Maila Arzadon-Suelto, the 37-year-old freelance fashion designer who created this year's illustration for Shop Local Montclair's website, emails and shopping bags, admits that the stick-thin fashionistas in her drawing of downtown Montclair are "a little bit aspirational."
"They're a little bit more hip that you'd find," she says. "But there's probably a handful of people who would look like that."
No matter. Arzadon-Suelton, who moved to Bloomfield from the Philippines when she was 15 and moved to Montclair about seven years ago, loves the town and especially the shopping and eating.
"I really truly believe in shopping local," she said. "You can get everything you need on Bloomfield Ave."
Arzadon-Suelto, who won SLM's bag-design contest this fall, received $250 in gift certificates at local stores (she chose semplice and La Belle Vie salon in Watchung Plaza, which she promptly cashed in for a massage with her husband.) As part of her prize, she also got to pick a favorite charity or nonprofit to receive $250 from Shop Local Montclair. She chose the Montclair Arts Council.
Unbelievably, nobody made this fabulous design into a Christmas card, but Arzadon-Suelto used to design Christmas cards and still freelances cards and invitations of all kinds. If you're interested, contact her here. Arzadon-Suelton's fashion designs have made their way into the lines of Talbots, Coldwater Creek and Kay Unger.
Meanwhile, to get her design on a Shop Local Montclair bag, all you have to do is buy something at one of the Shop Local stores, listed on the website.
Tomorrow, Shop Local Montclair, which has awarded $3000 in "SLM loot" this season, has its final drawing. One member of its Facebook group will get to donate $250 to his or her favorite charity.
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Comments (11)
Is she calling us fat?
I mean what's the "more hip that you'd find" bit about. Coats and scarves?
More hip that you'd find..HMM...First, I took it mean "Hip" as in stylish clothes, but now I'm not sure...
Maybe she means you don't usually see people with letters stuck to their sides..The Scarlet Letter is long dead.
I for one have always aspired to be a stick figure. I would also be happy to promote local shopping, if someone would give me $250 in gift certificates.
Watch what you wish for, Walleroo..Someone may stick it to you.
Reminds me of the 'X-Ray' women from Tom Wolfe's 'Bonfire of the Vanities', one of the most screamingly funny and dead-on novels I've ever read.
Reminds me of the 'X-Ray' women from Tom Wolfe's 'Bonfire of the Vanities', one of the most screamingly funny and dead-on novels I've ever read.
Reminds me of the 'X-Ray' women from Tom Wolfe's 'Bonfire of the Vanities', one of the most screamingly funny and dead-on novels I've ever read.
Sorry about the triple post, but I swear on a stack of Martin 80/20 Phosphor Bronze thin guage strings that it wasn't my fault!
if hip is eating outside while it's snowing in w 25 degree weather, she's right-- a little more hip than you'd really find in montclair. what's the woman on the left walking--a crab? is there like only 1 guy in this group? doesn't look like he's shopping L-O-C-A-L.
Looks all white right to me!