by Mary Going
In just 32 days, Saint Harridan will launch its Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to produce our first line of suits!
Saint Harridan's mission is not simply about clothing. It's about boldness. It's about staking claim. If you feel right in a suit, wear one! With your help, Saint Harridan will suit you – and Saints all over - with our first line in a multitude of sizes.
Get out your biggest, boldest marker – and circle November 23. Pre-orders will start rolling for high-quality, jump-back-jack suit pieces: a jacket, pair of trousers, and (or) a shirt!
How Saint Harridan Started
Saint Harridan came about because I was crazy in love with a fantastic woman. She was smart, and NICE, and beautiful and she knew what she wanted. Marriage was the obvious next step, but two things stood in the way: 1) it wasn't legal for us to get married, and 2) I didn't know what I would wear. In 2004 Massachusetts started marrying same sex couples – YAY! But it really begged the question: What the hell would I wear?
In just 32 days, Saint Harridan will launch its Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to produce our first line of suits!
Saint Harridan's mission is not simply about clothing. It's about boldness. It's about staking claim. If you feel right in a suit, wear one! With your help, Saint Harridan will suit you – and Saints all over - with our first line in a multitude of sizes.
Get out your biggest, boldest marker – and circle November 23. Pre-orders will start rolling for high-quality, jump-back-jack suit pieces: a jacket, pair of trousers, and (or) a shirt!
How Saint Harridan Started
Saint Harridan came about because I was crazy in love with a fantastic woman. She was smart, and NICE, and beautiful and she knew what she wanted. Marriage was the obvious next step, but two things stood in the way: 1) it wasn't legal for us to get married, and 2) I didn't know what I would wear. In 2004 Massachusetts started marrying same sex couples – YAY! But it really begged the question: What the hell would I wear?
Easter dresses. I'm on the left.
When you look at pictures of me over the years, I've clearly struggled with clothing. I've never felt right in a skirt or a dress – no matter how many times my mother made me wear one to church. When I found the gumption to shop in the men's department, the clothes were always way too big, and I felt unwelcome when the sales clerk realized I would be the one stepping into the dressing room.
I know it sounds crazy, but, because I didn't know what to wear, I couldn't picture myself getting married. This was not the case for Martha. She could picture it. She wanted it. It might be fair to say she insisted on it. Then, in 2008, the clouds parted in California (briefly). Everything was there: I was still crazy in love, and marriage was legal. And yet: what to wear?? I thought that maybe if we got married on a beach, I could get away with something casual (linen pants, Hawaiian shirt…) sidestepping the difficulty of dressing UP without feeling ridiculous in the dress-up clothes that were available to me. Martha wasn't having it. She wanted to get dressed up. It might be fair to say she insisted on it.
I know it sounds crazy, but, because I didn't know what to wear, I couldn't picture myself getting married. This was not the case for Martha. She could picture it. She wanted it. It might be fair to say she insisted on it. Then, in 2008, the clouds parted in California (briefly). Everything was there: I was still crazy in love, and marriage was legal. And yet: what to wear?? I thought that maybe if we got married on a beach, I could get away with something casual (linen pants, Hawaiian shirt…) sidestepping the difficulty of dressing UP without feeling ridiculous in the dress-up clothes that were available to me. Martha wasn't having it. She wanted to get dressed up. It might be fair to say she insisted on it.
First fitting, custom tailored suit.
I vowed years ago never to wear a dress again, and there was no way I was going back. So, I took a deep breath and ventured into the men's department again only to discover that nothing had changed. The suits didn't fit, and they wouldn’t no matter how much tailoring magic I could muster. And, the customer service was bad - really bad at some stores.
Martha suggested I have a custom suit made. To be perfectly honest, I thought it was too much money. It was more money than I'd spent on any item of clothing, ever. In fact, it was more money than I've paid for some of the cars I've owned! But, Martha encouraged me to get the suit made. It might be fair to say she insisted on it.
Martha suggested I have a custom suit made. To be perfectly honest, I thought it was too much money. It was more money than I'd spent on any item of clothing, ever. In fact, it was more money than I've paid for some of the cars I've owned! But, Martha encouraged me to get the suit made. It might be fair to say she insisted on it.
I doubt I will be able to use the right words to describe how I actually felt when I put on that suit. I was transformed. I felt fantastic. I looked fantastic. It wasn't just the suit. It was me. I finally felt like I was in clothes meant for me. I felt taller, better looking, and definitely more confident. In that suit, I knew I could make things happen, like I was in charge of myself in a way I didn't know was possible. Other people could see it too. I felt different, and I was treated differently. There's nothing more powerful than the confidence that comes from within. That suit was a superhero outfit that connected me with power I already had, but never tapped into.
On July 26, 2008, with head held high, I married the love of my life – and we both looked amazing. In May of this year, I finished graduate school with an MBA in socially responsible, sustainable business. I am ready to put that degree to work making superhero suits for you!
The story of Saint Harridan, including our step-by-step process will be continued in this blog over the next 32 days as we prepare for the Kickstarter campaign. Please follow us on this web site, Facebook and twitter. And, again, mark your calendar for November 23. Together we can make this company a reality!
The story of Saint Harridan, including our step-by-step process will be continued in this blog over the next 32 days as we prepare for the Kickstarter campaign. Please follow us on this web site, Facebook and twitter. And, again, mark your calendar for November 23. Together we can make this company a reality!
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