Author: Louis Dell'Olio

THE July Sneak Peek #3 comprises of THREE GARMENTS……………The CASCADE FRONT JACKET, A235312………THE V-NECK SHELL, A235313…………..THE PANT, A235315…………………The fabric of all three pieces is BRAND NEW to LINEA………..The fiber content is 100% polyester…………..but the hand feels like a weighty WASHED SILK…..it is truly amazing, and I know you will be amazed by it too. There hasn’t been one person who has SEEN and TOUCHED the fabric that hasn’t OOHED and AWED!!! Not only does the fabric feel wonderful…. it soaks up dyes to create incredible SATURATED COLORS. When I found this fabric I couldn’t believe it wasn’t washed silk. Do you think I like this fabric……I ABSOLUTELY DO…………and I know you will too.

The CASCADE JACKET, A235312, is a far cry from your typical blazer. The cascade starts at the center back neck as a STAND and goes around the neck and flares out to create the CASCADE DRAPED FRONT. It is approx. 27 inches long from the HPS to the bottom point of the cascade for the xs. The back of the jacket is, of course, shorter. There are bust darts to balance the jacket and give a better fit, and there are also released tucks in the back to give the jacket a little shape to prevent it from being too boxy and billowy………… The sleeves are 3/4 length………There are band pockets in the front, but if you have no intention of using them, I would recommend leaving them sewn closed. There aren’t any buttons or closures on this jacket…..is is meant to hang and drape freely…….very relaxed, languid and nonchalant……………………The jacket is not lined….but…. and it’s a BIG BUT…..the ENTIRE FRONT is DOUBLED with the SELF FABRIC to the side seams…….this is a sign of QUALITY……The whole front could easily have been left single and just hemmed…….but that would not have been the luxurious way to do it…..This entire jacket has a ….SOFT CONSTRUCTION…………..As I often say………..”if this jacket cost $1000, it could not be made any better”. If this jacket, as is, was hanging in a Saks or Bloomingdales or a Neiman Marcus, it could easily have a $400 to $500 price tag. If it were made in silk, and had a designer label…….$1000 would be more likely…………Last, but not least……..the amazing color above is…………………….CHERRY………..A RICH JUICY COLOR!!………………….as a side note…..Jac recently received a fold out from Eileen Fisher presenting an early fall grouping, and what is on the cover………..a CASCADE FRONT JACKET!

A235313, is the V-NECK SHELL……the color, once again is…….CHERRY…………..these shells are pieces to collect, because each color, as you will see, is exceptional and will work and be a marvelous accent color to many things you already own. It has a relaxed fit due to the fact there is NO STRETCH to this fabric so be careful of the BUST MEASUREMENTS. The shell has a slight CAP SHOULDER, so it is not a classic tank. There are bust darts for balance and a better fit. The neckline is faced, the armholes are piped and the bottom has a 3/4 inch hem……there are also side slits. The length is approx. 24 inches for the xs.

THE PANT, A235315….in a word is…….LANGUID……They drape as you would expect a weighty silk pant to drape…………the feeling is pure LUXURY…..The details: The pant has a front zipper and single button at the waist. The front section of the waist band, approx. 7 1/2 inches is FLAT……the center back section, approx. 7 inches is FLAT also. The rest of the waist band is ELASTIC. Instead of putting darts in the front, I chose to release them into a single pleat, which, in silk, is a cleaner option, and creates a beautiful drape……..it also gives a little more room across the upper hip…..a little ease is always good. This trouser has menswear slant pockets for the Dietrich ATTITUDE. The inseam is 32 inches with a little more than an inch hem…..sorry petites…….the buyer did not choose to order petites in this style……………VERY IMPORTANT!…..The pant is numerically SIZED, and even though it has a relaxed fit, remember this is not a stretch fabric, so pay attention to the measurements. I would say what ever numerical size pant you have been buying from me that you are comfortable with…..continue to buy………………..The color of the pant that I chose to coordinate, but NOT MATCH to the jacket and shell is……………………………BOYSENBERRY……………a deeper JUICIER color you would be hard pressed to find! …………..The Boysenberry reorder shirt, A219796, is a much light color than the pant, but they look wonderful together………..Notice how wonderful the new MULTI COLOR SEED BEAD NECKLACE, AJ278123 ,works with the new CHERRY and BOYSENBERRY…I have chosen the wine earring to go with it, A271863 ,…..not everything needs to be an exact match…..many times it is much more interesting and creative to mix it up!……………For me, this outfit and these colors will be a great introduction to INDIAN SUMMER and EARLY FALL…..Oh for the COOL CRISP air of early fall…..one of my most favorite times of the year…………..scroll down for more…………….enjoy……..much Love…………………………..Louis

The second color for the CASCADE JACKET, A235312, and the V-NECK SHELL, A235313, is………………..NUTMEG…………………………….a deliciously rich SPICE color. I know the question will come up….”is it TOPAZ?”…..No, the NUTMEG has more red in it, while the Topaz is more golden. The NUTMEG shell, besides being the perfect coordinate to the Cascade Jacket, would make a wonderful ACCENT to many things and colors you already own. It looks great with TEAL, NAVY, GREY, WINE, BROWN, FORREST GREEN, BLACK and many more……………………The PANT, A235315,  color is………………COCOA BROWN……….a very deep, DARK warm brown with a very SLIGHT red under cast. This is the perfect go with EVERYTHING color. The pants in ALL the colors will be great for DAY or NIGHT………..great for travel……….and easy care……what more can you ask from a single pair of pants?…LOL……….For the NUTMEG and COCOA BROWN combination, I have chosen to accessorize the outfit with my J271862, beads…..a mix of the black and bronze combination…..for the life of me….I don’t know why they call the gunmetal/wine and amber combination BLACK, since there is absolutely NO BLACK IN THE NECKLACE………what can I say ….there are many mysteries in the universe……………scroll down for more….enjoy………..

