Animal Instinct

Amanda Aileen Fisher

Amanda Aileen Fisher

Amanda Aileen Fisher's fashion line has been a lifetime in the making. As a child, the Plaza Midwood-based designer spent countless summer afternoons at her great-grandparents' home in Mount Pleasant, N.C. There she stumbled upon a real treasure -- old wardrobes and dressers overflowing with vintage skirts, polyester bell-bottoms, and pillbox hats. Fisher (right) was smitten. She began to sketch her own designs and sew vintage-inspired dresses from antique textiles.

Also a talented painter, Fisher wanted to incorporate her funky animal-inspired artwork with favorite thrift store finds. "I transferred an owl painting onto felt and appliquéd it to a vintage sweater dress," Fisher, twenty-seven, says. The hobby resulted in Verabelle, a line of vintage clothing embellished with Fisher's original paintings. Find Verabelle locally at Boris + Natasha and online at Etsy.com. Boris + Natasha, 1214 Thomas Ave., 704-375-0079