♡BSESSED with Solstice Intimates

Solstice intimates takes a badass biker chick cruising through the desert

and throws her into a 70’s underwear pool party, a collision of

opposite worlds that we are completely obsessed with.

Velvet, mesh and lace underwear that you

could wear under, over, on a night out, in the bedroom...

Put it on, don’t ever take it off kind of vibe.

We ask some questions about women, beauty,

& the creative makings of this lush label.

How did you come about the label? Solstice is definitely a left-of-centre design ideology for underwear.

What inspired you to want to design such unique pieces?

- Solstice came about from my own personal love of beautiful underpinnings. I started just making for myself what I could not find in other shops. When I first started it was just the basics: bodysuit, bra, underwear, all in velvet only. I quickly realized that they were being worn as outerwear. I remember the first time I saw a woman wearing one of the bodysuits with jeans, like just as her shirt and at first I was confused. Then I realized I needed to step my game up if these pieces were the actual outfit and not just hiding under the outfits. From there I started adding more panels, colors, textures, etc.

So your from Arizona, the desert, whats it like living there? How has it inspired your label?

- Arizona is more of a feeling for me than a place. It is where I feel most at peace and connected to myself when I am home. I have visited and lived in some crazy inspiring and beautiful places but always return to my safe place. I think the biggest inspiration that my home has brought to my brand it the heat. In the summers here it is just damn near impossible to put clothes on, let alone cute ones. Its a white tank and jean short kinda place so that means that the pretty underpinnings peeking out have to be a statement on their own. They also have to be comfortable and unrestrictive. I made it my mission to make comfortable undergarments that can stylishly hold their own as outerwear in a pinch when the actual clothes must go.

What has been your most favorite item you have designed for solstice and why?

- The Everyday Bodysuit is my most prized creation. It took me months to make the first one. Everything comes from that basic first pattern I made. The bra and undies actually came about because I made the first bodysuit too short in the torso and couldn't bear to scrap it so I chopped it in half. The signature keyhole in my undies came about because of the shape of the back of the bodysuit when I chopped the bottom half off and had to add a waistband.

Your aesthetic is really vintage, tell us why? What in your life has inspired you to create or recreate vintage style underwear?

- My grandmother is a huge inspiration in my life. She taught me to sew when I was very young, about seven. She made my dresses for church and quickly taught me to make my own dresses for church. I wanted a new dress each Sunday so I had to quickly learn to hold my own. I cherish everything about this woman. She has hundreds of photo albums in her home documenting every life event raising her eight children and each of something like thirty of her grandchildren and great grandchildren now has dedicated photo books. The importance of these photo books for me is that growing up I studied them as if they were novels. My grandmother was and is the epitome of cool and her wardrobe in those photos will forever be burned into my mind as the ultimate style. She wore the most amazing outfits in and looked like a total badass with a bunch of babies on her hip while wearing floral maxi dresses, her locks in a huge bun on top of her head, and cat eye glasses. I will forever be pushing myself to capture and recreate the image of what is “cool” that was instilled in me by Sandy.

We’ve noticed your website features amazing beautiful woman that have really strong individual looks, what in your opinion is beauty?

We do not have any sort of formula for who we choose to represent our brand. The models on our site are primarily dear friends that we knew prior to starting Solstice. We are always looking for new people to partner with but it has much more to do with how they move, how comfortable they are in front of a camera, and what they represent as a human. Our models are moms, artists, bloggers, dancers, athletes, advocates, students, scientists, explorers, and all around badasses. What makes a photo enticing is not how toned or tanned the subject is. It’s that coy little smirk. It’s the disheveled imperfection that makes that subject relatable. I will often choose a photo where maybe there are twisted straps or the actual product is represented less than perfect but the woman wearing it is flipping her hair in a way that exudes sex appeal. Those are the pictures I want to represent my brand. I’ve had friends stop by, soaking wet out of the shower, no makeup on and I begged them to get photos taken for the site before our coffee run. You know when you wake up in the morning and the person laying next to you just looks so perfectly natural and comfortable? That’s it, that’s the look.

Underwear is meant to make you feel good, feel sexy, as a woman, what do you find makes you feel sexy?

I am a fairly simple lady on the day to day basis. Just a tee shirt and worn in jeans and I am happy. When I feel comfortable in my skin, I feel sexy. My go to is big hair. I don't like to spend a whole lot of time getting dolled up but when I am going on a date with my man you better believe my hair is entering the room before I do.

What do you think makes other people sexy?

- I walk this earth in rose colored glasses. There are so many beautiful people. Sexy is an attitude. It’s the way a woman walks with her eyes forward, intent on her destination. There is nothing more sexy than another human showing passion or vulnerability. Hard work is also quite sexy. My husband just showed up at our new shop with arms full of power tools to hang bars for me and my baby on his hip and I must admit, I’ll be thinking about it all day ;)

Stripping off can be very intimidating for some girls, within the topic of body image how important is it to feel comfortable with your own body?

- Feeling comfortable and confident in your skin is a state of mind that I am finding more and more takes conscious effort, and that is upsetting. I talk to a whole lot of women and men about this. These folks are all different shapes, colors, backgrounds, etc. I think that if I can leave any mark on the fashion community it will be this: every human is born perfect. We enter this world beautiful. Each body is a masterpiece created specifically for that soul. We are each given the gift of a physical body and we should treat it as such. If someone gave you flowers, would you reject the gift if one stem was wilted or would the gesture remain just as precious? When it comes to stripping down to skivvies, it takes more than confidence, it takes vulnerability. That is what is more difficult to find and capture in a person.

Your instagram page has a kind of gypsy vibe to it, a state of freedom we love, are you a gypsy at heart? Do you travel? What in your life has inspired this lifestyle choice?

- I surround myself in people that are a reflection of what I hold close in my heart and aspire to be. The free spirited gypsy soul is one that I strive to be. In all honesty though, I myself am not there yet. I am more of a calculated, planning, home body with a hearty serving of social anxiety. I want to be more spontaneous and care free so I gravitate to people that are. My first major step to being more relaxed and care free was quitting my corporate job as a finance manager almost two years ago. I thought I needed the stability of a 9-5 job and a 401K to feel valuable and accomplished. I am learning to let my hair down and surrender to my own desires for travel, relaxation, freedom, etc.I promised my baby I would take him to the jungle when he turns five and he is about to turn four so I have about a year to prepare myself.

Tell us who is your ultimate muse?

- I love strong, passionate, driven folks. I have been working more and more with musicians and performers because their energy and zest for life is unsurmountable. So far my main lady muse is Margo Price. When she sings, she pours her whole heart out on the stage. She sings the story of her life and is so unapologetic and real. She has one of those voices that is so powerful and heartfelt I can’t help but fall head over heels. Plus, she has some serious style and I just love making pieces for her.

One last question, if you could strip down for one person, who would it be ( dead or alive ) and why?

- Well… I think the correct answer would be my husband but he is a forgiving man so I will say James Dean. My hubs is a total hunk though. So is James Dean.