……………………….much Love…………………………….Louis

The third and final color for the CASCADE JACKET, A235312, and the matching V-NECK SHELL, A235313 is……………………..OCEAN BLUE…………Sometimes, when you are far out into the ocean, and the light is just right and the water is still….the ocean has this wonderful pure, DEEP blue color. I have seen it in the deep waters of the Caribbean……..then as the water gets shallower, and the sun is able to reflect off the clean sand below, it turns to a marvelous light AQUA…………………..I think the color I wanted was achieved perfectly……….it’s due to the fabric………….I know the question will come up…”will the OCEAN BLUE work with the TEAL SEAMED JACKET?”….the answer is no. The Ocean Blue is much bluer than the Teal jacket, which is more of a blue with a green cast………The PANT, A235315, color is……..TEAL….. but his isn’t any teal, this is a DEEP, RICH, DARK TEAL………When the light reflects off of this fabric, and you see the highs and lows, you can keep staring at it forever…………….As you can see in the photos above the new TEAL BOHO, looks great with the OCEAN BLUE CASCADE JACKET. To accessorize this outfit I have chosen TWO GUNMETAL and BEAD NECKLACES…..two is always better than one, J278125 and the coordinating earring, J278127…….Again, I think these SILKY pieces will be perfect for your INDIAN SUMMER, and perfect transitioning into FALL…………………………enjoy……….much Love………………………..Louis

The first group of LINEA PEARLS has arrived and are now available for ordering…..J264035……….. The returning colors are…………GREY…….NAVY………PERFECTLY PINK…….the two new color are…………….IVORY…………..PURPLE……..n the photos above you can see the new Ivory and Purple, plus the navy. I think in the photos where the pearls are massed together, the colors are quite accurate. I have also illustrated the pearls being worn doubled, tripled and quadrupled…….the Whisper Knit turtlenecks are the MUSHROOM and the VIOLET. I want to let those of you who are interested, not to wait too long because the quantities are limited, and I wouldn’t want you to have to wait another year to get them. All of the details are listed on the LINEA JEWELRY QVC SITE…………I know you will enjoy them…………Love…………….Louis

The July 30th Sneak Peek #2, is actually two items……………..The STRIATED JERSEY T-SHIRT, A235311, and the STRIATED JERSEY SKIRT, A235309……………The fabric is brand new to Linea, though it is similar in look to the flecked tank, they are different. The jersey is 95% Polyester and 5 % Span, so there is a lot of stretch for comfort. When you touch it you will swear it feels like a fine, silky cotton knit. This is a T-SHIRT, so it has an easy fit. It does have waist shaping but it is not overly fitted…………just to follow the outline of the body. I think the photo in the upper left best shows how it fits. The sleeve is short, and has a youthful look……some short sleeves can look matronly…..not this one. The length of the T is approx. 24 inches for the XS, and as you can see in the photos, it covers the hip. The open jewel neckline is very flattering and has a nice casual look, though this T would look great under suits, and can be accessorized many different ways…..black beads, grey or ivory pearls, anything silver or gunmetal etc etc. Wear this top right know with white or black shorts, Capri or cropped pants, pencil or boho skirts…..you get the idea……it looks great with the A230031, abstract print skirt in grey, in the photo above left, which happens to be one of my favorite prints on the rayon/span……and it’s on clearance! Maybe you have the Black/Grey printed boho, A199793, from seasons past, 0r the Black/Grey feather print pleated skirt, A227580, or the new Black/Turquoise high-low paisley print skirt, A234435 [which is also on clearance!!]…………….this PUTTY/BLACK “T” looks INCREDIBLE with ALL of them. Mixing textures and prints is a VERY DESIGNER LOOK, and when it’s done WELL…..it is so much more interesting than wearing a solid top. I predict this PUTTY T-SHIRT will sell FAST!……….

The STRIATED JERSEY SKIRT, A235309, is a wonderful companion piece to the matching “T”, and creates a casual two piece dress look but, it takes on a LIFE OF IT’S OWN when mixed with all sorts of wonderful tops. The Whisper Knit sweaters alone can give you a zillion new ways to wear it. It has a full ELASTIC waist, but the front section, even though it is still has elastic, it kept flat for a for flattering fit……see the photo above. The front of the skirt has a stitched down pleated panel, and then has one additional stitched down pleat on either side. There is absolutely no bulk or fullness at the top tummy area of the skirt, but the panel and additional pleats enables the skirt to have more sweep at the bottom which gives the skirt a graceful movement. The back of the skirt has a full elastic which allows this to be a pull-on skirt…..no need for a zipper. The skirt is LINED in my knit jersey that I have used many times. It gives the skirt complete stretch for comfort……..This is a BOOT LENGTH SKIRT……it is Approx. 34 inches long and has a 1 inch waist band, so depending where you place the waist band, it could even be a 35 inch skirt. For my petite ladies, this will probably be a maxi…..and will look great with black boots or black wedges for immediate wearing………..a black tank and cardigan tied around your shoulders will be all you need…..for now. As an added bonus,,,,,,,,,,,there are POCKETS hidden under the outer pleats……They are so well hidden that you wouldn’t know they are there……of course if you don’t like pockets you don’t have to use them, or you can even have them sewn up…..but I am telling you……if I didn’t say something about them you wouldn’t have known they were there. This is the perfect skirt to transition into fall and straight through winter. It’s comfortable, it’s cozy and it looks great too…………………………..scroll down for more…………………enjoy………………much Love…………Louis