Knit Wit

Fall is in full effect here in the Pacific Northwest, and, fashion-wise, I’m not nearly as ready as I’d like to be! My re-occurring cold weather obsessions are the sweater dress and the cardigan. When the temperature drops, I scavenge for finding a sweater dress that isn’t too vintage-y and a cardigan that doesn’t make my shoulders look too bulky. Two years ago, I bought a beautiful wine-colored vintage Lacroix sweater dress on Ebay that remains one of my favorite warm pieces to bring out. I didn’t think I’d find its equivalent until I stumbled upon Augustine, a unique new knitwear line from two formally trained artists.

Mitzi Guidry and Kelly Lynn Jones shaped Augustine into a luxe, modern knitwear line to weather the young professional’s daily life in the city. Now in its second collection, Augustine’s interlocked Milano Jersey wool, polyamide and rayon knits are timeless enough to last you through a few cold seasons and stylish enough to look fresh each time you pull them out. I contacted the girls for a mini interview and run-down on their line.

What’s your inspiration?
MG: Vintage clothing and home decor, old film stars, art, friends and friend’s art.
KLJ: Vintage clothing, my surroundings (LA: homes, palm trees, cactus) old paintings in art history books.

Do you mix fashion and art? If so, why? If not, why did you decide to do fashion and art separately?
MG: Sometimes we silkscreen Kelly’s illustrations onto our clothing, but other than that I think I am just influenced by art—maybe subconsciously because it’s around me everyday.
KLJ: I look at my fine art career as completely separate from my clothing line. So, no, I don’t mix the two, but I use my creativity for both—just in different ways.

3) How did you get your start in the fashion industry?
MG: I went to a fashion design-focused art school and studied design and product development. As a designer and a businesswoman, manufacturing has always excited me. I was fortunate enough to meet someone a couple years ago that acted as sort of a mentor and consultant to me. [She] shared resources, took me to buildings where you can find someone to sew anything for you, and taught me how to be taken seriously as a young woman in this industry.
KLJ: Well Mitzi knew more about the industry than I did so she led the way, however, I studied fashion in art school before I decided to focus on painting. I have also worked in costume in theaters so I did have some experience with sewing and clothing.

4) Why knits?
We chose knits due to the comfort and casualness of them however we decided to use a wool/blend which gives it a sophistication that a normal jersey lacks…entering our third season we are now introducing linen blends which compliments our wool jersey.

5) What kind of girl is your customer?
The Augustine girl is a young, confident, professional woman who might work in a creative profession—maybe in the marketing or art dept. We picture a girl that has to show up at an office everyday; she needs to be “put together”, but she’ll never let herself stray from her stylish side. We think the Augustine girl can’t be bothered with what’s in at the moment—she just wants to look good, be different and feel confident doing all the things she does.