Line: Serpico
Background: Studied graphic design at Loyola University and while in her first job, found it wasn’t for her. Went to the School of the Art Institute for fashion design, graduated in May 2006 and unveiled her first collection just over a year later.
The Pieces: Classic designs that feature unique patterns, details and draping, high-quality fabrics and lots of experimentation with embellishments. “I like to use techniques that would have been made the same 100 years ago.”
Designer inspirations: John Galliano, Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld.
On being a designer in Chicago: “The press here is very generous. You meet people who are excited about your work and want to help.”
Chicago inspirations: Chicago architecture and the Art Institute, both the school and the museum. The different seasons, too. “In the dead of winter, you want to wear interesting clothing. It’s inspiring to keep winter clothing interesting.”
What to look for: A new Serpico studio/storefront opening up this June at 1514 N. Ashland, with room for both creating and hosting sales and events.
Where to find Serpico: Lissa on Maxwell, Michelle Tan, Totem (Hinsdale), M. Santana (Forest Park). Studio-808.com, melissaserpico.com

It’s a slightly less frigid Saturday afternoon, and I’m on the second floor of a brick Lincoln Park building. Racks of clothing and tables of jewelry are lined neatly around the room, a DJ spins and the small crowd of shoppers is eager to score brand spankin’ new spring pieces or ridiculously marked down samples from designers like Earcandy, Serpico, Lara Miller and Little Black Dress. It’s the very first Ultimate Designer Trunk Show from Studio 808, an online boutique devoted entirely to the creations of Chicago fashion and accessory designers, and as women dash in and out of the fitting rooms with their finds, it’s clear the energy here is full of more passionate excitement than at any chain retailer.

Studio 808 is the brainchild of Erin Creany, a former stylist and rabidly devoted fan of Chicago designers. An East Coast native, Creany wanted to share our emerging talent with friends and clients back home, making access to an Orlando Espinoza dress as simple for a Brooklyn babe as for a Wicker Park gal. The site features three core designers, Espinoza, Miller and Melissa Serpico, while Creany will weave in new names each season. For shoppers the site is designed to make the unique, fashion-forward designs available across the world. But the artists benefit from more than just exposure. “It’s also a testing ground for emerging designers to see what will sell.” Naturally, the Web site of a former stylist is about much more than buying a single piece. The site offers style advice as well as an online stylist, whose expertise can help you craft the perfect head-to-toe look. “There are pieces of Serpicos that will work well with a Lara Miller. So I focus on the whole picture, the whole outfit.”

While Creany plans on hosting quarterly trunk shows (look for the next one in June), her focus in the meantime is on not only bringing Chicago fashion to the masses, but offering an extra boost to designers on the brink. “There’s a definite need for this. Designers need a support system, an umbrella.” (Molly Each)

Visit studio-808.com for more information and a peek at the local talent pool.

Melissa Serpico’s Pilsen studio is warm and inviting. Sun streams through the tall windows, U2 plays in the background and design tools lay on tables in a disheveled organization. It’s a space that allows creativity to flourish, and this local fashion designer’s creative juices have been running rampant. Her collections have been the talk of the town, thanks to a successful showing at Fashion Focus as well as a string of trunk shows across Chicago. I head to her studio to see what all the fuss is about, and I am granted a guided tour of her exquisite fall collection.

She holds up a black silk blouse with a taffeta flower attached, and I marvel at the fabric contrast. Italian brocade, silk organza, leather, patent leather—no material is off-limits to Serpico, who credits the boldness of her ideas to her graphic-design background. She graduated from Loyola with a design degree and took a job at a local firm, soon discovering the nine-to-five job wasn’t for her. “I couldn’t work at a desk. I was much more interested in working with my hands,” she says. After the company went bankrupt, Serpico’s wish was granted. She enrolled at the School of the Art Institute for fashion design, graduated in May 2006, and just over a year later, this fall, she was unveiling her first collection.

She shows me a fitted off-white sweater with thick black yarn woven through in large curlicues, then a black cotton tee with patent-leather detailing. Her clothing is wearable, but with intricate details that make them couture-ish, which is just what her clientele wants. “I’m targeting women who don’t follow the trends,” she says, “who want to wear clothing that is exciting to them. And by keeping things classic customers will stick around.”

I’m officially a Serpico convert when I try on a silver-and-cream Italian brocade cropped jacket. The fit, the fabric—it seems as though it was made just for me, a rarity in a world of mass-produced clothing. With this gift, Serpico seems poised to build a life-long fan base. The neutral colors, perfect cuts and plenty of dress up/dress down versatility mean her designs flatter anyone from ages 19-90. And the quality of the hundred-percent natural fabrics, plus the sleek, timeless designs, mean that Serpico’s pieces will hang in closets for years to come. (Molly Each)

Stop by Serpico’s studio at 1932 South Halsted, Suite 202, on November 9 during the Pilsen Second Fridays event, or check out her Web site for more information, www.serpico-collection.com