The dress/code style series spotlights creators, artists, and style icons living and working in Maine. Interviewed and photographed by Georgia Dixon, each feature captures the unique ways in which our personal styles emerge.
“There’s a real difference between dressing to hide a change, verses dressing to mark an arrival of change.”
For years there was a shop on Pleasant Street known as Corey & Co. — the studio and shop of designer Barbara Corey. Then last fall, the shop relaunched as September.By mid-spring my curiosity reached its pique and I reached out with an inquiry to interview Barbara about her designs. And while I did get to the root of Barbara’s sentiment on making clothes, most of what transpired was a much deeper conversation with both owners. A conversation about lineage in garmentry, about sartorial tendencies, and about the succession of the shop now known as September.
"Let yourself get inspired by something you wouldn’t normally associate with personal style."
Jess Barzell is a woman who does things on her own timeline. The 50-year old Pilates and strength instructor gave birth to her first child at 49 years old, and 1 year later is sharing what got her to that point, what’s changed, and where life goes from here. We got into all the good stuff, including her 3 life mantras, her top 5 wardrobe staples, and the reality TV show that expands her imagination for getting dressed.
"I love re-wearing my clothes and I don't care if I see the same people. This is me!”
Wren Manly has the smallest closet I’ve ever seen, and she’s one of the best dressed people I’ve met this year. Wren’s day job is in the museum world, but as a personal stylist she helps people understands themselves through their clothes. We met up at her apartment in the West End to talk about the art of getting dressed and the power that it holds, her trick for orchestrating thousands of outfits from her tiny closet, and the time Chloë Sevigny approached her asking, “who made your dress?”
"Beyond all the clothing and the fashion and the statements, we’re all just humans playing dress up.”
Morgan Miller is a style icon. She’s also a painter, an author, a midwife, and the founder of Soft Corner Midwifery in Bath, Maine. I joined Morgan in her newly built Georgetown home to talk about clothes, mantras, and the moments that shape us. In one of the most honest, introspective features I’ve done so far, Morgan admits that she’s never once thought about her style as much as in this conversation, which is the exact quality that makes her an icon.
"I don’t subscribe to the idea that for events you should take one thing off. I’d rather put five more things on."
Tanner Skilton, Chair of Pride Portland, local fundraising conduit at United Way, and Jibe spin instructor, joined me at Dana Warp Mill to talk about the essence of his style, from family heirloom vintage and shopping womenswear to his favorite Pride Portland style event. We also went beyond style to discuss his expansive involvement in the culture of Portland, the exercise of rejection, and the one thing he does daily to keep life in balance.
"In Maine there’s a different kind of style. It may not be what people are expecting from ‘fashion’. But it’s certainly there."
Zach St. Clair loves getting dressed. In one of the funniest interview I’ve done so far for dress/code, Zach was open about his early days of getting dressed with intention — the good and the bad — and talked with me about the evolution of his wardrobe and its influences, his favorite way of spotting new outfit inspo, and the Joan Didion words he lives by. Plus, the one garment he waits all year to wear.
"I always want to be growing. I always want to be saying, what if? That’s the essence of creativity."
Maker Betsy Leighton started her design studio, Bowerbird, in 2020. From Lucy Boston block quilted pillows, to Japanese linen aprons, to merino wool blankets, her brand has evolved over the past 5 years as she’s explored the essence of how we live with color and shape. We came together in her New Harbor studio to talk about the journey. From artistic iteration, building industry partners, and an unexpected design collaborator, she shared how retiring from her first career led to the birth of her brand.
"You know art, you go through phases of productivity and phases of self-doubt and phases of despair and then delusions of grandeur."
Much like the medium he works with, Dave Johansen’s takes tend to be colorful and electric. He swears, he goes on tangents, he’s deadpan and blunt and funny. His work spans 3 studio spaces, and when we did the portraits he asked if I was going to capture the rotisserie chicken sitting on his workbench. He likes pulp sci-fi, he thinks LEDs are disgusting, and he can’t stand neon emblazoned catchphrases. He’s been driving the same van since the early 2000s and is unapologetically “notoriously hard to get a hold of” — in short, he’s Neon Dave.
"Coming from a family of artists, we like designing. I wanted to transform something, but in a different way — like with fashion, with clothes.”
Designer and sewing instructor Apphia Mpay talks about growing up surrounded by Sape fashion in DRC, how custom tailoring has evolved over time, and where the next generation of stitchers are working in Maine.
"I really wanted to explore that impulse of, how do you make everyday clothes feel special.”
Curator Erin Arnold talks about the style and meaning in her vintage brand, Minor Works. We talked big ideas like heritage brands partnering with vintage curators, how her sell-out collections come to life, and her advice for developing personal style.
"It’s really about being in touch with what makes you feel good. For me it’s comfort. But also, have fun with it. Jewelry helps."
Cleo Brengman is the designer and creator of Ladyfine Jewelery, a brand rooted in the handcraft of carving and casting metal for custom wearables. Living in NYC prior to Portland, she has honed the art of being dressed for every occasion, all in one look.
"I was making things out of other things all my life. Before we even knew the word 'upcycled.'"
Designer and owner of Kookooshka Studio, Anastassia Gonye talks about growing up in a family of creators in Moscow, shares the underground reseller culture of the Bins, and explains the dark fairytale energy infusing her designs.
"Style ain’t about what's on you, it’s what's in you."
Louis Pickens is the owner & chef of Black Betty Bistro. He talked with me about the lifelong approach of curating his more-is-more style. More positive vibrations, more flavors, and more closet space.
"Do what makes you happy. Don't dress for them, dress for you."
Known for his signature style piece, The Brooch, longtime PMA Gallery Ambassador Dan Gifford joined me at Blind Tiger Portland to talk about getting dressed.
"The heart wants what the heart wants."
A dive into personal style, where Ryan & Rachel Adams talk about their dress codes changing over time, share their signature style pieces, and explain how comfort yields confidence.
Blind Tiger Hotel is a partner in identifying artists and designers to participate in this series. Their social space is the backdrop for interviewing and photographing each story.
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