“Adorably cute and charming” is how one of Isabella Rose Taylor’s graphic tees defines the word “adorbs.” And according to this definition, I think everyone who attended her runway show at Austin Fashion Week last night was in agreement that Isabella, and her collection itself, was indeed “adorbs.”
We were all happy to be introduced to Isabella, an 11 year old designer out of Austin, at the last Austin Fashion Week runways back in August. While some were simply impressed by the fact that an 11 year old was actually making and sewing her own patterns, I was blown away by her ability to not only design and sew clothing at such a young age, but to actually make a cohesive collection with a specific vision. Designing for her age group, Isabella makes clothing that have a mature sense of sophistication, but still maintain a youthful playfulness.
Not even a full year later, Isabella is now 12 and her designs at this Austin Fashion Week have already matured. This year Isabella showed more pieces that I myself, a woman in her late twenties, would want to wear. Her collection last night was a juxtaposition of party glam mixed with a downtown urban vibe, and included more layering, more depth, and more silhouettes than her previous collection. But already at age 12 and with only her second collection, Isabella has established some signature pieces which include: cropped leather jackets, simple party dresses that can be dressed up or down, and graphic tees.
“Blood, Sweat, and Glitter” , which was projected by her other statement making tee of the night, seemed to be the theme of the show. With almost every piece having at least some hint of sparkle or shine, (I want those silver lamé shorts in my size), her designs satisfy the desires of both pre-teen and parent by creating clothes that 12 year old girls would want to wear, and what the parents of 12 year old girls would want to buy for them. Of all the collections that came down the runway at the first night of official runways for Austin Fashion Week, Isabella’s designs were by far the most charming, and also the most marketable.
At this point I believe Isabella has established herself as a capable designer able to play with “the big kids.” What I now look forward to seeing from Isabella in the future, is even more growth and complexity to her designs. As she matures I believe, and also hope, that she will experiment more with varying silhouettes and different types of fabric. I can’t wait to see how our child prodigy develops, as I know she has a bright (glitter filled) future ahead of her.
designer, Isabella Rose Taylor (pictured above) modeling her own designs
Now, please excuse me while I go put my dentures in and drink some prune juice as I’ve never felt more like an old lady than I have writing this article.
Joanna Wilkinson
keep austin stylish