The blogging is back and it is going to stay back! First of all Happy Easter Holidays to all who are enjoying the nice break! As many of us humans know, the Masters is in full force and the dream of winning the LEGENDARY "Green Jacket" is way more motivating then a crystal trophy. As a lover of clothing, I would prefer the Green Jacket as well. Why am I talking about sports, right? Well this is why: About a month after I opened the store (August '11) I was doing my usual nightly research on lines, stores, jewelry, clothes for myself...I digress. I was doing my nightly research and I happen to stumble upon a new up and coming designer named Katie Ermilio. I fell in LOVE with her pieces as most people do, so I wrote her an email inquiring about the possibility/honor to carry her collection in my store. Little did I know that she would become one of my close close friends who would eventually design my wedding dress. Her clothes are amazing, any eye(fashion oriented or not, male or female) can and do see that, but what about the girl behind the garments? You may be asking yourself what this has to do with The Masters and if you are, that's good. That means you will read on to find the answer. Shoppers, I want to introduce you to one of the most talented people I know, my AMAZING friend, Katie Ermilio.
Miss. Kathryn Elisabeth Ermilio, aka, Miss. Katie Ermilio. That’s right, “KAY-tee er-ME-LEE-OO.” Say it a couple of times just to get the hang of it, because it is a name that you are going to get used to hearing…and saying. The Philly-born fashion designer is in her fourth season (her first was in Fall 2010, which she says, “I honestly can’t recall how long it took but I’m sure it all came together within moments of my first presentation.”) at the ear-perking age of only 26, and she designs with the type of class and maturity that make even the saltiest of veterans' jaws drop. While 26 may seem young and…it is for normal people, it is actually about 32 in “Ermilio” years. While most 26-year-olds are still navigating the mind-boggling paths of their youth, Katie has already completed her “fashion tenure”…well, sort of and well, yeah. A prodigy of sorts, Katie has been making clothes for herself as well as others since the age of thirteen. In fact, she says, “I can’t remember a time in my life when I was not interested in clothes. I even remember how I used to build my wardrobe when I was in preschool. I was really serious about my outfits for picture days. I always had matching ribbons for my dresses. And I remember constantly asking my Brownie Troop Leader why my uniform had to be brown.” It was obvious that style was an innate concept to Ermilio at an early age-but, that’s just it. It is innate to her. You could strongly argue that style and talent are part of Katie’s genetic make-up. Her Grandfather, Arthur Ermilio, is the genius behind one of the World’s most iconic pieces of clothing representing one of the World’s most respected and famous sporting stages of all time, the Green Masters Jacket. Yeah…let that marinate for a bit. Cool, huh? That’s a “fashion” fact that even men perk up to hear, so…I had to ask, “How to guys respond when they find out about your connection to the Masters?” She laughs. She tells me she has never been asked that question before. I get excited to hear her answer to my silly, yet necessary question. She goes on, “Diehard golf fans love that fact about my Grandfather, but the best piece of trivia is that I have the first Masters patch ever made. It was given to me by my grandfather and it lives in my safety deposit box. I know I know, I should play way more golf…” She asks me if my fiancé and I are into golf. I say, “Well…not really. Blake doesn’t play. We respect it and we enjoy the big events i.e. the Masters, but no, not really. Plus, I suck at it.” We laugh at each other and I’m glad to see she does not take offense to my lack of interest in the sport she is forever connected to, and then she continues, “Girl, I am so not a golfer. Every time I go with my Dad (Robert Ermilio) I legit just whine about all of the walking and direct sunlight and boredom that ensues.” We laugh again, this time for longer because that, that was funny.
Katie’s connection with the legendary Golf tournament is a mesmerizing fact, but…that’s not all. Nope, not even close AND the thing is, is that the next factoid I am about to tell you is equally as strong as the one that I just shared. Arthur Ermilio was not only the creator of the coveted green jacket, but he was also the personal clothier of the Princess of Monaco, and not just any Princess, but THE Grace Kelly. Again…that’s right. Like I said, you could strongly argue that style and talent are part of Katie’s genetic make-up.
While the designer’s lineage suggests her fate, it wasn’t always that way. She has always had the talent, and she has always had the eye, but it was not the path of a clothing designer that she was interested. No, Katie wanted to be in the magazine world. During college, she was an intern at Vogue, and after graduating from NYU she was an assistant at Teen Vogue. She was one of their favorites, a fact undeniably proven true the instant you meet her. She was a young woman who wanted a career in magazines and that was what she was doing and that’s where she was headed. When asked what point she decided to go down the design route, she replied, “It was actually a difficult decision for me because I knew it meant giving up my career in magazines but my little side business was growing so quickly and was becoming more or less a full time job. It was something I couldn’t ignore.” Even though she left the magazine world and committed full time to her designs she says that the experience was invaluable. The most important thing she learned was, “The importance of organization and how to perform in a fast paced environment, it’s a skill that I use every single day.”
Vogue may not be where she ended up working, but she is no stranger to the pages of the elite fashion bible. No. Katie’s hand-made pieces are on the scene and they are not going anywhere anytime soon…thank god. However, it is not just the designs themselves that make her line one of the most watched up and coming labels. Again, No. She is infectious. Everything from her demeanor to her designs blatantly displays not only what an amazing young talent she is, but also what an amazing young woman she is. Every girl or woman should have a “Katie” dress. They are pieces that are a direct representation of the kind of young woman that Katie is and we all hope to be, classy, timeless, and fun.
“When did you realize you’ve arrived?” I ask.
“I’ve arrived?”
Again, another answer that proves her own grace. Katie girl, we are glad your “side project” turned into what it did, and yes, you’ve arrived, and we couldn’t be happier.
Hope you enjoyed, XX
Morgan
Katie will be visiting Atlanta for the first time this Spring for a trunk show at Morgan Kylee. If you are
interested in attending please email us at info@morgankylee.com
