Awe As Grandma, 103, Reveals Designs She Drew 90 Years Ago: ‘Magic’

A 103-year-old woman’s forgotten fashion sketches have captured the internet’s imagination after her great-niece shared them online.

Alicia Dawn Martinez (@numberonedaughter), 43, from Santa Barbara, California, posted a TikTok showcasing designs created by her Great Aunt, Violet “Aunt Vi” Breeckner, who lives in Pompano Beach, Florida. The video, which revealed a book of her elaborate dress sketches with an on-screen caption reading “looking back at the magic she created 90 years ago,” has drawn more than 400,000 views and 121,600 likes.

The illustrations from 90 years ago feature various elegant gowns and outfits, including a floor-length floral pink dress, a chic purple tweed ensemble, and a glamorous strapless green-and-copper ball gown.

Martinez told Newsweek that her aunt had briefly returned to sketching a few years ago at the age of 100, but had stopped again. “Recently after hearing about all of the thousands of people who are in love with her designs, she’s been wanting to draw again. It is like the world has brought back a motivation she was lacking. It is really beautiful to see, and I do hope she starts to draw again,” she said.

She explained that Aunt Vi originally created the designs when she was 13 and 14 years old, while in her first two years of high school in the Bronx.

The sketches won her numerous awards, and her talent eventually led her to Pratt Institute, where she completed both high school and an art program, studying sculpture and painting rather than fashion design. After marrying and raising children, Breeckner stored the sketches away and rarely revisited them until later in life.

Martinez said that over the years her great-aunt occasionally showed the drawings to family members, but she herself only discovered them on a recent visit.

She recalled how Aunt Vi’s father and brothers launched LaVigna Cashmere Coats and Suits for Women, which became the first company to introduce cashmere to the United States.

Despite growing up surrounded by the family business, Breeckner’s father wasn’t interested in her designs, due to the popularity of their existing line, leaving them as a deeply personal creative outlet.

According to Martinez, her aunt often reflected on the era in which the designs were made, noting how “in those days women were true women and wore hats and gloves.”

Martinez admitted it was impossible to choose a favorite sketch. “Honestly, I can’t pick out just one. I love them all! They are so well crafted, thought out and way ahead of their time,” she said, adding that her 8-year-old daughter was particularly enchanted by the pink checkered dress with ruffles around the shoulders.

The child even asked if her great-aunt had been sketching Taylor Swift, unaware of how long ago the drawings were made.

The designs are now inspiring new creations. Martinez’s mother-in-law, a local seamstress in Santa Barbara, has begun working on a version of her daughter’s favorite dress.

“I hope it turns out the way Aunt Vi envisioned it. Gosh it would be so incredible to show it to her and to see the look on her face,” Martinez said.

She also described how her bond with Breeckner has grown in recent years, especially as her daughter has come to view Aunt Vi as a great-grandmother figure.

“During our recent visit Aunt Vi was bird watching with Sienna and they would be looking in this bird book to see what kind of bird it is. I just love watching them together so much,” she said.

Martinez’s mother, Diane Alicia del Vecchio Rauch, 73, of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, also shares a special closeness with Breeckner, whom she regularly visits in Florida. Rauch has spent years recording her aunt’s stories about life, family, and resilience.

“She has been through so many wars and during the great depression her values are straight on,” Rauch explained, adding that Breeckner often laments how modern families no longer share meals or dress formally for church or dinner.

“Sundays were always special, a day when you go to church and have a nice family dinner together. I loved to cook and to tell you the truth, everyone loved my cooking. I don’t cook anymore, you know I am old.”

TikTok users have been equally moved by Breeckner’s rediscovered work.

“I got chills… seriously I was overwhelmed with emotions and partly out of sadness so many women full of talent that was never seen. The other part was just all admiration for her talent and youthfulness!,” one person wrote. Another added: “I would frame every single one of them and dedicate a wall to them.”

Others urged designers to bring the collection to life. “SOMEBODY MAKE THESE RIGHT NOW who knows how to use a sewing machine,” one user commented, while another promised: “I can sew and I have a bunch of boxes of vintage patterns and I saw on an old 50s machine. I could probably manage most of those. Those are really amazing. I love vintage clothes and fabrics and patterns.”

One TikToker summed up the community’s hopes for Breeckner: “Update us when someone brings these to life.”

Do you have any viral videos or pictures that you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to [email protected] and they could appear on our site.