Author: Louis Dell'Olio

February Sneak Peek #2 is A232344, THE CREPE BLAZER. First, this is the exact same crepe fabric as A213215 and A221808, so many of you are familiar with the fabric already. It is 62%polyester/33%rayon/5%spandex. What separates this jacket from all the others???? Let’s start with the length…………it’s approx. 27 1/2 inches long for the xs…..this is a LONGER jacket and has a LEANER look. The tailoring is SUPERB!!! There are body seams in the front and back, that start at the shoulder and end at the hem. Plus, there are front body darts and a center back seam for PRECISION shaping. Each seam has a 1/4 inch top stitch to emphasize the shape and cut of the jacket The lapels, collar and pocket flaps are left without top stitching to give a dressier and more PRISTINE look……….This is a three button front jacket, and……….THE BUTTONS………are REAL PEARL!!!!…..not plastic. This may seem a trifle to you, but you NEVER find real pearl buttons on jackets in this price range. Even jackets that cost twice as much, rarely have real pearl buttons…….plus there is a extra button inside. The pockets are real too. There is a piped or besson pocket beneath the flap. I always advise…..if you have no intention of using the pockets, then don’t open them, as they will come to you basted shut. The sleeves are long, but there is no button on the sleeve so it is a very easy alteration for my women who need a shorter length.  Of course, the jackets are fully lined with my beautiful satin lining…………This is the type of jacket I would see Bianca Jagger or Lauren Hutton wearing as a uniform………looking very nonchalant and gorgeous! This is the ultimate blazer…..the wear with everything and over everything jacket….from the Kate shirt and jeans to a long evening skirt and a sequin shell. For all of you who have been asking for a longer jacket……here it is!! For my shorter ladies……this is NOT too long for you…..do not be afraid to try a longer look…….with the matching pant it s very elongating. I know the label says you can wash this beautifully tailored jacket, but I’m from the old school. A jacket like this, IMHO, should be dry cleaned and professionally pressed……..which brings up another subject……….when this arrives to you in those luxurious yellow plastic bags….PLEASE…..do me, the jacket and yourselves a huge favor, and steam it out first to get rid of the shipping wrinkles……I swear you will have a much better impression of the way it should and could look. If you love it, I would even go as far to say….have it professionally pressed…..in my estimation, it is worth it.

A232347, is the matching CREPE TROUSER. It is a zip front trouser with a single button at the waist. The pants will be in numeric sizes…. 4, 6, 8 etc. The leg opening at the bottom is approx. 9 3/4 inches, and it has a 32 inch inseam with an 1 1/4 inch hem. The Ivory pants are lined, but the black are not. There is an elastic at the side waist and the back, leaving the front completely flat. There isn’t an over abundance of elastic, so it isn’t all shirred up and bulky.On the body it is basically flat all around. These are great trousers to own and to wear with many things you already have. EVERYONE needs a pair……or two…… of great dress pants!…..YES YES YES…..they will be available in petites and the number is A232348.

I hear you all now…..what are those sweaters he has under the blazers????The BLACK TANK will be on this show and there will be a separate sneak peek. The lime and flamingo sweaters are all part of my new “ON LINE ONLY” Whisper Knit Spring Group! No hurricanes this time to destroy them…..what a disaster that was!!!They will be coming later in the season, but I will try to “sneak” in as many as I can so you all can get a good look. Of course, I will have pictures of each and every style with all the details…………Since I don’t have much time between now and the show, I will probably have two sneak peeks per day…………..Enjoy, much Love……….Louis

