Tara to the T

Tara Tonini left Los Angeles about three years ago to work as an accessories designer in Dallas. But the corporate world wasn’t for her, so she quit last January to start up her own accessories business, Tara to the T. Part punk rocker, part mod pin-up, the 23-year-old is all business.

“I started out as a belt manufacturer, designing belts,” she says. “That turned into wallets and bags. And then I started doing hats for fun, and it turned into a business.”

She makes felt fedoras in shades of chocolate, plum and ochre, embellished with dramatic plumes and eye-catching brooches. There are black-and-yellow plaid and grey-flannel newsboys, as well as jewelry made from antique keys and other brass objects. Her accessories line includes interesting barrettes and fascinator headbands of perfectly placed feathers.

Her inspiration, she says, comes from reading about old Hollywood, particularly Kenneth Anger’s “Hollywood Babylon”, which focuses on celebrity scandals before 1960.

“I pick out old celebrities and I design hats for them,” she says. “Like, I have a Jayne Mansfield hat because she’s from Oak Cliff.”

Tonini’s eponymous fashion line includes her “Sky Girls” collection, which is inspired by 1960s flight attendants’ uniforms.

“My great aunt was a flight attendant in the ’50s and ’60s, and her uniforms were designed by Valentino. And then I found out that Pucci designed for Braniff, and all the major European designers made stuff for airlines, so I thought, ‘What a great idea to bring back,’” she says.

WEBSITE: taratothet.com

PRICE RANGE: $12-$75

CONTACT: info@taratothet.com