2011/05/01

Don O'Neill for Theia (Interview)

(from Trustyourstyle.com)
While working on my March/April column for Affluent Magazine, I recently came across the work of Don O'Neill, Irish born designer and Creative Director for THEIA. I thought you might love his bright spring collection as well as the new White Collection he's developed for non-traditional brides as much as I do, so I invited Don to stop by Trust Your Style to talk about his new Spring 2011 collection.
Born and raised in a small village in Ireland, much of Don's culture and upbringing have inspired his collection for THEIA. A dash of some good old fashioned “luck of the Irish” has helped to successfully launch the collection (it debuted in Fall 2009) during one of the harshest economic times in history and in less than 2 years since the launch, it's been sold in over 350 stores across the world and worn by top Hollywood celebs including Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood.
mj: The collection is beautiful and so luxe. What was the inspiration for this collection?
don o'neill: The Spring 2011 collection was inspired by a pastel water color painting of Poppies. The soft colors were fresh and feminine, and originally inspired a dreamy ball gown that I created for Carrie Underwood at the 2010 ACM Awards. The gown was so inspiring that the Spring collection blossomed around it.
mj: How do you define beauty for a woman?
don: I define beauty as elegance wrapped around confidence. Confident women radiate beauty! Beauty cannot and should not be defined by fashion magazines and TV sitcoms. It is redefined over and over again by confident women, who continually make us see beauty in new ways.
mj: what does trusting your style mean to you?
don: Trusting your style means to trust your instincts and to wear what you believe you look good in and feel good in. Each of us are as unique as our finger prints, and with so many designers and stores offering so many choices, we now have the freedom to express ourselves however we chose. There is no wrong or right, (even if Joan Rivers believes otherwise).
With the wedding season just around the corner, some of these soft stunners could be the answer to a bride still searching for the perfect dress. The main collection is sold at select Saks Fifth Avenue stores and Neiman Marcus across the country.


Original articles by Mary Jo Matsumoto:
http://www.trustyourstyle.com/2011/01/don-oneill-for-theia.html