Smart Fitzjerrell is a women’s clothing collection about good-humored style that breaks the rules of convention + still looks invariably polished.

Designer + founder Mary Kathryn Wells hails from the always-look-your-best-and-never-leave-home-without-a-bit-of-rouge south. As a child in Little Rock, Arkansas, she was influenced by her mother’s graceful elegance + refinement.

Music icons now add to her style inspiration– including everyone from Debbie Harry to Diana Ross + Loretta Lynn– resulting in clothes that are slightly traditional in style but made unique with lots of punky overtones as well as fun colors, unexpected patterns + beautiful fabrics.

After graduating from Emory University, Mary Kathryn moved to New York City where she found further style influence in East Village dive bars, loud music + rowdy kids who most certainly weren’t wearing their mothers’ pearls. She loved mixing the myriad styles of New York with her own traditional style — pairing bubble skirts with old t-shirts + cocktail dresses with motorcycle jackets.

During the summer of 2004, Mary Kathryn spent a week in Arkansas learning to sew from her grandparents. At the end of the week, Mary Kathryn had a new satin dress, a new sewing machine + a new love for making clothes.

After working in public education for a few fulfilling years + realizing that days spent in an office cubicle weren’t for her, Mary Kathryn launched Smart Fitzjerrell for spring/summer 2007.

Smart Fitzjerrell’s name stems from her grandmother’s maiden name – Smart, + her grandfather’s last name – Fitzjerrell.