Etsy

It all started with a childhood swimsuit fetish. Believing that one must always be prepared, little Caroline sometimes wore as many as three swimsuits at a time underneath regular clothing. Her little friends were wary to have her visit because they knew she would insist on inspecting their swimsuits for readiness as well.

While helping decorate the Christmas tree one year wearing her current favorite: a red and white polka-dotted, ruffle-on-one-shoulder number, Caroline realized she would soon outgrow this beautiful piece as she had so many others. The realization of the mortality of her garments, or, more accurately, the vitality of her ever-lengthening body, made her long for an artful solution to preserve and use her treasured swimsuits forever.

As little Caroline turned into big Caroline, her palate of unused clothes increased and she was forced by the virtue of "waste not want not" to find a solution. So, she did, and she found other people who found a similar solution. These days, big Caroline gets to go in search of the beautiful forever clothes that she can revive for someone in search of something spectacular and unwasteful who would not think big Caroline was unhinged if she wanted to inspect her swimsuit readiness.

Painted Oyster is all about repurposing. I use quality garments as raw materials. Why make something brand new and disposable when so much beauty remains in the old and unused? All of my garments are made completely of upcycled materials, and each garment is totally unique.

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