Photography by Ashley Gieseking
Clothing Designer: Christian Dior.
Local Boutiques: I don’t do a lot of shopping, but I love vintage stores.
Luxury: Purses.
Personal Style: Bohemian.
Local Restaurant: Anthonino’s Taverna.
Takeout: Mom’s Deli.
Weekend Getaway: Camping in the Ozarks.
Day Off: Relaxing—read, watch movies, play video games.
Cocktail: Captain and Diet Coke.
Dessert: Cheesecake.
Recent Books: J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Anne Rice’s The Tale of the Body Thief.
TV Shows: Crime dramas like NCIS and CSI.
Movies: Titanic and the Harry Potter series.
Website: Pinterest.
Musicians: Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney.
Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, Emma Watson, Anne Hathaway.
City in the World: Paris.
Inspiration: The overall inspiration for my line is Paris, but I’m also inspired by life experiences, nature, quotes—whatever hits me at the time.
Unfulfilled Ambition: See my designs on the red carpet.
Long-Term Goal: Help grow St. Louis’ fashion industry.
Discovery: Following your dreams can be a very tough road, but it’s worth it.
Rule of Design: Would I wear it? I don’t put anything in my collection that I wouldn’t wear.
FYI ABOUT LB
In the few years since it launched, Bander’s fashion line, LB (facebook.com/LBdesigns), has quickly become one of the most buzzed-about local labels. After working at a few local boutiques, Bander started designing and creating pieces for now-defunct boutique The Little Black Dress in 2009. She quickly realized that designing was her passion. Since then, she has shown her designs at fashion weeks across the nation, making an appearance at New York Fashion Week in February. Bander’s label primarily focuses on romantic high fashion and couture, with formalwear and cocktail dresses.
