apparel
The Birthing of California Cowgirl
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This was my "Aha moment" or at least the trigger that sparked my "Aha Moment"
.I was doing research for my spring 2011 collection and kept getting excited about all of the Old School surfer trends I was seeing:
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Vintage surf photos of epic tube rides,
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Hip California beach culture,
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Gnarly longboards and irresistible retro graphics with juicy fonts.
I was getting "stoked" and starting to "trip" when I realized I was calling everyone around the office "Dude". There was definitely something there, but how was I to take beach culture and make it Double D Ranch?™
. That was when I found the image of "Surfing Cowboys" - an actual shop in Venice Beach that touts being the "purveyors of beach culture and the California Lifestyle". There in the photo was my color palette, there was the lifestyle, and above all - there was the glue. Â All I needed to do was tweak and twist it into Double D Ranchâ„¢ and before I knew it, our "California Cowgirls" Spring 2011 Collection was born..
Phase TWO: My trend research kept turning up denim. Faded denim. Torn denim. Patched denim. Flare legged denim. "Do it yourself mending" denim. All the denim I grew up with so it was really easy for me to reach back into my high-school closet and pull some great inspiration with a definite 70's vibe as a starting point. . Phase THREE: I always create characters when I design a collection - kind of like writing a book. I ask myself,Who is this person? What does she wear? Where does she live? How does she play? and what kind of dog does she have?And then I story board it out in pictures.
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Now I personally invite you to follow along with me over the next few weeks as I share fun stories, memories and fashion as Double D Ranch'sâ„¢ California Cowgirl rips into Spring.
Can you dig it?
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Nancy Hajeski
May 16, 2016
Hey, remember “bleeding” madras shirts and shorts? Every time you washed them, they turned a different shade of blue/brown until they faded into perfection. Even tho I now live in the Catskills, I am an old-time Jersey shore girl (without the Snooki hair!) and I love the whole surfer look, esp. Hawaiian shirts with pukka and shark-tooth chokers. Gidget rules!