Designer

………………………..October Fashion Day had one outfit. It was in stretch velvet. The tunic top had a fit and flare shape with a ballet neckline and long sleeves. It had princess seams that ended at the horizontal  Empire seam. The seam had a slight curve to it and dipped slightly in the back. We sold the tunic with a matching Flower pin made out of the velvet and georgette which was starched to stiffen the fabrics…..There was a coordinating pull-on velvet pant. It was avail. in Black and a deep Forest Green.

…………………………The September 10 Group was quite large…This was already purchased before the decision to drop the line had been made……Starting at the bottom left was a marvelous embroidered topper jacket. It was made in a more substantial crepe with a very smooth surface. The emb was Eastern European inspired. It had a very high, small shawl collar with a button front placket. It was shaped with princess seams, and had inseam pockets. One smaller emb. pattern went around the neckline and down the placket front. The front of the jacket had another pattern as did the sleeves. The back had yet another intricate pattern….It came in Ivory/Black, Red/Black and Black/Ivory. There was a coordinating crepe pant in Black and Ivory…….The next jacket had a very special JACQUARD FABRIC. The pattern was that of a baby crocodile and it was very dimensional. It had a military stand collar, and 3/4 sleeves with buttoned French cuffs. The jacket was shaped with body seams, and had inseam pockets. It was double breasted, and the shape of the overlap came in at the waist giving the jacket the illusion of even more shape. The inside of the collar, and the facing down the front were in a contrast color. The jacket came in a Charcoal Grey with Violet facings and Bronze with Black facings. I believe the buttons may have been fabric covered, but I don’t remember…..These jacquard fabrics that i was able to find were very special and unique, and to this day I have not seen anything like them….making the jackets all the more special and collector’s items. The cardigan at the top left was made in the rayon/nylon blend [WK]. It had very wide rib starts on the sleeves and waist whittling ribs on the body. This cardigan had a very interesting and unique detail. I called it RIBBON CANDY…..As you can see from the sketch the band of knit looped down the front creating this “ribbon candy” effect. They were steamed flat, and did not pop up. It came in Iris and Cloud Blue……The next jacket was in SUEDE. It has an asymmetric zip front with inseam pockets. There was an elastic waist from the front body seam to the back body seam. Covering the elastic was a suede strap with a metal buckle and grommets. The sketch indicated zippers on the sleeves too, but I don’t remember if they were eliminated due to cost? The colors of the jacket were Black and Purple.

…………………………….Three additional pieces for Sept 10 were the Roma Ponte tunic, the Roma Ponte slim leg pant and a new quality gaberdine used for the embroidered TOPPER. Originally we were going to do the jacket in a crepe we had been using, but we found this new quality and decided to sample it in this jacket……There was a bone of contention with the embroidered…….Elaine felt it should be colorful so it would be easy to see on TV, but I was tired of all the color embroiders I had done over the past ten years and wanted to do something I really had’t done in a jacket of this kind…..tonal emb. There was a lot of emb. on the jacket and I wanted the look of a damask fabric…..so….we made two samples in black…….one with multi color emb. and one with just black on black……..The decision wasn’t a matter of which looked better, because they both looked good, but the black on black had such an elegant quite sophistication which the other didn’t…..Elaine had to admit she would wear the all black jacket in a second…..We went with the tonal in the Black and the Sapphire Blue……The tunic in the Roma Ponte, again had that Audrey Hepburn look. The wide stand collar the 3/4 sleeve, and the casual attitude, also had a quiet sophistication. The LEATHER cord drawstring added to the whole ambiance of the garment. The metal grommets were in gunmetal…..The slanted inset band pockets gave it just the right stance. I could close my eyes and see Audrey Hepburn wearing it…..maybe with a matching small head scarf tied at the back of her neck, and those super large sunglasses. The SLIM Roma Ponte pant were a sensation. Between the fabulous fabric and the fit everyone loved them, and I showed them with everything……They were an instant reorder.

……………………….QVC started something new with Linea. In Sept. they chose three styles that would be sold on the Linea .com site only. They wanted to see if selling Linea, without a formal on air presentation, could generate sales…..This was the start of the cut back…..Also, due to the late start on developing these pieces, Elaine and I discussed which fabrics we could easily get for delivery…After 10 years we had a very good relationship with the sweater factory, and new he would make just the one pieces for us. The other items, the blazer and skirt, we kept in the new Roma Ponte, because we could get the fabric, we loved the fabric, it it would be easier to produce and we knew the Ladies would love the fabric too……..The sweater in the ENR rayon/nylon [WK], had a ballet neckline and long rib starts on the sleeves and the new “WAIST WHITTLING” ribs on the torso. It came in Pewter and Black……The next two items were in the new Ponte knit that Elaine and I name “ROMA PONTE”. We decided that since there was already so much Ponte knit being sold that we had to develop a quality better than anything anyone else was using. Ponte knit is just a technique of knitting on knit machines, like a double knit or jersey. It is the quality of the yarn that makes all the difference. Acrylics and Cashmere can all be knitted on the same fully fashioned machines, but the value of each garment is astronomically different because of the yarn……..same with the ROMA KNIT…The yarn we selected was superb…..a very high quality and expensive yarn….When the women received the jacket and skirt they new just from the look and touch that this was something special……The Roma Ponte tailored like a dream, and the finished garments looked ten times more expensive than what they were. The jacket above was a classic three button with special mottled faux HORN buttons……..Just the buttons alone gave the jacket a more expensive look. It had body seams in the front and back with the addition of the center back seam for shape. It had set in band pocket….and strong shoulder pads. The entire jacket was top stitched and fully lined…..we offered the jacket and skirt in BLACK and HEATHER CHARCOAL GREY. I was able to promote the pieces on my website so the Ladies didn’t have to rely on  the terrible photos on QVC as their only guide……..The three pieces sold very very well. The biggest surprise was the positive reception the new “waist whittling” sweater received. I knew it would look good on missy sizes, but I was waiting to see how my plus gals liked it???!!!…………They loved it! They said it made them feel like they had a waist…..It’s all “smoke and mirrors”!