Dressing Up with Sarah Mae Ettinger
Sarah Mae Ettinger and I are kindred spirits when it comes to our philosophy. We both find joy in the art of dressing and staunchly believe in the transformative power and significance of adorning oneself. Ettinger has crafted her career around this very ethos. A constant companion in her journey has been the lingering question – "Well, it’s [insert day of the week here], so why aren’t you?" This inquiry paved the way for a love affair with overdressing and eventually to her dream role designing for the iconic Kate Spade. Yet, as fate would have it, the turbulent waves 2020 swept away that dream job, leaving Ettinger at a crossroads.
Facing adversity head-on, she bounced back in just six months, bringing MAE into the world. This brand is the result of her redefined presence in the fashion scene, showcasing an unapologetic style – timeless, vibrant, playful, and steeped in nostalgia. Picture her with a cocktail in hand, rocking her favorite outfit – every MAE piece tells a story of passion, resilience, and the thrill of embracing the unpredictable.
Sarah Mae Ettinger
I had the joyous opportunity of sitting down with Sarah to discuss all things fashion, career, and inspiration. Cheers to unyielding spirit and sartorial tales!
Could you tell me about your background and how you found yourself in fashion design?
My full name is Sarah Mae Ettinger - I find that in the North, people call me Sarah, but in the South, I’m always Sarah Mae (southern accent required) - the double name has really grown on me as I’ve gotten older. I grew up outside of Washington, DC, and I now live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with my husband, Lucas, and our mini Aussie, Josie.
I’ve known fashion was my path for a very long time. My mom taught me to sew when I was about 13, and her incredible guidance definitely played a pivotal role in nurturing my interest in the field. I was lucky enough that my high school actually had a fashion program, which encouraged students to design and create collections each year for an annual charity fashion show. I swear sometimes my mom will look at MAE pieces now and say, ‘doesn’t that look like your 10th-grade blah, blah, blah’ - I’m VERY consistent, to say the least (!). Obviously, our technique has gotten much better ;)
So by the time college applications approached, I was absolutely set on studying fashion. I attended Washington University in St. Louis, where I studied fashion design and art history. Each summer I secured internships in New York, first with Marchesa, then Michael Kors Collection/Runway, and then ultimately at Kate Spade, where I landed my first job. I worked at Kate Spade for 6.5 years - I like to say I grew up there because it was so transformative for me both professionally and personally. It was at Kate that I really learned how the fashion industry works, the ins-and-outs of sourcing and production, and also narrowed in on my own design aesthetic.
When COVID rocked the world in 2020, I, like so many in the fashion industry, found myself laid off from my job. I had no idea it was coming, and, to be honest, I was devastated. Working for Kate Spade had been my dream since 10th grade, and it was a hard pill to swallow.
A few months later though, I started going back through old sketchbooks and realized that I had been sketching the ‘mae’ logo over and over without even realizing it. And within 6 months of my layoff, MAE was born! All produced in NYC with the highest quality fabrics out of Italy, France, and South Korea. Turns out I had a different dream all along.
Can you describe your design aesthetic and the signature style that sets you apart from other designers?
I would describe my design aesthetic as classic and timeless with a playful, bold twist. I gravitate toward sophisticated, clean silhouettes with a focus on simplicity and tailoring. I’m also a total print and color maven (I thank Kate Spade for that!) - the bolder, the better, and I’ve never met a polka dot I didn’t like. Bows also play a huge role in my signature style, and they are part of what the brand has become known for. I have a whole design philosophy about bows feeling like part of a garment and never, as my old boss used to say, ‘slapped on’ (ha!). In such a trend-driven world, I believe MAE’s combination of perfectly tailored, classic silhouettes and our distinctive use of color, print, and bows has helped to create a signature design identity that sets us apart.
If you had the opportunity to journey back in time to a specific historical period, which would it be?
Such a fun question!! If I had the opportunity to travel back, it would undoubtedly be to the 1950s. The style of that decade has left an indelible mark on my entire career, both in the realms of fashion and fine art. Experiencing it firsthand would be nothing short of incredible.
Some of my personal style icons were thriving during the 50s - Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Sophia Loren, to name a few. Not to mention some of the most influential designers of all time were at their height - Charles James, Christian Dior, Pierre Balmain, Jacques Fath - I would sell my soul to have lunch with one of them! The 1950s was also the rise of the abstract expressionism movement, think Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, who are two of my favorite artists of all time. Needless to say, I do think I was born in the wrong decade sometimes!
