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Credit: Delaney Staack<\/p>\nCredit: Delaney Staack<\/p>\n
Jounte Armantrading has always been confident in her feminine style. The 24-year-old Tampa artist felt her love for pearls, lace and Jane Austen made that clear, but she was curious what others thought. So, she conducted an experiment where she asked people for their first impressions of her. Others, it turns out, saw her as much more masculine.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom that, I went to the masculinization of women of color, to women of color as a whole and how we\u2019re all different but placed in strong leading roles\u2014never really the damsel or the princess or the fair lady,\u201d Armantrading told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n
![\"Jounte](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/toc-middle-courtesy-070226-e1782842985170-931x1024.jpg\")
Credit: Courtesy<\/p>\n
A year into running her fashion shop, The Sonder Atelier<\/a>, Armantrading\u2019s runway show at FloridaRAMA<\/a> next week is a love letter to the princess she believes anyone can be through style.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like the more I got masculinized, the more feminine my art became\u2014and who knows where it\u2019s gonna go right now?\u201d Armantrading said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Armantrading\u2019s craft doesn\u2019t include sewing or creating clothes. Instead, she hand-paints illustrations on selected or custom upcycled clothing and transforms each garment into a wearable and distinct statement piece.\u00a0<\/p>\n Armantrading said she chooses clothes from stores like Tampa Thrift and Red White and Blue, and she pays attention to noticeable trends sported by the Tampa citygoers she sketches. She goes for lighter fabrics that make the most sense in Florida\u2019s sweltering summer. The loose, flowy silhouettes she picks also mimic the state\u2019s swampy and beachy environments.\u00a0<\/p>\n With childhood story inspirations like Eloise at the Plaza and Fancy Nancy, Armantrading\u2019s designs echo the soft, swift lines and stylized faces found in fashion illustrations.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI just love whimsical, fun hyper-femininity to the point where it\u2019s completely absurd but in the best way, and I think those are my biggest inspirations,\u201d she told CL.<\/p>\n By painting all faces and hair textures, Armantrading reclaims the protagonist narrative for women of color who also want to embrace being girly.<\/p>\n Her fashion show this month is centered around iconic princesses in pop culture\u2014from Princess Diana to \u201cThe Princess Diaries\u201d\u2019 Mia Thermopolis\u2014and how they redefined the archetype.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBeing called a \u2018princess\u2019 has become a way to call a woman spoiled and privileged\u2026 but that is not its true meaning,\u201d Armantrading wrote in her sketchbook. \u201cWhen I think about what it means to be a princess, I think about the Disney characters I grew up watching that taught me about bravery and kindness.\u201d<\/p>\n Armantrading said she hopes her show can also bring together local fashion lovers looking to break ground in the industry without leaving Tampa Bay for global fashion capitals or faraway design schools.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cDepending on how well it goes, I\u2019ll bring more creators who have fashion pieces that they want in, and people who are models, movie makers, photographers\u2014we can all come together and start building these spaces,\u201d she told CL.\u00a0<\/p>\n Armantrading\u2019s show also offers VIP tickets, which include preferred seating and a chance for guests to have their clothing customized by her.\u00a0<\/p>\n