“I would like to be the Betsey Johnson for the next generation!” I overhear Erin confide in a captivated audience of fans at Jane Pratt’s website launch dinner. Dressed in a slinky black dress with plunging neckline, rocking her new Vidal Sassoon-inspired bleach blonde bob and a pair of stern, black reading glasses, 20-something Erin Fetherston only remotely reminds me of the cartwheeling Alley Cat, but her work as a designer has surely earned her a comparable cult-following amongst fashion-fabulous teens and celebrities. Since her Paris debut in 2005, Erin Fetherston‘s signature has become the definition of feminine, whimsical and romantic, much like her own sensibility. “I always knew I wanted to be a designer and in college my intention to create my own label became very clear,” she thinks back. “I knew I had a very particular aesthetic and I wanted to jump into designing as fast as I could.”

Erin lives in a beautiful converted loft overlooking the Hudson River Park in Tribeca. It’s cool and quiet even though the sun is pouring in through the floor-to-ceiling bay windows and cars are zooming by beneath. The walls are a pastel, mossy teal, the floors a shiny, wooden parkett and the finishing touches and furniture a dusty cream or beige. She has two wardrobes: a walk-in closet for contemporary designers and a separate gasp-inducing room where she stores all her own designs and vintage finds. This latter room is where it gets really interesting and fantastical. Clouds of poofy white tule and organza float up  from the clothing-clad walls. The curtains are drawn, the ceiling is low and a single wrought-iron chandelier diffuses a soft glow onto a remarkable explosion of fabrics. It’s like a magical cave. I imagine Erin in the middle of her princess’ wardrobe waving a wand that  springs a new dress on her thin frame every morning. It’s an amusing thought. But not so far-fetched. As a child, Erin was very creative and imaginative. “I would write, direct, and costume little plays starring my friends,” she tells me. “I had an obsession with clothing ever since I was old enough to dress myself. For me, clothing was the greatest vehicle for fantasy, a way to instantly transform yourself.”

Erin’s designs do have something dreamy. And though she references the past and vintage there is nothing retro about them. “I really love vintage,” confirms Erin. “I have been collecting it for years. I usually go on major shopping excursions four times a year. I’m usually shopping with an open mind to see whatever catches my fancy. Other times I might be looking for something specific or things that could be used as research for one of my collections. Usually vintage proportions need to be reworked to make them feel modern. Hem lengths, arm holes, necklines need to be adjusted.” In the afternoon she takes me to Shareen Vintage on 17th Street, one of her favorite haunts, and a new discovery for me. “Shareen always has an amazing assortment. She has a great eye and I appreciate that her pieces are not exorbitantly priced. It keeps shopping there fun!” Erin and I try on a million things and often have our eye set on the same cute dresses. But I gladly hand over my ruffles and minis. And by the time we are done, Erin’s assembled an impressive pile of inspiration. If not temporarily, her relentless petition for ideas can subside. “I crave inspiration,” she concludes with a sigh of relief. “Inspiration is the seed of all my creations. And tapping into it is one of the most satisfying things of all.”