Shearling, Winter Florals & Tate New York

Designer Spotlight: Tate New York

Nowadays it’s really difficult to find a designer who is doing something truly unique and artistic. Fashion has never been more homogenous and bland than it is today (see: normcore). Okay, I may be exaggerating slightly, but I’m trying to prove a point! The fashion cycle used to be quarterly, with new designs hitting shelves in spring, summer, fall, and winter. But now, due to mass production, cheap overseas labor, and the ease of information sharing via the Internet, the cycle can be as frequent as weekly. Stores like Zara, H&M, and Forever21 update their shelves every few days with new styles. Clothing is cheap and trendy—only meant to last until the next trend emerges from the influencer-marketing-machine.

That being said, I’ll be the first to admit: I fall for it. I’ve been known to give in to an epic Zara sale (case in point: I scored the dress below on Cyber Monday), but I haven’t set foot in a Forever21 in two years. Baby steps people.

So, when I stumbled upon Tate New York at the darling Brooklyn boutique, Wild West Brooklyn, I knew I had found something special. Tate New York is the brainchild of Jessie Tate, leather worker, jewelry maker, stylist, and all-around creative soul. She hand-makes every piece of her southwestern-inspired handbag, jewelry, and accessory collection in Woodstock, New York.

You can see her thunderbird choker styled here and here.

Dress: Zara  |  Jacket: vintage, similar here, here |  Choker & Earrings: Tate New York  |  Boots: Jeffrey Campbell, similar  |  Clutch: vintage Fendi

Lips: Sephora Cream Lip Stain, Always Red