Sneak Peek Red Dirt Art Festival

I'll be participating in the Red Dirt Art Festival in downtown Redlands again this year. I have a lot of new work to show!  I hope you can come out if you're in town. The weather forecast is clear and 72 degrees...a perfect day to be in the beautiful outdoors.

I've been focusing on scarves and have an entirely new collection. I've also designed several new cool weather garments. Maybe we'll finally experience some cool weather soon.

Questions from Women in Clothes- Taste vs. Style

Question: Do you think you have taste or style? Which one is more important? What do these words mean to you?


I think I have more style than taste. Over the years I've kind of figured out what I like and looks good on me and my body type. For me, style trumps taste. It is about how a person knows and defines herself. And it informs each decision in dressing. Style cares less about what others think and more about being true to oneself.

Taste references the product- the shoe, the dress, the watch- and often is related to price. It can also be bound by rules. "Good taste" may define whether a woman over 50 wears a short skirt. In that way it's related to societal norms and one's interest in fitting in. What is "tasteful" to one may be anathema to another. There are times that my taste has faltered and it's usually when I'm not being true to myself or am unduly influenced by other people or fashion magazines. But I don't think that these occasional blips have had any effect on my style.

An example would be this dress that I wore to an outdoor botanical exhibit in Tucson, Arizona. I had recently cut the pompons from the hemline because they kept falling off. I hadn't tried on the dress after the alteration. When I put the dress on and walked into the room where my friends were waiting, I saw a visible eyebrow raising on its length. I'm 64 years old. Many women my age don't wear their hemlines above their knee. I also know that my legs are my best feature and I was okay with the length. To me, it had no bearing on my age.

Question: Do you have style in any other areas of your life aside from fashion?

I believe that every facet of my life reflects my personal style. My home, particularly. I surround myself with things that I love- art, souvenirs from travel, interesting pottery, the color on the walls, the linens- everything! Each is a choice that reflects who I am. It gets tricky when you're married to someone whose style is different than yours. Luckily for me, my husband doesn't care to get involved in decorating the house but does like to be involved in major purchases like paintings or big electronics. Luckily we have similar taste in art so that helps. We recently bought a high rise condo in downtown Los Angeles where he stays during the week. He made the choices in the decor- very spare, modern, clean lines. It's his environment. We're lucky to have two separate spaces where we can explore our own style.

Carl's clean contemporary style

My funky eclectic style

Red Dirt Festival in Redlands, California

I'll be participating in this year's show with many other local artists. It's a fun outdoor show in beautiful downtown Redlands and it always feels good to shop local and support small business and local artists. It looks as though the weather will be beautiful! I hope you can join us.

Red Dirt Art Festival

Saturday, November 18, 2017

10am to 4:30pm

Smiley Park

Corner of Cajon and Vine
Redlands, CA

Here's a sneak peek at some of my new work.
I've been busy designing clothing for Fall/Winter, new jewelry,
scarves, fun accessories, home decor and gifts. 

Artist Collaboration with Photographer Rebekah Schott

I loved collaborating on a recent photo shoot with photographer Rebekah Schott and the model, Sam Rainsbury.  I provided pieces from my Spring Summer 2017 collection. Some are available in my Etsy shop.

Spring Summer 2017 Collection

I've recently finished designing my Spring Summer collection for 2017. It's my largest and favorite to date.  I'll be hosting a trunk show to share my work with you. This collection includes: tops, tunics, dresses and jackets in sizes XS to XL, handbags, jewelry and home goods.

Lorimarsha

Spring Summer 2017

March 30 from 2pm to 6pm

1603 West Olive Avenue

Redlands, California

909-556-1939

email lmsandstedt@gmail.com

If this date doesn't work for you, please text or email me to set up a better time for you. 

 Here's a sneak peek at a few of my new designs.

Holiday Trunk Show 2015

I've designed a new collection of mala-inspired jewelry from semi-precious stones and I can't wait to show them to you.  I've also been working on a small collection of tops, dresses and jackets- natural fabrics mixed with lots of color and vintage graphics. Very fun and wearable!

Holiday Trunk Show

Wednesday, December 2

2pm to 6pm

 1603 West Olive Avenue

Redlands, CA 

Here are a few photos of some of the finished work...and I'll be adding more over the next few weeks.

Designing again

...and feeling great about it.

I was in a slump for a while, not sure which direction to turn, and then something good happened.

I watched Iris- the documentary about Iris Apfel, the octogenarian New York fashionista. I fell in love with not only her fabulous personal style but her sharp wit and dry humor. Here is a woman who follows the beat of her own drummer and continues to enjoy the idea of fashion and dressing up on a daily basis. I was also quite taken with her husband, Carl, who just seemed to enjoy the ride. He lived to be over 100 years old, and I believe their relationship is what helped to sustain them both.

Her comments about contemporary designers who don't even know how to sew or drape made me laugh. How can a designer not know how to sew? I guess it's not uncommon. I was inspired to take the cover off of my 1955 Bernina and sort through my collection of textiles. And then I just started sewing.

The first two pieces were designed from vintage tablecloths. I'd been saving them for something but I wasn't sure what. I guess their time had come. Those led to several more tops and tunics that I designed from a mix of vintage textiles.  A friend commented on my Instagram post that they looked like "vintage Lorimarsha." She was right! I feel like I've come full circle and have returned to the style of clothing that I started with eight years ago.

We all go through different phases with our work and I love trying new ideas and working with different kinds of fabrics. But my heart belongs with vibrant vintage graphics and designing these new pieces brought a lot of joy.

I've also been working on new jewelry designs- still loving the natural gems but in larger size stones. I abandoned the sterling clasps for a stretchy slide-on style that is so easy to put on and take off.  The bracelets are of lapis lazuli, malachite, onyx, moonstones, African trade beads, jasper, carnelian and one of a kind Tibetan findings. They have a nice feel on the wrist.

I haven't decided yet whether to plan a trunk show or sell the pieces online. That's down the road. In the meantime, I am so happy to be back in the studio!

When Cultures Collide - Spring/Summer 2014

Had a blast at my most recent trunk show in May.  A lovely turnout of my favorite people and a chance to share my work ...which is always so much fun for me. I'm basically posting the photos to document the collection since most everything has sold. I was hoping to do a collaborative photo shoot with a local photographer but just couldn't make it happen before the sale. Once again, I'm thankful for my friends, and family who come out and support what I do.

And since no one purchased this tunic, I decided to keep it for myself. It's nice when I can "shop my closet."  :)