Best of 2015

was also reunited with her love of fashion.
The cosmopolitan nature of her travels had
given her a fresh, new insight into the latest
fashion trends from around the world. With
few resources to draw on, she also had to
get creative in building an ensemble. It was
through this process that she realized that
fashion had little to do with the amount of
clothes one had; it was about achieving the
right look.
Reinvigorated by her pilgrimage to Europe,
Jaime was ready to face the states again,
although this time she had a very specific
mission in mind: to give back to her
community, and to help other women who
struggled with problems of image and selfesteem.
When she returned, a close friend
recommended a group called Sexy Lady Book
Worms, a literacy charity program that raises
money to buy books for children by selling
calendars and cards of sexy women in libraries
and bookstores.
Jaime’s modeling experience was limited to
a small show when she was eighteen but she
did not let her nerves and apprehension hold
her back. The founder of SLBW, Liora K was
also there to provide her with the support and
encouragement she needed to succeed. During
her time with SLBW, she met other members
in the fashion industry that paved the way for
the modeling career and experiences she has
gained today.
An opportunity finally came for Jaime to
present her own work when she showed her
design patterns to Engel Indo, a close friend
who owned the clothing company Indo
Cotton. Indo Cotton is a nonprofit clothing
company that uses its profits to provide job
opportunities in Engel’s native Peru, as well
as support veterans and families in need in
Tucson. Engel took Jaime’s designs with him
to Peru and when he returned he was able to
bring her work to life. After years of dreaming,
Jaime was shocked and tears flowed when she
saw the finished product, but what she held
most dear was the fact that this great friend
believed in her.
As an integral partner in Indo Cotton,
Jaime is seeing her mission in life
being accomplished. She is able to
give back to her community through
the charitable efforts of her company
and create beauty in others they might
not have seen themselves. Her style
is influenced by such classic beauties
as Doris Day, Lucille Ball, Audrey
Hepburn, Catherine Hepburn, Liz
Taylor, and Coco Chanel. Her fashions
are inspired by the risk taking of
Prada, Stella, and especially Kenneth
Cole.
Jaime’s passion for helping every woman feel
beautiful has inspired many facets of style,
class, and art in the ensembles she creates.
“Pleats and darts should be used in the right
places to create nice lines on so called ‘problem
areas’”, Jaime said when asked. “I believe in
making clothing lines that enhance, not hide.
My hope is that women see all parts of their
bodies as beautiful and unique.”
Jaime is currently making a new line with
Jonathan Russell, a local musician and glass
artist who inspired Jaime to expand outside of
casual clothing into art couture by blending
unique evening wear with beautifully blown
glass. “Jonathan is a creative pathfinder, he
releases a sort of artistic pheromone into the
air that pushes you to open up and explore
different styles and ideas” Jaime said.
“I would like to continue working with
Jonathan not only with dresses but lingerie as
well, I would love a corset with a glass top”
Jaime feels that even during times of strife
and uncertainty there is a place for fashion in
the world. Not as an end unto itself, but as an
outward manifestation of one’s inner beauty,
as unique and wonderful as the individual it
adorns. While Jaime has overcome a multitude
of adversities and is still battling her illness,
she continues to make breakthroughs in the
fashion industry by celebrating the beauty of
all women.
Artistic Photos by
Rick Bracht
Location Photos by
David Clark
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