Congrats, and Divine in Domino

… To Goodman’s Jewelers for nabbing the prestigious National Independent Jeweler Award. Goodman’s was one of twenty-seven winners (and the only one in the Midwest) to win the award, based on America’s Best Jewelers National Benchmarking Survey conducted by National Jewelers Magazine.
My interactions with Goodman’s have always been positive and their staff extremely helpful. Goodmans’ president John Hayes accepted the award in New York on January 19. Congrats!

Goodman’s Jewelers, 220 State St. 257-3644. goodmansjewelers.com

I was reading the December/January issue of Domino the other week and spotted Divine Chocolate bars on their “Giving Back” page. This particular page is devoted to products that give a portion of their proceeds to charitable orgs. Divine Chocolate is sold at SERRV here in Madison, (formerly A Greater Gift), the fair-trade shop on Monroe Street. I have tried Divine Chocolate and can I just say it’s, well, divine! I purchased a few bars during the holiday season to give out as little gifts and of course purchased some bars for myself, too.
The mint dark chocolate bar is fab and tastes like Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies. They also sell milk, dark, and fruit and nut chocolate bars, too. Or check out the bags of dark and milk chocolate hearts—perfect for Valentine’s Day and only $5 a bag!

SERRV, 2701 Monroe St. 233-4438. serrv.org

Stylemaker Q&A: Jane Kinney

Owner, J. Kinney Florist

Jane Kinney’s shop name J. Kinney might not convey much—certainly not like how the store Dazzle implies glitzy handbags and jewelry, or Jazzman carries suave and sophisticated clothing for the well-dressed man. Like in the tradition of the Barneys and Bergdorf Goodmans of the world, J. Kinney’s notoriety is in the name of her shop and the fact that her store has been around a heck of a lot longer than most Madison retailers—twenty-six years, to be exact.
Kinney’s aptly named shop has touches of her in it—the springy green exterior sign and the wooden-slat front screen door makes shoppers feel right at home—if their home were a quaint cottage.

Madison Magazine: What had you been doing before you opened J. Kinney here in Madison in 1983?
Jane Kinney: I lived in San Francisco for a decade. I ran a store that sold green plants but no flowers, named Jane’s Plants. I had gotten a degree in horticulture from City College of San Francisco.

I’m originally from Madison, and San Francisco is a wonderful place, but it goes on without you. I wanted to be a smaller town and I missed the Midwest since I’m from Madison. So I sold the plant store.

MM: Why did you decide to open another store in Madison?
JK: When I started, I was too new to Madison to realize that people thought that the Square was dead. I thought it was cool. I saw all of the people working downtown and thought it would be a great place for a store [Ed’s note: Kinney’s original store was located on King Street before she moved to her current location on Monroe Street].

I had read about the European flower market approach, which is basically selling flowers by the stem. That seemed to be something that would really work in an urban environment. I think I was the first that displayed flowers out of a cooler and had things marked separately instead of traditional arrangements.

[I don’t] stock traditional flowers like carnations, mums and the other staples. Our focus has moved from tropicals to as many locally grown flowers as we can find.
Even during the winter we have anemones, ranunculus and irises, and those are grown here locally. Probably ninety percent of what we sell is locally grown flowers in the summer. Some are native prairie flowers, and almost all are grown locally.

MM: Why did you move from your King Street location to Monroe Street?
JK: It was a variety of things, but the most important factor was that the rents were so high. And the conveniences of downtown were few and far between, like garbage removal. Running deliveries out of a place with no parking was hard. And downtown has evolved into an entertainment district. It was a slow process and that was the end result. That was a reason that the rents became so prohibitive. Restaurants can afford to pay more rent because they have a higher turnover than other kinds of retail.

MM: What are the differences of running a shop in San Francisco and Madison?
JK: I lived in San Francisco in the ’70s. At that period it wasn’t the city it is now; it was a city that was a series of small neighborhoods that were like their own little towns. I’m sure it’s changed vastly since then. There were a lot of hippie entrepreneurs that were opening stores without much capital.

