The DL Blog

To start off I would like to say hello!! I am Jamie Duffield, Founder & CEO of Duffield Lane.  Duffield Lane has been my passion going on 9 years now and we have grown from a small line of PJs sold out of my guest bedroom, to a full line of ready to wear womens and kids styles sold in 300 stores across the country - including our own flagship store in our home town of East Grand Rapids, MI. Duffield Lane’s style is inspired by my favorite places (which not so coincidentally are all located on the water!), and a love for classic timeless styles that are well made and unbelievably comfortable.

I grew up in Rye, NY and spent much of my life up and down the East Coast from New York to DC to Florida before settling with my husband in Michigan to be close to family. I currently live in East Grand Rapids, with my husband and Duffield Lane Partner, Ryan, and our two young daughters, Jacqueline and Charlotte, who both serve as the inspiration for our growing girls collections, and a slobbery bulldog named Toby Keith.  

This past year has been full of so many wonderful memories and opportunities, with a few challenging moments mixed in as well. Duffield Lane has grown tremendously in the last year and our team along with it! I can’t wait to introduce you to all of our amazing team members over the coming months on this page. I hope that you’ve got just as much excitement as I do for all the things that are coming in this new year, and that you and your family are staying happy and healthy! 

The beginning of the year is typically a time to make new resolutions, however if the crazy past 2 years have taught us anything, it is that plans can change! So instead of traditional resolutions we have decided to ‘Resolve to Try!’, that is to try something new this year! I stumbled upon this idea after reading this LINK article, and it really resonated with me. The past 2 years I have found myself home a lot more, traveling less, and while it has been a treasured time of homebound family bonding, I am craving variety and new experiences. Turns out I am not alone! Below are a few of the things our team is resolving to try!

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/04/style/new-years-resolutions-experiences-learning.html

Go Camping! This year I want to try a new way of traveling (my favorite hobby). My husband Ryan grew up camping and loves it. I never really thought of it as my cup of tea, but I think it could be just the fun, crazy new adventure I need. 

- Jamie, CEO and Founder

Disco!!! This year my husband and I are going try a dance class. It’s been 26 years since the last time we did this. That was in preparation for our wedding day. See, my husband has no rhythm and I love to dance, so we needed to find a way to work together. We did the fox trot to Frank Sinatra’s The Best is Yet to Come. We were ready. We learned to work together, our moves were sharp and we had fun too! The big day came, we stepped out on the dance floor for our first dance. We were nervous. Then the band began to play our song but they played it double time! We both froze for a moment and then he started swinging me around, dips, twirls and a little bit of a fox trot. We just laughed and had fun! No one was the wiser. Now here we are again a little older a little slower and with no big performance looming. We are going to try disco! Mostly because I love disco and because my husband is a good man. Hopefully my knee, back, and hip flexors will cooperate....haha! I can’t wait!

- Elizabeth, Design Team and Store Manager

Be a mom! This year I am having a baby! Our little girl is expected this February and I can’t wait for this adventure to begin.

- Katie, Director of Wholesale Sales

Get Cooking! Along with getting married (yay!), my fiancé and I are going to try a new cooking class!

- Meg, Director of Marketing

Hit the (flat) slopes! This year I am going to try cross country skiing, baby steps before I head to a mountain!

- Kate, COO

Get Competitive! This year I am going to try pickleball!

- Melissa, Design Team

 Is there anything new you are going to try this year? Please share, we are always looking for inspiration for new adventures!