Meghann Wheelock: KCFW Q&A

Kansas City native Meghann Wheelock has a packed portfolio of brands she’s designed for, including Guess Jeans, Betsey Johnson, Target, and Dillard’s. But her personal brand, Ethel and Dean, is one of two children’s lines featured in this season’s Kansas City Fashion Week. Wheelock will be debuting a new line at Saturday’s show, but her last season, “Hook,” is an ode to the Steven Spielberg’s dreamy, magical 1991 movie of the same name. After some time working in Los Angeles, she’s back to her Kansas City roots and looking forward to showing her latest season.

What initially interested you in designing for children?

My design career actually started out in costume design. I was a ballet dancer and I started out just tweaking my costumes for our performances. By the time I graduated high school, I was designing costumes for my entire ballet company. My original plan was to continue with costume design, but I had to do a kids design project my first semester of school and fell in love with it. As a kid, I wanted to be able to wear dress up clothes wherever I went, so I was inspired to design clothing that felt like a costume while still being acceptable street clothing.

What do you find to be the differences between adult and kids fashion design?

Traditionally, I think that kids design gives you a wider scope for the imagination. You can get away with more whimsical themes and details, especially with younger kids. I used to only really like designing for what we call the “little kids” department. When I was a swimwear designer, I had a lot of accounts that targeted the “big kids” size range and ended up really liking that range (usually sizes 7-16). That transitional age was really difficult for me growing up, and I loved the idea of speaking to kids going through that stage in life through clothing. I wanted to give them something that felt cool and trendy, but not just a copy of what was happening for adults. I wanted it to still feel inspired by that whimsical idea while being applied to trend forward silhouettes and fabrics. I am also constantly trying to straddle that line between what is right for kids and what is right for adults. I want to nod towards trends like crop tops and off the shoulder styling, while still feeling like the silhouette is appropriate for a 13 year old. My short answer is that designing for grown ups is boring. 

You have a solid lineup of brands you’ve worked for, including Guess, Betsey Johnson, Target, Hula, Lauren James, and Dillard’s. How have your Kansas City roots impacted your work with these larger brands?

I like to think that I brought something old fashioned and authentic to the lines I worked on. Designing makes the most sense to me when I get to the basics of what that specific customer wants and build from there. I also think that coming from a place like KC impacted my work ethic as well as the way I related to those around me. I’ve always been a “roll up my sleeves and get it done” kind of person, which isn’t very glamorous but actually goes a long way when it comes to creating a line. 

You worked in LA for some time. What brought you back to Kansas City?

The short answer is family. I have two grade-school-age little brothers as well as an infant niece and nephew that I couldn’t stand being far away from. It’s also been very exciting to be a part of the growing fashion community here in Kansas City. My great grandmother worked as a seamstress during the KC garment industry’s heyday, and I like the idea of being a part of that legacy again.

Your Spring Summer ‘18 Collection was inspired by Hook. Is that a favorite childhood movie of yours?

Absolutely. It’s one of those movies that was watched so often that it became part of my language growing up. Until the dawn of DVD’s, our only copy was a VHS recording. It had been playing on TV, so the recording was one of those that was stopped for commercials and then started again maybe 30 seconds too late so that it cut off just a little of the scene. I remember getting the DVD and watching it for the first time and thinking, “OH! That’s what he said there.” I also always loved the soundtrack. My family is full of music nerds so movie soundtracks were almost as important as the movie itself to us. That’s where I got the name for this collection. One of the track names on the soundtrack is “From Mermaids to Lost Boys.” I had no idea that the movie was so poorly received when it came out until I grew up. I remember reading that Julia Roberts got a Razzie award for it, and I thought “Really? I always loved her as Tinkerbell”. I thought it was great that she was a girly fairy but still hung out with the boys in the woods.

What are some other areas that you pull inspiration from?

If it’s nerdy, I’m probably inspired by it. I love Tolkien, specifically The Silmarillion. It’s my go-to book for traveling or long weekends. I’m also very inspired by art and illustration. One of the looks from the upcoming Ethel and Dean line was inspired by an illustration from a children’s book. I never know what exactly is going to give me an idea. I always have a sketch book and my bag of drawing pencils with me in case I see something that needs to get sketched out right away.

What do you have planned next for Ethel and Dean?

That’s top secret! (Kidding…sort of) This season I’m going back to my ballet costume design roots. The collection is a little smaller and more focused, but I’m really excited about some of the things we’ve been able to do this season. The inspiration is Swan Lake, which is my all time favorite ballet. I borrowed some Swan Lake headpieces that I made in high school back from my old dance company to use for the runway presentation. It feels a bit like coming full circle incorporating something from my original design world into the new collection. Plus it was fun to go visit my old dance studio.

Where can our readers find your clothing?

You can shop from our website www.ethelanddean.com or send us a message if you are interested in something custom.

Ethel and Dean
Saturday Night Runway Show
March 31 at 7:30 p.m.

The Grand Hall at Power and Light
1330 Baltimore Ave
Kansas City, MO 64105