Heart of Haute owner and designer Amanda has long had the nickname Mandie Bee. The origins of this name are simple, she says "Mandie Bee is just a play on my real name, Amanda Becker. Mandie B(ee)." In addition to the Heart of Haute retro pin up style classics, Amanda also designs the Mandie Bee line. She says that her goal with the Mandie Bee collection was to have "a section for all my designs that didn't quite fit in Heart of Haute. I was racking my brain for weeks trying to think up the right name, but then I thought, since this was a reflection of my own creative ideas, I would just name it after myself. I think the sound of the name is symbolic of something youthful and fun. "
The Mandie Bee line is different from the overall Heart of Haute line in that "Mandie Bee was meant to reach out to a different crowd with a younger vibe. It was also an avenue for me to make some mod girl styles." Aside from her nickname, why the love for bees? To Amanda, "bees are the pollinators of the world! Without bees, we wouldn't have flowers or fruits, which of course we know are lovely things in the natural world. So, like bees, I can relay this same idea to fashion. Myself and other fashion-forward thinking 'bees' out there are pollinating and inspiring the creative minds of others to keep our fashion world beautiful."
Bees make an appearance in the Mandie Bee line on the Ella top and Etta dress - both available in yellow or blue bee print. I love the blue bees print in particular accessorized with a pop of yellow. Try yellow shoes or a headband with our Gypsy Skirt in Yellow Mariposa - butterflies are also pollinators! Actual bees are essential to our world and much of the food that we eat. There has been a lot of recent news on their decline. This article offers easy ways that anyone can help the bee population. Buy some local honey (and maybe mix up a whiskey lemonade with honey) and leave those dandelions alone!