From Louis

………………….The July 09 Designer Gallery had some wonderful items….but….the STAR of the show was the suede jacket at the lower left…..From the front it was a beautifully shaped blazer with beautiful jewelry like buttons. I had created these buttons at Anne Klein from earrings we were doing. I had them reproduced for this jacket. What was the special detail that everyone LOVED were the rows of suede ruffles trimmed with gold zipper teeth. The ruffles also repeated on the sleeves….This was a quick sell out!……The jacket at the upper left was a direct reproduction of a jacket I did for AK as the photo shows. It was offered in Rose and Black boucle with gold buttons…….The next tunic was in my poly blend Ponte knit….It also had a very Audrey look. It had a bateau neckline and there were three faux horn DTM buttons on the back yoke. It had 3/4 sleeves and inseam pockets with top stitching…….The cotton/acrylic sweater had tubular trims, 3/4 sleeves and a scoop neck…..It was the twisted and pearl ribbon borders That made it super special. The two satin ribbons for each sweater, one tonal with the body color and one in an accent color. The pearls were dyed to match one of the ribbons……The colors were Slate Blue sweater with Dk. Taupe and Slate blue ribbons with Taupe pearls…..Black sweater with Ivory and Black ribbons and Ivory pearls…..Pink sweater with Black and Pink ribbons and Black pearls….The detail made all the difference and made it perfect for the Designer’s Gallery.

……………………….Today everyone is Irish………………..Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone!

………………….The May 09 day show had unique wonderful pieces…..The short sleeve jacket at the upper left was detailed as a safari jacket with four patch pockets and buttons. The short elbow sleeves had cuffs. The high button jacket had a notched collar, body seams and an optional self tie belt. It was in a beautiful stretch cotton with a very silky hand….It came in butter, sand and white. There was a coordinating crop trouser pant with cuffs. It had pressed creases to give the pant a slimmer sharp look. It too came in butter, white and sand…..Th next sleeveless tunic had a fit and flare shape. It had cut in shoulders and it was fitted through the upper torso The seams gave the top its’ shape which hid inseam pockets. The shirt collar and stand were small, and it had a button front….it came in flame, royal and black. This was one of Jac’s favorite tops. Her broad shoulders looked incredible in this top…..The next skirt was a wonderful separate piece to wear with tee shirts and WK sweaters flip flops and sandals. The paisley embroidered pattern was a tiered skirt in cotton….lined in a thin cotton batiste….The short sleeve shell that is below was very special. It had a very special process of puckering in a Chrysanthemum pattern. This was a one time only even though it sold out and QVC wanted to reorder it. The factory refused to make it again!!! Due to the puckering it was extremely difficult to cut the garments and maintain the correct sizing so it was dropped. It came in off white, pink and turquoise….It looked great under jackets and on its’ own….For those who were able to get it, it is a true collector’s item……The V neck tunic was dip dyed. It had a silk lining and a silk chiffon bracelet length top…both dip dyed. The colors were turquoise and yellow…..Th next shirt was one of my and Jac’s favorites. It was basically a classic shirt with a narrow button front placket, a 3/4 sleeve with a french cuff….but it was the front bib that was the magic! The bib was made out of sheer organza….then narrow strips of cotton were appliqued on top. The cotton strips were approx 3/8th of an inch wide with 1/8th inch spacing…Yes, you could see through the spaces but very little. A nude bra was all you needed, Jac wore both a nude no bra bra, and a black bra depending on where we were going!…….The last two pieces were definitely made in one of my favorite Ikat prints…..The fabric was a SILK crinkle georgette. The blouse had a scoop neck, button front, side slits and 3/4 length full billowy sleeves. The skirt  was a slim pull-on with two bottom ruffles It came in two fabulous colors….espresso multi and black multi.

…………………There next four styles for May 09 were very special pieces. Starting at the top left was a marvelous jacket in a new jacquard fabric. The woven pattern was of a ZEBRA. The stripes were delineated by  alternating matte and satiny stripes as you can see in the swatches above. It had a Raj look with its’ stand collar, shaped body and  four pockets…There were two buttoned flaps on top [faux pockets] and two patch pockets with button flaps on the bottom. The buttoned 3/4 length sleeves could be turned back……..The fully lined jacket came in White, Lagoon and Dark Khaki…….The next jacket was in LINEN and had wonderful embroidery. The inspiration for the emb. came from a rug [photo at the bottom]. The sample of the emb. for approval is the second photo in from the bottom right…..The colors were Cream multi and Mocha multi…….The next two pieces were in a new Ikat print. The cotton blend fabric the print was on a jacquard pattern which made the total look very dimensional, textured and very authentic…..The jacket had princess seams, a wide shallow scoop neck and 3/4 sleeves. The pockets were in the princess seams….It had a hook and eye front closure. What made this jacket even more special were the different shape faceted, flat back sewn on stones that bordered the neckline, down both sides of the front and the sleeve hem…..The colors were Espresso on a Natural ground, and Purple on a Natural ground. The stones were tonal to each jacket color…….There was also a matching pencil skirt which was fabulous as a suit and as a separate skirt.

……………………..The May 09 evening show introduced a brand new fabric….a LINEN/LYOCEL blend….I called it Panama Linen because it was a gutsy fabric with a pronounced weave. The linen gave it the “look”, and the Lyocel gave it the softness and drape. I could just envision Marlene Dietrich in some cafe in Cuba in the 30s! It had lots of soigne!! It had four gold buttons down the front and on the sleeves. The pockets had button flaps, and the bottom pockets had box pleats. The jacket was beautifully lined in satin. The trouser pant was also lined, but had no pockets due to them showing through. It had a wide leg, but the pressed front crease kept them from looking big and they draped and were very languid….just what you would want from a “Panama Linen” pant…..The Silk Crepe de Chine peasant blouse had a scoop neckline with shirring, a raglan sleeve with a drop seam and shirring on the 3/4 sleeve, and a two button band cuff. It had a dropped waist line draw string and side slits. It was a wonderful spring/summer blouse….The colors were Lime, Azure and Cocoa. The three tier ruffle top was another fun spring/summer top…perfect for take away vacations. It was in georgette and came in Cream and Black………The next shirt was in the same Silk Shantung as the window pane. It was the exact same body with the contrast under collar and turn back cuff. This new version came in a plaid. It was offered in White multi and Navy multi. The shirt/jacket was very fresh, but was never quite as popular as the windowpane, even though the colors of the plaid went with more things.