We recently bought hundreds of items from the estate of Arden, and we couldn’t figure out why she had so many clothes. Many were going back to the late 1960s and were all small/mediums. After quite a bit of digging we finally found out why.
She was a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.
She was born in 1949, so she would have been in her late teens and very early 20’s during the height of the hippie movement...and you can tell. Some of the early handmade pieces are very psychedelic and fashion forward. These skills and her training provided an outlet for creativity that lasted for decades. We all know someone's grandmother that was a seamstress, but Arden actually had training. The prints she used and styling of clothes she made into the 1970s are just fantastic. Although her output dropped in the 1980s, likely because of being the mother of teenage boys, she still had an eye for fashion. We found pieces from Emilio Pucci (personal favorite of ours), tons of Ralph Lauren, Coach, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hukapoo, Landlubber, Karavan of India, and much more.
Sometimes it can be hard to understand why people hold on to certain things. In Arden’s case, it seems like she was proud of what she made. Imagine being in your late teens, designing fashion in New York in 1969, Woodstock just a few hours away. Those memories are definitely worth holding onto. We are grateful she left so many items behind for us to share with you.
Shop Arden's Handmade Collection from FIT here.
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