Inspired Style

A lifetime of design and one chance encounter lead a Charlotte woman to launch her own line

Emily Morgen grew up sewing clothes and filling sketchbooks to the brim. But it wasn’t until last year when boutique owners in Charleston expressed their adoration for the dress she was wearing (her own design) that the mother of two decided to refocus her life’s work from finance to fashion design. After meeting with Charlotte boutique owners who shared the same interest in her designs, Morgen decided to take a chance and launch her own line, Emily Jane. Her creations are figure conscious and flirty, balancing feminine silhouettes on soft fabrics with creative but subtle details, like chains, low backs, and cropped lengths. "I’m influenced creatively by things I see every day — the weather, something major in the news — whatever gives me a feeling," Morgen says. Look for inventive tanks, ruffled neck halter dresses, and seventies-inspired bat-winged silk blouses from her this spring and summer at the Pink Hanger, Chez Elle and Bella Ropa.