So – the dirty secret of working from home (at least my dirty secret!) is that it’s very easy to spend a lot of time in your pajamas. As someone who has always been an advocate of dressing the part, I knew better – but when I was working from my couch, my laziness won out, and I’d spend all day in my workout clothes – if I was lucky – or my pajamas. But – the days that I left the house in the morning – and thus got dressed – were always my best, so the proof was there – dressing like a responsible, productive human being made me act like one.
Courtney Kates created Maison du Soir on the same concept – sleep is arguably the most important thing we can do for our health – and while we sleep we dream and build out our ideas. But most of us sleep in things we’d never be caught dead leaving the house in. We don’t respect our sleep, even though we know it’s incredibly important.
I’ve invested in my bed and bedding, knowing that we spend 30% of our day in bed. But until the last year or so, my pajama drawer was filled with holey, stained, mismatched tees and shorts – many from high school! Every night I had to go through the entire drawer to find something to sleep in, and I never liked anything I found. We make so many important decisions in a day, what we wear to sleep should not be one of them. I ruthlessly attacked my dresser, and now I only have a few items that I love to wear – and I sleep so much better.
My favorites – without question – are my Maison du Soir pieces – particularly the items from Courtney’s newest collection – which, if you are braver than I am, work just as well as separates during the day (out in the real world, not just on your couch!). Read on for an interview with Courtney on the inspiration behind this amazing collection and what she’s learned over the last year! (to learn more about Courtney and MDS, read our first interview here!)
WHAT INSPIRED THE NEW PRINTS?
The constellation print was inspired by a vintage map of the stars. Every season I have a mellow, easy print and a crazier, more fun print. The brighter print this season was the multi colored floral and I love how it’s grounded back to black.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PIECE IN THE COLLECTION?
Oh such a tough question…it’s like asking which child is your favorite!! I love the Begonia dress…it seems to embody the brand values in one style….it can be worn as sleepwear or daywear. It’s flattering for different body types and simply makes you feel beautiful when wearing it.
I LOVE YOUR LOOKBOOK CONCEPT – TELL ME MORE ABOUT IT!
The concept of the lookbook/Spring 14 photoshoot was inspired by Sleeping Beauty and was an attempt to evoke a bit of whimsy and fantasy. Our first photoshoot introduced the Maison Du Soir woman and the second (Spring) was what happens in her dreams. Eugenia Kuzmina, our beautiful model was given direction to imagine as if she was dreaming and all these colorful butterflies and adorable animals were drawn to her beauty. Eugenia is fantastic, one of the hardest working and nicest models I have ever worked with. For photography and concept, I worked with Scott Chebegia. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy working with Scott. He is hilarious which always makes for a fun day but he has the ability to take my concepts to the next level…he makes my vision come to life but also brings new ideas to the table. Scott is insanely talented and just simply a wonderful person.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN AND INCORPORATE FROM SEASON ONE?
I learned a lot about fit and construction from the first season. Even though this has been my background for over 10 years, I’ve learned that even with all the knowledge and all the resources , it still takes a season or two to figure out what will make everyone happy. The first season’s fabric had stretch which made it very difficult to sew. I reduced the stretch this season to keep my costs from going up. The first season also had a European fit and was more petite…this season, I adjusted the blocks a bit. We still aren’t perfect but striving to get there. We have a lot of new stuff in the works….new fabrications, more price tiers….I’m looking forward to trying new things and continuing to bringing women comfortable and stylish product to sleep in. No more ugly jammies!
Thanks, Courtney! Follow Maison du Soir:
I’ve always been obsessed with a story and meaning behind an item or a brand – that’s essentially why I started TAE – but as I interview more makers and designers, I’m starting to become even more interested with the way they combine their business into their lives – the full circle implications of what they do and how they do it. Because if you are working to build an ethical, responsible business, it doesn’t make sense to let your work consume you – we all know that’s not sustainable, but in this case, it is in direct opposition with the ultimate goal.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
WHAT GETS YOU THROUGH THE DAY? THROUGH THE WEEK?
