TIMELESS VALUES, TOLD THROUGH PAGES & FABRIC: A CONVERSATION WITH JORDAN PATTERSON

“Beauty awakens the soul — and for children especially, wonder is often the doorway to character.” Jordan Patterson

 

Some connections happen by design. Others unfold with the kind of serendipity that makes you believe in creative destiny.

Our serendipitous relationship with Jordan Patterson began, as so many modern friendships do, on Instagram. Jordan was not only a mother who appreciated our aesthetic, but also a writer and creative visionary in the process of crafting her latest children’s book, A True Bohemian Princess.

Her discovery of our Maison came through her longstanding interest in European royal history, where she first encountered our work as an atelier trusted by royal families. Years later, after becoming a mother herself, she returned to the brand as a client, drawn to the same sense of heritage, craftsmanship, and timeless design.

While her own experiences shaped her story, she found inspiration in elements of our creations : the silhouettes, textures, and European sensibility that define our house. These details subtly informed aspects of the wardrobe and visual world within her book.

It is a natural alignment: a shared appreciation for heritage, storytelling, and enduring beauty : each expressed through a distinct creative lens, and the belief that what we give children matters. When we finally connected, it became clear that we weren’t influencing one another so much as speaking the same creative language : each working in different mediums, but guided by the same convictions.

This led us to a question worth exploring: What do a children's book and handmade children's fashion actually have in common? At first glance, one tells stories with words and illustrations; the other with fabric and threads. But look deeper, and you'll find they both transmit values, preserve beauty, and shape how the next generation sees themselves and the world. They're both vessels for what we hope to pass down. Both are acts of intention in a culture of speed. Both create heirlooms in an age of disposability. Both encourage us to slow down, to notice, to cherish.

Presenting Jordan's Book

A True Bohemian Princess tells the true story of a Czech princess and her family who, like so many European aristocrats, found themselves displaced and building new lives in America. It's a tale of grace under transformation, of carrying dignity across oceans, of royal heritage finding expression in humble circumstances. Illustrated in a vintage-inspired style that evokes old European storybooks with what Jordan calls "the whimsy of a Wes Anderson fairytale," the book explores how beauty, tradition, and self-worth survive and even thrive when everything external changes.

It's a story about what endures. And perhaps that's exactly why Jordan and Charlotte sy Dimby found each other.

Our Shared Mission

Charlotte : What values are you hoping to embed in your book?

Jordan : At its heart, A True Bohemian Princess is a story about character.

The princess in the story loses her kingdom, yet she carries her grace, kindness, and dignity wherever she goes. Real stories inspired this idea, which I first encountered while living in Prague, and later in the United States, where I met displaced families descended from European noble and royal houses—families who had lost everything after the World Wars and were forced to rebuild their lives in America.

Some arrived with only a few treasured belongings; others had to completely reinvent themselves, taking on new professions and ways of life. One Czech prince returned to Europe to fight for his family’s inheritance, but most had no path back. Instead, they began again—quietly and resiliently—in cities like New York, Boston, San Antonio, and Los Angeles.

It was there that I discovered a hidden world: underground royal societies, formed by descendants of these historic families. I have been documenting their remarkable stories ever since—stories not of lost titles, but of enduring identity, strength, and grace.

It made me realize that true royalty is not defined by crowns, castles, or titles, but revealed in the way we treat others—with courage, generosity, kindness, humility, and grace.

I hope that children walk away from this story understanding that the truest form of royalty lives within each of us. Palaces may crumble, and kingdoms may disappear, but character is something that can never be taken away.

This book is the beginning of a larger world I hope to build—one that invites children into timeless fairytales where virtue, beauty, and imagination still reign.

Charlotte : Do you think there is something powerful about surrounding children with intentional beauty, whether in what they read or what they wear?

Jordan :  

Absolutely. I grew up surrounded by antiques. My great-grandmother and grandmother were antique dealers in Houston, Texas, and my mother became a collector of unusual treasures, so my childhood was filled with objects that carried stories—old books, paintings, porcelain, Japanese tansus, and pieces that had passed through generations.

There was also a strong thread of fashion and design in my blood. My mother’s family had ties to the retail world through the founding of Cain-Sloan, a beloved historic department store in Nashville, Tennessee, known for its elegance and attention to presentation. My mother became a fashion designer herself, traveling frequently to Indonesia to work with artisans. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of helping her sell her colorful ribbon jackets at trade shows—it was truly a family affair.

And then there was my mother herself—once a Texan beauty queen, a runner-up for Miss Texas in the 1970s—who carried a kind of luminous glamour into our everyday life. Her closet was a world of feathers and rhinestones, pageant gowns that shimmered with possibility. To me, it was a treasure trove. I would disappear into it for hours, draping myself in silk and sparkle, playing dress-up as if stepping into different stories. Those moments felt like living inside a fairytale.

Growing up surrounded by that kind of unapologetic beauty—both storied and sparkling—made my childhood feel enchanted. And as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to understand that it wasn’t just about aesthetics; it was about expression, imagination, and the quiet celebration of femininity in all its forms.

Those experiences shaped how I see beauty—not as something extravagant, but as something intentional and deeply human. Beauty has a quiet power. It draws us in and invites us to pause, whether it’s a path lined with blooming cherry blossoms or a hand-painted ceiling in an old palace. Children are especially attuned to that sense of wonder.

When we surround them with thoughtful beauty—through the stories they read, the clothes they wear, and the environments they inhabit—we nurture their imagination and their capacity for awe. And from that sense of wonder, a deeper way of seeing the world begins.

Traditional Craftsmanship

Charlotte : Your illustrations are described as vintage-inspired and hand-crafted in feeling. Why was that aesthetic important rather than something more contemporary or digital?

