BY ALEX HAGG

 

For most, the word “library” evokes hushed hums of silence and tall bookshelves sheltering dusty Mark Twain novels. However, enter the weathered brick Library: Archives of Fashion at 500 Meeting Street, and instead of literary stacks, the bookshelves are stocked with blouses, shorts and pants. On the milky white walls hang a vibrant array of vintage pieces, from’60s flower power prints to’80s bold blazers. To Lauren Lail, the local designer and vintage curator behind Library, the clothes are the books, and each has a story of its own.

      The decades of designs speak volumes about fashion’s past life, with every stitch, pattern and embellishment hinting at the women who once wore it. However, amid the vintage pleated, striped Chloe dress, the Salvatore Ferragamo pumps  and the ’80s gold A-line skirt lies a vision board that Lail has tacked with a cluster of fabric swatches, design sketches and a picture of Lauren Hutton. The creation of her own collection, Library by Lauren Lail, stemmed from the vintage collection that she had nurtured over the years and “organically just happened,” says Lail. “From vintage to my own collection, we evolve and find where our interests lie.”

      With the successful debut of her first collection in 2013, the designer is ready for her Spring 2015 series of clothing to be checked out of the Library. The new collection, which Lail describes as carrying, “beachy, casual, coastal vibes,” has a contemporary, classic aesthetic. The clothes are stitched into maxis, blouses, ruffled dresses and pants made with fabrics in hues of indigo, khaki and blue. According to Lail, the inspiration for the collection was, “not a place, person, or idea; just the overall feel I wanted to create.”

      The soft styles are fit for the everyday woman. “Maybe she works, maybe she doesn’t. Maybe she’s in college, maybe she’s a mom. Maybe she’s 20, maybe she’s 60 years old,” Lail explains. “It has such a great range. Honestly, my clothes are for someone who just wants to easily get up and make these pieces their own.”

      As the retailer is an obvious testament to Charleston’s burgeoning fashion scene, Lail celebrates the city’s creative culture. “We are on the cusp of something here,” she says. “So creative… they’re themselves.”