New Collection…New Designer…You Will Love!




Dynamic, energetic, creative, and inspiring are all words I
would use to describe designer, Marla Wynn. 
I so enjoyed my time meeting Marla by phone and listening to her vision
for women 40+ and their style. She actually is someone I have been looking for….a
youthful, relaxed, fun, affordable, stylish collection option with fit and
women’s various body challenges in mind. 
She introduces her new collection to the Home Shopping Network (HSN) Audience on Wednesday during these times:
  Also, she is
sponsoring a great giveaway with FAB OVER FIFTY.  Read her philosophy and then check out her
styles…I really believe you will be impressed with all this talented designer of
50+ is up to.  Also, if you want to speak
with Marla…here is her FACEBOOK LINK..
 Pam:  Please tell us a
little bit about yourself:  age, marital
status, mother of how many
Marla:  I’m a single
mother of two wonderful children (most of the time!) who became young adults in
the blink of an eye.  My son is going to
be 18 next month and I swear I’m still trying to get rid of the “baby
fat”!  Despite the fact that they
are just beginning their lives we have much in common.   All three of us are exploring new paths,
learning about ourselves and filled with an amazing sense of
possibilities.   At 56, I feel as though
I have this amazing bright future ahead of me and can’t even image
“retirement”.  I think it would
bore me to death.
I had a great experience working in the entertainment
industry, but I’ve really come into my own in the last couple of years and
realize that my age is an asset and represents valuable experience I can use as
I traverse this exciting new path in my life. 
 Pam:  Briefly how did you go from TV producer to
fashion design?
Marla: It may seem like a leap, but my career as TV producer
was about bringing the right type of entertainment to the right audience, a
parallel that applies to my approach in designing for women my age.  As a TV producer your job is to learn from
your audience, and as I began designing my first collection, I listened to my
friends and discovered that like myself, they were finding precious little in
traditional department stores that fit their changing lives, bodies (and in
many cases their bank accounts!). 
Unfortunately, most fashion companies don’t find it all that sexy to
design for women 40+ and are all busy chasing size 8 women in their
twenties.  I am SO GLAD because it leaves
the field wide open for The Marla Wynne Collection!
However, the “leap” took 5 bumpy years.  It was scary starting out to do something I really
knew nothing about.  Sure, I had lived in
Paris and learned a great deal from observing French women and their
magnificent style, but translating that into actual garments was challenging.  Finding financing, manufacturers and
translating my vision into a meaningful product and business has been the
hardest thing I have ever done.  There
were many tearful nights and moments of self-doubt.  But, I got up day after day and worked from
early morning to late at night.  I
applied the skills I had to the ones I needed to develop….and, finally, it is
all paying off and coming together.
Pam:  You said that
French women each have their own style and flair…how do you think that is
found and developed by a woman? What can we learn from French women?
Marla: French women don’t chase fashion….they carefully
select what will look best on them.  They
want to bring out their individuality and use their wardrobe as a canvas of
self-expression.  They are individuals
comfortable in their own skin and embrace the good, the bad (and sometimes the
ugly) and do it with such confidence that they exude a special “je ne sais
quoi” that is deeply personal.  They
buy less but buy better and accessories are key.  Scarves, necklaces, the right novelty pieces
transform the simplest outfit into a look that is highly individual and
sophisticated.
I try to give my customers that confidence by knowing that
the cut is right, the fabric is right, the styling is simple and they are free
to be their own designers….bringing out their individuality with the confidence
to know they look great.
Pam: What are the most important simple, yet elegant basics?
Marla: I encourage every woman to find a pair of smart but
comfortable pants, a flattering top, a great jacket or sweater and the
“perfect little black dress” WITH SLEEVES!
Your basics should be easy….easy to care for and easy to
wear.  Everything in my closet ties back
to black and I use accessories to make things different.  Because I travel a great deal for work, I
enjoy “basics” that are reversible or convertible some in some way so
that I can transform my look from daytime to evening easily. The  MarlaWynneCollection has a lot of these
pieces because I consider them basics. 
When I travel – it has to fit in a carry on or it doesn’t go!
Pam:  We discussed how
you are similar to Eileen Fisher….what are the similarities and the
differences?
Marla: I am a big fan of Eileen Fisher, but she has become
unaffordable, which is something I am very sensitive about as a mom with kids
in college and a new full-time business. 
I remember having two school-age children and a mortgage as the economy
tanked and the entertainment industry pulled back.  It was terrifying and scary and was not the
best time for any of us to invest in expensive clothes (however much of a boost
retail therapy provides!)  I would never
sacrifice quality, design, and fit, so I have worked hard to price my
collections so that they are something you, and I, can afford.  We both favor “flow” in our designs
and while I do include several boxy shapes, I prefer an A-line fit for tops
that fall close to the breasts but give us room at our “centerpieces!”
I admire Fisher’s success and understanding of her customer
and the use of real women as her models. Similarly, I am using real women as my
models for my upcoming fashion show at The Metropolitan Pavilion on September
29th.  I have women from 15-80 wearing my
clothes and several multi-generations of mothers/daughters/grandmothers who
will be strutting their stuff down my very first runway show! 
Pam: We discussed the problems women size 14+ face with
finding great, chic clothes…why do you think that is and how can it change in
the fashion industry?
Marla: This is a topic dear to my heart, as I’ve grown older
and know how difficult it is to find “real” role models whether in
the entertainment industry or the fashion industry.  And without enough of these high-profile role
models showing how flattering designs can look on women who are size 14+, there
is little incentive for designers to focus on either these l influential
tastemakers, or the audience they represent. Over 67% of all women in America
are a size 12+. 
 
I’m so excited to be presenting my first fashion show on
September 29th at the FAB OVER FIFTY Beauty Bash in NYC, featuring
“real” models ages 15-83. 
These are the women I design for and who wear my clothing, so it’s
important to me that my fashion showreflect them.
Pam:  What is most
important for Women 40+ to remember when building a wardrobe?
Marla: The most important thing is to realize that even
though fashion changes every season, it’s more important to buy what works with
your personal style, shape and existing wardrobe than what’s trending.  Trends come in and go out.  The basics stay.   It’s the same advice I give my daughter, but
as a young women she is still experimenting and searching for her own
style.  When you’re young almost
everything “fits”.  Most
fashion is designed to fit the youthful body. 
At our age, fit should be the number one criteria and I do think there
is something called “age appropriate” that goes hand in hand with
fit.   Every woman, even the thinnest and
fittest, thinks they have “icky bits” and they make us self-
conscious and eat away at our confidence. 
Know your “icky bits” and look for a fit that flatters your
shape with style and elegance.

Marla has the potential to do great things in fashion and I will follow her closely…thanks for talk, Marla, it was fun…call me for frozen yogurt anytime!
Have A Wonderful Wednesday and make sure you enter my
drawing for a fabulous pair of shoes!  Just
click on the LINK.

4 Comments

  1. I like her versatile, classic, and timeless styles and her pieces seem to give you a lot of options…you can dress it up or dress it down. I love the fabric and draping…its not to tight, but very contemporary…youthful appeal. I am very interested in this collection and it seems to be at the right price point so that I can buy some of it. Thank you Pam for introducing us to designers we would never otherwise know existed!!

  2. Thank you Pam for sharing with us Marla's tips, enthusiasm and collection. It's so comforting to see women who not only are entrepreneur but who also understand what women's needs and expectations are when they are not twenty anymore.
    I will definitely investigate Marla's collection!
    Thanks again 🙂
    xo,
    Anne

Comments are closed.