The Susie Tompkins Buell collection of women's portraits was a long time in the making. She started collecting these in the mid 70s and amassed them over the course of many years at flea markets. She had a personal heart connection with each one. Her very favorite was one she bought in England and it got stolen out of her office at Esprit. It was a woman smoking a cigarette. She would be looking for fabrics and she was drawn to the portraits that in her mind were just characters that inspired her. They were all hung in her Esprit office at the San Francisco Embarcadero and reflected her passionate dedication to women. And to be reminded about all the different phases of life and different diversity in women. Says Susie "Life goes on and it is important to let things go and let them find a new life."