Dollparts and Hound

Dollparts

What it is Reworked vintage women’s clothing by emerging Wicker Park–based designer Michelle Dimitris.

Who she is Armed with a bachelor’s degree in retail merchandising and an associate’s degree in fashion design, the now-28-year-old Ohio native spent her first few years in Chicago all over the city’s fashion scene. She went from working as a design assistant for a children’s clothing line to production managing for designer Lara Miller to freelance pattern-making for a handful of local designers. Itching to pursue her own projects, but with little time on her hands, Dimitris and a friend started an etsy.com site selling vintage clothing about a year ago. Six months later, she realized she’d found the concept for her own line: deconstructed vintage. Over 30 days, she raised about $7,000 through online fund-raising platform Kickstarter to jump-start her business as well as fund her first collection.

What she makes While she sells some pieces on her site as original vintage (such as a mint-condition early-’80s Missoni skirt), Dimitris mixes and matches pieces of damaged or unusable vintage clothing (“things people don’t want in their original form,” she says) with remaindered fabric from cutters and estate sales. Keeping the cost down, but the details intact, she incorporates aspects of the old design, such as shirt plackets and hems, into the new style. In the first collection, find a punky ’80s poncho transformed into a short and flouncy skirt, a cropped top composed of two men’s button-down shirts and a ’70s-inspired day dress made from reused fabric and household linens. Small runs of basics, such as leggings and tees made from leftover fabric, complete the seasonal one-of-a-kind design collections. Prices for vintage pieces range from $15–$50. Original designs are $60–$180.

Where to find it Dollpartsdesign.com.

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Hound

What it is Clean, modern womenswear by West Loop–based designer Jennifer Beeman.

Who she is After graduating with a B.F.A. in photography from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Beeman, 28, realized she was more interested in the three-dimensional world of fashion. During her three year stint in Columbia College’s fashion department, she picked up the technical skills needed to launch her own line, Hound (inspired by her favorite Sherlock Holmes book, The Hound of the Baskervilles), this past spring. Her day job, working as a pattern maker for bridal designer Alice Padrul, helps pay the bills.

What she makes “This collection is kind of inspired by old letterman stuff and old Ivy League photos,” Beeman says. “The students [in the 1920s] dressed up for class.” Among the eight-piece fall collection, Beeman’s inspiration is most apparent in an above-the-knee gray boiled-wool skirt with a sheer organza hem ($195), a cross-hatched wool cape ($298) and, for dress-up, a bronze metallic-coated linen dress with a sheer organza top panel ($198). For the palette—mostly mustard, lilac, blues and cream—Breeman looked at the mineral collection at the Field Museum. Because she produces everything herself by hand, only three to five pieces of every style are available.

Where to find it Look for her collection in boutiques starting next spring, but for now, find it all online at hounddesign.com.

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