We recently caught up with Stop Staring! head designer and founder Alicia Estrada. For more than ten years, Stop Staring! has been creating vintage inspired dresses that look great on all shapes and sizes. (Every style is available up to size 18 and many styles go up to a women's 26.) We chatted with Alicia to find out her tips for young designers.

What inspires your work? What inspires me most, is the beauty and glamour of the 1940s and 1950s eras. The film noir starlets, looked so classy and timeless. I think just about everyone loves to look glamourous and elegant, that's why I created these dresses, that's why I created Stop Staring! ten years ago. Everyone loves timeless beauty, especially men!



Who are your favorite designers? Of course Coco Chanel, and Adrian. Especially Chanel, for her power of style! Chanel designed for her own wardrobe needs, this is what we try to do at Stop Staring! We make beautiful and comfortable dresses to wear from day to dinner! Our dresses embrace the female figure, and flatter all shapes and sizes; our dresses are available up to size 18.

What are your top fashion & beauty must-haves? You must have our Ashley Dress in dove grey, it was named after our model Ashley Greene, who was one of the actresses in the blockbuster movie "Twilight" Ashley recently wore this to a red carpet event, she looked stunning. The dress is perfect for day or dinner, or in Ashley's case -- red carpet!

Any advice you would give to aspiring designers? Be a sponge and soak up all the knowledge you can. Immerse yourself in the process of design, love what you do. Take all the pattern and sewing classes you can. Stop Staring! is known for having an excellent fit and excellent quality! My greatest advantage of being a designer, is knowing how to drape, make patterns, and sew. It is crucial to understand how the garment is put together, I can't imagine designing without these skills.

Where can people find your work? Shopflick.com

Anything else? Follow your dreams and your heart, don't give up. Faith and Prayer have been the secret to my success!


We love all of the amazing independent designers out there and we wanted to find out more about what makes these creative types tick. If you do too, check out more of our Indie Designer Interviews.