#GirlBoss: Malicious Designs

There’s nothing like a good trip to a vintage store. Coming back with a bag full of tiny, previously loved treasures is always satisfying. Not only because it expands your wardrobe, but also because vintage items have already stood the test of time, so you know they’re built to last. That being said, there is nothing more frustrating than going to a store, and not being able to find your size in something, or if you do find your size in something you like, trying it on only to find out that it doesn’t fit properly. It’s true, vintage sizes run exceptionally strange, and more often than not, are closer to doll sizes than actual human beings, and designer Sheana Hinsley of LA’s Malicious Designs knows this better than anyone.

Yungelita in her Darla set by Malicious Designs via @yungelita


Vintage inspired briefs by Malicious Designs via @magsrosie


Malicious Designs photo by Rick Rodney Photography via @maliciousdesigns


Heart Onesie by Malicious Designs via @magsrosie


Savannah Hudson of The Heirs in the Savannah Dress by Malicious Designs via @magsrosie


The Chicken Dress by Malicious Designs via @magsrosie

Hinsley says she has been sewing since she was 11, ever since she picked up her first copy of Sassy Magazine. Born in her Brooklyn apartment in 2001, Hinsley says that she created Malicious Designs @maliciousdesigns due to a gap in the vintage market. “I have always been a fan of anything vintage and ruffled. I love old patterns, fabrics and laces,” says Hinsley. “I found that most vintage clothing I love, didn't really have a great fit for me and wasn't very flattering. So I decided to make things with a vintage feel, but with a modern fit.” Initially a collection of women’s lingerie, Malicious Designs has since expanded to womenswear as well. Using only vintage fabrics, including a particularly amazing rooster print she uses for dresses, she creates adorable retro-inspired pieces that are the perfect hybrid of kitsch and vintage, as Hinsley describes it, “babydolls for bar fights”.

The Dixie swimsuit by Malicious Designs via @magsrosie


Blogger, Amy Roland, in Malicious Designs via @afashionnerd


Maryanne Bikini in denim by Malicious Designs via @magsrosie


The Eleven Dress by Malicious Designs via @magsrosie


The Maryanne Bikini by Malicious Designs via @magsrosie


Designer Sheana Hinsley in the Betty Gingham Halter via @magsrosie

Hinsley takes care in updating vintage silhouettes, by giving them a modern fit and take. She says that the majority of her inspiration comesfrom old fabrics, “I'll see an amazing piece of fabric then the design will come to me. I'm inspired by old Frederick’s of Hollywood, 70sdisco, and little girls’ party dresses.” Covering a huge range of clothing, with everything from robes, to swimsuits, and even costumes (one of her most popular pieces was inspired by the character Eleven’s dress from the Netflix hit tv series, Stranger Things), MaliciousDesigns has amassed a devoted following. Hinsley says that she often“[thinks] fashion can be too serious, it's nice to dress up and begirly.”