Jordan : I wanted the book to feel timeless. So many children’s books today feel fast and disposable, almost like an extension of the digital world children already live in. I wanted the opposite — a story that felt like something you might discover tucked away on a grandparent’s bookshelf decades from now.

The vintage aesthetic reflects the world the story inhabits — old kingdoms, castles, medieval town squares, and a sense of history that stretches across centuries.

It invites children into a magical royal world where dragons fly across the sky, and adventure waits just beyond the trellis of the palace garden gates. Stories like that deserve illustrations that feel warm, handcrafted, and enduring.

Charlotte : How do you think the physical beauty of a book affects how a child receives its message?

Jordan : The beauty of a book invites a child into the story before they even read a word. Children notice details — the colors, the illustrations, the textures. When a book is thoughtfully designed, they linger on the pages longer. They explore the world inside it.

A beautiful book becomes something children return to again and again. It becomes part of the atmosphere of childhood. And the messages we absorb during childhood — especially those wrapped in beauty, imagination, and storytelling — often stay with us for a lifetime.

Heritage & Identity

Charlotte : Your book is about a princess who carries her royal grace into a new world. How do we help modern children develop their own sense of “inner royalty” or self-worth?

Jordan : By reminding them that their worth comes from who they are, not from what they possess. The princess in the story loses her kingdom, but she does not lose her identity. She carries her dignity with her wherever she goes. That message feels particularly important today.

Inner royalty comes from character — from kindness, courage, humility, and integrity. When children understand that their self-worth and value come from within, they develop a confidence that cannot be shaken by external circumstances.

Charlotte : Both our brands celebrate European heritage. Why does it resonate so deeply within you?

Jordan : I think that fascination began very early in my life. I was born in Japan to American parents—home to the world’s oldest continuous hereditary monarchy—so the presence of imperial history and tradition was there from the very beginning.

Later, as an American living in several European kingdoms—England, Denmark, Spain, and the Czech Republic, the former Kingdom of Bohemia under the Austro-Hungarian Empire—I had the opportunity to experience that sense of history and majesty more intimately.

I spent countless days wandering medieval town squares, visiting ancient churches, castles, and palaces. I remember standing in those places, completely captivated by the beauty, the craftsmanship, and the centuries of stories held within the walls.

There is something undeniably powerful about it. You feel the passage of generations—the weight of tradition, culture, and memory. It reminds you that beauty, storytelling, and craftsmanship are not fleeting. They are things that endure. Those experiences stayed with me and ultimately shaped the world I wanted to create in A True Bohemian Princess—a world where history, imagination, and timeless beauty quietly intertwine.

The Next Generation

Charlotte : What do you hope your daughter learns from seeing herself in beautiful clothes and reading beautiful books?

Jordan : I hope she learns that beauty is something to appreciate — but also something deeper than appearance. True elegance comes from kindness, character, and the way we treat others.

When children grow up surrounded by beauty, imagination, and thoughtful craftsmanship, they begin to see the world as something magical and full of possibility. And when a child believes the world is magical, they often grow up wanting to contribute something beautiful back to it.

Charlotte : Do you think children understand quality and beauty intuitively, or do we teach them to value it?

Jordan : I believe children instinctively recognize beauty. Watch a child walking through a garden or gazing up at a full moon on a starry night. They respond with pure awe. That sense of wonder is innate.

Our role as adults is simply to nurture it — to slow down, notice beauty together, and teach children that some things are worth preserving. In a world that moves very quickly, beauty invites us to pause. And sometimes those moments of pause are where imagination and meaning begin.

Charlotte : Why are we so drawn to royalty and fairytales, be it children or adults, generation after generation?

Jordan :  Deep down, I think we all long for them. From little girls dreaming of becoming princesses to little boys imagining themselves as knights battling dragons, the imagery of kingdoms, castles, and heroic adventures speaks to something timeless in the human imagination.

There is something undeniably captivating about majesty and royalty. Perhaps it reminds us that life is meant to be more than ordinary. Fairytales speak to our longing for courage, goodness, redemption, and nobility. They remind us that even in difficult circumstances, virtue matters and good can triumph over evil.

That is why these stories continue to resonate long after childhood. They touch something eternal within the human spirit—a sense of wonder and meaning I hope to continue exploring in my work.

Closing Reflection

Jordan : At the end of the day, A True Bohemian Princess is an invitation into a world of wonder — a world of castles, dragons, ancient town squares, and timeless virtues. But beyond the fairytale setting, the deeper message is simple: that true royalty is not something we inherit through titles or crowns, but something we cultivate through kindness, courage, and grace.

My hope is that when a child closes the book, they carry a small piece of that magic with them — the quiet belief that they, too, possess a kind of inner royalty. Because the most beautiful kingdoms are not always the ones built of stone and gold—they are the ones we build within ourselves.

A True Bohemian Princess was written to celebrate that spirit of wonder — and to remind children everywhere that the most important crown they will ever wear is the character they carry within their hearts.

More about the Author

Jordan Patterson's fascination with this hidden history began after she wrote a story about a Czech orphan who becomes a Bohemian princess—a journey that led her to move to Prague in 2009 to try to open an orphanage. There, she uncovered true accounts of displaced aristocrats that helped shape her book and her docu-series in development, Royal in America: Exiled Bloodlines.

Born to American parents in Japan and raised in Connecticut, Jordan studied business at Southern Methodist University, lived in Copenhagen and Madrid, and interned with the UK Parliament in London. She later worked in Washington, D.C., New York City, Charlotte, and Los Angeles, holding roles with The U.S. House of Representatives, Hermès of Paris, BVLGARI, Kering, and The Ritz-Carlton. A longtime SAG-AFTRA member, she has also served with Save the Children and ChildHelp USA. She now lives in the heart of Texas with her husband and two children.

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