Author: Louis Dell'Olio

“Sneak Peek #5” is my 92%cotton/8%span knit MAXI DRESS, A223658. This is the dress that , color wise. coordinates to the shrug in sneak peek #4.

For me, it’s got everything you may want in a dress……..it’ simple, it’s easy to wear, it’s easy to take care of,  it’s easy to pack, it can be worn super casual or it can be worn very dressy. You can accessorize it as SIMPLY or as OVER  THE TOP as you want. Wear it with flip flops or beaded sandals……In other words make it YOURS! The neckline is a modest TANK….not too high….not too low. It has PRINCESS seams front and back. The shape is at the rib cage and then gently flares out to the hem….PEARS are you listening? LOL.  It really is a dress for all. Keeping the fit higher and not at the natural waist is ELONGATING. The dress is approx. 52 inches long for an XS. For those who would rather be tortured than go with bare arms….. you can have the shrug that will solve that problem, A223660. NOW….let me  be ABSOLUTELY CLEAR….the dress is made out of cotton/span….the shrug is Rayon/nylon…..no matter how many labs dips we had both factories try [both garments are made in two separate factories], the colors are NOT an exact dead on match…..different dyes take color differently. Do they blend….ABSOLUTELY….do I recommend you wearing them together…ABSOLUTELY. Of course, you can always mix match as I did with the black over the reef green. I would also love the VIOLET with the REEF GREEN…..the right accessories will make it work…..don’t have your accessories match your dress….BORING!!! That said I love all black on black….so do what you want! The colors of the dress are the same as the shrug….BLACK, REEF GREEN and VIOLET. The thing I love about maxi dresses is….when you get tired of “The LOOK’ and the fad dies, as we all know it will,…..all of the maxi dresses I have done for you will also look great SHORTENED to whatever length you want……..for those of you with great legs make them as short as you dare….you can even cut them to TUNIC lengths, 28-29 inches, and wear them with Capris etc. etc. Now you have all that EXTRA fabric to play with! …..head bands, infinity scarves, sashes etc. etc.I know you are all going to LOVE this dress!…………………………………………..Enjoy, Love, Louis

“Sneak Peek #4” is the long awaited “SHRUG”, A223660. It is in all reality a cropped one button cardigan, [18 inches for the xs], made in my WHISPER KNIT! Why is this an ESSENTIAL piece…..because it serves many functions and can be worn ALL YEAR long. This is that one piece that will solve many problems and the one piece you will want in a zillion colors!

The colors are BLACK, REEF GREEN and VIOLET. The design is simple…… the proportions are perfect. It has a slight shape so it doesn’t look boxy. It has a jewel neckline and a single button closure. What I think makes this little piece wonderful is ….it is made in my EVERY NEED RIB construction, which gives the sweater BODY to maintain its SHAPE. Study the photos above and you will discover many ways to wear it…..and, I’m sure, you will come up with many more. I have it shown over tank tops with a myriad of bottoms…..My new jersey pull-on pant or my pebble crepe pull-on pant give a wonderful languid look [last years crop P.C. would look great too]….. my pebble crepe skirts…either the straight long one or the new fuller skirt, coming this month, makes for a dressier outfit……I especially love it worn over the “ROBYN” shirt and a pair of  my new crop cotton sateen pants [the KATE works too]….some ballet flats will complete the look…..come fall….wear the shirt and shrug with a long skirt and boots or a pair of heather gray pants….very CHIC. Of course, the reason I designed this piece was to go over ALL OF YOU SLEEVELESS TOPS AND DRESSES. There is no reason any more for you to pass a great looking sleeveless piece because you don’t want to show you upper arms! One more thing….there are two photos that show the “SHRUG” over the matching TANK MAXI DRESS in a wonderful cotton/span knit…..the same quality as many of my T-shirts and leggings….only lighter weight……”sneak peek” to come. I know you will really enjoy this piece and only wish it came in more colors! This is definitely a problem solver………..enjoy, Love Louis

