FACes & PlaceS
The Arts 2004

Krista Criswell
by Marilyn Bullock

Although Krista Criswell owns a business (Jaunty) based in New York City and is a relative newcomer to the New Hope area, she bears the heart and soul of a long-time Bucks County resident – generous, creative, friendly, and open-minded.

Krista was born in Tucson, Arizona and lived in Denver, Colorado for several years before her family moved to a small town just south of Annapolis, Maryland – the part of the country she calls “home.” Krista knew at a very early age that she wanted to be in the fashion industry and she has not let anything deter her from her goals.

After graduating with a degree in fashion design and merchandising from Marymount University in Arlington, VA, Krista, and her new husband, John, moved to the New York City area – to be closer to the heart of the fashion industry.

Krista had a focused game plan from Day 1, She went to work for Isaac Mizrahi, the internationally famous designer of shoes, coats, and clothing, and worked in the production department for about five month before moving to Calvin Klein where she worked in the production department at a higher lever. At Calvin Klein, Krista had the opportunity to interact with overseas contacts and business sources.

After leaving Calvin Klein, Krista worked at Donna Karan, where she was involved in merchandising and product planning. She had the unenviable job of constantly keeping the designers organized and focused on their target markets.

Krista then worked at Garfield and Marks for over two years. She worked directly for Bernie Marks and was instrumental in developing his merchandising department. She had direct control of five clothing lines and became the overall “keeper of the vision.” Until recently, Bernie Marks lived on Aquetong Rd., just outside of New Hope. Krista and John would often visit Bernie and quickly fell in love with the New Hope area. They moved to Carversville in May 2001.

While at Garfield and Marks, Krista met a freelancer who was designing decorative handbags and Krista offered to help get her business off the ground. However, the timing was not right (9/11 timeframe) and the business did not make it.

One year later, inspired by her need for a practical commuter handbag – one that would hold a change of shoes – Krista started her own fashion handbag business, Jaunty New York. Jaunty means “easy and sprightly in bearing, smartly trim,” a name Krista’s father came up with.

Krista designs all of Jaunty’s handbags. She gets her inspiration from memories of travel excursions with her family and occasionally from dreams. Of this experience, Krista shared this: “Sometimes I wake up from a dream and remember the bag that I was carrying!”

Jaunty handbags are of superior quality materials – all of them made here in the United States. About 90% of all handbag production takes place in York, PA , the rest in New York State. Krista made a point of showing me the leather strap on her own handbag. “Notice that the edges are not finished,” she said, “I want to show people that I use real, high quality leather. Many companies use fake leather and paint the edges to hide the fact.”

Most of her bags are made of water resistant nylon canvas. Her bags can be spot cleaned with soap and water – VERY practical, yet colorful and sophisticated, too! Jaunty was recently selected to be part of the Celebrity Gift Package at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, so Krista knows for sure that there are celebrity’s who are carrying her bags.

Even though Krista has two employees, Laura Malone and Cheryl Wood, who help with the business, Krista is, for the most part, consumed with making Jaunty the “most sought after brand of handbags.” She considers her busy work schedule a sign of success and looks forward to the days when she and John can take time to travel, a passion they both share.

For the time being, Krista enjoys spending some quiet time with John and taking their rescued dog, Jake, for walks along the canal path. Who knows, perhaps something river-inspired will show up in one of her newest designs - she can call it the Delaware Bag!

For more information, go to www.JauntyNY.com.

For more information, go to www.JauntyNY.com.