Ella Moss

Designer Pamella Protzel is an LA girl at heart, and her hip, fun and quirky Ella Moss collection reflects that. From daily after-school trips to Beverly Hills as a middle schooler to Parisian flea market excursions as a teen, Protzel has always been inspired by art, fashion, people and travelling. A true style prodigy, at 27, Protzel has already established Ella Moss as one of the hottest, fastest-growing collections within the contemporary arena.

During college, Protzel's stylist friends raided her closet for her handmade T-shirts and prized vintage pieces to take on photo shoots. It was then that she realized fashion was her true calling. Transferring from Pasadena's Art Center as a graphic design student, Protzel arrived at The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles without knowing how to make a pattern. As a gifted artist, she started drawing the silhouettes and loved learning how make her designs come to fruition.

Rather than use a scientific approach to fashion design, Protzel relies on her discerning eye and intuition, working with her hands, cutting up T-shirts and experimenting with different dyes and fabrications for each piece. When designing the green striped cotton dress Sarah Jessica Parker wore on Sex and The City, Protzel describes the process as more instinctual than calculated.

"People ask what my inspiration was for the striped dress group, but I wasn't actually thinking about specific eras or trends," says Protzel. "I just wanted to create a flowy, feminine dress that had the comfort level a T-shirt. For me, the design process is more organic."

Although the line has attracted celebrity fans like Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, Kirsten Dunst and Liv Tyler, Protzel doesn't have plans to create Red Carpet gowns any time soon. Radiating effortless style, Ella Moss is casual, comfortable and fashionable, and each piece can always work back to jeans and flip-flops.

Known for bright color palettes, simple shapes, soft, wearable cottons and tonal stripes, Ella Moss strikes a delicate balance of being edgy and vintage, without being over-the-top trendy. Recently featured on The Today Show, the collection is coveted by everyone from young, downtown trendsetters to hip mothers.

The Ella Moss collection retails at exclusive department stores and boutiques such as Barneys, Fred Segal, Henri Bendel, Intermix and Ron Herman LA.

Website: www.ellamoss.com

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