Southern California designer Trina Turk has never met a bold print or color she didn't like. Her collections are always bright and cheery, so it's no wonder that she's made a big splash in Texas, with a boutique in Dallas and two in Houston.
For spring 2014, the designer of perpetually happy clothes has given customers even more reason to smile with what may be her wildest, most colorful collection yet. It started with her fall line, in stores now, which was inspired by a drive Turk took from the east side of Los Angeles to Venice Beach. It resulted in "lots of big, luscious florals, which we're getting an amazing response to," Turk said backstage before the presentation of her spring 2015 collection at New York Fashion Week last month.
"In Texas, women love pretty clothes, so I think those big florals are really important," she said. "And color. We always do color."
"In Texas, women love pretty clothes, so I think those big florals are really important. And color. We always do color," Trina Turk said.
For spring, Turk continues the "big beautiful florals" theme with a collection she labels "Pop Art Flower Mart." "I was inspired by going to the downtown LA Flower Mart and everything you see there, from very expensive exotic blooms to ticky-tacky dyed carnations," she said. "We're mixing more of those really beautiful florals with a lot of geometric prints."
It ranges from shorts, tops, maxi dresses and coats in bright poppy prints to more subdued florals and pinpoint petal jacquards. An orange lace romper and "red hot" crepe hostess gown make a bold fashion statement, while languid patio dresses in a leopard and sky print or in clingy sunset pattern are made for lounging around.
Spring also includes some wild looks for men in the Mr. Turk collection, including a Thurston blazer in bright yellow or tropical tiger print (we're guessing it's named for the moneybags character in Gilligan's Island), board shorts in a colorful digital ikat print, and a pale green plaid suit dotted with orange cubes.
"If you're afraid of color, you're not a Mr. Turk customer," Turk said. "But we've noticed there are certain guys who wear it who get a lot of attention, which they love, and then they become devotees after they [become the] life of the party."
Having expanded to shoes and home furnishings, including bedding, decorative pillows and towels, Turk is now offering handbags too. "We're like a mini-lifestyle brand, and it really all goes back to the print and the color. That's been the natural evolution of how we've grown as a company. And I think that's what our customer wants from us."
And she believes the Lone Star State is the perfect place to get Turked. "Texas has always been a great market for us," she said.
Trina Turk poppy print top and doubleweave luxe Valera short.
