Last spring the Well + Wonder team made our down to Round Top and our very first stop on Round Top soil was Bader Ranch, and specifically, the Sissy Light booth. When in Texas, you've got to look the part! Kristin Light is the mastermind behind the brand Sissy Light and it is with great pleasure that we introduce Kristin as the latest Guest Curator to grace the Well + Wonder blog! For those of you new to the Sissy and Kristin Light name let us introduce you.
Kristin “Sissy” has been fitting and styling designers, influencers, and shoppers and Round Top-goers with her uniquely large selection of designer hats for six years. Kristin's brand, Sissy Light was founded in 2019 with a purpose to marry function + fit with our innate sense of style and color. Carefully crafted silhouettes paired with beautiful textures and natural tones that are soft to the hand, have laid the groundwork for catapulting her hat and accessories journey. Currently, Kristin lives in West Texas, spending as much time as possible outdoors and on the ranch with her husband and three rowdy boys. As admirers and owners of our own Sissy Light hats, we were thrilled when Kristin agreed to serve as Well + Wonder's latest guest curator. See her current Well + Wonder picks below as well as read more about this fab lady in our rapid-fire Q&A, Introducing Guest Curator, Kristin Light!
"Blue Peony" by Ashley Woodson Bailey:
Color really strikes a cord within me and this "blue peony" piece did just that. It's so clean and mod. This is a statement piece that would be really cool in a powder bath. It's giving me major cotton candy vibes. I adore it.
"Sail Mini 1" by Susie Bettenhausen:
I'm all-in on anything "mini". The colors are so vibrant and fun. I would pair this one with the "sail mini 3" and hang them as a pair. The textures and tones in these are just beautiful.
"Harvest Before the Freeze" by Maggie Stickney:
This still life gives me all the feels. I have very similar pieces of my grandmothers and I love the vibrancy and modern touch to this piece. I would hang this one in my dining room or kitchen. There's just something about it. It's bold in tone, yet gives me a nostalgic feeling. Beautiful.
Tell us about yourself.
I live in Uvalde, a really small town in West Texas. I studied Fashion Design at FIDM in Los Angeles, so coming back to my hometown was actually frightening at first (bc food choices + shopping haha). Turns out being in this world of wide open spaces where we raise our three boys and live so slowly has been a huge blessing on both my family and work life. We spend a good amount of our time in the kitchen cooking, roaming the ranch/ farm, and gathering with family and close friends. It's wild how things fall into place and work out. I never would have imagined I would be able to use my Fashion Design degree sitting right here in little Uvalde, Texas. We run all of our shipping and office operations here. And Round Top, TX is our hub for launching new styles and selling our hat collections out of our pastoral showroom at Bader Ranch during the world renowned Texas Antiques show, which happens biannually every Fall and Spring.
Tell us about your childhood. What is the most memorable moment as a young person?
My childhood experiences and connections to art make my heart skip a beat. I grew up surrounded by creativity with a family of artists who instilled in me a very innate way of seeing everything. When I was little my grandmother Oma and aunt Alice Mae would put me in the car and drive the Texas back roads to find beautiful scenery to paint. We would pull over on the side of the road for Oma to take photographs of landscapes. She would print the photographs and paint these landscapes, then sell her pieces at small art shows or on the side of the road. The process was really something to see. Her patience and dedication to painting and completing a piece was inspiring. I have her art hanging throughout our home and I'm constantly reminded to slow down and take the time to see things. In many ways I feel like I'm doing the same thing with producing all of my pieces and selling them in Round Top. It's really special and makes me feel so connected to what she taught me.
It is said to look for art that "makes your heart skip a beat." What aspects of art make your heart flip?
Taking a trip really does it for me. Escaping the routine of the daily grind sends me into a creative high. I will design and be so inspired during the flying portion of the trip. The ocean though is where I find that I'm most creative and influenced to create and design. It's all of the little things that move me and inspire me like the shapes and textures of nature around me. Color is my ultimate love language. I'm always honing in on specific tones and exact pantones.
What’s your favorite housewarming gift?
Very favorite house warming prezzie is hands down a Boy Smells candle. (I have three boys and felt very drawn to the branding for this line. ;) The design and color is so good, but the smells are wildly delicious. My personal favorite is Italian Kush.
What is your favorite room in your house? Describe it.
Our entryway / foyer is my favorite room in our home. Our home was built in the 50's, so we have large crank windows that let the most beautiful light into this room throughout the day. We have large, heavy modern planters filled with lush ferns and tropical plants on the front porch that sway around making the best shadows and ambiance into the entry. We have a family heirloom hall tree that has a full length, large mirror and brass hat hooks. It's a lovely place to hang all of our hats. Charcoal pieces of my grandmothers hang on either side of the hall tree. We have cane back chairs and vintage bamboo / rattan nesting tables floating in this space. I just loooooove it.
