CLOSET CASE: ALI LANDORF

“Since elementary school, I have been wearing things that don’t match. I got made fun of for a really long time, and then all of a sudden it seemed to work.”Ali Landorf has a look that is all her own. She is a straight mix of Iris Apfel and Audrey Hepburn; she is petite, feminine, bold and classic all in the same breath. Ali’s love of fashion runs deep, so deep that it might be genetic: her grandmother collected Sonia Rykiel and Chanel suits, among other fashionable treasures. And guess who is the same size and inherited all these gorgeous outfits? You guessed it.But let’s get back to Ali’s closet and personal style: this lady is mad for prints and patterns, colors and flowers—and it’s not just her grandmother’s collection that makes her so unique. She collects massive bangles, tidbits from her travels, vintage clothing and shoes galore. She takes statement-piece dressing to a whole new level—and wears it like a boss, even on her tiny frame. My favorite pieces are her vintage Rykiel, which literally had me squealing like a thirteen-year-old girl at a One Direction concert.Since her childhood, Ali has always been interested in personal style. She was born and raised just outside of New York City and spent her high school years taking weekend classes at Fashion Institute of Technology. She says she always knew her future was in fashion, but the classes truly sealed the deal. After graduation from Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in fashion design, Ali moved to Park Slope, Brooklyn. It was here that we first encountered our heroine: Ali worked at Bird while looking for a design job in Manhattan. Cut to two years later, Ali now designs wovens for the Liz Claiborne NY line sold on QVC.I admire Ali for her work. She is not concerned with designing for the latest, hippest and trendiest label—she is concerned with her craft, her customer and growing into a fine designer. This young woman already has such a presence and her own take on dressing, that I have no doubt that she has a big future ahead of her. And we’ll be watching—once a Birdie, always a Birdie.