Monday L 8:00 PM


Drapes are a whole lot of earring. They are conventionally bigger and more avant gardist than a traditional earring. They are not your Mother's pearls and nor should they be. The patterns and shapes and fabrics, reminds us of a earlier time.
A time when
earrings mattered and furthermore help define femininity. However there is no need to be caught up in yesteryears, angling for a touch of 1940's and 50's Hollywood black and white glamour.
Ashley Drapes the designer behind the Drapes earrings brings a bold understanding to her designs and much much more. Ashley Drapes talks Drapes to The List.

L: Thanks so much for sitting down with us. So walk us through how you arrived at making earrings with so much personality?

AD: NO THANK YOU.
MY MOTHER SEWS. SHE STRICTLY DESIGNS WEDDING AND PROM DRESSES.WHEN I WAS YOUNGER SHE WOULD ALWAYS DESIGN AND SEW ME AND MY SISTER'S DRESSES.SHE ALWAYS TAUGHT ME TO BE CREATIVE AND I WATCHED AND LEARNED FROM HER. IT KIND OF RUNS IN MY FAMILY...I STARTED OFF STUDYING FINE ART BEACUSE I LOVED TO PAINT AND SKETCH, AND SINCE FASHION WAS IN MY HOUSE, I WAS ABLE TO TAKE MY CONCEPTS, SKETCH THEM, AND BRING THEM TO LIFE.


L: . But with such uniqueness in every pair, where do you draw inspiration?

AD:I ALWAYS
WANT MY DESIGNS TO BE EFFORTLESS. I TRY NOT TO OVER THINK IT, IF I ADORE THE SKETCH, I GO FOR IT. SOMETHIMES FABRIC INSPIRES ME AND I JUST FREESTYLE IT. I ALWAYS WANT IT TO BE NATURAL, BECAUSE IT IS FROM ME. BUT NATURE INSPIRES ME, WATER, TREES, FLOWERS...GOD'S WORK. OHH AND MICHAEL JACKSON INSPIRES ME. I ADORE HIM.

L: With that as your inspiration, what women do you
envision wearing Drapes?

AD: I ALWAYS WANTED DRAPES TO BE SOMETHING THAT WAS HIGH FASHION, COUTURE DESIGNS. SOMETHING THAT ISN'T SOOO MANSTREAM AND CLICHE, BUT ICONIC....[YOU KNOW] THAT WHOLE TRICKLE DOWN THEORY, I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE ON THE TOP OF THAT THEORY. THE ONE WHO STARTED THE
TRENDS AND DIDNT'T GET TO THEM LATE.
SO I FEEL THAT WOMEN WHO ARE TRENDSETTERS AND NOT FOLLOWERS, THEY UNDERSTAND MY WORK. THEY ARE MY MARKET.

L: But in a lot of ways women today have somewhat come to define earrings as the diamond stud. What has the reception been? Do women understand the perspective and that earrings can complete a look?

AD: I'VE BEEN GETTING A GREAT RECEPTION FROM EVERY TYPE OF GIRL, SO IT'S GREAT. I DO LISTEN TO WHAT WOMEN SAY AND I TWEEK LITTLE THINGS.I DO LOVE AND APPRECIATE THE FEEDBACK, ITS HELP ME TO BALANCE EVERYTHING OUT THAT'S IN MY HEAD, AND UNDERSTAND WHAT I CAN CHANGE.

L: Let's talk about you for a second. How do earrings and particularly Drapes influence your personal style? And looking at Drapes, one can see that they are very fashionable and therefore season conscious. So on days that you do wear Drapes, do they help shape that day's look?

AD:THAT'S SO FUNNY BECAUSE THERE ARE DAYS THAT I WANT TO WEAR A CERTAIN STYLE OF DRAPES AND I WILL CHANGE MY WHOLE OUTFIT FOR IT. THAT'S SO GREAT BECAUSE ACCESSORIES ARE SO IMPORTANT IN FASHION AND THEY KIND OF GET THE BACK BURNER. I WANT TO CHANGE THAT. THAT'S WHY MY FOCUS IS DRAPES. BUT THAT DAY WHEN I CHANGED MY OUTFIT, I REALIZED HOW MUCH I LOVED THAT PAIR OF DRAPES BECAUSE THEY WERE SUCH A STATEMENT PIECE.

L: Lastly, we went on your website and we saw "Drapes = The Future," which means we will be seeing a lot more of you. But where are you hoping to take Drapes? What do you want Drapes to achieve?

AD: MY DREAM IS TO CHANGE THE IMAGE OF ACCESSORIES IN FASHION. THAT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO ALWAYS BE SAFE. I WANT TO TAKE DRAPES TO THE NEXT LEVEL. DRAPES IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF A LIFESTYLE. I WANTED TO CREATE A BRAND.BY ACHIEVING MY DREAM, I WANT TO INSPIRE OTHERS AND GIVE BACK. THERE ARE JUST SO MANY THINGS I WANT TO DO.a

Drapes:
order ashleysdrapes@gmail.com
RSVP 1753 N Damen Chicago, IL
Verse 1821 W. North Ave Chicago, IL


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