Blue Cotton Spandex Maxi Dress, 2023, 24 x 54 inches
photo credit: Marielle Mussoline

My Connecticut Summer

“My Connecticut Summer” is a mini fashion collection full of pieces of clothing that I would wear during the summertime of Connecticut. A big issue in the fashion industry is the problem of sustainability. With this collection I used a combination of thrifted and bought fabric and created everyday clothing that is specifically meant to be worn by me for a lifetime. Presented here are not only the finished clothing, but the sketches with fabric swatches that lead to the final presentation, as well as photographs of the pieces on hangers or of me modeling them.

I grew up in a small farming town in western Connecticut, spending my summers rope swinging into lakes, having family dinners, and watching the sunset on the nature preserve by my house. The clothing in this collection is multi-functional, meaning the pieces are interchangeable with one another, and can be worn at any point during the day. The contemporary and casual style of the collection is representative of my upbringing and current lifestyle habits, with the color palette of white, blue, black, and a splash of red as a nod to the red barns that are sprinkled through each neighborhood. My town, and surrounding towns are full of Saltbox and Cape Cod cottage style houses, everything surrounded by pine and oak trees, and the occasional chickens or cows peeking through. My friends describe it as Hallmark town, where you say hello to everyone and everything slows down, which is essentially true.

From my collection, I hope that you are reminded of your own summer memories and times of joy. In addition to this, I hope you take a moment to reflect on your own fashion consumption and be reminded that it is possible to make your own clothes. None of the clothes you see here were created with a pattern, rather everything was designed, cut, and sewn by myself and I am extremely happy to be sharing it with you all today.