amy graham stigler.

The visual style of Amy Graham Stigler (Smock’s creative director and designer), and Amy’s love for beautiful and beautifully made things, dates back to her childhood in Wisconsin, where she spent her time running from pillar to post (most often barefoot), exploring and sketching the minutiae of nature. Her childhood love of art and books eventually turned into a profession: she studied art history while working at the Art Institute of Chicago and The Museum of Contemporary Art. She went on to marry her closest friend while wearing a simple gown of silk organza which she designed. Her wedding took place in a historic lannonstone building with vast terraces and views— the same spot, and the same evening, that her own parents had celebrated their vows 40 years previous. During her decade in Chicago, Amy founded the internationally known stationery company Snow & Graham. Eventually, she and her growing family left the city for a quieter Wisconsin town, so her children could grow up in the same natural landscape of her childhood.

Amy’s inspiration for Smock: engravings on silver / antique embroidered linens / monograms & family crests / the paintings of Milton Avery / farmers’ markets / vintage wallpapers / blockprinted fabrics / slightly overblown flowers / her children’s curiosity and endless questions / gardening books / old envelopes with a mess of stamps & handwriting & postmarks / hand-lettering / the photographs of Julia Margaret Cameron / design books from the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s / kindhearted people / the detailing on vintage clothes / beaches filled with endless shells, creatures and vistas / the Frick Gallery (its architecture & collections) / slightly tattered architecture / slightly tattered anything