From Louis

…………………..August 08………..Hello Fall/Winter……..August had some amazing jackets, and some beautiful novelty sweaters…………Starting at the top is a DB combination Pea and Trench jacket…..The fabric was an up scale fleece/velour type fabric. It was super cozy and it came in three fun colors….Raspberry, Chartreuse and Tangerine…..all great with jeans and an ivory TN…….The next jacket was in suede with gutsy knit rib trims appropriate for an outer wear suede jacket…….The collar was in the rib knit….It rolled over and had one button creating a “stand”….It had raglan sleeves with wide rib bands at the bottom, and at the bottom of the jacket. The look was very Town & Country…….The colors were Teal and Black………The Boucle jacket below had a sort of “Field and Stream” sporty look. It had fabulous “washed leather” trims. The collar the banding down the front, The pocket flaps, sleeve hems were all in the leather. Plus there were leather tabs down the front under each button……and the leather Shoulder Caps added a lot to that Field and Stream look……The colors were Moss and Chestnut…….The next Boucle jacket to the left had more of an “UPTOWN” look. It was zip front and had these very architectural body seams. The trims were all narrow strips of BLACK PATENT LEATHER. The colors were Aubergine and Black………The next two sweater knits had that “Hermes” pure, timeless classic look. They were both in a cotton/rayon blend…….The cardigan jacket was in a pronounced ENGLISH RIB. The collar front band and pocket bands were in washed faux leather, which for me made them look and feel like the real thing. Even today when I feel the large swatches in my binder I still have to read the notes that they are faux………The dress was in an ENR…….it had a faux leather placket down the front Henley style and on the sleeves….Both the cardigan and the dress had beautiful quality TURN KEY closures…..The colors were Black on Black,  a deep rich Cranberry with Black and a beautiful Cream with black…….This type of clothing is ageless and pure CLASS. A very monied low “key” look.

……………….August 08 continued with some fabulous additions…..Starting with the plaid jacket at the top row. First, the fabric was a real find. Not only was it a beautiful plaid, but it had wonderful dimension with raised stitches making it even feel and look richer. Usually plaids like this are flat without the character this had. I must have been really in love with black patent trims because this jacket had lots of it. Let’s just say the only thing that wasn’t trimmed in the patent leather were the raglan sleeve seams….LOL The zip front jacket had 3/4 sleeves and patch pockets. It was not shaped. It had an intensional boxy shape…..very 60s……The TURTLE NECK was in CASHMERE/SILK/LYCRA, and was the most luxe sweater I have ever done for QVC……it became “Posh Knit”…. We did it in BLACK, RED and IVORY…..The raglan sleeve shirt had a classic shirt collar, straight bottom, side slits and French Cuffs The shirt also came with a Bias cut ascot/scarf     However, it was the fabric that made it super special……The fabric was a HAMMERED SILK SATIN…….in three luscious colors, Kelly Green, Brite Blue and Winter White………The blouse at the far lower left was all about  romance and femininity……The poly chiffon blouse had a stitched down pleated bodice banned in satin The bottom of the blouse had released pleats. The full sleeve had stitched down pleated cuffs also banded, top and bottom. with satin…….This level of detail was not avail. from anyone else at QVC. For that matter, if you could even find a blouse with this much detail it would come from a very high end designer line…..and cost a fortune……..certainly not made any better, and definitely in a similar poly fabric if the pleats were to be permanent. The colors were Winter White and Black……The next swing top had “mixed media fabrics” before the term was created. The body was a heavier weight georgette so there was no see through. The sleeves were Rayon/Span jersey knit……The colors were Black on Black, and a Cadet Blue with Black sleeves…….The last item was the grandmother of all the TRENCH COATS!!!!! It had ALL of the details of the original Trench coat created by Burberry for the men in the trenches…..down to the metal rings that were attached to the belt……..Many women had absolutely no idea why these rings were there. They didn’t know the history of the WW1 trench coat, and that the men hung equipment like a canteen from these rings……To say the details were stupendous would be a major understatement, but it was the FABRIC that makes this coat as modern today as it was in 2008. The HIGH TECH IRIDESCENT SATIN had a wonderful sheen without looking shiny. When the light hit the beautiful EGGPLANT, OLIVE and BLACK it just looked so rich and VERY VERY DESIGNER…….These samples I will probably never give away.

As many of you have noticed there are many many styles that were either sold out or on wait list that are all back…..even the black/pine tartan blazer and floral print blouse are back, and these have been on waitlist forever. Many W Knits like the cardigan, skirt etc etc are back……I would guess the quantities are extremely limited, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you start to see many of them disappear again for the last time. I highly recommend you go over to the QVC Linea site and see what you may want….this may be your last chance at Linea items.

