Photo by: Daniel Ortiz. Kate Kills Pretty Debuts at Houston Fashion Week. Jewelry by Lauren Craft
Photo by: Daniel Ortiz. Kate Kills Pretty Debuts at Houston Fashion Week. Jewelry by Lauren Craft
Photo by: Daniel Ortiz. Kate Kills Pretty Debuts at Houston Fashion Week. Jewelry by Lauren Craft
Photo by: Daniel Ortiz. Kate Kills Pretty. Jewelry by Lauren Craft
Photo by: Daniel Ortiz. Kate Kills Pretty. Jewelry by Lauren Craft
Article taken from Fashion Houston 2011
Kate Kills Pretty was inspired by the designers childhood growing up in rural Hawaii. Beauty and reckless abandon. Nature and inhibition. Finding something you love, that is uniquely you, and sharing it with the world – whether it’s a perfect dress or a fashion line.
Which brings us back to Kate.
As a teenager, Aries idolized Kate Moss – not because she was beautiful, but because she treated fashion as a personal playground. She wore things “no one should wear”. She did things “no one should do”. No matter where she went, or what she did, her look was always, uniquely, her.
She always killed it. Even if it wasn’t always “pretty”.
So that’s the genesis of the name. Let’s talk about the evolution of the line.
So who is this “Kate” person, anyway, and why is she killing pretty?
Before we can answer that, we need to tell you a little bit about the label’s owner and designer, Aries Milan.
As a little girl growing up in rural Hawaii, Aries discovered early on that she had an eye for beautiful things.
She and her sister, August, would fill their days searching the idyllic jungle they called home for the most exquisite trinkets nature had to offer – delicate seashells washed ashore by the pounding surf, jet black lava rocks worn smooth by the roaring river, and a kaleidoscope of colorful leaves and flowers, just beckoning the girls to weave them into their next adorable creation.
But they also had an eye for fun.
Whether it was the wild horses they would coax with apples so they could jump on their backs and ride them until they fell off, or the tall, limber Guava trees they would climb and hold on for dear life as they swayed back and forth during a typhoon, the sisters attacked life with the sense of wonder and joy that all children inherently feel, and most adults, unfortunately, forget.
And that’s what Kate Kills Pretty is about. Beauty and reckless abandon. Nature and inhibition. Finding something you love, that is uniquely you, and sharing it with the world – whether it’s a perfect dress or a fashion line.
Which brings us back to Kate.
As a teenager, Aries idolized Kate Moss – not because she was beautiful, but because she treated fashion as a personal playground. She wore things “no one should wear”. She did things “no one should do”. No matter where she went, or what she did, her look was always, uniquely, her.
She always killed it. Even if it wasn’t always “pretty”. So that’s the genesis of the name. Let’s talk about the evolution of the line.
For her debut collection, Aries has been lucky enough to collaborate on several of the pieces with her friend and Houston fashion icon, Toni Whitaker. For over 25 years, Toni’s name has been synonymous with elegant, wearable couture, and her contributions to the Kate Kills Pretty Spring 2012 Collection are no exception.
But Aries knew she needed her lifelong confidant and partner in crime – her sister, August Milan – by her side as well. And though August still lives in Hawaii, when her sister called, the phone was barely back in the cradle and she was on the next plane to Texas.
Together they have crafted a whimsical recollection of their youth, spiked with a neon flash of rebellion, tempered by that most feminine of human qualities – a desire to look and feel pretty. But as a stylist and boutique owner (not to mention mother of a teenage daughter), Aries also knew her looks would not be complete without the perfect accessories. So she asked her good friend and fellow Houston entrepreneur, jewelry designer Lauren Craft, if she could provide signature, custom designed, hand-made pieces for the collection. And Lauren was gracious enough to consent.
So that’s the story of Kate Kills Pretty in twenty-five words or less. Well, maybe a few more than twenty-five, but we tried to keep it short and sweet. Because, let’s face it, it’s about the clothes, not the words. And for what it’s worth, we love our clothes. We hope you do too.
