Local Couture: EmersonMade

Saturday, October 1, 2011

London Coat, $315. Color-blocked like the 1960s long day coats. Cut in fine black and white wool, with corresponding color-blocked lining, glossy dome buttons and a removable collar that transforms this to a shell coat. Coordinates well with Emerson Little Black Mod Dress. Gunmetal skinnys, $198. These are cut to help make a fine shape and fit beautifully into boots or look hot with heels or flats. They get better with every wash and are extremely versatile all year long. In dark gray stretch denim with front and rear pockets, bronze hardware, navy stitching and zip fly. Photo courtesy of EmersonMade.

More Info

EmersonMade, Portsmouth

(603) 319-8361, www.emersonmade.com
Online sales only

A cut above for style and comfort.

Ryan and Emerson Fry travel the world for comfortable fabrics and style trends. They bring it all home to their farm in Lee to put it all together for "women who love clothes," as Emerson puts it.

As former New Yorkers, the couple enjoy their new rural property for raising heritage breed pigs and maintaining an organic garden.

In the clear air of New Hampshire, Emerson, with a background in fine art painting, sketches up her designs for dresses, jeans, blouses, jackets and coats - clothes she personally would wear. Inspiration occasionally comes from the clothing trends that worked in the past. You'll find a nod to the 1960s in simple A-line designs or an homage to the 1950s in flattering shirtwaist dresses. Emerson's jeans are all about fit and fashion with a dropped waistline in both the skinny jeans shown here or the nod to the 1970s with bell flair at the bottom. All these retro-inspired designs work better in the present with modern fabrics and their weave that allows for a better fit and drape.

Most of the clothing is sewn in workshops in Manhattan, but a new shoe line is being produced in Portugal. Other lines being developed include jewelry and perfume. On a higher end, they plan to produce what they call their GoldLine of jewelry for women who collect luxury pieces.

In a supporting role, Ryan maintains the farm and the website and also does the fashion photography to illustrate the site. As in the photo here, Emerson can often be seen modeling her designs - in a few just hanging out on their farmhouse porch.