She eschewed the formal training in favour of a more natural approach—her innate talent for seeing the potential for new life in vintage designs

PREVIOUS PAGE: Inspired by Broadway, Nicholson’s stripe satin pants. ABOVE LEFT: Inspired by swinging London, Nicholson’s lace dress. TOP: Jennifer Nicholson. CENTRE: Her Santa Monica, Calif. boutique, Mme Pearl. ABOVE: Marrying 1920s and 1970s Parisian inspiration, the lace bustleback skirt. LEFT: London-inspired gold ribbon top and pant.

ENNIFER NICHOLSON is unlike most fashion designers. More than just a designer, Nicholson, a true fashionista, ‘loves’ to collect various pieces to add to her personal collection as well as sell in her store, Mme Pearl. Born in Southern California and educated in Hawaii, Nicholson travelled around the globe with her entertainment (actor Jack Nicholson)–artist (Sandra Knight Stephenson) parents since the age of six.
   Jennifer Nicholson comes to fashion design by way of the back door. Not your typical designer, she eschewed the formal training in favour of a more natural approach—her innate talent for seeing the potential for new life in vintage designs by changing the colour and giving the garment a more modern sensitivity. Friends visiting Nicholson’s home would end up hanging out in her closet and asking Jennifer to help them find unique pieces like those in her closet.
   ‘I collected vintage fashion for a long time. I played with designer and vintage clothes. I was known for taking vintage things and cutting them up and reworking them the basic garment to make it new.’ Nicholson stated. ‘My mother sewed a lot growing up and she taught me how to do it. She used to make all her own clothes and she would translate things into any fabric.’
   The items found in her Santa Monica, Calif. store, Mme Pearl, range the gamut from her own designs to Galliano, Stella McCartney, and Imitation of Christ among others.

CONTINUED