Influences from her family shaped her artistic path. Her aunt was a costume designer, and her cousin was a knitwear designer in NYC, which provided great inspiration. Each Christmas, her aunt would make complete wardrobes for their Barbie dolls using fancy fabric scraps from showgirl costumes, ensuring they had the most stylish dolls east of the Mississippi River.
Nancy began sewing on her great-grandmother’s treadle machine at the age of eight. She studied clothing/textiles, textile design, and art at the University of Maine in Orono and the Maine College of Art. During college, she worked for a high-end skiwear manufacturer and gained invaluable experience sewing on industrial machines using factory techniques and shortcuts.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Nancy designed handbags and related fashion accessories while working with a New England company that was once one of the largest handbag manufacturers in the U.S. Her niche designs found success in approximately 175 stores and catalogs. In the mid-90s, she sold her line to one of the manufacturers with whom she had worked, a rewarding option for her.
Throughout her career, Nancy held positions at various companies. She worked full-time for a sportswear company focusing on product design and market development and later worked for one of the largest hosiery firms in the U.S. in San Diego, where she was responsible for brand management and product development for brands like Victoria’s Secret, Esprit, and The Walking Company. Additionally, she contributed to product development for L.L. Bean, Pellon Corporation, and J. Crew, as well as smaller companies.
In 2012-2013, Nancy assisted a well-known fashion designer in Los Angeles with a book on fashion draping, which was later published through Bloomberg/Fairchild Publishers in NYC. She also revamped one of the designs featured in the book, a tool for dress forms, which was produced and sent to the Halston Studios in L.A. for use in their workroom.
Nancy also served as the editor of “Fashion for Profit” by Frances Harder in Los Angeles and assisted with the rewrite of the 10th edition of the well-known apparel industry "how-to" book.
