About
About Manic Trout Creator/Designer
Sierra Bailey
Always drawn to the fabulous elements of vintage jewelry, Sierra at an early age fell in love with the look and heft of aged brass and tarnished silver; the bright colors and bold lines of resin and Lucite; the sparkle and festive mood of vintage crystals. She loved the idea of wearing something special that few others possessed; of dusting off old treasures and revamping them for 21st Century fashion.
Sierra became inspired to form Manic Trout after years of collecting fragments and baubles from flea markets and antique shops. All those bits and pieces she had been gathering – buttons, yarn, Lucite, gemstones, broken vintage jewelry, crystals, charms – became the catalyst for a new line of jewelry that combines vintage and modern elements in exciting new ways.
Manic Trout is the culmination of combining the old and the new, the sought after and the collected elements she discovered and amassed over the years during her travels. Mixing the romantic flair of vintage with colorful whimsy is her signature. For lovers of unique, handmade jewelry, Sierra makes sure that everything old is indeed new again.
Having received her BFA from Syracuse University in computer graphics, her creative platform morphed into jewelry in 2003 and she began her Manic Trout online store in 2006. Her blog describes her design inspirations and life in the affluent rural enclave of Millbrook, New York. Local tag and garage sales, antiques stores and flea markets throughout the Hudson Valley and Berkshire regions are rich hunting grounds for the colorful, diverse materials which inspire her work.
One of the Hudson Valley area’s thirtysomething “generational entrepreneurs” who are committed to a life of community, health, balance and environmental purity, Sierra places importance on “repurposed, locally and hand made”. She hires and trains skilled local artisans to build her designs, and her mission remains to grow and bring economic opportunity to the community. “Manic Trout is all about affordable, fashion friendly jewelry with great design, handmade by local artisans,” says Sierra.
Her much-followed Out & About feature on Manictrout.com presents local “Girls’ Afternoon Out” excursions to area haunts, with everyone all decked out in her signature pieces. It’s a delightful photo montage of real women having great spontaneous fun – inspired by and featuring Manic Trout jewelry.
Manic Trout pieces have appeared in over 40 magazines, including Real Simple, Women’s Wear Daily, Redbook, Life & Style, Seventeen and more. Her Critters collection made it to the small screen on “Gossip Girl”.
Manic Trout is available online at Manictrout.com and in select boutiques in the Hudson Valley area. For more information, visit Manictrout.com.
