Author: Louis Dell'Olio

……………….NAUTICAL INFLUENCES………..have existed in fashion for centuries!…..and are still as strong as ever……….These two NAVY, WHITE & GOLD hand sewn sequin pieces, part of my AK RESORT 1991 COLLECTION….were classic shapes, but made a dramatic impression!…..The model to the left is wearing a silk/rayon/span knit tank with a striped sequin skirt….like the dress, it too had a gold sequin stripe at the hem…….Jac wore the skimmer dress, on the right, a few times, and loved wearing it….I gifted it to my dear friend…..Chantal……All of the jewelry and the gold mesh belt were made for me by my jewelry licensee…………..”SHIP AHOY!”

………………..”WHITE SILK”……….Creating simple clothes can be the most difficult thing to design…..I want them to be easy, and “simple”….but they still have to make a statement….or why buy them?…..Here are three examples of simple pieces that make a…..STATEMENT….At the left a Cadet silk slip dress and matching kimono coat………….and to the right a “chemise” dress, also in Cadet silk….with a cut in armhole to bare tanned shoulders and a front slit……..The fact that they are in PURE WHITE SILK is a statement in its’ self…..The fabulous, and BOLD clear acrylic jewelry added just the right touch of adornment and drama to such simple silhouettes……….Again, these were done for my Resort AK Collection in 1991……..It ALL could have been designed today!

…………….Last evening I went out to dinner with friends….some old friends and some new…..We went to a wonderful Italian restaurant called “Cafe Silvium”……From the top left, that’s Alicia and Tanya [sorry about the blurred picture!]. Alicia delivered 15 babies this month! and on Monday she has appointments to deliver 3 MORE, and that just her appointments!….Tanya is a retired art teacher and an artist…Two of her students, from years ago, were in the restaurant and wanted to say HELLO! Tanya was very pleased……Below that picture is Vinnie, his wife Cathy and me. Vinnie is a lawyer, and Cathy sells real estate…..They know where I live very well, and we have mutual friends….small world…..Below us is Paul [Tanya’s husband] and Mike [Alicia’s husband]…..They are both incredible artists, and share a loft to do their work…..and Paul MAKES GUITARS!!!….Paul is also Vinnie’s first cousin….”La Famiglia”……. We had an assortment of dishes….calamari grilled….fish salad….chicken scarpariello,….osso buco….shrimp with asparagus risotto…..scallops….and pork chop scarpariello….It was all delicious!……For desert we had profiterol…..apple tart with ice cream….nutella cheesecake [Alicia said my chocolate cheesecake was MUCH BETTER!]……..and Paul had a Limoncello parfait!…………….GOOD FOOD……..FUN CONVERSATION…….WONDERFUL FRIENDS!

……………..The TANK TOP to the left, and the TANK DRESS to the right were HAND CROCHETED with a very soft lurex yarn from ITALY…They weren’t scratchy at all….That’s what made them very successful…..they were comfortable to wear! They were both lined with a nude stretch nylon gauze…..The model to the left is wearing the tank with a cotton/elastane stretch skirt….These were great for taking away….easy to pack, no wrinkles and took no room!….The two style earrings on both models were made in CLEAR ACRYLIC, and had “GOLD DUST” in them….They were fantastic and also very popular….They are true collectors items! I have NEVER seen them being sold on any site…..The gold belt was also made by my jewelry licensee….It all gleamed in the late day sun!!

……………………….The DREADED SPOTTED LANTERN BUGS are BACK!!!!!!…..That picture is magnified a lot….Right now the ones I have seen, and there have been a lot of them, are about the size of my pinky nail….but they will grow to about 1 inch and larger….I assume since they are so small they just hatched!…..They have RED beady eyes, and when they open their wings the mature ones are RED underneath….truly disgusting!!!…They say to kill them on sight, but they are VERY QUICK, and JUMP!!!! ICK!!!…..It’s time for me to get out my spray bottle with hot water and Joy dish soap….That’s the only thing I have found that kills them instantly…I did get a recommended pesticide on Amazon, but it doesn’t do the same job my Joy does. When I spay them they just fall to the ground!!…but last summer there were hundreds of them!!! That’s not an exaggeration…Supposedly they can lay 40,000 eggs in a summer, and probably more since there are so many of them….The pest control company I use has no solution….I told them they better find one or I’m using another company!!!…The young man I spoke to was in Colorado, and hadn’t heard of them!!?? so I had to educate him and had him google them while we were on the phone…He was shocked…..We found out that so far they have gone as far west as Illinois, but I assured him that since we discovered  there are many species of trees in his area that these bugs like….they will be there…..it’s just a matter of time before they invade……He said he would speak to his boss, but I haven’t heard back….I can see it’s going to be a fun summer with these damn bugs!!!!