I went to a sale at Woo earlier this week. Staci Woo and her staff had turned a small space into a very welcoming retail environment full of pretty things: batik-patterned pillowcases, ombré silk scarves in sunset colors, delicate gold jewelry, Kai candles, maxi dresses in bright resort prints, and tons of the soft cottons that drew me to Woo in the first place. The goods were lush-looking, but the space and furnishings were spare, so the overall effect was one of well-balanced space.
It was a fun sale for me not just because the prices were good, but because it gave me a direct example of how an artist finds inspiration for her work. Some of the things for sale were current pieces, some were from previous seasons, but there were also one-of-a-kind samples and vintage pieces that Staci picked up to inspire her collections. As I browsed through the racks, I could not only see Staci’s work, but could trace the threads (no pun intended) connecting what she’d made and what had inspired it. A vintage fuschia Hawaiian dress with a crocheted yoke (which I bought for $5!) resembled a Woo periwinkle crocheted-yoke/sleeves jersey shirt. Several of her dresses and blouses had vintage silk trims. Vintage printed wrap dresses were direct ancestors of their Woo descendants. And the weathered woods and fragrant candles set around the space called to mind the beachy setting her clothes evoke.
Julia Cameron is always saying in The Artist’s Way that we should accumulate and keep things just for inspiration, things that appeal to us and draw our imaginations into new worlds. The Woo sale gave me a perfect example of how that process looks in action.
satsumabug.com | Lisa Hsia 