Our Story

GREY HALL
Our Grandmother hand-painted silk ties in her heyday, which Pogue’s department store proudly sold.  Cincinnatians fondly remember this fabulous shopping destination! Hearing my mom share these stories made me begin to think, why couldn’t I use current technology to produce the same custom-feel for silk scarves, while also solving a gap in fashion.

The quality is at parity with Hermes, but where I breakaway is through the design of storytelling on silk.  Each scarf is packed with intentional design decisions that build upon each other.  Creating a unique scene on silk while integrating print and pattern techniques for a holistic composition.  This is my personal criteria during the creative process.  Each element is hand-painted in watercolors for 100% authentic originality. 

I began translating my artwork to silk in 2008 for a non-profit that is very close to my heart, Starfire which benefits teens and adults with disabilities. This opportunity was the driver into exploring my artwork on textiles!  Soon after, I had the privilege of designing custom scarves for the Cincinnati Reds, P&G London Olympic Games, the Washington DC White House gift shop, and an Australian fashion designer. I have to say, the most challenging of all was gaining artwork approval from the International Olympic Committee!!!

PAGE HALL
Hailing from both a maternal and paternal bloodline of artists, color and design have permeated my life.  However, my ancestors also include merchants who saw an opportunity and brought a product to market.  Ranging from my Ploos van Amstel family’s timber trade in 18th century Amsterdam to my great-great-grandfather’s 19th century Hall Safe & Lock Co. in Cincinnati, which had outposts ‘round the world, I come by my entrepreneurial spirit honestly.  From a design sense, the subtle and not-so-subtle flair of the international has always wooed me.  It’s in my blood. 

At the beginning of the preppy resurgence in 2000, I sourced grosgrain ribbon from France, sewed ribbon belts with my custom p.e. designs label inside, and sold them to Atlanta’s Buckhead boutiques.   

A few years later, I was dreaming of the perfect gift and lifestyle  shop that was yet to exist, and soon I opened that charming brick and mortar shop, Lillian C. Limited, in 2005.  I could satisfy my wanderlust near and far sourcing one-of-a-kind wares to add to my offerings.  Who wouldn’t want to wander through a market in Ipanema to bring home polished petrified wood bookends or step into a vintage shop in Locust Valley for fabulous costume jewelry (that found its way back and forth between my wrist and the jewelry case at the shop).

Scouring Paris’s famed Clignancourt flea markets and selecting colors and patterns to design textiles made by artisans in India were both dreams that came true, with much thanks to my work as a Merchant and Buyer with Ballard Designs.  I was able to travel the world seeking inspiration and then see that inspiration come to life on the pages of the catalog. 

I still daydream about walking the leafy streets of Shanghai’s Former French Concession neighborhood and taking in all of the Art Deco design or touring silk legend Jim Thompson’s house in Bangkok, the perfectly chic mix of east + west.

What does today bring? You’ll find of-the-moment statement earrings paired effortlessly with Grey’s scarf designs.  From time to time, you’ll also find limited release jewelry creations from found objects.   

It’s such fun to collaborate with my sister on color and design direction for interpreting her watercolor paintings as fashion.  We are masters of color, and there’s more to come….

THANK YOU Extended Team!

Lifestyle Photographer & Videographer: Joe Hall @hallsafe