Cloak & Dagger
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Brookelynn Starnes started Cloak & Dagger, a women’s clothing line, in 2006. Calling upon her interest in vintage fashion and her styling background, the line has continued to develop an identity in the independent young-designer market. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Starnes also consults on the men’s and women’s collections for Libertine. This fall we featured Cloak & Dagger’s cropped motorcycle jackets in our stores and they were a total hit. Emily Basenberg works in the Steven Alan Showroom, which represents Cloak & Dagger, and asked Brookelynn some questions for the Journal.
SA: What is available now?BROOKELYNN: The Cloak & Dagger Fall 2008 collection is currently in stores as well as the collaboration that I did with Steven Alan, which was great. It was our first effort and I look forward to doing much more with him. I also work very closely with my publicist, Lisa Kihara, in creating the collection. She is my mirror.
SA: The vintage elements and feel of Cloak & Dagger are never costumey, but quite charming. How do you keep your vintage influences modern?
BROOKELYNN: I like to reference vintage but never literally. Women don’t often wear many of the vintage silhouettes anymore, but many of them have great details. I try to create something that borrows from the feeling of vintage garments but interpret them into something a woman today would feel comfortable in and want to wear.
SA: Do you consider outerwear the crux of Cloak & Dagger? I feel like buyers seek out your blazers and coats. This is not an easy category to design well! How did it become a specialty of yours?
BROOKELYNN: The outerwear comes very naturally to me, so they are the easiest pieces to design. I love using very heavy-weight fabrics that tailor
very nicely and hold shape.SA: “Heavy-weight” and “shaped” are quite a divergence from the diaphanous, sexy look of the Spring 2008 collection. How do these contrasting ideas work in your design process?
BROOKELYNN: I love the contrast between hard and soft lines. There is quite a bit of chiffon in the fall collection, and I think that helps tie together the seasons. More importantly though, when I design, I do so with the brand in mind. It has to feel like Cloak & Dagger or it’s not considered.
SA: How would you describe the spring 2009 line?
BROOKELYNN: I would describe the spring ’09 collection as a hyper-feminine and flirtatious take on summertime style.
SA: Tell us a little more about your background as a stylist.
BROOKELYNN: I was introduced to someone who booked tailoring jobs for major designers and things snowballed from there. That is how I got into it. I’ve worked with amazing designers such as Prada, Valentino, Thakoon. I’ve worked among top stylists like Rachel Zoe and Brauna Wolfe; photographer Steven Meisel; as well as actresses Drew Barrymore and Maggie Gyllenhaal. I don’t do it anymore simply because I don’t have the time, though I would love to see Kate Moss or Kirsten Dunst wearing the line! I have a lot to do with the styling of the collection. I guess that is how I keep at it.
For further information please visit:
www.cloakanddaggernyc.comThis entry was posted on Friday, December 12th, 2008 at 9:34 am and is filed under Have a Seat. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
2 Responses to “Cloak & Dagger”
love this collection! nice to learn more about this talented designer!
[...] Brookelynn Starnes, who in 2006 started Cloak & Dagger, likes to reference vintage but never literally. Says Starnes, “Women don’t often wear many of the vintage silhouettes anymore, but many of them have great details. I try to create something that borrows from the feeling of vintage garments but interpret them into something a woman today would feel comfortable in and want to wear.” With a background in styling and an interest in vintage fashion and design, Starnes also consults on the men’s and women’s collections for Libertine. The past fall Steven Alan featured Cloak & Dagger’s cropped motorcycle jackets and they were a huge success. When asked about the spring ‘09 collection Starnes said she would describe it as a “hyper-feminine and flirtatious take on summertime style.” Via Steven Alan. [...]