MM: What do you focus on in the home décor and gift area?
JK: We’ve always been focused on what used to be called “shabby chic” and now would be called cottage style. I mean, not everything in here fits into that category. We just have pretty much stayed focused on that. Now there’s a new emphasis on botanical renderings, and we’re really interested in that. That combines the flower aspect with the cottage style.

We have the renderings in wall hangings, beautiful pillows with botanical images on them and shadow boxes with botanical drawings on them. It’s a more dedicated focus than a lot of gift shops would have.

Another category we have is fragranced candles, which again, is sort of a hybrid of fresh flowers and items for the home. We also have fragranced cleaning products inspired by natural fragrances. Some of our bath and body items are the same pure, natural flower fragrances and high quality fragrance using floral scents.

MM: Why do you think J. Kinney has stayed in business so long?
JK: I think it’s a cross between I have a really clear vision of what I wanted to do, and I just stuck with it. It’s sort of a combination of courage and stupidity. Does that make sense?
MM: Yep, I’ve heard that before!

MM: What’s the most challenging part of being a small retailer, and the most rewarding thing?
JK: The challenging part is that the constancy of it; you have to be here ninety-five percent of the time. It’s sort of like a dairy farmer with a herd of cows that need to be milked. You leave, and the place can sort of crumble!

The rewarding part is being able to surround yourself in what is beautiful. In January and February we’re surrounded by flowers! That’s pretty satisfying.

MM: I know that you sell some fair-trade items, but you also focus on items made in the U.S. and even locally, when you can. Can you talk about that?
JK: We really look for things that are made in this country or made elsewhere under fair working conditions. There’s very little we buy that we don’t know about the producer. If you go to our blog (jkinneyflorist.com/blog), you’ll see stories and pictures of who we buy from. Five years ago when I would go to [the gift show that I buy merchandise from] you could hardly find anything that wasn’t made in China.

We also find local craftspeople. We have a woman who lives in the Monroe Street area that makes handbags. We carry handbags that are made in Colorado and the women who make them even design the fabric. We have another new company from Washington state that makes her own hats and scarves.

With the plants, Canada has taken over the market for a lot of the plants, but I don’t like the quality. The Canadian government pays a lot of the fuel costs to get the plants here. But I think their plants are weak and inferior. Or you can go into Trader Joe’s and get orchids really cheap from Taiwan. They bloom for two weeks. If you buy them here, they bloom for months.

MM: What are your favorite items you sell?
JK: My absolute favorite thing these days are these botanical pillows. They’re made in Texas and the design is silk-screened on the fabric. When you put them in a room, it’s as important as what the painting on the wall looks like. They’re gorgeous. ($139.95 by Design Legacy)

Another favorite is candles that are soy based, in a votive. They have a seventy-hour burn time and the fragrances are really interesting and complex. ($34.95 by Kobo)

[I like this] company called Lalo. It’s a jewelry designer from Israel who fashions everything out of high-quality resin. We have a keychain the designer makes that’s a whimsical design and really jazzy. She also makes sets of bracelets out of the same resin. It’s three to five bangles in a color range but can be worn together or separately. They’re really, really fun. ($65 by Lalo)

MM: Where do you shop when you’re not working?
JK: I don’t do a lot of shopping when I’m not working. I like A Stone’s Throw a lot. They have practical clothing that’s still really attractive. It’s sportswear, but more fashionable than some.

I like what Janice Durand has done to change Little Luxuries recently. I think that’s a gorgeous store.

I think Fromagination is very impressive. It looks like it was transplanted from Manhattan.

MM: Why should people “buy local”?
JK: There are so many reasons. One of them is that if people continue to buy more and more from Target and Wal-mart, more of us small retailers will be gone and the world will be a lot more boring than it is now!

And the whole idea of keeping the money in the area, rather than having it sent elsewhere. Imagine a world that had very few small retail shops. Target is good for what they do; they just will never that atmosphere that individuals create.

