Fashion Shoot and Q & A with "breadandbutter" Designer Daisy Linhares

Story and images by Courtney Dailey, Special Correspondent

Daisy Linhares is a Brazilian designer based in Venice-CA.

Her initial experience as a fashion designer began while still living in Brazil, mixing fabric with crochet and hand knitting to craft her one of a kind pieces.

Fashion has always been her passion, so in 2002, she started creating tops made from old rock and novelty t-shirts as a hobby. They turned out to be a success among her friends and interesting boutiques in LA. She named the line “Mothballs” and continued to work with recycled goods; this time with vintage cashmere sweaters to make her unique, handmade garments. They sold all over the US and UK.

In 2006, she started “breadandbutter”, a line of jersey tops and dresses made for everyday wear; combining comfort, style and versatility.

“Looking at the fast pace life style in which we live in today, getting dressed shouldn’t be time consuming; it should be simple and straight forward”.

LAFW: For your line Courtney photographed, what were your inspirations, and what are you trying to achieve? Did time periods, materials, and or textures provide inspiration?

bab: For Fall, I was inspired by modern architecture.I wanted to put a little spin on staple pieces, making a little more modern and contemporary, without giving up comfort and style. We continued to work with a color palette that is very "breadandbutter", but yet, by playing with shapes, dyes and cutouts, gave the garments a more interesting look.

LAFW: For the specific pieces photographed, do you have any specific comments regarding these items? E.g. descriptions of the materials, where you sourced them, et cetera?

bab: For some of the dresses we did a custom "Spot Dye", which is done by hand with a sponge, to create a special print to the rayon linen.

LAFW: Finally, where in LA can one purchase your items?

bab: breadandbutter can be purchased at breadandbutter.info, Kitson, Emphatic @ Fred Segal, etc.

About the photographer: Courtney Dailey was born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan; where she first found her love for photography.  Raised in a fairly liberal household her creativity was  encouraged. Throughout her childhood, she studied several artistic mediums and learned the importance of image perception.  Starting with the AE-1 she often "borrowed" from her neighbors as a young girl, Courtney photographed the fields of flowers she ran in, the fog in which she played "ghost in the graveyard" and the pets she loved. Now she takes her lessons learned and her love for  Beauty and bakes them together. She likes creating pictures moms love. She loves creating dreamy, magical images. Courtney has always believed photography has no rules. "It's a combination of imagination, creation, humor and practiced technique". In 2007, she relocated from Detroit to Los Angeles.

Courtney is in the process of "greening" her studio and is one of the few photographers who can offer eco friendly shooting options. Sites like the Huffington Post and the Daily green have featured her work for her participation in the green fashion community. Courtney recently was named as a Top 50 Endorsed Photographer by Westcott. In addition, since her arrival she has been published in magazines such as Disfunkshion, Chiffon, Vamp'd, Coco Eco, and Scratch. She has also shot for Marie Claire, Ed Hardy  and Kelly Nishimoto.