Tattoo artist Kat Von D may have lost her LA Ink reality TV show and that morally ambiguous love of her life, Jesse James. But don't count her out. Kat just launched a fashion line, now available at KatVonDLosAngeles.com. Yeah, yeah. We know what you're thinking: Tattoo prints, skulls, pin-up girls, maybe swastikas (eye roll). Well, what a pleasant surprise. Her first collection is more tragic 18th century heroine than tattooed biker/punk rocker.
The fitting theme of her fall 2011 collection is "Love Letters.""Over the years, I’ve saved every single letter, note and card given to me by loves," Von D says. "Reading through them, each one triggers beautiful feelings, some are more melancholic than others, but all beautiful none the less. I thought about my favorite love story of all time, which is the tale of Ludwig van Beethoven's 'Immortal Beloved' -- a mystery that even now has never been truly solved. When I put on the 'Beethoven' jacket, or the 'Fur Elise' pants, I feel tragically romantic."
Our picks from Kat's first collection? Some pieces are bit too much (OK, the leggings) but many of the dresses, tops and skirts are classic, lovely, quirky and very old world romantic with a distinct -- dare we say it? -- Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 edge. These are clothes that Robert Pattinson's Twilight character Edward Cullen would love. Thumbs up for Kat's Josephine dress, Elise top, Katherine and Beethoven jackets, the Raven jacket with pencil skirt and the red Napoleon miliary coat she wears in the photo above. Price points are pretty reasonable too. Jackets and coats range from $259-$429.