Fiona Apple may sing sad songs, but every time she wears her signature stylish sleeves she fills Micki Oberdorfer with joy.
Oberdorfer is the Hollywood designer who created Rocket Baby sleeves, which are knitted sleeves that cover only the shoulders and the arms. She started selling them last year at a vintage shop called the Wasteland in Los Angeles. Since then, her homemade Rockets have blasted her into the spotlight.
Oberdorfer first designed the sleeves to keep her warm. “I’m petite, and I’m always cold even in L.A., and I like to wear tank tops. Bulky sweaters are not a good alternative; sleeves are much more stylish.”
Celebrities seem to think so too. Alyssa Milano, Julianne Moore and Erykah Badu are all big fans. But Oberdorfer credits Fiona Apple with starting the craze. “(Apple’s) stylist rented them for a photo shoot she was doing, and Fiona loved them. I opened up the newspaper one day and saw a concert picture of her and I was like, `Oh my god, she’s wearing my sleeves!’ “
And now so is everyone else. At prices of $28 to $50, her sleeves are flying off the shelves. Oberdorfer makes them at night with her sewing machine, and she’s barely able to keep up with the demand.
So now that she has Hollywood sporting her stuff, what else does Oberdorfer have up her sleeve?
“I want all the 14-year-olds to start wearing them,” she said. “I get my inspiration from kids and kids’ clothes; they are very creative and colorful.”
Just like her sleeves.
Plans are in the works to sell the sleeves nationally. Keep an eye out and so will we!
