Inspired by Love & Roses

I am often asked by customers where the name of my store came from (Tattered Rose) So here is the short answer: My Mom.

As a young girl, I became aware of my Mother's affinity for roses, and in particular, rose printed fabrics.

She had sheer white with faded pink rose printed curtains on the windows of our house. In trade for vegetables (I think) she had acquired several yards of rose printed cotton fabrics in colours of yellow, pink and blue, which she later had made into clothing for me by the mother of a childhood friend.....skirt, top and a dress with a low slung hip sash. I wore them proudly but wish I had thought to keep them.

And then there was this oddball heavy cotton rose printed bed sheet (shown in picture) I don't know where it came from but when I left home as a young married woman, I asked if I could have that sheet. I told her I would treasure it and take care of it forever. As you can see, some 30-something years later, I still have it. To me, it will always be part of my Mother that I can love and cherish for the rest of my life.

Fast forward to 1999, when I had to come up with a name for my Way Out West spin-off store. It was going to be a very romantic, feminine version of my western store and I knew that the word "rose" had to be in the name. 

I racked my brain for days, searching for the perfect prefix to the word rose. And then, one day during the wee hours of the morning when you are not quite awake, it came to me: tattered! Tattered Rose. To me, it was the perfect blend of nonchalant beauty & imperfection.

This would evoke the charm & beauty of time-worn clothing that I preferred over brand spanking new commercially made clothing.

And that is how Tattered Rose was born. My love of roses was taken directly from the love of my Mother and her love of roses.