Fashion Friday Feature: Straitjacket Sam

I first met Rachael Carson at the L.A. Fashion Weekend SS13 shows. Not only is the name of her company incredibly cool (Straitjacket Sam) but she's awesome as well. Rachel has a warm, sincere demeanor and a unique point of view. A woman of a fervent imagination, the L.A. based designer creates bold, playful, and nostalgic leather bow ties, neckties, and accessories. Her creations for her Straitjacket Sam line are driven by her own passion and instincts. All products are 100% handmade and no creation is exactly the same.

BM: Behind every great name is a story. What is the story behind Straitjacket Sam?  

Rachael: It took me a while to come up with the name. I wanted something edgy, memorable, different, and something personal but not something trendy or soon to be obsolete – I plan to be around for a while! I kept a notebook with me for some time jotting down names and phrases that came to me. I had time to think on this while commuting everyday on the subway. I thought about people who had been influential to me and just crazy phrases I liked. It was a process for me. I wrote it all down and reviewed it off and on.

I got to thinking back to when I was just 2 and the older couple across the street from where I lived at the time, and I started to remember how they were the first people to influence me fashion wise. On my 2^nd birthday I was given a print in a nice walnut frame of Godey’s Americanized Ladies Fashions from 1847. That has followed me since then and hangs in my studio today. I have a few other items from them. I decided I wanted to pay homage to that, and I went with Sam’s name - his name worked better than hers! So, I took that and worked it into something I liked and that meant something to me and Straitjacket Sam was born. 

2nd Annual L.A. Fashion Awards

Mikey Koffman and her new company Endless Road Entertainment Inc, hosted the 2^nd Annual L.A. Fashion Awards at Sunset Gower Studios this past weekend. Fashionistas, stylists, celebrities, and couturiers used the opportunity as an excuse to dress to impress (as one should at a fashion event).

It was a beautiful night in Hollywood and the former restaurant turned event space was the perfect location to mingle under the stars. 

LAFW SSI4: Fashion Splash

For some reason L.A. Fashion Week this season was a bit hectic, so it was nice to go someplace that felt like home – Sunset Gower Studios for L.A. Fashion Weekend. Upon arrival I was greeted by my favorite security guard at the gate and then by my other favorite security guard when I arrived at the tent.  L.A. Fashion Weekend celebrated its 10^th season at Sunset Gower this weekend and it was my 9^th in attendance.