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"IN MAGNA CIVITAS MAGNA SOLITUDO" COAT

Translating to "in the greatest cities is the greatest loneliness", the coat represents a NYC apartment building. The vignette painted in each diamond-shaped "window" explores the phenomenon of isolated togetherness that is apartment living.


Leather, Fur, Acrylic Paint

  • Coming Soon

    In 2023, paintings were made in order to make an Apartment Collection, an hommage to the "In Magna Civitas, Magna Solitudo coat" and the ever-changing NYC. Look out for the release in 2024.

Scents and Sense (2023)

The backdrops are a reflection of smelling Serge Lutens perfumes; the jackets are conjured up in response to verbally hearing the stories of the scents. The objective of the project is to not only highlight the power of smell in tapping into memories, and is also an experiment on how my mind reacts to different portrayals of the same subject. 

Photography by Donna DeMari

"Nuit de Cellophane" inspired Jacket (cashmere, tulle, silk, suede)

  • I have two Serge Lutens perfumes, but never wear them: Until now, I have confined them to their bottles, which I like to think of as little vessels holding worlds of their own.

  • The perfume "Nuit de Cellophane" (night of cellophane) illustrates the momentary capture that takes place when precious and ephemeral objects (specifically, bouquets of roses and haute couture dresses) are encapsulated by sheets of plastic.

  • There is a heaviness about the darkly romantic aura of the Serge Lutens Paris flagship that made me want to cry, in the same way a beautiful piece of music would. The "Nuit de Cellophane" inspired jacket incorporates elements of the architecture.

"Dent de Lait" inspired Jacket (wool, synthetics, cashmere, goose down)

  • The perfume "Dent de Lait" (teeth of milk), alludes to the feeling of losing one's first tooth as a symbolic milestone of beginning to lose one's innocence.

  • As a child, I was deeply upset by the transactional exchange with the tooth fairy of money for a part of my body; I wanted a more personal gift. My mom placed handmade wooden boxes under my pillow instead, one with a turtle on it and one with a ladybug.

  • When I smell these two specifically, I see colors, I hear noises, and I feel sensations: one sense has the ability to trigger all five.

Valentine's Collection (2024)

  • Color Palette

    Red and pink is synonymous with sexy and fun, inspiring my first project of 2024.

  • Valentine's Coat (Velvet, wool, denim, leather)

    It would not be a Jane Priester collection without a statement coat. The signature Puffed Collar, paired with a cropped cut, has evolved into a recognizable brand code.

  • Wearable

    Designed with the intention of combining statement and functional, the bow skirt and heart corsage offer a trendy but unique style.

Supersonic World (2022)

  • “Supersonic World” tells the story of how the Concorde jet revolutionized both celebrity culture and air travel, transporting its elite passengers across the Atlantic in less than 3 hours, for the cost of $10,000 a ticket and 100 tons of jet fuel.

  • The two separate universes of whimsical fantasy and industrial/technology coexist through the phenomenon of the first supersonic passenger jet Concorde.

  • Princess Diana sat in 1A and the Queen’s mother sat in the jump seat. Victoria’s secret once chartered an entire Concorde to take the models to the fashion show. Concorde became a phenomenon when a dress that had cost $8 to make was flown last minute via Concorde for a photoshoot.

  • Each look ambiguously combines the roles of passengers, pilots, and crew into one character, creating a fantasy.

  • Juxtaposing cold, sharp materials with delicate materials highlights both the power that comes from engineering, globalization, and pop culture, and the fragility of a society failing to limit itself.

Princess Dress (2022)

As a final project for the 'Couture Construction' course I completed at Paris College of Art, I designed this dress embellished with shiny, discarded objects and gold-foiled details. This piece exemplifies how maximalism and kitsch team up with resourcefulness to lead my design process. The garment as a site for found object assemblage is echoed in my "Eye Spy" 2023 Collection.