Leyendecker: A Doggie Play Date Spawns a Design Duo

By Beth Whiffen
May 10, 2011

It’s not that often that you want to take your neighbor up on a doggie play date invitation, much less launch a business with her. But for Los Angeles-based fashion designers Jessica Moss (l) and Lisa Guajardo (r), that’s exactly what went down. Each already had her own line, but when they joined forces to create the Leyendecker designer clothing line, the magic really happened. Launched in 2005, their beautifully cut, feminine fashions collection boasts a quirky downtown vibe and a cult celebrity following. We got the neighbors-cum-design partners to talk with us about their love of leather fashion trends, the design inspiration behind Leyendecker’s Spring 2011 collection and just exactly how to pronounce that tricky name. (It’s line-decker.)

The Inside Source: So, give us the back story behind the Leyendecker designer line.

Jessica Moss: Leyendecker owes its existence to a couple of longhaired Chihuahuas.

Lisa Guajardo: Yeah, Jessica and I met as neighbors six years ago and bonded over a common love of them, and our dogs would have play dates. We were each designing our own lines at the time and we always talked about doing something together.

Jessica Moss: Eventually in 2005, I went over to her house and said, “Alright, we’re doing this. We’re gonna do a line,” and that night Leyendecker was born.

The Inside Source: Where did the name Leyendecker come from?

Lisa Guajardo: It’s actually my grandmother’s maiden name.

Jessica Moss: We just thought it embodied the spirit of the line: strong, bold, quirky, maybe a little hard to pronounce.

The Inside Source: Tell us about your fashion design philosophy.

Jessica Moss: We are all about balance. You have to balance femininity with something a little tough. Take a really precious silk top and pair it with some messed up boyfriend jeans. If you’re gonna show a lot of leg, cover up a little arm. It’s like yin and yang here.

Lisa Guajardo: Which I think comes from Jessica and me because we are complete opposites, literally night and day.

The Inside Source: What was your inspiration for the Spring 2011 Leyendecker clothing line?

Jessica Moss: For Spring, we were drawn to the feeling of Sofia Coppola’s "The Virgin Suicides"— the dreamy palette, the '70s silhouettes and antique lace, and a kind of romance that we hadn’t explored before.

Lisa Guajardo: It is a kind of “girly” that makes sense to us. We haven’t allowed ourselves to go there in the past, but lately we are all about dreamy femininity.

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Leyendecker fashion trends, Spring 2011

The Inside Source: There's a lot of femininity in Leyendecker designer clothing—lace detailing, eyelet, sheer paneling. It almost seems like vintage-inspired fashion, yet there's a modernity to it. Can you elaborate on your fashion design process?

Jessica Moss: It always begins with fabric. We get inspired by unusual textures or prints or appliques. This season we were very into piecing together lace appliques.

Lisa Guajardo: We usually become fixated on one particular concept or technique and then the collection unfolds from there.

The Inside Source: Not to get ahead of ourselves, but what can we expect from the Leyendecker clothing line for Fall 2011?

Lisa Guajardo: Our Fall collection is called Easy Rider and it’s a cross between the carefree bohemian attitude of the late '60s and the romance of horseback riding.

Jessica Moss: Motorcycles, hippies, and horses, oh my! There’s a lot of chiffon and lace and suede trim. It’s feminine, yet still retains that Leyendecker edge.

The Inside Source: What is your favorite fashion trend right now?

Lisa Guajardo: I’m really into the high/low hemline trend, especially in maxis—I think it’s sexy without being overt.

Jessica Moss: I’m really into leather right now, literally anything leather.

The Inside Source: What fashion trend is completely over?

Jessica Moss & Lisa Guajardo: A hard shoulder.

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Leyendecker designer clothing, Spring 2011

The Inside Source: What are the five key fashion trends every girl needs for Spring 2011?

Jessica Moss: 1) Something sheer!

Lisa Guajardo: 2) High/low hem, of course. I’m kinda wanting it for everything: tops, skirts, dresses...you can kill two birds with one stone by doing a sheer dress with a high/low hem!

Jessica Moss: 3) Motorcycle booties, like really old and messed up in black leather. I love a good moto boot with a feminine maxi dress.

Lisa Guajardo: 4) Wide leg pants or any '70s-inspired pant shapes.

Jessica Moss: 5) A denim button down. I’m all about denim on denim right now.

The Inside Source: Being a Los Angeles-based line, Leyendecker must have an enviable celebrity following. Who are your fans?

Jessica Moss: Rihanna, Ashley Simpson, Whitney Port, Kourtney Kardashian, Gisele, Shirley Manson, Lindsey Pulsipher, Ke$ha, Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton... There are a lot!

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Lindsay Pulsipher (photo credit: Wireimage, photo courtesy of Leyendecker) and Kourtney Kardashian with boyfriend Scott Disick (photo credit: Zimbio, photo courtesy of Leyendecker) both in Leyendecker

The Inside Source: Who has your favorite celebrity style?

Lisa Guajardo: I love Chloe Sevigny—she’s just all about mixing the high-end designer with the thrifted vintage. It ends up being very eclectic, and I’m a sucker for downtown chic.

Jessica Moss: I am an ultimate Olsen junkie. I know it’s such a cliché choice, but what can I say? I can ogle MK and Ash’s style all day long!

The Inside Source: Which top fashion designers and clothing styles are in your closet, besides Leyendecker?

Jessica Moss: Loads of vintage, ALC, T by Alexander Wang, Zara, Helmut Lang, Sold Denim, my husband’s sweaters.

Lisa Guajardo: Vintage, Seneca Rising, Raquel Allegra, Grail, Mike & Chris, and so much denim.

The Inside Source: Do you shop on eBay online auctions for clothes, accessories or other products?

Jessica Moss: Duh.

Lisa Guajardo: We’re total eBay and flea market junkies.

What Leyendecker's Jessica Moss and Lisa Guajardo are Coveting on eBay This Minute:

Roll over items for details

Faux Fur Blanket

Vintage Lace Crochet White Dress

Pendleton Blanket

Indian Blanket Coat

Leyendecker: A Doggie Play Date Spawns a Design Duo

clockwise from top left:

Faux Fur Blanket: Moments after we spoke with them, Moss and Guajardo hit eBay, where Moss tells us, "I just bought a rabbit fur blanket to fix up and put in my living room" and Guajardo snagged "fur pieces that I’m going to patchwork together to make a pillow. I’m on a fur kick, can you tell?"

Vintage Lace Crochet White Dress: "We’ve been eyeing this little crochet lace number," the designers reveal.

Pendleton Blanket: And we love all things Pendleton."

Indian Blanket Coat: "We are dying for anything Navajo-inspired right now!" they say.

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