As children we are taught to use our imagination, pretend, and get our hands dirty. For local designer Anne Liotti, whose company is Anne’s Armoire, it meant creating art shows in her friend’s basement and persuading their parents to buy the pieces for a penny. “I grew up in the early 2000s, before iPhones and tablets were even an option to distract us,” she said. “There was never a dull moment between my best friend and me, we would just sit in her basement and make stuff.”
In her creative process, Anne tries not to have any hesitations or doubts. Her intention is to dive straight into projects so that she can create whatever she wants while drowning out any other noise. That determination might come from the creation behind her first ever design. “In the sixth grade, we had an Invention Convention, and it was a big deal. You hyped your whole year around the Invention Convention,” said Anne. “I sewed a little square with pins on the edges to clip into the fur of tall Ugg boots, and it could be used as a little pocket to hold keys or a phone.” She remembers sticking her house key or her Samsung flip phone into that pocket. Her first sewing machine was a gift from her grandmother at age nine or 10, which was something Anne always knew she had, but didn’t take seriously until she was in college.
Although fashion and clothing design weren’t her initial grab into the art world, creating shows for people was unknowingly the thread that tied her young medium into her adult medium. Anne recently produced the Valentine’s Runway Showcase that took place on February 12th. Featured on the runway were 15 other designers and her collection closed the production.
Anne created the runway for several reasons, including a desire to do something for others and bring her designs to the stage. In 2022 and 2023 she was in her first two fashion shows, which were put together by the Salvation Army. “The first few fashion shows I did, each designer just did a couple of looks,” said Anne. “But it gave me confidence, and it gave me a platform which I didn’t have before.”
From that confidence, she created her first collection in 2024, called Let’s talk, a play on conversation heart candies. She staged it at a Victorian mansion outside of Our Town and did a photo shoot. This was the first big production she had put on for her designs. After reminiscing about those things, the idea blossomed for an eye-catching spectacle for charity. “When I was thinking about doing another Valentine’s Day collection, I wanted to show it off on stage and have more of a reason for people to come out and see my stuff. I didn’t want to make it all about me,” said Anne. “It’s not often that you’re able to put something on the runway. So, if I could do that for myself and help other people at the same time, I thought it was a great idea.”
With the network she built in college, and from the previous two fashion shows, the initial process went seamlessly. She knew that the first two steps were to lock down a venue and a charity the event would support. One of Anne’s sorority sisters is the events coordinator for Newhouse, and after meeting with the organization, she thought they were a great fit. While searching for a venue, Anne realized an old coworker worked for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce at Union Station Kansas City. They were able to work out her using their conference room for the show.
Finding designers, makeup artists, models, and photographers all came from her social media presence and word of mouth from The Sewing Labs, Legacy Fabrics, and Rightfully Sewn. Anne attended Rightfully Sewn’s seamstress training school, and her old instructor, who now works for The Sewing Labs, did a collaborative collection with some of her students for the runway.
At this point, Anne was still organizing the event by herself, and she was getting stressed and nervous about upcoming tasks. After locking in almost all of the participants, she finally got some help. “Something I learned as I got into the process was that delegating is helpful. I couldn’t do everything on my own,” she said. “So, after I got a lot of the models and glam team down, I ended up bringing on a model coordinator and a glam coordinator.” Her model coordinator was Sophie LaVoie, who taught models timing on their walks, found replacements if someone dropped out, and was the point of contact the day of the fashion show. Joey Diaz was the glam coordinator, and he acted as the point of contact for all things alluring.
The fashion show was a ticketed event, and after breaking even on the venue expense sooner than she anticipated, all of the proceeds went to Newhouse. There was also a raffle with dazzling prizes, including restaurant gift cards, a sewing class gift card, and a photo shoot. The revenue from the raffle also went to Newhouse.
Beyond the logistics of the event, Anne had to craft her six-piece collection for the show. Her designs steer on the feminine and sultry side, and she draws inspiration from Valentino Garavani, with his romantic silhouettes and high-level craftsmanship. “I think a lot of my pieces are things that have been in my head for a while. But I stayed true to my brand by just being very feminine and sexy, but not too sexy,” Anne said. “So, you’ll see some lace where you can see skin right underneath, but the craftsmanship is at a level where it’s not too revealing. I really like to walk the line.” While including a lot of corsets, she also did an ode to the conversation hearts line with a heart shaped corset with an upgraded pattern. Some of the fabrics used throughout were tulle, satin, and lace. The designer in Anne wanted out of her comfort zone, so there is also a men’s look included in her line.
Outside of creating ensembles or putting together curated exhibits, Anne is passionate about upcycling and wants to continue building her custom clientele. “The planet has so much on it already, and there is so much material to work with,” she said. Some of the clothes she wears are pieces she thrifted and turned into outfits that fit her wardrobe. In 2024, she made one of her second sales off of an NFL jersey corset, while never forgetting the artwork she sold for a penny when she was a child.
Creativity was wired into Anne from her parents’ encouragement and their backgrounds. Her mom is in the interior design industry, and her dad is a design engineer for the stamping and baking industry. She remembers learning from them that you can make anything, and because of that, she is taking a risk and stepping into an untapped market in the menswear space. But she has sworn herself to secrecy until it is done. “Being in my sewing room, it’s not always rainbows and butterflies. Sometimes I get frustrated, sometimes I feel overwhelmed. But remembering what I’m doing it for is the best part,” said Anne. “Seeing things come to life is the best feeling in the world, and I think that ties back to my childhood. I never really shied away from creating stuff.”
Featured in the March 21, 2026 issue of The Independent
By Olivia Mahl
Photo Credit: Ivan Alessio, Nathan Moeller, and Alex Todd
