From Louis

…………………When it comes to prints I either LOVE them or HATE them…….there is no middle ground……Probably most people feel the same way……so doing prints on a collection is always a gamble….a craps shoot…….I’ve never offered a print I didn’t absolutely love and believe in……I adored this IKAT print….It was printed on my Faux de Chine which felt like silk…..I created this print from archives I have…piecing together one pattern with another until you have created a design, and then put that design into a repeat……The fun part was always choosing the colors! The top was an easy fitting T shirt with 3/4 loose sleeves The top hung straight so as not to disturb the print in any way……The skirt had a panel front with flat pleats to give the skirt volume without bulk. There were pockets hidden in the panel seams…..It could be worn as a two piece dress…belted or not…..or separated and worn with other things like the Feather Jersey bottoms or the many Whisper knit tops. The Faceted beads with the hammered rings were colored to work with this print…..photo at lower left.

…………..The BLUE COMBO was a mix of many colors….Turquoise. Limoges Blue, Berry Red, Lime, Green, Mustard and Tangerine…..so there were many colors you could coordinate with it. I think this was my favorite combination…….though they were all unique and beautiful!

…………….The PURPLE COMBINATION was a deep combination of OLIVE, MOSS, ESPRESSO, PURPLE, CURRY, AZURE, PINE GREEN and LIGHT TAN. As you can see in the photos it coordinated well with many things, and many colors……including the espresso crinkle Georgette safari shirt, the Pale Olive tweed tank and tweed blazer…..and tobacco Whisper Knits. This was the perfect summer dark neutral combination, and it transitioned right into fall.

…………….There were FIVE REORDERS for the April 2013 group……The TWEED KNIT SHELL in NATURAL, PALE CARAMEL and PALE OLIVE…..The BABY CHEETAH PRINT JERSEY TOP in NATURAL, PERFECTLY PINK and SMOKE GREY………The EMBROIDERED LACE SWEATER in BLACK, IVORY and NAVY…….The TIE DYE PRINT CARDIGAN in PINK/PEACH, BLUEBERRY/LIME, MINT/AQUA, and TAN/PEACH……………Last, but not least THE LEOPARD PRINT COTTON/SPAN BLAZER in GREY/BLACK, WHITE/BLACK, TAUPE/BLACK and SAGE/BLACK…..All of these popular items were reordered a few times.

………….This dress was all about the UNIQUE LACE KNIT……There was something very modern, very edgy and absolutely very EUROPEAN looking about this fabric. Due to the fact that it was a knit and had lots of STRETCH It could really be fit close to the body…not tight….but close. The DARTS and SEAMING were done in a way as to show up strongly as part of the DETAILING of the dress….another European concept.. It was lined in a contrast light jersey knit fabric [the same knit that I used in the BOHO skirts] to show off the lace pattern. The BAMBOO was lined in BLACK and the BLACK LACE dress was lined in WHITE so the pattern of the lace and the darting and seaming showed up. I used the new SHRUG as a cover up for the dress and it was perfect……This dress wasn’t for everyone, and I didn’t design it for everyone. It was for my FASHIONISTAS who were always looking for something new and different……..not an easy feat at these price points, but this dress exceeded even my expectations!…..It was simply CHIC then……..and IT STILL has a great EDGY LOOK TODAY!