Kristin Costa had been into fashion design for as long as she can remember. Her first outfits were made for her friends when they re-enacted their adaptation of Gone with the Wind in fourth grade. “The costumes were made out of felt and glue,” the chirpy 25 year-old designer recalled over the phone. “I think my mom still has one of them in a closet somewhere.”
Since then, Kristin’s inspirations have been historical fashion, theater, steampunk, and art. “I love looking at fine art and historical costumes. What’s awesome about steampunk, especially, is the Victorian aspect, and I’m drawn to what comes from the past that’s really fantastic and regal.”

The outfits were a fascinating mix of ready-to-wear items and theatrical set pieces. I adored the perfect mauve-patterned dresses and the flirty brass-buttoned skirts, along with the bold cuts in menswear. The result was both showy and wearable, a mix worthy to display both in department store windows and beneath stage lights.