Double R Design

Hello All! It’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything but I have a good excuse. Lincoln and I took a wonderful and much-needed vacation back East to visit family, friends, and to relax before wedding season. We have since returned from our East Coast adventures, feeling refreshed and looking forward to a busy summer!

This next session holds a special place in my heart. My dear friend, Gretchen, approached me in March and asked if I would photograph her and her mother during her mother’s visit in April. Gretchen’s mother, Rhonda, has been designing clothes for herself and Gretchen for several years. Rhonda makes a variety of clothing including one-of-a-kind skirts, scarves, mittens and half mittens, and accessories. Gretchen, a talented writer and editor, and a savvy entrepreneur, recognized the uniqueness of her mother’s designs and suggested that introduce them to the Portland fashion scene. Not only are Rhonda’s designs adorable, fun, and functional, they also are sustainable, made from used fabric and deconstructed clothing that she finds at second-hand stores. Beautiful, handmade clothing that is also sustainable? Yes, please!

I spent a lovely afternoon with Gretchen and her mother, photographing Rhonda’s designs in action. We also wanted to capture the friendship that Gretchen and her mother have. These beautiful women are like two peas in a pod and it meant a lot to me that Gretchen asked me to document the beginning of their business partnership. Gretchen and Rhonda, I wish you the best in this exciting endeavor! xoxo

Rhonda’s signature design: the tie skirt. Rhonda made Gretchen her first tie skirt for her twentieth birthday, almost 9 years ago.

We started the shoot in SE Portland, ran into a skateboarding bulldog, and decided to include him in a few photos! He definitely wasn’t camera shy:)

I love how this skirt moves.

These skirts are so versatile! You can dress them up or down, wear them with high-heels, boots or sneakers.

Rhonda embellished these adorable blazers with tulle and found materials. Love!

I asked Gretchen what she admired most about her mother and she wrote: “I think my mother is amazing in just about everything. I am an entrepreneur, but I’m an editor. I write, yes, but I’ve never been able to make things in the way my mother has. If I could make her my personal shopper/stylist I would have done so long ago, so I definitely admire her style, but in general, I just think she’s amazing. Her creativity and energy still blows me away, and I think it’s awesome that she is building a new business and remains inspired to do what she loves.”

Last but certainly not least are her fabulous, handmade and monogrammed scarves and gloves. The little buttons make me swoon!

The Double R Design website is underway! If you’d like more information, please contact Gretchen at CogitateStudios dot com.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 at 9:52 am. It is filed under blog, portraits. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.