Southern designer debuts fashions

On Friday, Knoxville ladies will get a chance to see the Leona Clothing line for the first time when local boutique, Mary, hosts a “Sip and Shop” event featuring Leona’s fall line.

Lauren Leonard is the designer behind Leona and will be at the event to meet with potential clients and preview her spring line. Leonard chose to base her line out of Atlanta instead of traditional fashion centers like New York or Los Angeles and said the clothes reflect that.

“I made it a part of the branding,” Leonard said. “It’s become something for a Southern Belle with an edge. We dress a little differently in the South. We know that Southern women actually have a unique spin on high fashion. That’s something I wanted to present and not be ashamed of it.”

Leonard said that she did spend some time working in New York for the Milly label and that she considered basing her line out of New York. However, she decided against it.

“I wanted to be true to myself as a designer and as a person,” she said. “I loved New York, but there was no doubt in my mind that I would return.

“A lot of New York designers are showing heavy wool coats and a lot of black,” she added. “But it doesn’t get that cold in the South, and we like a lot of color.”

The spring collection for Leona has a lot of prints and flowing fabrics, but it also features some bolder looks with darker colors. Leonard said this duality was intentional when creating her line.

“I would say there are two sides, but I think that’s important,” she said. “It’s all about balance — having those two pieces mixed in. It’s really all about being versatile. A lot of my fall things can be worn in other seasons.”

Leonard said that Leona aims to be as versatile as possible, pointing out that she uses elastic and drawstrings in her looks to ensure that her clothes can fit different types of women, and also noting that Leona has looks that can suit a wide age range.

“ ... a lot of my accounts have mothers and daughters shopping together, and I want to serve both of them,” Leonard said.

A Leona piece is on par with most brands in the high-end contemporary market, though she said she aims her prices a little lower than brands like Trina Turk and Milly.

“You can splurge and not feel too bad about it,” Leonard said.

She added that she is in the high-end market simply because she thinks “that quality is a priority.” Her commitment to quality comes from how serious she is about her work, Leonard said.

“Even though I’m really young, I’ve been in the industry for several years, and it’s always been a serious matter to me,” she said. “I’ve taken it very seriously.”

The event on Friday, she said will have her fall line available and also feature a preview of her spring line, which customers can pre-order pieces from. She said she likes doing these events, and though they aren’t common in the industry anymore, they give her a chance to meet her customers.

“I don’t get a lot of interaction with the final customer (while working with retailers),” she said. “I like to do this. It’s great for building good relationships with your (customers) and the stores.”

The “Sip and Shop” event will take place at Mary in Western Plaza at 4:30 p.m. According to a press release from Leona, cocktails and hors devours will be served and customers can receive “advice for finding the right style, clothing and fit for your body.”