………………..Animal prints have their highs and lows in popularity in the world of fashion…….but…….they have become ICONIC, and never really go out of style. Whether you use the print as an accessory or a full garment they are always attention getters…..but…….you must be selective in what you buy…….There are many many very cheap and tawdry looking animal prints and sometimes it’s the print itself….or just a matter of the fabric they are printed on….or the STYLE!….I have always been very careful about selecting beautiful, very detailed animal prints….99% of them either came from print lines in Italy or were developed for me exclusively by Italian companies. The one above actually was inspired by a printed Hair Calf large shoulder bag I did at AK. I sent a skin to ETRO and he created the print. I used this archival print, and had it reproduced in China on two different fabrics. The SAFARI JACKET was a cotton stretch, single breasted front. The button was a beautiful faux Horn as you can see in the photo. It had 4 patch pockets and buttoned flaps. The bottom pockets were side entry. The sleeves had tabs with two buttons for adjustability. It had a wing collar with a back half stand and a self tie belt….The print blouse was in georgette. It had a button front, a stand collar, a fuller sleeve and side slits….Both of these items became reorders……..The solid BRUSHED COTTON jacket above the blouse had mixed reviews. The style and colors were VERY EUROPEAN. The colors were actually deeper than what they look above, but I can never seem to capture the colors correctly. I don’t think many women understood such dark colors for July, but for me these were transition colors, Indian Summer colors, that would work in Sept, Oct. and right through until late spring. They were very deep and rich colors……SIENNA, PURPLE and OLIVE. Instead of a normal set in sleeve….the body seams at mid shoulder was where the sleeve began. It had a half raglan. To give room for the shoulders I added pleats at the top and again at the sleeve cuff. It had inset band pockets. The jacket had a wonderful figure 8 shape. It was definitely a  fashion forward jacket, but maybe too advanced for many QVC customers……..The SUEDE BLAZER was another story all together, and was very popular. It had a front and back yoke and body seams. The pockets were in these seams. The large flaps were faux. It had a three button front and buttons on the sleeves……The unusual stand out detail on this jacket was the double row contrast stitching. I used a heavier thread like the one they use on handbags so it really stood out. I chose some what tonal threads…..a grayed ivory on the brown and a paler moss on the moss…..Using suede was still reasonable in cost……..The pant was in the same cotton as the solid jacket and went with all FOUR jackets in the group…..The last jacket at the upper right…….This was a FIELD JACKET, but done in an unusual fabric. It was a cross between a SATIN and a TAFFETA……..It had the hand, and substantial weight of a smooth satin, and the iridescence of a taffeta. The colors were DEEP MAGENTA and a color we called DEEP FAWN [a darker beige khaki]. It had two top patch pockets with buttoned flaps, but only buttoned flaps on the bottom with inseam pockets. It had body seams for shape so it could be worn with or without the self fabric belt. It had an interesting button placket front that stopped a few inches above the hem. The sleeves had pleats at the bottom that went into a buttoned shirt cuff…….However, it was the FABRIC that made these jackets super special. I still have them and they look as modern and edgy today as they did then.

………..Another Anniversary! Eight Years!!!…….May 08 had a wonderful mix of individual pieces……..Starting at the top left was a 100% COTTON embroidered EYELET shirt. My sketch shows a short puff sleeve, but the sketch shows a longer 3/4 sleeve…….so I would guess the longer sleeve won out. It had a solid cotton collar, front button placket and cuff. According to the sketch the shirt had a V neckline that started buttoning part of the way down. I don’t remember if we kept that detail or made it a classic button front? The fabric was exceptional with lots of dimension from the emb….The colors were WHITE and BLACK. This was a wonderful Spring/Summer shirt…..The next 32 inch long, button front skirt had a back elastic. It was a SWING skirt…..great with summer sandals, wedges and espadrilles…..The fabric was a marvelous RAYON/NYLON blend and had a slight texture to it, but it was the iridescence of the nylon that made it new and fresh. Iridescent fabrics were a huge trend at the time, but I thought this was a timeless skirt and could be worn today, and look just as relevant and modern…The colors were ESPRESSO, INDIGO and CHINO. The next DRESS was also in an iridescent fabric….in a blend of poly/rayon/span. It was very light weight and very fluid. The rayon gave it a beautiful drape.. The colors were GRAPE, and PEWTER. The dress had a Safari look with the dropped yoke, short sleeve and breast pockets with flaps. It had a single tier at the bottom, and came with an optional self tie belt, but it had a wonderful easy look unbelted……..The two tops at the lower right were also in the iridescent Rayon/Nylon blend as the long skirt. They were both A-Line swing bodies, but not too much….just enough to keep them away from the body so they were nice and cool. The first sleeveless top had a cut in shoulder and an open neckline with a notched in V. There was a seam down the front which had a 1/2 inch top stitch detail. It had band pockets….It came in TURQUOISE, CHINO and ESPRESSO……The second sleeveless tunic had a fabulous COWL NECK. The sketch says it had band pockets, but they were erased so they may have been eliminated because the top came in WHITE, INDIGO and BRITE BLUE…….These were two of Jac’s favorite summer tops, and she always took them on trips. She wore them with leggings, and sandals, and some times with a very short cotton pencil skirt.. They were perfect for dinners in the Caribbean. The next shirt was Classic Louis…..It was in a cotton stretch shirting….It had an authentic trench coat collar and trench flap. It had body darts and a curved bottom. The sleeves were 3/4 length and had French cuffs. It even had epaulets! This was the kind of shirt you could wear with everything!……The next two pieces to the left were very ethereal…..The shirt and skirt were in poly chiffon and the very narrow banding was in poly charmeuse. These two pieces I would have to put in the headache category! Sewing those 3/8ths inch bands all over the constantly shifting georgette had to be sewn by very exacting patient workers. The shirt was on the short side. It had a small shirt collar and stand….a button front with a curved bottom. It had a yoke front and back and body seams front and back. The sleeve had some shirring in the cap to give it a vintage look……and it was banded ALL OVER as you can see in the sketch…….The georgette skirt had the same banding. It was a 33 inch long 8 gored pull-on skirt. Both pieces came in Black on Black and Off White with Black.