Eliza J Designer, Dana Greechan, gives us an inside look at dress design

By Sarah Emily Gilbert

There’s nothing quite like putting on the perfect dress. Aside from making you want to belt out, “I Feel Pretty” louder than Maria from West Side Story, a well-fitting dress can make a woman feel feminine, fabulous, and fearless. For Associate Designer of Eliza J, Dana Greechan, the “dress-rush” is even more pronounced. Not only does Greechan get to spend her days designing beautiful Eliza J Dresses that are sold to the likes of Nordstrom, Lord and Taylor, and Von Maur, but she also gets to experience others wearing her designs. And for a woman who admits that she’s “been obsessed with fashion since [she] can remember,” seeing a chic woman wearing her dress designs on the street of NYC is overwhelming.

After Greechan received her degree in Studio Art from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in 2009, she wasn’t entirely sure where she would land in the fashion industry. While she always had a passion for apparel, Greechan just couldn’t shake her equal affinity for art. Lost without her paints and creatively liberated by her pencils, Greechan found that fashion design combined both her loves. In fact, Greechan seemed to have had a knack for the industry from the very beginning. During her brief internship at Eliza J during the summer before her senior year at college, Greechan managed to create a number of best-selling dress embellishments for the brand. Fast forward five and a half years, and Greechan is still cranking out popular dress designs at Eliza J.

“During my internship, I found my niche in the design world. I was thrown into an exciting fast-paced environment and was provided support in all different departments. My boss from day one and the Head Designer of Eliza J Dresses and Creative Director of Vince Camuto dresses, Julia Workman Brown, continues to be my mentor and teacher. She, along with our small design team, are the main reasons I love my job.  Having been together for years, we are all very supportive in our creative process. We are always asking each other questions like “Would you wear this?” or “What do you think she (the dress) needs?” I look forward to walking in everyday and working with them.  I am also lucky to be able to work with our president, Doll Williams, who has always been accessible and willing to teach me. We travel together on inspiration trips including London and Paris twice a year.”

In addition to having a job that allows Greechan to personify dresses and travel to the world’s fashion capitals, it also provides her constant rewards.

“I personally love seeing my dress designs printed in the Nordstrom catalog—that’s always a huge deal to me. Getting the actual magazine in the mail after waiting and opening to the page to see how they styled it for the editorial shoot is very exciting and never gets old. My roommates are so cute and show support by hanging the ads on our refrigerator for that month.”

It seems as though Greechan’s roommates aren’t Eliza J’s only supporters. With a huge social media following and the title of number one dress vendor at Nordstrom, it’s clear that Eliza J is bursting with success thanks to the creative minds. Below, Greechan gives Urban Agenda the inside scoop on some of her favorite Eliza J designs.