Spring '14 on ModCloth!

WOW! It has been way too long since I have written a post, but that just means I have been working like crazy these last few months, and boy do I have some goodies to share! Within the next few weeks I will be writing about all my projects but for now I thought I would start with an exciting announcement.

Textile designs by Shifra Whiteman. Garments by Mata Traders. Sold through ModCloth. 

ModCloth is, once again, selling garments with my textile designs! I designed these fabrics for Mata Traders and ModCloth ordered these garments to start Spring '14. On the far left, is the Perennial Picking Top, in the same floral print I designed for the Fall '13 Meet Me in the Meadow Dress. The cascading roses make this top look so sweet. Next to it we have the An Enchanted Evening Dress. This dress was designed specifically for ModCloth but the same fabric can be found on other dresses in Mata Traders' Spring '14 collection (available on their website in April). The following dress is the Give You a Print Dress in Hexagons. I designed this print for Mata Traders' Spring '13 collection but it was so cute that we decided to use it again! On our far right we have the Carry On With Confidence Top in Sailboats. This was a fun collaboration textile which I will write about in the next few weeks. I love how nautical the top looks with that tie in front. 

This is literally just the tip of the iceberg! Each of these designs has a story behind it, which I will write about and cannot wait to share so stay tuned! 

Collaborating Over Bottles

A few weeks ago, I posted about the collaborative bottle print on the Toast to Coast dress on ModCloth. Now I am here to share the 2 dresses available in this print through Mata Traders: the First Dance Dress and the Starling Pockets Dress. This retro cocktail design was actually a collaboration between myself and 2 interns who worked at Mata Traders last summer. We each illustrated a few bottles and glasses, only to combine them all to create this snazzy pattern. To make this print as literal as possible, the 3 of us would have to have been drawing over drinks! This is a great example on how collaborating is a wonderful thing. While I have my own style and ideas, it is really great to work with others and break out of comfort zones.  In the last 2 collections I designed for Mata Traders, I have been more of a designer and teacher rather than a collaborator. Writing about this pattern now, makes me itch to collaborate again. Maybe I can achieve this goal this upcoming winter when we start designing for Spring 2015 (thats right, we work wayyyyyyy in advance!)

Left: First Dance Dress. Right: Starling Pockets Dress. Textile design by Shifra Whiteman.

Happy Houndstooth Mistakes

Last summer, while we  (the design team at Mata Traders) were looking over the trend forecast, one of the interns had her heart set on houndstooth. This traditional geometric print has been seen all over the fashion world and we decided to try to make  our own version of the pattern.  At one point she mentioned that she was having difficulty finding the repeat. I spent an afternoon trying to not only find it for her but to teach her how to find it on her own. While doing so, I made a mistake and it came out like the print you see now. I immediately laughed because all I could see were cats! 

Left: Catstooth. Right: Traditional Houndstooth. 

Hundreds of cats were repeating on my computer screen and together we decided this was a fantastic twist to the classic houndstooth: It would now be our Catstooth pattern!  I kept thinking about how my friend Haley, a feline lover, would possibly walk into work wearing this dress. She would subtly state her love of cats while still looking work appropriate. This was a classic happy mistake moment that is now available not only on the Mata Traders site under the Half Moon Dress Catstooth, but on ModCloth as well as the Curriculum Vitae Dress (ModCloth even has plus sizes). 

Textile design "Catstooth" print by Shifra Whiteman. Dress available on ModCloth & Mata Traders.

And we are back!

Sorry friends for the month long break. This past month has been filled with moving into a new space, adding a new roommate, new work and new designs (not to mention a birthday) In these next few weeks, I will share bits and pieces of my exciting changes (so stay tuned!) 

Let us begin with a bang! ModCloth is, yet again, selling a dress with my print on it. Say hello to the Toast to Coast dress! I designed this print for Mata Traders, and while they have a dress very similar to this one for their Fall '13 collection, the Toast to Coast dress is a ModCloth exclusive. 

Toast To Coast Dress

This retro cocktail design was actually a collaboration between myself and 2 interns who worked at Mata Traders last summer. We each illustrated a few bottles and glasses, only to combine them all to create this snazzy pattern. There are a few more dresses with this print this season, so get excited to see it in more styles!