DORÉ

When I found out that Tina Frey was joining us on our Art of Storytelling retreat, I was so excited. Well, that’s how I felt about all of our guests when we saw who had signed up for the trip. We were joined by a group of incredible women—many of whom are successful entrepreneurs themselves. Tina has a beautiful line of objects and homewares that I have been coveting for a long time—a few of her pieces ended up on our wedding registry—but I was even more thrilled as I got to know her during the trip because she is incredibly kind, smart, and well, stylish, like all of the women who joined us and deeply impressed us with their substance, and fashion! Tina wow’d all of us each day with her looks—and we asked Pia to grab a few photos in between workshops around El Fenn. Meet Tina!

Describe your style in 3 words.
Simple, timeless, a little quirky

What is your ideal outfit or uniform to wear every day?
My usual outfit in the studio is more about comfort and practicality. I need to be able to move around freely and get dirty since I can be sculpting, photographing, climbing up on ladders and shelves, and in customer meetings too. I wear a lot of basics and a pop of color can be nice. One easy thing I add to my uniform is to have a little scarf around my neck. I have a whole drawer full of these “neckerchiefs” in various colors. I am often in an apron too and I have quite a collection since I like having pockets for working in the studio and for keeping my outfit clean. I think they can be so stylish also.

Who are your style icons?
Phoebe Philo: Her personal style and designs are cut just a little different from the norm, yet classic, timeless, very wearable and for real people. Sofie D’Hoore: Her designs often use volume, beautiful fabrics, and color that makes the silhouettes somewhat architectural but are timeless and very wearable. I also admire her unusual background where she initially trained as a dentist before venturing into fashion in Belgium. If you look closely, you can admire the technical details in the construction of her clothes.

How would you say your style between your objects and goods is similar or different from your personal style?
I think they are quite similar. Both focus on basic colors as the base, interesting silhouettes, and pops of color to change things up. I like a lot of basic neutral colors in my outfits. Navy Blue is my current favorite, followed by white, beige, grey, or black. Then I like to throw in color, pattern, or layers depending on the mood. This is a very similar approach to my designs and the way I style my collections each season for photoshoots too. I like a neutral backdrop of basic colored objects, usually in white, grey, or cement, and put in pops of color and other objects for scale. It can give a totally different feeling depending on the color combinations and make the new season look completely fresh.

You love to add a print or pop of color to your looks, how do you find balance in your wardrobe?
My wardrobe actually has more solid neutrals than colors and prints. However, when I do find something in a really good color, I can’t resist since I think it adds something special to the outfit. I also love unusual silhouettes. If I do find a print, it has to be really special since I don’t usually gravitate to them. I always make sure it mixes with the existing things in my closet. I would very rarely mix all color and print at the same time since I try to tone it down with the neutrals.