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City People

Classics from the first stitch

Influences from Barbie to Ava infuse her neovintage fashions.

By ALEXANDRA ZAYAS
Published November 3, 2006

Anna Coleman will launch her Instant Vintage clothing line at NeoTrash in Ybor City next week. But it's inside the designer's 1922 arts and crafts bungalow on E Flora Street where the kitschy fabrics become classics.

Walk past the 1967 Pontiac Tempest in her driveway and the Buddha statue at her front door.

Go through the living room covered in Eastern and American modern art, filled with soft red lighting and the aroma of spicy food.

Enter the small sewing room cluttered with colorful fabric.

"It's a tight space," Coleman said. "But yeah, everything happens here."

Coleman, 30, sketches her dresses while watching Ava Gardner's curves and hem lines in Hollywood classics.

"You just can't find those patterns these days," Coleman said. "I love that whole feel, that whole glamour."

Along with Ava, Coleman is inspired by vintage Barbie dolls, minimodels of the feminine '50s. She hopes her line, much like Barbie, will be around for a long time.

"It's a play on modern," Coleman said. "But it's also retro."

That's why she calls it Instant Vintage - "instant" being the operative word. She started the clothing line five months ago after returning from a trip to Europe, where people stopped her in the streets to compliment her style.

Coleman, who has designed her own clothes for the past four years, got a photographer, a model and a Web designer to display her dresses online.

The line will hit its first boutique, NeoTrash, on Nov. 11. The store's owners have an keen eye for spotting talent among independent fashion designers.

"Her designs are amazing," said owner Tricia Thurman. "She's probably one of the most couture designers we have in the store. It'll definitely be a plus for us."

In April, her line will make its way to Europe. So will Coleman. She plans to quit her job as a local interior architect and move to Wales with her husband.

"I just feel this swirling of energy I've got to capitalize on," Coleman said.

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Coleman dabbled in fashion in high school and college, but she got her degree in architecture. She works at ASD, a corporate interior design firm in Ybor City.

One day four years ago, Coleman was cruising a fabric store when a Roy Liechtenstein art print popped out at her. She thought it would make a better pencil skirt than a pillow.

Coleman asked her mother to teach her how to read a sewing pattern, and her first creation came to life.

"It was so boxy and not hot," Coleman said of her first design. So she pinched it and shaped it and made the final product look like it was poured on.

Her mom told her, "I never would have thought to change the pattern."

Coleman's reply: "Mom, you've got to change things."

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Coleman and her husband, Kristian, are all about mixing and matching.

"We're hot rodders covered in tattoos," Coleman said. "And we love our antiques and arts."

She met Kristian, a British furniture artist, three years ago at a bar with mutual friends. They found a common bond in their love of cars.

"He's got an '80 Camaro that's souped up and obnoxious," she said. "I just thought his car was so fast."

One date and they were done, she said.

They married last year at Lowry Park, under their favorite tree. Coleman made her own tablecloths and flower arrangements and designed her own wedding dress, which took her six months and just $120 to make.

These days, Anna and Kristian Coleman like to relive the Hollywood romance of a night on the town. Kristian wears fedoras and Anna dons full-skirted party dresses.

"No one dresses up anymore," Coleman said.

But when Instant Vintage hits the racks, she hopes that will change.

Alexandra Zayas can be reached at 226-3354 or azayas@sptimes.com

Anna Coleman

Age: 30

Gigs: Fashion designer, architect

Digs: A 1922 arts and crafts bungalow in Old Seminole Heights

Pet: Cheeky, her short-haired tabby cat

Wheels: A 1967 red Pontiac Tempest with orange flames painted on the side. Coleman got the car when she was 18 and named it Nadine. "It sounded like a fast and trashy name, and she's a fast and trashy car." Coleman does all the maintenance herself.

Dream model: Ava Gardner

Favorite fashion designer: Vera Wang

Favorite food: Anything spicy

Faith: Buddhism

Clothing prices: $80 for skirts, up to $230 for cocktail dresses.

IF YOU GO

Cool couture

Instant Vintage's launch party is set for 8 p.m. Nov. 11 at NeoTrash, 1515 E Seventh Ave. To learn more, visit www.instantvintage designs.com.

[Last modified November 2, 2006, 12:30:20]