Montauk Pioneer - August 8, 2008 - Lissa Tovar Handbags

Sitting with lovely Lissa Tovar as we sipped iced coffee at Gurney's Inn this week was a delightful experience. Lissa is working her first job as part of the human resources staff at Gurney's this summer. Smartly dressed in a white ruffled shirt, black pants, high trend-setting heels and carrying a most charming, eye-catching bag that she designed and made, Lissa looked like a fashion model. With the aura of a gamine, her fringed bangs almost covered her dark, beautiful eyes and she spoke in a soft and gentle voice.

Born in Guatemala and raised in East Hampton since the age of four, Lissa's interest in fashion began at a very young age. I asked her if she liked to play dress up with ladies' purses as most little girls liked to do, but instead she said she loved ladies shoes, especially the bridal party footwear her grandmother sold in her shoe store.

Earnest and determined, Lissa pursued a Bachelor's Degree at Boston's Eastern Nazarene College and at the sister college, Point Luma Nazarene, on the cliffs in San Diego. This fall, combining business and fashion, she will begin her masters program at The Fashion Institute of Design and Marketing -"FIDM" - in California where she will receive a solid fashion and business background, especially in Marketing Management and Design.

Just by chance last year, Lissa spotted an intriguing piece of pink fabric adorned with green frogs which she bought. Using her friend's sewing machine, she attempted to make a handbag. She was as thrilled and surprised as were her friends when she indeed did make a brilliant bag!

C'est tres chic was the unanimous vote!

Since then this clever girl with an eye for the unique, the talent to sew, and the drive to produce, has made several more bags using sturdy cotton fabrics and hues of pink, green and blue. Simple and classic, her bags are large, approximately 17" by 16" with two sections and perfectly designed shoulder straps. Holding a myriad of articles, her bags are comfortable to hold and allow for spontaneous hands-free situations such as making a phone call, purchasing the ever-delicious cup of coffee (Lissa's favorite drink), and shaking hands. Wasn't it Coco Chanel who said, "A woman's handbag is a personal statement of class, distinction and elegance"?

Lissa feels that women's accessories are important fashion statements. Choosing linen, silk and cotton scarves and fashionable shoes and boots are a sophisticated addition to her wardrobe along, of course, with one of her own latest, stylish bags.

Academic smarts as well as creative smarts, and a hobby of sewing, Lissa is also inspired by watching people, as she did so often from outdoor coffee cafes in her favorite city, San Diego. "I'd love to open a coffee café," Lissa laughed, "I would call it "Rio Dulce" meaning "Sweet River" in Spanish." Many of Lissa's designs have been stimulated and influenced by her keen awareness of other people's clothing and behavior. Her wonderful sense and appreciation of the arts and music also contribute to her design ideas, as she believes art and music are expressed in many different ways.

Focused and tenacious, yet with the exceptional qualities of wonder and curiosity, Lissa's goals to become part of the fashion industry and to have her own clothing line, no doubt, will become a reality.