Allison Bailey finds her inspiration through vintage pin-up girls of the retro decades. She is bringing a swim & resort wear collection to this year’s Fashion Week Tampa Bay. You can bet that these design pieces will have a vintage flare!

Here are some interesting facts from Allison!

–Why did you pursue a career in fashion? If you weren’t a designer, what else would you be doing? My career in fashion actually took a bit of time to take off. As a kid, I enjoyed fashion design related things. I remember stuffing, sewing, and hand embroidering a pillow for my mom when I was little but it wasn’t until my sophomore year of high school where I took my first fashion class. It was a fashion and interior design class that was only one semester long. The goal of the class was to create your own brand and design your own line. It was such a great class and at that point, I knew it was something I wanted to pursue. It was put on hold for a bit because I played volleyball and got offered a position to play at a school that didn’t offer any kind of Fashion Design degree. I ended up going for Business Marketing but still had the end result of fashion design in the back of my head. When I was 21, I finally made the transition, enrolled myself in the Illinois Institute of Art and learned how to thread a machine for the FIRST TIME. People thought I was crazy that I wanted to be a Fashion Designer and didn’t know how to thread a machine but I was determined to prove them wrong. I picked it up quickly and 5 years later I am on the path I want to be!

–What is the inspiration for your upcoming collection? My inspiration comes from vintage lingerie. There will be a lot of use of vintage style lines and lingerie fabrics such as lace, mesh, corsets, ECT.

–Three words to describe your new collection. Bold, Sexy, Fierce

–Guilty pleasure TV show? SpongeBob SquarePants. I wish I had further explanation as to why but I have several DVD’s of episodes and it is routinely what I watch in bed before falling asleep. I even have my DVR set to record any SpongeBob show that airs, new or old so I can watch it whenever I want. I enjoy it much more now as an adult.

–What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received and from who? My parents as a team have always given me the best advice/direction in life and I wouldn’t be where I am today without it but there is one thing that my dad always says that has made me into a much more outgoing person. His line is “what is the worst they can say?” The answer to this question is always “no.” I used to be a shy/reserved person and would get nervous about things and when I would talk to him about it, he would always ask “what is the worst they will say?” A simple answer such as “no” makes things less intimating.

–Favorite place to get coffee or tea? My house. I am an avid coffee drinker and almost always have some in hand from whatever coffee shop is near me but the most comforting place to have a cup is in my own house. I am comforted by the smell of Folgers coffee brewing when I wake up and being able to drink it on my own couch. Reminds me of home.

–One item you will never leave home without? Sounds super cliché but I have to admit that it is my phone. My whole life, personal and work is in there.

–Favorite place to travel/vacation? Myrtle Beach, SC. I have been pretty blessed and have had the ability to travel a lot in my life time to exotic and different places but my favorite vacation spot is right here in the U.S. My family has been going to Myrtle Beach ever since I was a kid. My parents vacationed there with their families growing up and it has been a summer tradition for 30+ years. What makes it the best is the people that I vacation with. It is great to get family, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents all together for a vacation.

Learn more about Allison Elizabeth Designs here: http://www.allisonelizabethdesigns.com or visit her on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. ~FWTB Stylista Rechael