Designer

………………………..July is the month, in the fashion world, that we officially leave summer behind. We start introducing clothes for “transition”. Transition clothes are the clothes you start to wear in late summer [when the weights are appropriate] into September, Oct, November right into next Spring.

……………………….The OMBRE PRINT, above, A341740, offers a new twist to “Ombre”. The normal ombre doesn’t usually have a distinct designed pattern, and the ombre goes from light to dark, or dark to light in a vertical gradation……meaning light at the top and dark at the bottom or visa versa. The print above is primarily a PATTERN with the ombre or gradation of light to dark emanating  from the CENTER darkening to right and to the left……a HORIZONTAL ombre. The darkest colors are at the side of the body and the sleeves. Naturally, this gives a very slenderizing effect. The center starts with Caramel, Sienna and rust colors blending to moss and dark olive to one side, and browns to the other side. Caramel will be an important color going forward……..This is a PLACEMENT PRINT. The center color will always be the center color on all sizes……The fabric is my poly/span jersey that I have used for years, and continues to be a Linea Ladies favorite. It is the same fabric as my very popular ombre tunic, and the new Island Floral maxi dress. This is a fabric that has been developed and printed outside of China. It is a very fine fiber, and the screens are very fine and delicate. All combined this makes for a superb result…..Why do we bother to do this? because we can not achieve the same result with the mills in China, not that they are bad, but just not as good for certain items. It costs a little more doing it outside of the country, but I think well worth it…….The top has a modest V-neck, long sleeves and is a classic fitting top with a straight bottom. XXS through 3x are the sizes avail….The top in the XXS is approx. 25 1/2 inches long…..I’m not sure why the color name of the print is Walnut/Dk. Khaki, but that is what it is…I would have chosen Walnut/Sienna/Olive………..I chose the dark olive Crepe Gauze pull-on pant for the bottom, A302597. This color pant always seems to come in handy! Dark chocolate pants will be perfect too……and caramel, hint hint hint…………..To accessorize I have used the new Beach Glass colors of FERN, and CANTALOUPE, J354366……..The colors are so perfect they blend right into the print…………As all garments made in this fabric, it is easy care and easy to pack for all the trips you may have planned……………There is still a lot of summer ahead….but the days seem to be going by quicker and quicker…………..Jac and I always said, “after the 4th it’s a quick slide to September”…………..This top will be featured July 20th at noon, on Jayne’s Closet……………………………enjoy………………..much Love……………………………Louis

………………………MERLOT/VIOLET is an accurate name for the print above…….The merlot and wines are on one side with the violets and deep purples are on the other. A paler orchid is in the middle. I chose the BLACKBERRY SLIM SUPER PONTE PANT, A298446 reg, and A298447 petite, which coordinates perfectly with the top. If you already own them, then you may want to consider picking this top in this color way to extend the use of your pant. This Blackberry color is still avail. in both lengths, but very limited. This pant has been reordered, but not in Blackberry. I highly recommend it. It will certainly work with other apparel to come…………..Around the neck is the new CARNIVAL necklace in what they are calling Plum. It’s a combination of plum, port, raspberry, frosted sage, and a beautiful blue just for an accent. Gunmetal holds it all together. The colors for this necklace are more subdued than the summer versions, but still just as beautiful. They can be worn all year round…………………enjoy………………………..much Love……………………….Louis

………………………..NAVY/GREEN is really a simplification of all the beautiful colors within this print….You can only appreciate it when you see it in person….I have chosen to show my NAVY PONTE LITE CROP PANT, A302601 reg. and A302610 for the petite. Worn with the crop pant you can wear it now, and perfect for Sept. Oct.  In the south you can wear this outfit all year long……….When cool weather arrives in the north a pair of NAVY SUPER PONTE BOOT CUT PANTS, A268216 for reg, and A303147 for petite……….Of course any of my JEANS, shorts, Capri or long denim pants will work perfectly with this top…………..The NAVY CARNIVAL NECKLACE is the perfect choice to accessorize this print ombre top…………………………..enjoy………………much Love………………..Louis

…………………………GAUZE CREPE has become a Linea Ladies FAVORITE, and for good reasons……When I first found the fabric it reminded me of a Gauze crepe I bought years ago in Italy. It was a wool and poly blend. Polyesters were beginning to show up on many of the best fabric lines……………………..For the July transition group, Gauze Crepe was a natural choice. It is light weight, trans-seasonal, has a beautiful drape, tailors well, and is easy to care for. It also takes colors beautifully…………….What came first the chicken or the egg? In this case the FLORAL SOFT SKIRT, A341732 and A341733 came first. I thought what a fabulous fall look to have the print skirt with an EMBROIDERED tunic to coordinate….It has a very BOHEMIAN, Russian folkloric timeless look. It also reminds me of an Yves ST. Laurent Russian collect from many many years ago.I took the colors from the skirt in their purist form, and used them for the emb. When I designed the emb. the first thing I heard was….”too much emb…too close together” I knew they were worried more about the cost then the design of the emb. I just couldn’t compromise because I knew it was right. So, what you see is the original version. Not one flower, leaf or stitch was eliminated…..The Crepe Gauze tunic has a jewel neckline with a frame and a placket button front, Henley style…….It has 3/4 length sleeves, and very deep side slits. These side slits allow you to easily put your hand into the pockets of the matching CREPE GAUZE CROP PANT, A341736 for the reg., and A341737 for the petite. In cold weather add a black TN or a color one to pick up the colors of the emb. The tunic looks great worn straight or belted. I chose a vintage rayon cord knotted belt from my Linea collection from years ago. I’m sure you can find them on ebay. A341732 is the style number of the tunic….Petites rejoice! The emb. tunic will also be avail. in a PETITE LENGTH, A341733……The crop pant with the tunic, and a sandal or wedge makes it perfect for immediate wearing, and will be perfect with so many things you already own….Come fall and winter add tights and boots for a true Cossack look….a very CHIC COSSACK!……I have chosen the NEW CARNIVAL NECKLACE in the PLUM color…..Be for warned…the new necklaces in all four colors are limited, so snatch what you want when it becomes avail. in September…………..This tunic will be featured on July 16th at 3:00pm, QVC1, on the Kerstin’s Closet show…………………..This is a beauty….I can honestly say…..the emb. is SUPERB!…………………………………….enjoy……………………much Love…………………………..Louis

…………………………….The Embroidered tunic with the matching crop pant is perfect for transitioning from summer to fall. It is no accident that the PLUM CARNIVAL colors work perfectly!….The colors of the emb. in the photos are a little more bright than they actually are……………………….enjoy………………..much Love………………Louis