morning distress

designer and buyer tatum jade lives in a world of dark and whimsical nostalgia. in this edition of styled by, her looks conjure the mood of the month perfectly. 

 
describe your style...

bonded innocent damsel in morning distress.

 
what or who is currently influencing your style?

i’m thoroughly obsessed with simone rocha. her whole esthetic touches my soul and really feeds my inspiration. she influences not only my style but my motivation to create for my own brand. it all comes full circle. i strongly connect with her inspiration and the people she works with. early on when i noticed her it triggered me to remember dresses i wore or really wanted to wear when i was little. or playing dress up in my moms clothes. it sparked me to lean into the joy i had putting on those clothes and mold it into what works now.

i also get inspired by the clothing itself. to capitalize on things that would technically be too old or damaged to wear. embracing or working with those imperfections makes a piece even more unique and beautiful. 

earliest fashion memory?  

i think the earliest i can remember would be when i was about 6/7 getting ready for church on sundays with my sister and granny. my sister would have been about 13/14 and we would fight over which bag matched our outfits, or what ribbon we wanted. (i really just wanted the ones my sister had because she was so cool). my memories of fashion always begin with my granny. she taught me that things don’t have to match but they can “go” and the value of keeping quality or sentimental things because they always come back around. 

what are some (or one), of the most special things in your closet?  

the most special thing in my closet is a dress my great grandmother wore. it’s tan, printed with small white flowers all over, long sleeves with a tie around the neck, tan pearl buttons and hits just below the knee. i hardly ever wear it but when i do, i make sure to make it my own. i layer a jacket or a t-shirt over it and wrap the ties around my neck sometimes. the beauty of having hand me downs is the journey it’s traveled. i like to imagine the moments it was worn or how it was worn. 

outside of buying what are you up to these days?

i moved into a work space recently where i work on my brand jaded during my off time. my work has slowly but surely come to fruition through the last couple of years. i’m trying to nail down my true esthetic and the purpose of it. i’ve been working on vintage patterns and editing them to be a little bit more modern as a way to teach myself techniques for when i’m ready to dive into my big collection.