Ever since I read this post on AT last year, I've been meaning to find out what's been going on with J. Morgan Puett. D, do you remember her shop in SoHo?
It was on Wooster. The shop was another world - filled with her memories of a childhood in the South and her clothing that struck a balance between beauty and practicality. Her pieces were always imbued with a sense of history and place, and very wearable. And for me, the memory of her shop is always inextricably tied to Kelly & Ping's pad thai, which was a few doors down. Sorry, JMP! I guess this is where my strong attachment to the South and my Asian roots intersected.
With a move to rural Pennsylvania with her family, she has been working on a variety of art projects. One project in particular caught my attention -- Cottage Industry:
In Charleston, SC, I have created a small business in a vernacular structure, in response to issues of commerce, history, and labor in the city. A new clothing collection is at the core of the project!
One of my favorite designers, in one of my favorite towns, doing what she does best. Isn't everything just beautiful? This particular project is from 2002. I wonder whether the collection is still available, and where?
UPDATE: Mildred's Lane.
11 comments:
!!! ahh, a name from my past. i still have all her pieces that i bought from her, still wear the hats, which really have not changed a bit. the first shop was in the east village, she lived and sewed in the back. the second shop was gorgeous, but i was disconcerted to see it in an episode of "law and order" once. i was on the absolute outer periphery of a circle of friends of hers--what an...interesting...odd...group. what stories! people were always falling out with each other. i met her. i'm pretty sure she was indifferent to me. still love her stuff. am seeing people from that group this summer, i'll see if anyone has an info about any clothing collections.
Oh, to be a fly on your tailcoat when you all get together! Leads on the clothing collection would be highly apprecoated. :) Keep all your pieces - they're becoming highly valuable!
I remember! In fact, I still get their mail-cards (forwarded from NYC to San Fran to Boston). It's so fantastic and I think I'm really influenced by her.
republic of candy, oh. i have everything, including some cotton pieces when she was still giving people the option of cotton or linen. i have a couple of catalogues somewhere in la, if i find them i'll scan them.
now do you know whatever happened to lat naylor? i *loved* him. i have two coats from him that i wear whenever the weather permits.
Santos, please scan some catalogue pages - I've never seen any of her catalogues! Lat Naylor - ohhh, I feel I've missed out! Who is he? We should start a series of posts - Fashion Mysteries ... Where are They Now? Marie-anne Oudejans? Susie Tompkins?
absolutely, we i would love to see a fashion mysteries series. susie tompkins! did you see her (second) wedding in martha stewart? san francisco at night. she's spearheading the fundraising for hillary's campaign in the bay area. she's like, an über-friend of bill.
lat naylor designed a couple of lines--most notably think tank that did fairly well in boutiques, but he also had a line that was sold in the men's dept of neiman-marcus. he suddenly dropped out fashion in 1997, i think--he might have not even completed his orders already made to stores--and really hasn't reappeared. his stuff was like a more structured version of j. morgan puett--if you can imagine j. morgan mashed with j. crew, that was sort of his style.
candidates for your mystery series: byblos, arkadius, boudicca...
And what happened to Krizia? I remember, hers was the first ever ad I ripped out of W (when it was still in newspaper format) and taped to my wall. And of course, Krizia makes me think of Corinne Drewery and Swing Out Sister. Did their concert in Manila happen already? Seriously, I think you're the one who should write the fashion mysteries because of that fashion knowledge-- Arkadius, I have to google that!
I have to hunt down that Martha with Susie's wedding. Esprit is just so different now. I remember trekking to the Esprit warehouse whenever they had their sales and picking through those sales bins- gawd, I'm old.
krizia! i remember the ads and the logo well. my mom actually still has a krizia outfit somewhere. i hearted those esprit warehouse sales; i remember always having to stand in line and wait for my turn to get in...LOVED it then. and benetton then, too.
i know katherine hamnett is still around, but i wonder about all those other designers/shops i read about in the face--stephen linard, hyper hyper, red or dead (i still have a green blazer from them), marc lebon, boy, PX. i was totally in love with body map. gaaaah! i have a boxful of old i-D and the face magazines in los angeles. i might have to buy a scanner and just start scanning all those pages.
have you seen the suit?
Lat Naylor...funny thing. Never heard of him until I came across a brand new crisp white shirt that was just absolutely unique. I bought it for about $2.00...not sure how much it really could have been, but sure is well made. The tag says Lat Naylor Think Tank. Just wondering if its a mens or womens shirt...? check out this post...says what happened to him for those who are wondering:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb4298/is_199805/ai_n14981346
Thanks for the info, luvvy. We need more fashion detectives. :)
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