By Sam McDonald
For those who may not know Finding Foxtale’s designer, Sam McDonald, I’m excited for you to meet her in this month’s blog post! The first time I spoke with Sam, I knew she would bring shared joy to everything she did and everyone she encountered…and she has. It has been an awe-inspiring experience to watch Sam bring her unparalleled talent and magic to Finding Foxtale as she works to create a breadth of designs that allow each little girl to find what suits her unique style just perfectly.
Well, hello there! It’s been quite some time since I’ve connected with my old friends, and I’m thrilled to be meeting so many new friends too. I’d love to share a bit of my world with you all! And what a lovely world it is…filled to the brim with creativity and overflowing with shared joy.
Today I’m sharing a sneak peek into our upcoming season’s designs along with the inspiration behind it. Buckle up, buttercups…super cuteness and a whole lot of love is heading your way!
Those who know me know I’ve been designing in the boutique girls’ clothing world for the past 14 years, and smack-dab in the middle of that time, I had my own precious little girl, Margo. Margo is now a growing seven-year-old. She’s a fun, fierce, emotional, loving, hilarious, bossy, creative human…and she’s also my muse in everything I do.
Since the beginning of Finding Foxtale, we had a vision for what we wanted this company to be. We talked about product, of course, but we mostly found ourselves talking about children and their innate goodness. I loved our focus on the hearts of children and how we wanted to make a difference for them. This spoke to me on so many levels. While I love to create cute stuff, I really wanted this for my Margo.
And here we are, on a mission…a mission to be SO much more than cuteness, and Margo is riding shotgun as we drive full speed ahead. At seven years old, she still feels like my baby, my sweet little nugget. But I’m also starting to see glimpses of her future…of “big girl” Margo.
I feel lucky to have Margo for infinite reasons, but I think it’s kind of crazy and priceless that she’s this age during this time of my career. I said it before, but I’ll say it again, she is my ultimate muse, and pulling inspiration from what she loves is so effortless and SO fun!
In many ways, our upcoming Fall ’24 season is a love letter to Margo.
I tapped into my past, remembering styles and patterns that I thought Margo at age four would love. She loved the ABCs and playing outside. She loved stickers and playing vet. I think little Margo would LOVE having the alphabet at the hem of her first day of kindergarten dress!
I tuned into our day-to-day life, and I gathered bits and pieces of what she loves now. She’s a color-loving queen who wants to play Pokémon all the time, and instead of just playing vet, she wants to BE a vet. This might have inspired a puppy print this season…just maybe.
And I looked forward…I thought, “What do I want Margo to wear in the next three years of her life? What designs will make her feel so utterly, completely herself?” I always want her to feel like the best version of herself, and I know I can’t truly predict who my little nugget is going to grow up to be or what she will like, but goodness it’s such a joy daydreaming and designing with “big girl” Margo in mind. I think she’ll be bold, still living in full color, but wanting to feel a little more sophisticated in her wardrobe, and I hope she becomes a big vintage lover like me. With that in mind, there are more than a few fancy frocks and retro-inspired sweaters coming your way this fall.
With joy,
Sam
