“She is social, she is charismatic, and as smart as she is, she doesn't take herself too seriously-she is playful when the lights are low… Above all she is diverse and compassionate,” Christina D. Monley explaining who wears her ready-to-wear clothing label, Christina Karin, in a Racked Chicago interview.
Monley, the principal designer and creative director of Christina Karin, didn’t start her business as some would imagine. She actually received a degree in business and art history from Boston University. Then, she worked in finance on Wall Street. After an uninspiring depth of time spent in finance, she decided to go back to school at the Art Institute of Chicago to study fashion and design.
In 2012, Monley was chosen to participate as a Designer in Residence for the Macy’s Chicago Fashion Incubator. Since then, she has been designing clothes and remodeling her Bucktown space, which serves as her workspace and showroom for buyers and customers.
“The goal is for the space to exude everything about my brand: In a nutshell, old Hollywood meets modern-day muse,” Monley said in a Chicago Racked article.
Monley wanted her fall collection to portray the intimate side of glamour by juxtaposing soft and sparkly with strong and mysterious. Her fall ’14 collection features a cropped blouse and matching high-waisted geometric skirt with black stretch knit and vegan leather detail in bronze. She favored navy blue silk with hints of silk brocade in gold for her blouses, dresses, and skirts. There are smoking jackets in gold lame and navy blue sequins. One of the popular pieces from the Christine Karin collection are the long sleeved draped tunic dresses that are available in sand, cobalt blue, and red.
“I designed this collection with the vision of a woman sitting in a man’s smoking room, surrounded by art, dark mahogany, and swirls of smoke-a feminine allure in a masculine environment,” Monley said.
Photo credit: Christina Karin website
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