When it comes to fresh face designers, Amy Tan, creator and designer of Amy Tangerine has a corner on the market. Her line of fun t-shirts are popping up everywhere — online boutiques, trendy shops even on the backs of celebs.
On her blog, amytangerine.com, Tan describes her line as, “Fresh and juicy pieces made with creative hands in the U.S. just for you!” She first dabbled in design when she made her own prom dress in high school, now she creates whimsical tees with cute cut-outs like butterflies, happy faces and one-word phrases such as, “Hug”, “Fun” and “Love”.
In 2002 she launched her line of crafty tees and expanded it in 2005 to include a line for babies and toddlers. But her creativity doesn’t stop there, besides designing chic tees, she’s into scrapbooking, too.
Between designing, showing and scrapbooking, we caught up with the crafty designer to discuss her line:
TCS: What is the philosophy behind Amy Tangerine t-shirts?
Tan: Feel good, fun, super soft tees with a twist, made with creative hands.
TCS: Who was the first celeb your spotted wearing one of you tees?
Tan: Cindy Crawford was photographed in Glamour magazine wearing one.
TCS: Do you create custom designs and if so, what is the wackiest request you’ve ever received?
Tan: I love doing custom designs. We’ve done some cool ones for boutiques like Kitson, all the way to spas and resorts and yoga studios. I may be designing some pole dancing tees soon.
Amy Tangerine “Fly Away” layered tee, $88 at shopgreenapple.com.
TCS: So, what’s in your closet?
Tan: Way too many clothes. I wear the same stuff everyday, so it feels like the closet is more of a collection of pieces that I really like and may wear just a couple of times. I like a total mix of stuff — lots of colors. You won’t find too much black in my wardrobe.
TCS: Who’s your favorite handbag designer?
Tan: I own four bags from Flavio Olivera, three bags by Amy Kathryn, two bags by Puma and one Marc Jacobs bag.
TCS: Tees and jeans have always made a good couple, what’s your favorite brand of jeans and why?
Tan: I live in jeans. I love Robin’s Jeans. He used to be the designer for Hudson Jeans (which are also a favorite). He has absolutely perfected the fit of his jeans and I always get stopped when I am wearing them.
TCS: As a busy designer on the go, what can you not live without?
Tan: My Treo. I also always carry a gluestick with me along with a little spiral bound notebook to jot ideas down and to tear stuff out of magazines to glue in.
Amy Tangerine kid’s “Love Ladybug” tee, $48 at shopkitson.com.
TCS: Where’s your favorite place to travel for summer?
Tan: I love Southern California in the summers. Even though I live here, it feels like I never really get to experience a lot of what tourists come here for. I Love hanging out in Marina del Rey on my pink beach cruiser.
TCS: What tip for looking chic would you like to share?
Tan: Confidence is the best thing you can put on in the morning. If you’re following a trend and don’t feel comfortable in what you are wearing, looking good is hard to pull off. I go for comfort most of the time, but love the feeling of putting together a great look that I feel amazing in.
TCS: Lipstick or lipgloss?
Tan: Lip gloss. Actually, I am a huge fan of lip stains right now. I always have to have Burts Bees or Kiehl’s in my bag, both give just enough to enhance my natural color.
