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Thursday, May 24, 2012

FASHION

California Girl Trina Turk Talks Turning 15 and Why Living Out West Is The Best

Trina TurkCelebrating its 15-year anniversary this March, fashion designer Trina Turk's eponymous L.A.-based designer label is known for colorfully printed tunics, easy-wearing separates and sunny day dresses infused with a serious dose SoCal vibe. For her Spring fashion collection, Trina Turk tapped some classic West Coast design inspiration—Palm Springs with a '70s twist. Here the effervescent fashion designer, who also boasts eight proprietary retail stores and a punchy home collection, talks turning 15, why she's a Cali girl at heart and her closet must-have fashion trends for the upcoming season.


The Inside Source: The fashion industry isn't exactly known for longevity, but 15 years! How are you feeling about the anniversary?
 

Trina Turk: We’re feeling great! We’ve grown from a clothing line I started in a spare bedroom into a mini-lifestyle brand.  We’ve seen many fashion—and economic—trends come and go during those years.

 

The Inside Source: Speaking of your start, how did you make the decision to launch your own desinger label?
 

Trina Turk: Starting a clothing manufacturing business is definitely not for the faint of heart, especially if you started as I did without major financial backing.  I had been working as a designer for other companies, mostly in the junior world, for 12 years. I had never really designed anything that I wanted to wear myself. So one of the goals in starting my own company was to design something that I actually wanted to wear. 

Trina Turk

The Inside Source: So it was a working woman you had in mind when designing the Trina Turk line?

Trina Turk: I had myself in mind, but I also wanted to design a collection that was truly wearable on a day-to-day basis. I wanted to cover the situations most women have in their lives: work, vacation getaways, events. 

 

The Inside Source: These days, there are a variety of notable Los Angeles fashion designers, but 15 years ago, there was less of a fashion scene out West. Did you ever consider locating the Trina Turk clothing brand somewhere else—say New York? 

Trina Turk: I’m a California girl at heart, and although I considered moving to New York early in my career, I never did. Part of the DNA of our brand is L.A., so it wouldn’t make much sense to move to NYC at this point. The most interesting thing about being outside of the fashion world of New York is that you can still have a successful business and you can still produce clothing locally. We produce about 60 percent of our merchandise right here in Los Angeles.

 

The Inside Source: And surely the gorgeous weather is a plus. What are the other bonuses of living in Southern California?

Trina Turk: The climate, landscape, architecture and cross-cultural mix of living are all inspiring. It was 79 and sunny in LA today, and it was 26 degrees in New York!

Trina Turk

The Inside Source: Good point there! So tell us about the Trina Turk web-store. It's such a great representation of your designer brand and fashion collection.

Trina Turk: Online shopping is amazing.  We are so excited about our TrinaTurk.com business. It allows you to present your brand to the world with the flexibility of changing up the presentation as often as you’d like.

 

The Inside Source: On the topic of shopping online, have you ever shopped on eBay?
 

Trina Turk: Of course!  I look for all kinds of things. This week I was trying to track down some more 1970s Steelcase desks we use in our main offices.  I’ve recently bought a vintage issue of House Beautiful magazine, and I often shop vintage clothing and jewelry both for myself and for inspiration.

(All images courtesy of Trina Turk)

 

Trina Turk's Key Items To Look For This Spring

Roll over items for details
Vintage 60s Bright Floral Halter Dress
(buy it now price, $24.99)
Embroidered Peasant Top
(buy it now price, $57)
Roberto Cavalli Long Skirt
(buy it now price, $449)
California Girl Trina Turk Talks Turning 15 and Why Living Out West Is The Best

Nothing quite says springtime like "a printed dress."

Go bohemian chic in "a peasant blouse."

While still looking pulled together in "a pair of great trouser shorts."

Riff off the Seventies in "a longer-length skirt."


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18e848d3-1d7d-4660-934e-2779516cbec4 Wed, 2 Mar 2011 19:47:10 PST Wed, 2 Mar 2011 19:47:10 PST
Pui Shiau
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At 57th & Luxe in Palo Alto, we're huge supporters of Trina Turk Residential. Her collection of vibrant pillows brightens any room, especially during our cloudy winters!

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