My RI & MA Life: Sarah Williams of Spoiled Sports
About Me
I attended Moses Brown School in Providence, RI (Class of 1993) and Boston College (Class of 1997). Since I was a little girl, I've been drawn to fashion, art, and apparel. I began sewing with my grandmother, who is turning 100 this week, when I was 7 years old and loved the creativity it afforded me. Starting my career in auditing at KPMG, I quickly realized that I was not an accountant! However, I learned many important lessons and made several life long friendships, including that of my business partner, Rachel Zinny. Although Rachel and I only worked together for a few years at KPMG, the seeds of our future venture were planted. Years later, our paths crossed again when we were both living in Wellesley, MA. As moms and avid tennis players and golfers, we were both frustrated with the lack of cute apparel options for women and girls. We decided to design a preppy line of tennis skirts with a pop of color and launched Spoiled Sports. This spring we will expand our line when we debut our women's and girls' golf skirts, a tennis top and boys' tennis shorts.
Spoiled Sports has become a family affair with Rachel’s 3 daughters and my 4 kids (daughter age 9 and sons ages 8, 6, and 6 months) serving as our design inspirations, fit models and stars in our photo shoots! My favorite photo was taken by Roger Pelissier - an aerial view of our combined four girls sitting together on a tennis court each wearing one of the four color options we offer in the box pleat tennis skirt. [See photo above.] Roger captured a perfect shot – the girls couldn’t be prouder of their moms and love wearing our skirts! The other day I saw my daughter's sketch for a new design for Spoiled Sports and is it cute! And let’s not forget my 85lb golden retriever, Skipper, who is great at being at our side at all times. It’s been fun to have everyone involved. Although our business was just launched in June 2015, our skirts have been very well received and our brand has been spreading through word of mouth and social media.
My husband and I were married at the Cathedral in Providence, followed by a reception at the Biltmore. The banana flambé, ambiance, history and views of Providence from the Biltmore ballroom are favorites of ours. We try to get back to the Biltmore as often as possible for a get-away or just to walk down by the waterfront.
Favorite RI Restaurants & Food
Depends on what we're looking for....My mom (who is still in the area) and I go to Vienna Bakery for spinach pies and Allie's Donuts for my kids' birthday donuts (Thanks mom for driving there!). One of my favorite restaurants is Quito's in Bristol – hands down the best seafood! We love to drive there to meet my parents and let the kids run around the park and walk by the water – it's one of the best spots in Rhode Island. My favorite dinner spot is Capriccio, where we still celebrate all major milestones with Scampi Alla Gino prepared table side!
Favorite RI Shopping
Who can pass up a trip to Newport? I love to walk the beautiful streets, see the incredible culture and wonderful shops, and take a quick spin by the International Tennis Hall of Fame, an amazing venue to visit! I also always swing by Island Outfitters (located on the Cape too, where we spend a lot of time) as well as Sara Campbell - whether I'm looking for a cashmere wrap or a fun new top or skirt - I can get it all there.
Building Spoiled Sports with Rachel has been a lot of fun - we hope you enjoy wearing our items as much as we enjoy working together to create them. We love hearing from supporters and look forward to seeing pictures of you and your loved ones enjoying yourselves on courses and courts in your favorite Spoiled Sports gear! Make sure to visit www.spoiled-sports.com.
Let's Get Social
- Twitter: @myspoiledsports
- Instagram: @spoiledsports2015
- Click here to like and follow Spoiled Sports on Facebook.
***Get 15% off by using the code PattyJ when you order Spoiled Sports on Tuesday, July 5, 2016.***
Photo Credits: All photos provided by Sarah Williams