J. Kinney, 1835 Monroe St. 255-7500. jkinneyflorist.com/blog

Sales and Events

Bop is holding their "very own Maxwell St. Days Sale." I have a feeling that this sale will be GOOD. In fact, the store was closed all day Thursday to prepare! Check it out.
Hours: Friday 10a–7p, Saturday 10a–6p, Sunday 11a–5p.
bop, 222 W. Gorham St. 255-2570. shopbop.com

Need any gently-used furniture? The HospiceCare Thrift Store is holding a forty percent off furniture sale through Saturday, January 10. Nightstands, coffee tables and more could be yours for a steal! With the current money situation, I think a nicely discounted piece of furniture will do.
HospiceCare Thrift Store, 122 Junction Rd. 833-4556.

Don't let the winter doldrums get you down—get crafty! Here's Anthology's project schedule for the next few weeks:

January 2–13: Mini melted wax collage. Bring in photocopies, text, magazine and catalog scraps and work with melted wax on a mini collage. $5.
January 14–23: Comb bound scrap books. Scraps of paper: maps, book pages, envelopes, and notebook paper, bound into a notebook. $5.
January 24–February 14: Valentine cards. $5 for 3 cards (what a steal!)
Anthology, 218 State St. 204-2644. anthology.typepad.com

Things I Love

I was out and about earlier this week working on a magazine story and stopped in two of my favorite stores: Fontaine and Iconi. I thought I'd share pics I snapped of some cool stuff I encountered.
First are these gorgeous vintage slipper chairs from Fontaine, priced at $1,635. With touches of Asian, organic and luxe all rolled into one, these chairs are fit for a queen. I've long admired slipper chairs because they always look so stately and feminine in home décor magazines; though they could be fashioned into a more "manly" look by covering one in leather and adding some nailhead trim, too. Either way, I love, love, love these chairs and the fabric they're swathed in.

Next is my perennial favorite Iconi Interiors. So, I'm one of those people that like dressing up. You won't catch me in a T-shirt and sneakers, unless I'm working out. No sir—it's pumps, bangles and dresses for me! That's why I like Coni Marotz's store Iconi, because it reminds me of a time when women dressed up for cocktail parties, wore red lipstick and glammed it up with major jewelry. Men sported smart suits and had pocket squares. Marotz has quite a collection of vintage barware, seen here. She also has an awesome collection of vintage jewelry that I yearn for every time I step in her store. It's like a magnet—I'm drawn to her case of jewelry every time I stop by.
Can't you just imagine a cocktail party in the '50s or '60s, where these glasses were surely used? I sure can. So, combine the sparkly cocktail glasses with one of her major necklaces and you've got my dream world of dressing up for a party, clutching a extraordinary glass all while looking fabulous. Cheers!

Fontaine, 811 E. Johnson St. 310-8002.
Iconi Interiors, 534 W. Washington Ave. 441-0077.

What to Buy Now: Guys

Congratulations to Context for celebrating their third anniversary this past December. The men's clothing retailer even held a party in late December at Natt Spil to fete their birthday.
What's their hot seller right now? Co-owner Ryan Huber tells me that this B.Son for Context hooded zip-up jacket (left) and B.Son for Context button hoody are where it's at. The price point is good ($187 for the zip-up; $145 for the hoody) for such a versatile piece. The most interesting part about these pieces is that B.Son worked with Context to create these garments just for them. If you want one of these exclusive B.Son pieces, you'd better pick them up fast as only fifty zip-ups were made and eighty hoodys produced.
Huber tells me that the store may very well produce a private label in the upcoming months. Stay tuned.

Context, 113 King St. 250-0113. contextclothing.com

New Store Opening

Have you ever visited a lululemon store before? I have—in Chicago and Santa Monica—both with my friend Kendal who is absolutely obsessed with lululemon clothing. She's so into lululemon that she works at the Santa Monica store! The yoga and athletic wear retailer has recently opened a store in our parts at 410 State St. This is the first location in Wisconsin.
In addition to peddling clothing the Madison "lululemonade Stand" has a free yoga class every Sunday from noon to 1 p.m. Check it out! (Above: lululemon's Hipster Pant*Den)

