By: Alva Ree
A couple of years ago, Flying Solo, an international talent-seeking multibrand boutique in SoHo, set its sights on Paris-based designer Liina Stein. Originally from Estonia, Stein is known for her unique style and bold statement pieces. Having established herself in Paris, the fashion-forward and audacious street style of New York was the perfect next step for her.
After two successful runways at New York Fashion Week, Stein discovered what she loved most about New York. In contrast to fashion capitals like Paris and Milan, where everyday style tends to be practical and, from a designer’s perspective, rather dull, New York is refreshingly different. Here, people embrace unique styles daily, and compliments flow freely when someone looks great.
From Couture to Everyday Wear
As a couturier to royal French families in Paris, Stein fulfilled her creative needs through grand festive events and galas held a few times a year. However, her passion for everyday fashion and unique style lay dormant for many years. In New York, she rekindled that passion with clothes she originally tailored for herself, catering to her specific taste and figure, which average department stores could not accommodate.
This led to the birth of Liina Stein Denim—a collection of simple everyday garments with a twist: big golden and silver heart-shaped buttons, dramatic roses, and antique leaves, along with sexy corsets and tops. The collection includes classic jeans, blouses, and jackets infused with a hint of 70s funk. And, of course, there are the dresses.
A Love for Leather
One distinctive feature of Stein’s creations is her love for leather. Her dresses with leather straps have become famously recognizable in Estonia and France. Naturally, leather has found its way into her Denim collection as well. Think classic denim dresses wrapped in veg-tanned leather and sexy denim tops paired with pink leather straps, making a bold statement: the party doesn’t start until madame arrives. While these leather straps may seem intimidating at first, they exude confidence and sexiness.
A Colorful New Collection
Liina Stein’s new denim collection, now available at Flying Solo, brings fresh styles and colors—raspberry pink and mint green. Of course, there is room for traditional blue, all complemented with various artistic golden buttons. The collection offers many options for combining garments with one another and is also suitable for styling with existing wardrobes. There are jackets, blouses, tops, skirts, and trousers—the whole shebang.
Looking Ahead: “I Love Your Coat”
It makes one wonder, what’s next. And it seems that Liina has it all sorted out for the upcoming fall/winter season. “When I came to New York last fall for New York Fashion Week, I had an elegant coat made of very colorful wool that I made for myself. Wherever I went, I heard people say, ‘I love your coat.’ That’s what our new collection of coats is going to be named: ‘I Love Your Coat.’ And there’s everything to be loved—bright colors, luxurious mohair wool, and modern cuts. They are going to be a good match with our denim collection.”
That’s not the first time fashion Liina created originally for herself later became an actual collection. Liina believes that’s great: “Often, creators are held back by thinking about what people will like, wondering if it will sell, be acceptable, or profitable—every word like that stabs art and creation right in the heart. It’s just the stairway to mediocrity. Creating something without keeping all that practicality in mind can lead to wonderful things, creations not forgotten, but celebrated with memories of people who wear them. And if there’s enough of them, sometimes even appreciated many decades later.”
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Published by: Nelly Chavez
