Floating in the purgatory between couture and mass fashion, people might not get Dahl at first glance. Her ads are not trendy. Not in-your-face. There is nothing about her marketing, or clothing for that matter, that screams come buy me. No gimmicks, no glitter. The images on her website are a bit Teller for Marc Jacobs, but less obvious and more Polaroid-chic. Like the images were taken in a Parisian apartment, by the balcony, just before the girls were running out to experience their fabulous lives.

While I met with Alison, I counted at least five opportunities for her to sell the dress right off her back. But she didn't. Because Alison Kelly designs like she doesn't need the money. Her concern, I will come to see, is with the spirit of the garments. She knows her clientele, and designs for them, even before they know about her line.

What's with the name, Dahl?

It's from my middle name, which is my Swedish grandmother's maiden name, Dahlgren. There are also no men left in our family, so I wanted my clothing line to be named Dahl, to keep the name alive. I also really love the play on words.

On Bravo! T.V's Project Runway, as it is in most reality television, it seems like the designers become almost caricatures of themselves, there's always the hysterical one, the overly confident, the loud one, the poor-me one in my opinion, you didn't seem to fit any of the type casts. How was your experience on the show?

I'm not dramatic, which isn't good for reality T.V. While on the show, it was important for me to represent my brand. I tried to think of the best way to  represent my clothing line, and act accordingly.

What kind of person wears your designs?

For me, it is important to create garments that tell a story and have a deeper meaning than just a dress. I feel like I know the women who wear my designs, they are soulful and confident. This is the approach I take in designing, to make clothing that is soulful.

What inspires you?

Everything, music, life!

What's new with you career at the moment?

 I'm working with a jewelry designer, and am designing a jewelry line to go along with my collection. Also, I just added an Atelier service on my website so people can order custom fits (www.atelierdahl.com). This is much better than ordering, small, medium, large. I love being able to offer custom work.

So you're sitting in a room full of fabric and thread, what's the most difficult part about designing?

I am constantly thinking about how to create luxury, high quality pieces that are affordable. I want my line to be accessible without compromising any part of the design, style, or fabric.

Is the dress you're wearing offered on your website?

Not yet. I need to make sure it works.

But it does work, I want to tell her. The lines fall perfectly on the body, the geometric shapes are modern and interesting. It passes the test, my personal mantra brought to life by my personal goddess Sophia Lauren who said, A woman's dress should be like a barbed-wire fence: serving its purpose without obstructing the view. With all this talk about souls, I think, quite dramatically, that I might need this dress, if not for me, then for my soul. Or at least, I need it for a book signing that I'm attending next weekend.

How do you make sure a dress works?

I wear it everywhere. I see how it feels, how it moves. I look at the colors and see is the fabric is the best choice for the design. I see how people to react to it. And then I alter anything that does not work. It is most important for me that I design clothing that people are confident in, clothing that works with their lifestyle.

I went home after the interview and looked up the jewelry line on her website. The first piece listed in the collection is a stick pin called Skol. What does Skol mean? Skol: The Danish/Norwegian/Swedish word for a salute or a toast, as to an admired person or group. There is a popular legend that the toast comes from the mythical habit of Vikings to drink from cups made from the skulls of their defeated enemies. Cheers to you, Ms. Kelly.