Kate Schelter in the Coco Weekender, Harbour Island. House of Lavande necklace. Photo Kate Schelter.

My friend and Gypset Style author Julia Chaplin, recently launched a Gypset dress and pareo line with the tagline Here and There. I was very lucky to be able to test drive the brightly colored tunics during my recent jaunt to Harbour Island, where I personally imported an order to India Hicks’s breezy boutique The Sugar Mill where they are sold. I had fun meeting India and her partner Linda and wearing the tunics all over the island. Here are a few snapshots as well as some insider tidbits from Julia herself.

Kate Schelter in the Sant Joan on Harbour Island. Photo Kate Schelter

Kate Schelter: What’s you favorite Gypset location?

Julia Chaplin: Lamu, Kenya

KS: What’s the farthest you’ve ever traveled from home in pursuit of adventure?

JC: I went to Trancoso, Brazil from Mexico via Uruguay so it really took forever. I was in Jose Ignacio, went to a late dinner then a party, drove 2 hours to my 6am flight in Montevideo, flew to some city in Brazil, missed my connection, slept in a luggage storage area for 8 hours, flew to Salvador, took a ferry and than a taxi down a bumpy dirt road and finally arrived in Trancoso.

KS: Where did you get the inspiration for the Gypset clothing line?

JC: So I could have something groovy to wear when I arrived in a Gypset enclave. Cool but not dripping with logos.

KS: Where are the fabrics from? Where is the line made?

JC: The fabrics are from both the east and west coasts of Africa. Some I smuggled back in my suitcase. I had the line sewn up here in NYC’s garment district.

KS: How often will you put out a new line?

JC: I’ll do stuff as often as I’m inspired. I like the idea of being a bit outside the fashion industry in that sense. It’s more Gypset to operate on your own schedule.

KS: Gypset is a great term. What’s the best Gypset slang you know?

JC: A Gypster [rhymes with Hipster] is the younger Gypsetter who maybe lives in Bushwick and has an 80′s caftan.

KS: Can you name three pieces from your collection and where your girl is wearing them in your mind?

JC: Sant Joan – Jade Jagger in Sant Joan Ibiza.

Coco Weekender – Karen Elson in Montauk

Poppy Weekender – Honor Fraser at Art Basel

Available at www.gypset.com

Coco Weekender watercolor by Kate Schelter.

Harbour Island watercolor by Kate Schelter.

Tom Ford True Coral lipstick watercolor by Kate Schelter. The perfect Gypset color.

Last week, I mysteriously received 3 black pens and 2 blank notebooks in the mail with instructions to get creative* on these pages with the ink. Carte blanche. The pressure was on (paralyzing fear): what should I draw/write? Sunglasses of course. I decided to paint plain water over the pen marks to give it a watercolor look. The black ink had a warm purplish chromatic cast.

Sunglasses drawn with a DBA Pen which is 98% biodegradable. Drawing Kate Schelter.

I am honored to submit my artwork for the silent auction during the launch of the new DBA 98 PEN*.  We’ll see how the auction goes this Friday at the Boom Boom Room hosted by André Balazs, Salman Rushdie, Matthew Modine, Alex Matthiessen, Donna D’Cruz, and Brooke Geahan. Click here to place a bid.

* 98 artists, writers, designers, and notables will be participating in THINK BEFORE YOU WRITE including works by André Aciman, Yigal Azrouel, André Balazs, Lorraine Bracco, Dan Colen, Georgina Chapman, Grace Coddington, Costello Tagliapietra, Keren Craig, Simon Critchley, James Frey, Colin Firth, Walton Ford, Amanda Hearst, Jenny Holzer, Tom Hooper, Derek Jacobi, Mick Jagger, Lewis Lapham, Rogan Gregory, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Terence Koh, Hanna Liden, George Lois, Matthew Modine, Clancy Martin, Colum McCann, John McEnroe, Enrique Norten, Richard Phillips, Molly Ringwald, Cynthia Rowley, Salman Rushdie, David Schwimmer, Spencer Sweeney, Ruben & Isabel Toledo, Aaron Young, MGMT…. I mean, wow, wow, wow!!!!

** A new pen that is 98% biodegradable.

Here are some watercolors that I painted of my hat (from Gana), Chris’s hat (purchased on island), our little cottage’s view, a plant with chartreuse leaves, and our bottle of Mount Gay rum that we couldn’t finish in a week.

Watercolor by Kate Schelter.

Watercolor by Kate Schelter.

Watercolor by Kate Schelter.

Watercolor by Kate Schelter.

Watercolor by Kate Schelter.

Sunglasses are something I love to wear and love to collect. For some reason, I also love to do watercolor paintings of them. I don’t know why but I can paint the same frame over and over again. Particularly Ray Bans (maybe because they’re so iconic and their design is so refined and attractive.) I have a lot of trouble painting at home in NYC but I always bring my paints with me when I travel and – voila! – inspiration hits!

Some of my shades. I'm a sucker for Ray Ban classics. Photo Kate Schelter.

Painting Wayfarers in Mexico. Behind me are several sketches. Photo Peggy Weymouth.

My mustard-yellow mirror aviators. Watercolor by Kate Schelter.

My black Wayfarers with palm tree reflection. Watercolor by Kate Schelter.

Three of my watercolor paintings hanging in my apartment. I frame them in antique frames I find at estate sales. Watercolors and photo by Kate Schelter.

I also collect art with sunglasses. Hanging on the right is Hugo Guinness's "Elliot with Sunglasses". Photo Kate Schelter.

I love red lipstick and I love to paint red lipstick. Watercolor by Kate Schelter.

Today, the amazing Garance Doré (who writes one of my very favorite blogs that I check maniacally everyday, and whom I met in September at Fashion Week — she is the sweetest, warmest most talented girl) posted a beautiful illustration she did of her red lipstick. I love red lipstick. In fact, I did several lipstick watercolors last August during the summer rain on my mom’s porch in Cape Cod. Everyone wondered why I decided to paint my lipstick (and then my Mason Pearson hairbrush, and then my Shu Uemura eyelash curler) but I was all the sudden interested in painting little things that I love. Here are my paintings in an ode to Garance who inspired me and made me so happy today. Yes, it makes me happy that somewhere out there, there is someone whom I admire that also loves red lipstick and to draw lipstick.

My Chanel red lipstick No 88 Saturn. Watercolor by Kate Schelter.