Christy Dawn
Christy Dawn invited us into her peaceful Santa Monica oasis only weeks after giving birth to her sweet baby #glowboy River. There is an aura of beauty, confidence, and serenity surrounding Christy... that certain "je ne sais quoi" or what we like to call GLOW.
Aside from the fact that Christy looked radiant, rested, and gorgeous after just giving birth, she was also so calm and graceful as a new mom, making it look, dare we say, easy! Her soft, soothing voice and ethereal presence make Christy a magnet of good energy. Aside from being a successful model, Christy has created an extremely covetable line of flowy, limited edition vintage-fabric dresses called DAWN that she sells both out of a showroom in her back-house, and online. Christy showed us some of her favorite pieces from the collection. Between River (the most angelic child we ever did see) and the abundance of gorgeous dresses, it was swoon city.
Growing up in a small town in Northern California was Christy's inspiration for the way she curates her line, "It’s what drew me to design vintage inspired clothing. There is something beyond the fabric I can hold on to. Something honest about vintage. Something classic. Something timeless, that reminds me of home. It’s the dress you long for when you stumble upon that box of old photographs of your grandmother. The lines and fabric tell a story. They’re the clothes and stories I hope to pass on through DAWN."
We love that every DAWN piece is made by local artisans in Downtown Los Angeles, sewn with longevity in mind. They use dead-stock fabric to minimize our environmental footprint, and instead of creating thousands of garments at a time, they sew only a limited number of pieces for each look, numbering every dress they make as limited editions.
It is no coincidence that DAWN’s way of doing business closely resembles that of a dressmaker living in Placerville, CA -- Christy's hometown--a hundred years ago. "It’s my intention to create vintage inspired pieces that speak of quality and craftsmanship."
| DAWN // www.shopdawn.com |
HOW THEY GLOW QUESTIONNAIRE
NAME: Christy Dawn Petersen
NICKNAME: Critty, Critters, or Crit
WHERE'D YOU GROW UP? A small town in northern California called Placerville
WHERE DO YOU LIVE? Santa Monica
WHEN YOU'RE EATING HEALTHY, WHAT'S A TYPICAL...
BREAKFAST: Smoothie - homemade almond milk, almond butter, banana, spinach, some kind of berry and all my super foods! …or a green juice
LUNCH: Mixed green salad with avocado and other fresh veggies.
DINNER: Another big salad or a quinoa bowl with grilled veggies
SNACK: green juice, kombucha, handful of almonds, avocado, apple and peanut butter, carrots and hummus… (I love snacking)
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SPOTS/RESTAURANTS TO EAT HEALTHY? Axe, Rawvolution, Cafe Gratitude, Moon Juice
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE INDULGENCE? A warm chocolate croissant. (my mouth is watering just from typing that)
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE PLACES/RESTAURANTS TO INDULGE? I love the Korean spa (Olympic Spa) I could spend hours there // Gjelina (pizza and their strawberry rhubarb desert.) // La Scala (chopped salad and spaghetti) // Sweet Rose Creamery (salted caramel ice cream)...I went there a little too much when I was pregnant.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR LAST MEAL ON EARTH? I love Mexican food so it would have to be a big burrito with all the goods.
WHAT IS THE BEST DISH YOU COOK/ YOUR FAVORITE RECIPE? I make this amazing spiced lentil soup with coconut milk.
WHERE DO YOU GROCERY SHOP? Whole Foods, Co-Op, farmers market
WHAT IS YOUR FITNESS REGIMEN? yoga 2-3x week // hiking 1-3x week // and gym 2-3x week
WHAT IS YOUR SKINCARE ROUTINE? I really don’t use any soaps on my face unless I absolutely have to… after a long day of shooting i’ll use Skinceuticals face wash. I also get an oxygen facial once a month from Dr. Amerian in Santa Monica (ask for Joni, she's the best!)
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE NATURAL MAKE UP/ BEAUTY PRODUCTS? I love La Mer eye cream and La Occitaine almond oil for my body. I used the almond oil during my pregnancy and didn't get any stretch marks!
IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT THREE PRODUCTS WOULD YOU TAKE WITH YOU?
1. I would bring a machete
2. a pot to boil water
3. a lighter-- (my fiancé won Survivor, so he taught me well)
WHAT PROFESSIONAL BEAUTY/FITNESS/HEALTH GURUS DO YOU SWEAR BY? My spiritual teacher George Falcon. He covers all three of theses topics. He is THE MAN.
TOP THREE FAVORITE SONGS?
1. Graceland -Paul Simon
2. Cruisin- Smokey Robinson
3. Beautiful World- Colin Hay
MOST LIFE-CHANGING BOOK? The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz (such an easy read but so powerful)
WHAT IS THE BEST GIFT YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED? My son River.
DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT DAY. Hanging with my boys of course! Wake up, meditate, and have a bubble bath. Make some breaky, head to the beach and swim or to the mountains for a hike and have a bbq and play games in our backyard with all our friends.
WHAT IS YOUR MOST VALUABLE BEAUTY TIP/SECRET? Its amazing how two people with similar physical appearances can be on opposite ends of the beauty spectrum. I think this is because beauty isn’t contingent on the way a person looks but rather the way a person is. In that spirit, my most valuable beauty tips are three fold: meditate every day, eat well, and enjoy yourself. If you do those three things people are bound to be attracted to the beautiful energy you’re radiating! Oh and eye cream doesn’t hurt either.
FAVORITE QUOTE? Every day, in every way, things are getting better and better!
WHAT MAKES YOU GLOW? I think I spoke too soon and answered it above :)
Photography by: Emily Knecht