Talking Shop with Tara to the T

The incredibly talented Etsy Dallas member, Tara Tonini, of Tara to the T, and long-time Etsy Dallas friends Doug Voisin and Andrew Bayer (the masterminds behind the fantastically hip clothing line and vintage-meets-handmade retail shop, House of Dang) have some tricks up their sleeves. The House of Dang retail space closed it's doors after the final party this past Friday. We're sad to have seen the retail space go, but House of Dang and Tara to the T have bigger and better things in the works. Tara took some time to spill all the details about their new collective studio space, StudioFourEleven, opening in the Bishop Arts District.

Etsy Dallas: Tell us a little about the first time you met Doug and Andrew
Tara Tonini: I met Doug and Andrew at one of their awesome House of Dang store events, we danced near the spiked punch bowl and it was friendship at first sight!

ED: How did the three of you decide to open a studio, together?
TT: The three of us have taken some major steps this year to take our companies to the next level. Andrew and Doug wanted to close their retail store to be able to focus strictly on their design talent and creating their HOD line, and I wanted to focus on my Sky Girls line. So we thought it would be perfect to share studio space. We keep each other excited about the fashion industry and all the unexpected turns it takes. Doug, Andrew and I, all have back grounds in different areas of fashion. Doug is involved with Runway show production, Andrew is a stylist and I have a product development and sourcing background. We all have very different and useful skills and we are able to help each other out with the growth of our individual companies. Even though we have seperate businesses we work very well together as a team.

ED: Which of you is the messiest worker? Tell the truth!
TT: Me! I've been traveling a lot for shows so I've been coming and going though town like a tornado!

ED: So opening a studio is a BIG DEAL! (congrats/squeal!) Do you have any new items on the way to celebrate?
TT: We are always brewing up something new. There are some top secret projects that will take place in the fall. As for right now, we are both finalizing our Spring 2010 lines, so there is a lot to look forward to in the new year.

ED: Do you think you'll continue the House of Dang Summer Smackdown tradition with some bangin' studio parties?
TT: We have our Open House and Trunk Show event taking place at Studio Four Eleven on Thursday September 3rd. And our Tyler Street community will be hosting block parties a few times a year. Make sure to join our blog to stay updated with our progress on the studio and upcoming events.

interview by Cheyne of Cut Out and Collect