Story Starters
Vintage Lace
It all began with a love of lace. As a child, Christine gravitated to her Scottish grandmother’s wardrobe full of lace, hankies, and bows. Her devotion to lace has been a passion and constant throughout her career, with Christine first scouring estate sales, flea markets, fabric stores – anywhere she could get her hands on it. In the 80s she distinctly remembers a trip to Burano, Italy where she witnessed women making lace on their doorsteps – once gain fuelling her passion.
Lace is, and always has been, her primary inspiration and almost always tells her what it wants to do. When you put antique lace under a microscope, Christine calls the detail extraordinary – beautiful and delicate – and she wanted to share that with people.
She has always considered lace a work of art, as is evidenced by her personal collection that she has held close and will once again incorporate into her anniversary collection.
Vintage Lingerie Collection
Christine also collected vintage lingerie from the Edwardian and Victorian periods – bloomers, lace tops, combinations, along with gowns from the 1930’s. She was fascinated by the detail, the pin tucks, and bias cuts. Today, her personal collection of some 40 pieces of vintage lingerie are treasured items that
she has on display. In addition to her own scavenging, Christine relied on someone she called the “lace man” – a traveling salesman who would bring his finds from throughout the US to Christine. One such item is a 1920s lace dress made in France by the Boué sisters – it is the most exquisite, delicate piece of all lace with their signature handmade roses.
Iconic Whimsical Wrap
The now iconic Whimsical Wrap, which featured antique lace, rosebuds, and appliques, was inspired by Christine’s trip to Burano, Italy, where the art
of handmaking lace reignited her passion for lace. That same wrap became one of her brand stars during her first big sales trip was in the early 80s
to New York. For Christine, it was the beginning of lingerie breaking out of function and into fashion. She would soon see her infamous Whimsical Wrap displayed prominently in the windows of New York City’s finest department stores and the top stars of the time began to wear her brand, including Cher, Elizabeth Taylor, Oprah, and Lauren Bacall, and both Linda Evans and Joan Collins wore pieces on Dynasty. Christine knew that the time of romance in lingerie had begun.
The Year Ahead
Lingerie will lead in 2023 as evidenced by the fall runways shows of the major designer houses, and reported by WWD, spring 2023 is going to be a dynamic one for lingerie dressing, both day and night.
For Christine, this is further evidence of the staying power of lingerie. The Christine brand is well positioned to meet the demand. Over the past year, public displays of lingerie as outerwear have included Rihanna shopping in her ‘nightie’, Hailey Bieber out for lunch in her pyjama set, JLo traveling in her silk PJs, Sam Smith attending an awards’ event in a lacey short robe, and Victoria Beckham wearing a slip dress to her son’s wedding.
Silks for Men
In late 2020, Christine introduced the Morton line for men in celebration of her family name. Silk boxers and robes are the foundation of this line, and like women, Christine believes that, regardless of gender, the slither of silk is an experience not to be missed. It began with a silk waffle robe trimmed in silk charmeuse and boxers, and for the 50th, Christine has designed her own print – Farris – in black, gray, and white for new tailored, menswear pajamas with matching robe and boxers, in solid colours, to match.
The Christine Demographic
Christine is designed for all age demographics, knowing there are young people in their 20s who save for that special first piece and there are some – like her 98-year- old mother – who still gravitate to wearing sensuous silks.