Designer

…………………This coat had a wonderful shape and silhouette….but….it was this rich nubby boucle fabric that made the difference….It looked so expensive!…and it was!! It was 65% wool and 35% polyester. The poly was on the back of the fabric, and the wool was the front nubs. It had a very European shape and look….like something Audrey Hepburn might wear…..The shape was created by side panel seams ….There were additional bust darts for more shaping…….There was a high-ish pocket flap, but the actual pocket was in the seam below it. It had wonderful DTM BIG buttons……………It came in ROSE QUARTZ, a beautiful dusty pink, and BLACK

………………………..September 2012 was all about luxe textures, Byzantine patterns and rich earth and jewel colors……Starting with the jacket at the bottom left….the TWEED…..One of the most enjoyable thing about designing clothes was not necessarily the clothes at all, but finding and creating beautiful fabrics. At the designer level I was like a kid in a candy store….working with the absolute best creators of fabrics. Working for QVC was a much greater challenge. I always tried to offer unusual unique quality fabrics that always looked so much more expensive than they really were. In some cases that came out to be true when the mills raised the prices the next season, which happened often……This Tweed with its’ multi color yarns was a find! It reminded me of all the French tweeds I used to get at Tissage de Charme, a wonderful French mill that is no longer.. The blazer had a three button front, and patch pockets with buttoned flaps. It was lined in a beautiful satin and had all of the “Linea Tailoring” that was already a Linea trademark…The tweeds came in a Walnut and Terragon combination….There were coordinating pieces in both solids and patterns. The light weight poly crepe blouse had a hidden placket front so the buttons couldn’t be seen. It was the CRYSTAL PLEATED tie at the neck that made it “designer”….The matching crepe skirt was a flurry of SUNBURST PLEATS that fanned out when in motion. The blouse came in Ivory, Terragon and Black while the skirt came in Terragon and Black. The two pieces made a wonderful two piece dress under the blazers…………..The Byzantine draped neck top and the A-line boot skirt were both printed on Panne Velvet. The colors were very deep and rich and, as velvet does, changed depth when the light hit the fabric in a certain way. These prints came in a Terragon , Black and Walnut combination, but each print had SEVEN colors in them…….TWEED, CREPE and VELVET made for very rich combinations.

…………………….There is no other fabric like it, and none richer than a beautiful velvet….Of course nothing compares to SILK VELVET, but only the most expensive designer lines can afford it. Poly and Poly blend fabrics have come a long way to achieve the look and hand. With the addition of lycra for stretch, these fabrics are much more durable than silk……..washable too. Above, are examples of the tweeds and velvet mixed together as well as mixing the black with purple velvet print top with a purple boucle jacket and a black and purple hounds tooth check skirt which were soon to come. Of course these all mixed with Whisper Knit sweaters!……..The Linea Jewelry was growing too, and with each collection I was now able to add jewelry to enhance the clothing.

…………………………..Sept. 2012 continued with a fabulous “WASHED” LEATHER and Rib Knit combo blazer. The “washing” of the leather was a special process to make it even softer. It felt like a million dollars! It had a leather front and panel back with rib knit  side panels and sleeves. It had patch pockets with flaps. The pockets were “side entry”. It came in Tarragon and Black……There was a Medallion print cardigan. The print was on the front and back, and it had solid black trims and sleeves. I wanted the look of a vest. It came in three color combinations, Olive Multi, Blue Multi and Purple Multi…..The dress was in a Poly/Rayon blend jersey. It was a slim silhouette with princess seams. It had a pleated draped front, and a center front seam. Just above the waist line was an invert pleat and two inward facing pleats to give the skirt movement, and add a little more bust room drape. It came in Grape, Tarragon and Heather Grey……..The next cardigan had an antique feel to it because it had WASHED RIBBON trim down the front and at the top of the the patch breast pockets. The ribbon, due to the washing didn’t lay smooth. Instead it had a ripply look and unevenly faded which added to the charm of the sweater. I always thought this little cardigan transcend age, and would look just as good on teen ages as older women. It came in Magenta with orchid ribbon, spruce green with aqua ribbon and teal with a gray ribbon

…………………….The Sept. cardigan had a MEDALLION print on the front and back. It had black trims and sleeves. I wanted the effect  to look like a vest…..It came in three color combinations all with black.