La dama: Letty Wiley.

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Meet Letty - the gorgeous girl behind La dama, which is fast becoming one of my favourite sources of inspiration and wishlist-extenders :) Letty has such a fun sense of humour, and sent through some of her style inspiration to go with the awesome pieces she holds at the store. Here's a bit about how La dama came about and Miss Letty herself.

Starting Out:
La dama started out on ebay almost six years ago. I sold mainly vintage clothing and after doing this on and off for so long I started fantasizing about started my own online boutique. That same week I came across an article about a brand called TEAMO from Mexico. Their line was inspired by the day of the day of the dead holiday and there was a picture of a girl wearing a bright orange dress with ruffles all down the side and on her wrist was a big clear skull bangle...I loved it! I carefully ripped out the page and put it up on my vision board for inspiration (the picture is still on my desk) I went to Barnes and noble one day and bought a little blank notebook and I started to write down all the designers I would carry in my fantasy store and TEAMO was number one. A short time later I talked to my friend Danielle, who only happens to build awesome websites and we threw around ideas for a couple of weeks and then La Dama was born!

The 'La Dama Vibe':
Affordable, independent style that strikes a balance between distinctive, fashion-forwardness and classic, simple luxury.

The Plans:
I'm working on getting some yet-to-be-revealed designers for fall that I am really excited about. Making more jewelry for the store, it's such a cool feeling to know that someone out there is wearing and loving something that you made with your own little hands. I'm also dying to take a trip of some sort because I haven't had one for years! I'll probably go to New York with my best friend in September to check out some showrooms and maybe go to a fashion show or two.

The Trend Forecast:
I'm not quite sure. I just wear what I like and whatever peaks my interest. I love hair braiding and variations of it. Also, moto jackets, backpacks, and a return to easy dressing, which I have to say is my favorite! Long breezy tanks that double as dresses and body jewelry, which I love... perhaps all in conjunction. Later this summer, La Dama is getting some great simple, yet incredibly wearable, pieces from Sophomore that will be really condusive to this look. We will also be getting Lonely Hearts Lingerie, which will look pretty fantastic underneath with just a little bit of a peek-a-boo.

On Bloggers:
I think they are great. Fashion bloggers have started to take over the world in the last couple of years. Where you used to see celebrities in front rows at fashion shows, now you see the bloggers. This all makes perfect sense to me because they are representing us..the everyday person, so when someone like Rumi from fashiontoast posts something about a new designer shes into, you can be assured that her thousands of readers will be researching that same designer in minutes because the chances that they can afford them are pretty good. I wouldn't be where I am today with La Dama if it wasn't for the fashion bloggers who took a chance on my new store 9 months ago. Rumi, Krystal from whatisrealityanyway, Vanessa and of course you Margaret!

The Future:
Eventually I want to expand the store and sell vintage. I was doing it when La dama first opened but I didn't like mixing the old and new in the same category, so I have something special planned to separate the two...but that probably won't happen for a little while and I don't want to give away too much.