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Local Designer Keeps San Diego Fashion Fresh and Exciting

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Brooke Catherine discusses holiday wear, custom fashion and more

It’s the holiday season, and that means fabulous cocktail wear for work parties and New Year's Eve. As I've mentioned in the past, shopping local will help your look to be unique. There is nothing worse then walking into your work holiday bash wearing the same dress as one of your co-workers, so the simple solution is a custom holiday look. There are more than a few benefits to having a custom wardrobe. One being never walking into another place and having the same outfit as anyone else. But sometimes when we think custom we think expensive. Think again. You can get a full one-of-a-kind wardrobe for much less than designer prices, and we all love chic and oh-so-cheap items!

In my blog "An Irresistible Look," I introduced Brooke Catherine of Bcat Threads. She is a young talented San Diego designer creating unique looks that get you noticed! Brooke is an alumnus from FCC (Fashion Careers College) here in San Diego. I sat down with her to talk fashion: what inspires her one-of-a-kind looks, what’s new for the holidays and whether custom really breaks the bank.

I've heard time and time again from my clients that your style is unique, that they can pick out your pieces every time they see one. There's a certain something in every piece you make. What inspires your collections?
I am inspired by everything in my everyday life. I'm always paying close attention to my surroundings. I always carry a camera with me to capture anything interesting that I see. I am very inspired by fabric too. I love walking into a fabric store and seeing all the textures and colors. One fabric will usually stand out and immediately I start thinking about what I can do with it. I also read a lot of fashion magazines and pay attention to trends on the runway and compare it to my own personal style to create a look that fits the trend and my taste.

The holidays are here, and that means holiday soirées and New Year's parties. What can we expect to see from your newest collection to make us stand out at these events?
I love celebrating the holidays and always think it’s the best time to wear whatever you want. I mean, be as extreme as possible and feel good doing it. This year, I have been completely inspired by sparkle, shine and shimmer. All the fabrics I have used have some type of sparkle, but in a very tasteful way. When I make each piece, I am thinking about the New Year’s countdown, a glass of champagne in hand, confetti, fun, friends and a sexy dress.

I always hear that custom is expensive. Tell our readers why it’s more practical on their fabulous fashion budget than they would think.
Custom does not mean “expensive.” Think about it more like this: You're getting ready to go shopping and you know you really want to find a red dress. You picture what that dress looks like in your head. You go to every store you have time for and are completely frustrated and upset because you couldn’t find it. What you can do with a custom dress is find an independent fashion designer like myself to share your ideas with. We can make it specific to your details and your body. It can be very affordable, and sometimes much cheaper than buying the high-end designer dress at the store. Custom is a fun idea that I wish people were more comfortable with.

Lastly, San Diego is short on fashion designers — it seems everyone is moving to New York or L.A. Can you promise us you will stay in town and continue to create amazing looks for all of us fashionable gals?
I'm extremely flattered that you give me such high regards. I can promise you I am staying in San Diego and am very sure of this. It disappoints me when people don’t give credit to the fashion community that we have in San Diego. I am very supportive of all the fashionistas here — and the entire art community — and always want to do what I can to keep it going here.

Now, I know we all have the ideal look in our heads from time to time when searching for that “prefect” look. I say, take a chance on getting the real thing, the envisioned perfect look. Try custom!

Elizabeth Leffler-Agia is a personal stylist and owner of Cecilia Boutique in Mission Hills. She has been a stylist for seven years, and studied fashion at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago and the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in San Diego.

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