 Wilken's designs were inspired by a wide range of sources, including Thomas Gainsborough's paintings, Russian folk dress, and nineteenth century fashion.Soon after she started in the early 1940s, in 1945, Wilkens won both the Coty Award and the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award.Coty Award publicity at the time praised Wilkens for producing clothing that gave young girls what they wished for, whilst also pleasing their mothers.