Vests, doll clothes and more vests.

That’s what Atlantan Amanda Williamson learned to make at age 7. Her mother had enrolled her in a sewing class just to keep her busy, and she excelled at churning out sleeveless, collarless garments.

Crafty as she was, though, she never dreamed of becoming a fashion designer, owning a clothing line called Ennyluap or being featured in the July and September 2013 issues of British Vogue. She didn’t think she would watch models strut down catwalks in her designs at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York starting Saturday.

But there they come.

With no investors and very little to start, Williamson has made the leap to high fashion through grit and go-get-‘em attitude.

In just two years, she has gone from hand-crafting small-scale runs with discounted materials to creating custom designs for celebrities, such as singer Elle Varner.

Read more about Williamson’s rise in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution or at myajc.com

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Atlanta art and antiques appraiser and auctioneer Allan Baitcher (right) takes bids during a 2020 auction. Baitcher and his company, Peachtree Antiques, are being sued by a Florida multimillionaire who says he paid them $20 million for fakes. (AJC 2020)

Credit: Phil Skinner / Staff