lululemonade Stand, 410 State St. 414-510-0624. lululemon.com

Q&A With Jessica Neumann, Designer of Jessica Catherine Clothing Line

Midwestern designers are few and far between. Milwaukee has a few talented designers here and there; Chicago has even more. (Do they ever—Chicago hosts the Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion show every year for the express purpose of showcasing Midwestern designers). But Madison? Where art thou, designers?
Madison-based designer Jessica Neumann is changing that with her clothing line Jessica Catherine. Her classy, yet sexy, line of silk party dresses was showcased recently at Atticus, Kristin Wild’s store on the Square. I must admit, I have a personal bias toward Neumann’s line—I wore one of her dresses to this year’s Best of Madison! I spoke with Neumann on her budding design career.
(Shown up top: Myself with Jess, the designer, in front of two of her dresses at her Atticus event. All dresses shown below are also from her Atticus event and are there currently.)

Tell me how you got interested in designing.
I was thirteen years old, and I started using my mom’s sewing machine. I would cut up old clothes I had and make it into new stuff. Whatever fabrics were around the house or clothes I didn’t like anymore, I would just change them. When I was younger I was always creating my own style and expressing myself.
I always liked clothing, and as I got older, I always wanted to change [my outfits].
I started making clothing because a good friend of the family and a person I looked up to got me into it. Now I work with her on projects. We’re working together, designing, right now.

What is your design background?
[My] schooling is a big part of how well my garments are made and the techniques I use. But most of my experience comes from jobs I’ve worked in as a seamstress. [Up until recently I] worked at Creative Energy. I was one of three seamstresses there. I made energy efficient window treatments.
[A few years ago] I moved to Ireland and was organic farming. [During that time] I found online an artist residence called Das Sproutbau (http://sproutbau.blogspot.com/2008/02/rubble.html). It was a four-week sustainable living experiment for designers. I had to explain what my project was going to be for an installation for a documentary. So how I was going to recycle and design a live-in installation. When I explained my project having to do with fashion, they accepted me.
When I worked at Das Sproutbau, I collected fabric around a condemned building and other pieces of plastic, hung all of it on a wall and painted it. I then took it down and used that piece to build a collection of dresses for a fashion show in Germany at Das Sproutbau.
I came back [here] and was looking for a project to work on. I wanted to work on something to benefit breast cancer. That was when I came across Milwaukee Fashion Week. I started designing dresses for my interview [for Milwaukee Fashion Week]. I applied, was accepted, and made eighteen dresses that would be ready for the runway show. I was prepared, but then the event was canceled. (Ed’s note: Milwaukee Fashion Week was scheduled to take place in Milwaukee October 3–6, 2008; organizers canceled the event due to lack of funding).
The organizer told me that my line and designs had won the [new designer] contest; actually, I tied with another designer. I never got a prize or anything, but I was told I was the winner!
The Milwaukee Fashion Week experience was a massive learning experience for me. I accomplished so much in that time, and it made me realize what I was capable of. It’s exciting to see what good things can come out of it.

What are your design inspirations?
Texture is a big part of it. Modernism is, too. I like modern clothing with simple lines.
I wanted to make party dresses that make people feel good when they’re wearing them. But also, [I want] people to feel like they have a special dress. I haven’t seen work like it. I want a woman to feel really good about herself when she wears one of my dresses.

What is your trademark? How would someone know a piece is your design?
It’s modern clothing. When you look at my line all together, the colors are very similar, and [so is] the structure of the dresses. There are about five [dresses] that are made of the same fabric but in different colors. And the way they are draped is different. I use dupioni silk and silk chiffon.
I also try to put some sort of recycled element in each piece if possible. I’ve used pieces of old wedding dresses for accessorizing a dress. I’ve taken pieces from old bridal dresses and used them to embellish a plain black dress. I use recycled zippers.
I like to add a certain element that’s little out of the ordinary to something that’s very sophisticated to make it more unique.

Why do you think women like your clothing?
They like that it’s silk. And they like the high collars on some of the dresses. Women like to show some skin, but still feel confident and covered up. And having a dress that makes you look sexy but not too revealing is really attractive. You can also wear my clothing from season to season. It’s nice to have piece like that that you can wear all of the time. And you can wear it with tights or boots or with heels. That’s important here because we have the change of seasons.

