Fuschias and Limes

Crystal Inspirations

Tea Party

I have just been into Marbella Golf and been given these beautifully packaged individual teas. Wonderful idea for wedding favours with a tea party theme with some unusual flavours such as Green Tango, Oasis, Cocoa Truffle and Citrus Mint. Images from www.teaforte.com. Hoping to do a tea party now with the lovely cupcakes previously posted and these teas!

Lucky Me

January '08 Lucky Magazine. Thanks to the editors of Lucky magazine for selecting me for their Next Big Things feature. The article asked half a dozen boutique owners from around the country to predict trends for the new year and model their favorite picks (me, with my champagne tastes, picked a precious-yet-pricey leather jacket by Development). You can read more about my whirlwind trip to NY in the debut issue of The Changing Room, due out at the end of January!

Who's Your Dancer?

Oregon Ballet Theatre and photographer Alicia Rose included a look from my Fall 2007 collection for the 2008 "Who's Your Dancer?" campaign. Shown: La Garçonne jumpsuit with black ball buttons and rust wool beret (OBT provided the toe shoes--and the gentlemen escorts).

Inspiration: 1930s evening gowns

I'm starting to design my 2008 bridal collection, in anticipation of The English Dept.'s annual bridal fashion show in February. To get the wheels turning, I've been paging through old 1930s pattern catalogs looking at vintage evening gowns. This is my favorite era for dress silhouettes--dramatic and elegant without being fluffy, poufy or upholstered. I just know there's a warehouse or barn in Kansas somewhere where all these bygone patterns are tucked away...these are the thoughts that keep me up at night.

DIY Style Vodcast Appearance

DIYstyle is a great resource for budding designers, and I was honored to be asked to do a vodcast interview with its hosts, Allyce King and Melissa Watson. These sweet girls were very good sports--I thought they said "podcast" over the phone so when they showed up with lights and cameras I had a mini-panic. Hence my rakish appearance, although I can't make any excuses for that facial expression. Watch the interview here.

Dovecoat

A vintage coat makeover. The lining, an oily-looking peach satin, was soiled and shot. The coat's hem was coming apart and the cuffs had been nibbled by moths from previous eons. I think it originally had a fur collar that had been ripped away. I shortened the coat overall and cropped the sleeves to just below the elbow. New horn buttons from the Button Emporium and a new grey lining smarten it up. This was my first experiment re-lining a coat...not as straightforward as I thought it would be. I gave myself permission to do a so-so job, but when I took the coat apart, I saw how hastily it had been made in the first place--crooked seams, misshapen pockets, lumpy sleeves. Not everything was good in the good old days. I think I managed to improve on the original.

Graham and Green

Check out this fabulous website full of some seriously gorgeous decorations. I absolutely love the crystal tree and the tealight holders they have.

www.grahamandgreen.co.uk

Beach ideas

Sea Urchin tealight holders

www.grahamandgreen.co.uk

I have been asked to provide wedding decorations for Los Monteros and have been putting together some ideas based on a beach theme as it is such a wonderful beachside setting. Here are some of the images I have put together for my own inspiration and some of the ideas I have are to use a white, blue and touch of orange theme.

I have designed a setting with white crystal organza chair decorations which will look amazing in the Spanish sun, white pebbles, clear AB and turquoise Swarowski table crystals, tall vases filled with turquoise gel and exotic foliage, white sea urchin tealight holders, blue and orange orchids, orange fans tied with raffia and white paper lanterns.

Photos supplied by Los Monteros

http://www.monteros.com/

beach theme board from snippet and ink

blue orchid photo from the knot

Winter 2007: Bone White Wool Shift Dress

This dress has been on my winter wish list for...years ("bone white wool shift w/buttons and seaming detail"). This fall I finally found the five hours, and the fabric, to make it. Modeled by Jamie, photographed by Josh Elliott.

LILLIS OF THE FIELD

A recent post by Peggy Lo of Figments revived my love for Lilli Ann coats. The '50s were a glorious era for coats--all that volume and pleating, big Bakelite buttons, bell sleeves with deep cuffs, pockets galore for compacts, lipsticks and Buick keys. Lilli Ann was the queen of the swing coat, that ladylike silhouette in miles of mohair or luxurious wool. While I'd love to own this downy apricot darling, my own Lilli Ann is no slouch. No slouchy hoodie, either. This is a coat with class. The mottled weave! The bracelet sleeves! Double-knit insets! There's a matching black double-knit belt, but the buckle gives the whole thing a goth Santa Claus look. Lilli Ann coats are not rare, just underloved. I rescued mine from Buffalo Exchange...the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

BICYCLE FASHION FEATURE IN DEC. VOGUE

My comments weren't as subtle or inspired as I would have liked, but I did get to mention my Bianchi Milano bicycle--my beloved mode of transport. I'm also glad they pictured my Hunter wellington boots. I first saw them on a girl in a bar in Copenhagen, Denmark. She looked so brilliantly, carelessly cool that I actually dropped something on the floor so I could bend close to her feet to read the label. Mine are neutral navy blue, but only because everything else in my life is yellow.

Sunny Side Up

Three recent projects. It's raining buckets outside, so it's been lovely to work with cheerful fabrics. L to R: custom wool crepe cropped jacket for a cool-weather bride, lemon yellow bias minidress for a fearlessly stylish client (to be worn to a wedding in Hawaii--with purple satin shoes and white-lacquered toenails), Over Easy Coat from my Fall 2007 collection.