How did your collaboration with Scalamandré come about? Can you shed light on the design process?
So it was really a series of kismet events that led to the collaboration. In the Fall of 2022, I was at a trunk show in Charleston, SC, where Laurel Potter, the Creative Content and Communications Director for Scalamandré, wandered in. She mentioned she had heard of MAE through Instagram before and when she saw the sign out front just had to come in! We immediately hit it off and continued to connect back in New York City. Within a few months, we pitched the idea to the Scalamandré design director.
During the first meeting, we discovered that the Italian fabric mill that I work with to create many of my fabrics was the same mill that Scalamandré uses - literally how crazy is that?! Since the fabric mill had already created the zebra print for Scalamandré previously, they were able to translate the iconic print into a woven jacquard in just a few weeks. It was so perfect that we literally had no comments and proceeded into garment sampling right away.
The Scalamandré team graciously gave me free rein on the silhouettes - I think aesthetically our visions are so aligned that it was easy to design into pieces that I knew would work for both brands. Not to mention, the iconic zebras lend themselves to very clean, tailored silhouettes because of the nature of the print’s repeat.
Once the pieces had come to life, we went back and forth for weeks deciding on how to do the photoshoot, but ultimately landed on the Plaza Hotel because what’s more iconic than that?! We wanted to include an ode to the wallpaper’s unique history as well - it originally was created for Gino of Capri, a famous Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side - so we included a full Italian room service spread! It was truly one of the most fun photoshoots we've ever done!
We had an amazing time with the Scalamandré team and are SO excited for what’s to evolve with our partnership!
Design crush, dead or alive?
It has to be Elsa Schiaparelli - the queen of fashion herself! She was such a visionary in her time and truly had the most unique design sensibilities. She was one of the first designers to collaborate with fine artists (check out her lobster dress that she did with Salvador Dali; it’s iconic!) and also pushed the envelope in terms of raw materials. Her appreciation for classic, clean silhouettes and bold color and pattern (and BOWS!) makes me identify with her so closely aesthetically. Not to mention that she literally invented a shade of pink - who does that?!??! Incredible.
For the sake of future generations, what legacy do you wish to leave?
I aspire to leave a legacy centered around timeless and intentional design. While I hope that future generations know my name, I fully intend for our pieces to live in their closets. I am committed to creating pieces that truly last, and I want our legacy to be a visible representation. That’s a large part of why we create small batch, limited edition collections - in the same way that artists create numbered pieces of their works. I want to ensure each piece is a work of art in its own right - who would throw out art, right? ;)
Is there a historical figure, whether real or fictional, that you regularly draw inspiration from?
I am a die-hard Audrey Hepburn fan. The first time I watched "Funny Face," it was like a religious fashion experience. Then I watched "Sabrina," and my mind exploded - the Givenchy gown?! Unreal. Her relationship with Givenchy at the time was so revolutionary - I can’t think of another designer/movie star duo that has had such an impact on the fashion world as those two. I reference the pieces they created together in Hepburn’s films regularly.
If you could collaborate with any designer dead or alive, who would it be?
I’m going to give you two answers :)
For a designer that’s passed - my gut reaction would be Schiaparelli, as she’s my crush, but I think I would actually have to say Charles James. He was an American designer in the 1950s and became known for his truly exceptional, architectural designs. His ball gowns are literal pieces of art. Back in 2014, I was just moving to the city, and the Met’s Costume Institute had curated the Charles James: Beyond Fashion exhibit - I went six times. It is, to this day, the best fashion exhibit I’ve ever seen. Should I ever be lucky enough to create a couture collection, he is who I would want at my side - I’m not sure anyone will ever understand garment construction quite like he did!
As for a designer that’s alive, I would say Jonathan Adler - which I recognize is quite a departure from the rest of my answers! I am a DIE-hard Jonathan Adler fan - his approach to color and pattern resonates so closely with my own, and I have decorated both my home and the MAE studio with his pieces. I would love to branch into interiors one day, so I would absolutely kill to do a collaboration with him!
What’s next for MAE?
SO many things! Most immediately, we have our holiday capsule dropping this month and then in December a little surprise with Scalamandré (hint, hint!). Long term I have big, big plans for MAE to grow into a household name and lifestyle brand. I plan to stay committed to domestic production and creating intentional collections, so we are never creating just to create. My long term dream is a townhouse flagship on Madison avenue with an atelier on the top two floors - I’ll get back to you in a few years on that one ;)
