sarahbeth larrimore’s unabashed apparel

I live in a 100 year old farmhouse – the first person to live in it that isn’t in the family that built and cared for it. The main reason I bought this sweet old charmer was because of the gabled upstairs that was the original farmer’s 3 daughter’s bedrooms. There was no floor, no ceiling, no walls and absolutely no insulation, but oh there was immense potential for my studio alongside the original milk paint, stained wallpaper and a bit of the original rose patterned linoleum. My main studio is the central gabled room. In my heart of hearts I’m a minimalist, but there is no such thing as one spool of thread and one needle in a working design studio. So I chose to surround myself with things that inspired me. On the wall above my sewing machine are hundreds of inspirational photographs, snippets of calligraphy, a ribbon, favorite postcard, and a simple saying. Over a notions table there are tacked up images that inspire the current collection I’m working on. Underneath my drafting and cutting table is a dog bed for my friend and studio constant, Vega, my Rhodesian Ridgeback. Storage for bolts of fabric, filing cabinets for patterns and a bookkeeping desk reside in one side room, and a inspirational sparse lounging area in the other. When you walk up the bright red stairs to the landing, I have an ancient school desk with my great grandmother’s sewing machine resting atop it like an overseeing fairy godmother. My brother and father laid the floor, I insulated the rafters and a dear master craftsman friend fretted and fussed with those gables, installing whitewashed beadboard on the ceiling and replacing the broken windows. We left only a joist support between the main and side rooms, letting the light from all three spaces flood one another. I kept the lathing and painted it. I painted the drafting and sewing room floor white to see any dropped pins or scraps of ribbon and thread. The result is a space that fits the whole farmhouse, and Unabashed apparel’s style. It’s simple and a tad bit vintage. Charming and purposeful. Organic with sweet details. It’s certainly my sanctuary. I dream, draft, drape, cut and sew in a space that has been filled with laughter, secrets and longing. I think when you wear Unabashed – you feel that way too. – Sarahbeth Larrimore