Lady Love :: Christina DeSmet

Many women are exceptional, but few achieve rockstar status. The qualifications, after all, are hard to achieve. One must be fearless, confident, bold and multi-talented. Their thoughts must be filled with passion for the arts and their ability to implement must be unwavering.

Don’t let the title fool you – a rockstar doesn’t need an instrument. They can be a dancer, writer or designer; anything with passion at the core.

Since I met Christina at Michigan State, she’s been nothing shy of just that. She lives and breathes fashion. I distinctly remember her taking measurements of sorority sisters for a runway show in which she was designing a clothing line. You could just see her taking in each silhouette, calculating what shape and design would look best on them, and planning how to make each piece. No surprise, her line turned out phenomenal.

Today, she’s a fashion designer, blogger, stylist & shop owner with a New York City home base. Her blog is filled with impressive DIYs (I’m obsessed with this tassel necklace) and stunning outfit posts. She’s collaborated with industry leaders like Lauren Moffat, Ralph Lauren, and Tory Burch. Same State, her vintage e-shop, is filled with dreamy closet gems. 

Like I said, rockstar. So, without further adieu, may I introduce you to…

What does your typical day look like?

The first half of every day is spent on my blog; publishing my daily post, working on DIYs or preparing other posts for the week, and some social media business. My afternoons vary, but with the nice weather we’ve been having here in New York, I try to get out of the apartment for a little while. Whether its riding my bike to the post office to mail a vintage order, hitting a sample sale to write about for Racked NY, pulling clothes and accessories for the next photo shoot I’m styling or scouring thrift stores for vintage treasures, I like to be out and about.

Who/what inspires you?

Creative, passionate, supportive/collaborative, inspired, eager.


Ideally, I hope to be doing more of what I do now, and I’d like to have my own clothing line that I can produce here in New York. My boyfriend is a graphic artist, so we always talk about the possibility of opening a Creative Agency where we could collectively offer our services, from trend forecasting and brand development to actual graphic and fashion design.

The biggest challenge is to limit my working hours. With so many things on my plate that I am passionate about, its easy to work around the clock. Every night I make dinner for my boyfriend (who also works from home) and we have an unspoken rule that we don’t work after dinner. Sometimes I break this rule, I’ll wait until he falls asleep and then I’ll get out of bed and work for a few more hours… shhh….


For Spring, I’m very into printed jackets, so I’m loving this Tribal Jacquard Cotton Jacket, it was made in Guatemala and woven by Indians. (Note to readers: Enter SAMESTATE30 for 30% off any item in her store.)


After making sure my family was set up comfortably, I would invest in a live/work space for my boyfriend and I, and then I’d start my own line of clothing and produce it here in New York.

Sharing ideas and collaborating with truly creative people. Also, ice cream, shopping and cooking at home make me very happy.


Do what you love, surround yourself with people that enrich your life and challenge you.


A huge thanks to Christina for participating in the Lady Love series. Be sure to swing by her blog to say hi.

As an added bonus, she’s generously offered all Isn’t That Charming readers 30% off anything in her vintage shop. Just use the code SAMESTATE30 in the shopping cart.

“Lady Love” is dedicated to celebrating + supporting charming women. Whether starting a business, leading a well-balanced life, or being fabulously creative, this series is about applauding their accomplishments in hopes that they can be a source of inspiration to Isn’t That Charming readers.  Have an idea for the next feature? Email Hello@IsntThatCharming.net!