008; 19, 24 – belle vivir; 25 – spring 2012 ready-to-wear via style.com; 28 – savvy palate}