Author: Louis Dell'Olio

Jac had very strong bonds with the girls…..There were many times I would see one or the other huddled in Jac’s cubicle confiding in Jac about something…..Jac and I never discussed what was said unless I was invited into the conversation……They trusted Jac, and she was an incredible listener….She heard them! and they always trusted her sage advise…..Needless to say no one knew of Jac’s illness…..that’s the way Jac wanted it……When Jac passed on Dec. 12th I waited until after Christmas to let them know. I didn’t want to ruin their Holiday and I knew Jac would have wanted it this way. They were devastated…….My friendships will last forever.

…………………….It’s hard to believe Samantha [Sammy} came into our lives 12 years ago…….I remember the day we went to the state of Mass. to pick her out. I told the breeder I wanted a pure BLACK female Scottie with a PERSONALITY! She told me she had just the one for me. She said she was the runt of the littler but she was a “HELLION”…..sounded perfect to me…….When I first saw her and picked her up I looked at her at eye level…..face to face, eye to eye, and she stared right at me…….and then she LICKED MY NOSE!!!!! That sealed the deal….she was mine, and has been a Daddy’s girls ever since. Jac used to get a little jealous that Sammy liked to sit in my lap and always be with me, but she had Annie and Lily who always went to her…….How would this hellion fit in? She was a half sister to Lily…..same father, different mothers. They were a year apart….Dec. and January. The breeder told us not to bring her into the house, because the others would feel there territory was being encroached upon……She said it would be better if we had Annie and Lily “discover” her outside……So we let Sammy roam around in the new spring garden where the pansies had just been planted, and then let Annie and Lily out to “discover” their new sister……..Lily and Sammy bonded immediately….Did they know they were half sisters????? Annie was more stand offish, and never really took to Sam the way Lily did…. Annie and Lily were a pair and Lily and Sammy were a pair, but they were never a true threesome….Sammy was just so darn cute. Puppies have a certain sweet smell, and I loved to nuzzle my nose in her belly….She loved it too…After all of these years and the loss of her two sisters…..and her Mommy…..Sammy is still like a puppy!!!! She has boundless energy, and her belly still smells as sweet as it did the day I brought her home……..She remains Daddy’s Girl!

…………………The February 2013 Collection was divided into two parts. The second part had four new items…..the JEAN JACKET….the JEAN SHORT SKIRT, the PRINTED TUNIC, and the RAYON JERSEY DRESS…….Every clothing collection on QVC had its’ own version of a jean jacket. What separated mine from the others was the length, which was high hip, and the fact that it was shaped when most were boxy. I also used my “signature” gold buttons…….The printed tunic was done on my polyester span…….What no one knew was the fact that many of my prints were done in South Korea. Why South Korea? The quality of printing and the quality of the polyester jersey was much finer than what was avail in China….So why the MADE IN CHINA label?….because the printed fabric was then shipped to our Chinese factories and the garments were made there which was less expensive than producing them in South Korea, even though we paid extra for shipping the fabrics to China. Certain prints just had to be made in S. Korea as far as we were concerned. Could China have printed them…yes, but the finesse wasn’t the same…..This was an ENGINEERED BORDER PRINT….meaning every garment pattern was laid out on the print in the same position instead of randomly, so each garment was exactly the same. This took a lot of planning since sizes xxs through 3x had to be considered when cutting. There was always more waste when creating these kinds of prints even though we planned to avoid that as much as possible……..The Rayon Jersey dress was very simple, but that’s what made it TIMELESS, and though it is almost 20 years old, it still looks modern and current. The scoop neck dress had a short sleeve and an elastic waist. The skirt had flat pleats in the front instead of shirring, and the dress came with a self belt. Of course a woman could always add her own special belt………..To my surprise this dress did surprisingly well! Dresses were always high return items….that’s why I did so few of them.

………………….My jean jacket had all of the detailing that a classic jean jacket should, but it was the fabric, cut and shape that made mine different. The denim was very light so this jacket could easily be worn during the summer months, while many were too heavy, and had to be stored away for fall wearing. The shaped body gave the jacket a more womanly silhouette instead of looking uni-sex. The “SIGNATURE” gold buttond just added the stamp of……LINEA

………………………The print tunic was an ENGINEERED BORDER print, and it came in three color combinations. The long sleeved, V-neck top, poly jersey top was wash and were and perfect for travel. I am sure those who own it will testify that it looks as new today as when they first bought it.