Some say wearing black is chic; Amy Smilovic, founder of women’s clothing label Tibi, says it’s playing it safe. Although the designer admits she likes black, her collections from season to season always reflect her passion for color.
“If you are in a place where everyone is like, ‘I’m too cool to wear a color,’ then Tibi just doesn’t fly there,” Smilovic said about her vivid pieces.
Florals and abstract graphic prints contribute to Smilovic’s signature punch of pattern for her Spring 2010 collection. Combined with pops of neon yellows, electric blues and hot pinks, contrasted by starch whites, the look yearns for warm weather and tropical spring break destinations.
“My favorite part about the Spring 2010 collection is that it is very feminine and minimal, but still very cool,” Smilovic said.
A mix of delicate feminine aspects, like floral and pastel purple frocks, and simplistic solids in figure flattering shapes infuse the collection. The inspiration for her spring designs came from “Great Expectations” –but not the Charles Dickens’ classic– the 1998 film starring Gwyneth Paltrow.
“Gwyneth is so 90s chic and minimalist,” Smilovic said of the character.
Smilovic drew inspiration from the set’s lavish English gardens and Paltrow’s slip dresses that appear almost identical to the cut of those in the Spring 2010 Tibi line-up.
Smilovic’s intention was to stand apart from the rock star grunge trend that has been popular as of late.
“We got hooked on gardens as an anti-movement to all of the dark clothes, studs and angry stuff going on right now,” she said. “We just wanted something really light-hearted.”
That light-hearted, cheerful approach is what brought the former small-town girl to design fame, and is quintessentially what fans have come to love about Tibi.
The classy and colorful designs attract both northeast prepsters and southern belles. Smilovic says the typical Tibi customer “is a Texas girl, but at the same time a Connecticut girl.”
Smilovic graduated from the University of Georgia with degrees in advertising, art and business. After working in marketing for American Express in Manhattan, her husband’s job led her to Hong Kong where the lively expression of the city’s fashion influenced her to design a small line of dresses.
Smilovic then realized she had jumped from a business executive to a fashion designer.
“I always knew I wanted my own business, but I didn’t know I wanted to be a designer,” she said. “I moved up to Hong Kong in 1997 and that’s when it all just came together.”
The designer has a natural eye for color and pattern, but she credits the bulk of her success to her background in business.
“The business side of me really helped,” she said. “It’s design and it’s fashion, but at the end it’s numbers.”
Unlike most in the fashion industry, Smilovic is not clothes-obsessed. Instead, she finds the balance of creativity and knowledge to be particularly fulfilling for her career.
“Sometimes I wake up and I am like oh my god, I could sell the business tomorrow if I want,” Smilovic said. “But, then I think if I sold it I would just start another one.”