What designers are you inspired by?
I like this brand called The People Have Spoken (thepeoplehavespoken.com).
Another big influence for me is Andrea Crews. It’s a project that takes place in France. It’s a group of people who take in all of these recycled clothing and have exhibitions and fashion shows out all of these recycled things. It’s high fashion, but it’s out of the ordinary. (Photo: Kristin Wild, owner of Atticus, with Chris Berge, co-owner of Weary Traveler, Natt Spil and Magnus)

What’s the process of designing a dress or a line for something like a runway show? It must be a lot of work.
Well, I’ve found people who want to work with me and can do the same things skill-wise, so we work as a team.
I had a few friends who helped me out with the line. Basically I drew up a pattern. I had the pattern and the fabric ready, and then I explained to them how I would like the dress made. I worked with talented seamstresses and they know what they’re doing. There were two or three dresses that friends helped me with for Milwaukee Fashion Week.
In general though, all of the work is done by me. I’m excited to work on projects with others, but they have to be as skilled as I am too.
(Photo: Do you recognize that dress on me? That's right, that's Jess' design that she's wearing in the photo above! L–R: Myself, visual artist Angela Richardson and Madison Magazine editor Brennan Nardi).

How long does it take you to make one dress?
To make one dress, it depends on the fabric. Everything is timed in my workroom. A simple dress can take me two days, or about twelve hours.
Something that has a bodice, texture, boning or a different fit, or in general more tailored, will take closer to a week to be fully finished.

What’s the next big project you’re working on?
I just launched a line with Atticus. I hope that works out. I’d like to launch a spring line as well as do some work on Kristin’s [owner of Atticus] website.
I’m trying to keep the cycle going of new ideas and new outfits. My spring line will be a little more casual for summer, but still edgy and sophisticated. It will be casual enough to wear to work, but you could wear it out at night too.
I’m also designing some bridal wear for a photo shoot in Chicago Social magazine. It’s for a spring or summer issue.
This summer I’m going to do some more bridal dresses. There’s also a large possibility that I’m going to the Netherlands to design a dress for a woman there. I’m excited to be working on bridal wear. I like making party dresses (laughs).

Formalwear and recycled/sustainable accents in your designs seem to be quite different!
I want to stay somewhere in the middle. I’d like to keep doing formalwear while still accessorizing or adding embellishment with recycled materials as well. I think it adds a nice touch. Part of using the recycled elements gives me the experience of going to thrift stores and rummage sales and seeing what’s out there. I’m very inspired by vintage clothing.

What’s the best part of being a designer, and the most challenging part?
The best part is that I get to make something with my hands and I can work on it anytime I want. I can always put it down when I don’t feel like doing it too. It’s great to take a walk and then be inspired by something. I really enjoy it. It’s a job, but it’s also something I love to do.
The biggest challenge is deadlines and production. I have new ideas constantly. I think, ‘Oh, I’d love to make that.’ Or, ‘I wish I had this fabric.’ It’s a matter of having priorities and knowing what I can make. There are things I’d love to make, but I don’t have time right now. Certain things can take months to create!

Many designers have a very distinct personal style. What’s your personal style?
It’s constantly changing, like my designs. I love Miss Sixty for shoes; their boots and shoes are really cool.
I wear a lot of simple, black clothing. I like wearing something simple but pairing it with great shoes. It’s all about the shoes! If I can wear a dress out, I will. That’s probably why I make dresses, because I wish I could wear them all of the time!
Speaking of shoes, I should probably get more (laughs).

Do you see yourself designing full-time in the future?
I see myself pursuing design very seriously. If I have a chance to move, or do international work, I’ll take it.
Ideally, I’d like to design full time. My goal is to work as wardrobe coordinator for the film industry, wherever that will be. Hopefully what I’m doing now will build my portfolio and show what I’m capable of. Sometimes you just have to accept where I am right now. There are a lot of things coming up that are to my advantage. I’m just going to work with them and see what happens.

Jessica Catherine’s designs range from $195–$350 and are available at Atticus, 18 N. Carroll St. 204-9001. jessicacatherine.com