In “The Year Of The Dress”….. this is a great one.  I thought it would be the perfect follow up to the cheetah safari jacket. The new SAFARI dress is A223657, and it is in my SIGNATURE FAUX SILK SHANTUNG. I have seen many safari dresses in my career from many designers including myself…..at many different price points…..and I can unequivocally say IMHO……..this is one of the best! For my faux shantung lovers……this is a must have and for those who haven’t tried it yet….this is the perfect place to start. The colors are BRONZE and MOSS and in this particular fabric….the colors are magnificent….super RICH. The detail and the stitching are superb with double row stitching everywhere……There are four patch pockets with flaps and the beautiful buttons are dyed to match. The bottom pockets are side entry only….one of my special little details. It has a classic shirt collar and a wide, long placket down the front……long enough to make it easy to get in and out of. The sleeve is 3/4 length and has a 1 inch stitched hem. You can either roll the sleeve up or gather it up naturally and use the attached tab and button to hold it in place. Since this is a two color yarn fabric…black and color…..when you roll the sleeve up you will see the black reverse side as in the bronze photos. The dress is approx. 39 inches long and has side slits on both side seams. There are body darts front and back for a subtle shape…..so you can wear it loose without it looking boxy, or you can use the stitched self belt as in the photo of the MOSS dress.  I would also suggest trying it with a black tank, leaving the placket open enough to see it and also with a pair of my black knit crop legging and flat sandals.  Another casual way to wear a dress…..with this kind of style it works. Just looking at the dress draped over a chair….it looks like money. The sheen of the fabric has that REAL SILK look and no one will know, even if they touch it, that it is anything but SILK…….no one….but YOU and ME……………enjoy, much Love Louis

NO YOUR NOT SEEING SPOTS!!!!! It’s A214114, the CHEETAH PRINT T-SHIRT. Could I sneak peek the jacket without the T??? I don’t think so. It’s like the pepper without the salt. What can I tell you about this V-NECK T SHIRT that you don’t already know? YES!……It’s coming in PERFECTLY PINK! Even on a form it looks SEXY. In some of the photos I have the natural cheetah T tucked into the new PEBBLE CREPE SKIRT, A223661….belted in BLACK…..now that is one HOT LOOK…..simple but CHIC. That is a GREAT skirt and a variation of the Boho minus some tiers…cool, easy and breezy….perfect with espadrilles, flats, tea cup slides, sandals etc. etc. These are Ts you collect, and for those of you who own my poly/span printed Ts….you know they are cool, comfortable and  perfect for travel………enjoy, enjoy….LoVE, LoUIs

I know….you haven’t had a moment to breath from the last show…….thank you once again for all of your support…..the shows did fantastically well which makes me happy because the PTB are very happy and I can continue…..hopefully….making you HAPPY!….but it is April….the start of a new month….and this is NO JOKE!!!! Jac got me good this morning! We were in the kitchen and she told me the gates were open and the girls got out….needless to say my blood pressure shot way up….I’m always fearful that somehow they will get into my neighbors yard and will be eaten by his three enormous PIT BULLS….some joke!!!!!!

I thought I would go easy on you by starting off with a familiar friend….the reorder CHEETAH COTTON SATEEN jacket, A214115. It is returning in the NATURAL, the BLUE, the KIWI and the new addition…..PERFECTLY PINK. As you can see from the photo there are many ways you can wear these jackets. They each have BLACK SPOTS so that will make it easy for everyone to find something in your closets without having to pick up another piece……..HOWEVER…..I highly recommend A213625, the Limeade sleeveless top with the mini ruffle bordering the neckline. It matches the Kiwi perfectly and it also works perfectly with the new FLORAL MAXI skirt coming in May! The black skirt is  A215166, the crinkle georgette double tier pull-on skirt. I love the mix of the CHEETAH with the MIMI RUFFLE “T” and the TIERED SKIRT……..it looks PURE DESIGNER. You can check on my QVC site for all the measurements and details. This jacket was based on a solid cotton sateen jacket, A69921, that I did years ago, and was reordered and reordered. It came in many colors and I am sure many of you are still wearing them. The jacket is more of a relaxed fit and it also looks great belted. I know many of you have been patiently waiting for this jacket to return. It’s an animal print that always looks good and always looks “IN STYLE”………enjoy, Love Louis