Flirty, fearless fashion
Armour sans Anguish wants to green-up your wardrobe
By Petra J. Canan
Published: March 26th, 2008 | 2:20pm
A career in fashion began with a Christmas gift for Tawny Holt, designer and proprietor of California-based label Armour sans Anguish. When the 25-year-old received a sewing machine as a present in 2004, she turned a love for clothes into a hobby of cutting up and reworking older pieces from her closet. A trip to a local boutique in one of her creations set the plan in motion for the then-student to begin manufacturing her own line.
“They asked about [what I was wearing], and wanted to begin carrying it. I just started producing more and it seems to be selling really well,” Holt says. “I feel really really lucky, I don’t know if I can ever have a ‘real’ job again. I really enjoy working for myself and making my own hours and doing some that I enjoy doing.”
The result was a company philosophy of what was old is new again, and Holt began searching local thrift stores and “rag houses” for pieces she could use to create her flirty, feminine garments. She began the label with then-partner Julie Edwards.
The label name, she says, means “clothing without sorrow,” and represents a deeper mission than making stylish clothing. Holt says she wanted to create a company without the underlying issues of major labels, such as unfair labor and negative environmental impact, even unhealthy models.
“Fashion without all of the bad stuff,” she says.
The Armour sans Anguish girl is an eccentric, like Holt, outgoing, with an “oddball” sensibility, who likes to stand out in a crowd, mixing and matching pieces from the collection. She uses both rich colors like plum and lighter shades like pastel yellow, contrasting heavy knits in wool with cotton accents and embellishments. Among her accessories are elaborate and intricately detailed headpieces made with feathers and leather, decorated with vintage buttons and beads.
She says she tries to use only one percent new materials; for example, a color thread she cannot find in a second hand shop. Holt says she looks for quality and detailing like beadwork, and gravitates towards laces and toile. She draws inspiration from her green lifestyle, producing recycled fairly-made products, influenced by the styles and tastes of her friends.
“It’s not that hard to find, with older pieces, especially things that were home made,” she says. “I really couldn’t think of any other way of doing it.”
While bringing her green philosophy into her business has meant choosing one-of-a-kind pieces over bulk orders, Holt says the response to her quirky styles has been positive.
“It’s been amazing and really fun. I think the only thing that people might say in criticism is ‘Where would I wear this?” she says. “I think people really respond to the history of the garments themselves because they are composed of so many different elements – I think they really sense the history.”
Her most popular items are her party dresses, which can also take the longest to create. The pieces, which feature ruffles and tiers of flowing fabric, take between four hours and one week to construct from start to finish. The dresses, Holt says, have drawn a loyal fan base looking for something unique and a bit funky to wear to an event.
This “shamelessly girly” style keeps Holt’s customers returning for more. The young entrepreneur hopes to one day expand her company, opening a boutique in Modesto. But for now, she enjoys sending her unique pieces out into the world for both quirky girls and fashion die-hards to discover.
Issue #31
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