February Sneak Peek # 1 is A232657, THE STRIPE CARDIGAN………. Chinese New Year is upon us and it is the YEAR OF THE SNAKE, but around the FASHION WORLD it is the YEAR OF THE STRIPE! There was not a single MAJOR fashion designer who did not show stripes in some fashion or other……..big and bold stripes, skinny narrow stripes, uneven stripes, stripes on the horizontal, vertical and diagonal! For some, like Mark Jacobs for LV, it was their major statement, and for others, like Armani, an accent…….but be clear, it is a huge statement for Spring 2013. Now the question is……how is it going to work for you. During the Linea Spring/Summer and into early Fall of 2013, I will be presenting stripes in many different ways. the FIRST is THE CARDIGAN JACKET……….. The FABRIC of this cardigan is a YARN DYED JERSEY in 64%polyester/34%rayon/2%spandex. Why the emphasis on yarn dye, because anyone with fabric experience knows that a yarn dye fabric is much more COSTLY than a  printed stripe jersey. The stripe has the same intensity on the  inside as the outside, which makes unlined garments, such as this cardigan, more desirable……………in a word…….. QUALITY! Yarn dye jerseys don’t come any better than this, unless you are making them in cashmere or wool, which to many, is not so desirable. This is a light weight jersey, but has just the right weight to give the garment the proper body and drape it needs without being cumbersome or flimsy……in another word…..PERFECT. The front length, to the point is approx. 30 inches for the xs, and the back measures approx. 26 inches. As you can see from the photos above the cardigan looks just as good BELTED as it does hanging FREELY. BECAUSE…..the stripes in the front hang on the diagonal, you don’t get the effect of bold horizontal stripes across the hips…..so for my larger size women …..do not be fearful! You WILL look bold and beautiful!! If you do choose to belt it….. take a good look at how I have positioned the pleats…..it’s very easy, and once they are set…..their set. The color combination above is BLACK/IVORY……..When you want to be noticed, and have attention paid to you, when you want to make a strong presence…..wear stripes!…………………………..scroll down for additional colors……………………..Enjoy…………much Love……….. Louis

THE BLACK/IVORY STRIPE CARDIGAN, A232657, in the first sneak peek, also comes in additional colors. Two of those colors are………………..BLACK/GREY HEATHER………..&………IVORY/BAMBOO HEATHER……………………………Whereas the ivory/black combination is bold and out there, these two color ways are more SUBTLE. They are both shown with a brand new, longer, Ivory Whisper Knit tank with a wide rib bottom, that will also be on the Feb. shows. The black pant is the Ponte Knit pant from the last show, and the Ivory pant is a brand new, LINED crepe pant that will also be on the Feb. shows [it comes in black too]…..sneak peeks for all to come. These cardigans can be as casual and as throw on as your life styles demand, or dressy, and formal enough to wear to work, church or any special occasion that might come up. They are the perfect spring coverup…..comfortable and great for travel, as they are easy care. The BAMBOO/IVORY combination is an especially cool and comfortable way to look as the season warms up and it would look just as good over JEANS. Please notice the gunmetal and silver love knots and crosses that many of you own. The demi hoop in the silver or gold and the chain hoops in the silver/ gold/ gunmetal and rose gold work with all of the above. Also notice the GUNMETAL WATCH perched on the shoulder in the bottom left photo…….it looks wonderful with the stripes…………………scroll down for one more additional color combination……Enjoy,….much Love…….Louis

The fourth color combination of A232657, The STRIPE CARDIGAN is………………..BLACK/BLUE HEATHER………. Again, the fabric is yarn dyed, which means the individual yarn colors are dyed separately, so when the fabric is knitted, it comes off the knitting machines exactly as you see it. I can’t emphasize enough the FINE QUALITY OF THIS JERSEY FABRIC!!!! In the photos above I have paired this cardigan with the white “Kate” shirt and white jeans, which is a very casual look…..but with a change of bottoms…..to the black ponte knit skirt from the last show, and the addition of a wide belt to cinch it all in…..it all of a sudden becomes a very powerful “board room” look……or luncheon, engagement party, graduation etc etc. “look”. Needless to say a WHITE TEE SHIRT and a pair of JEANS is all you need. I sincerely hope one of the four stripes is something you think is just right for you! I want my LINEA WOMEN to be of the moment and on the cutting edge of what is happening in fashion today…..but…..something that you will enjoy wearing  forever………….much Love……Louis

Hi everyone! We are back from our mini vacation…we did have a great time, but there was a bump in the road, so to speak, but you can read about that in the next post….when you scroll down. First this is a brand new shirt jacket, A231142, the PYTHON JACQUARD. The style of this shirt/jacket is the same as A226256, that came in straw and chili pepper. However, this is a totally revamped fit due to the change in fabric. This knit has stretch, as all knits do, whereas the previous jacket did not. So the stretch, and being unlined will give you all the ease and comfort you want. Definitely buy your size. I know some felt the other jacket was on the small side…..this one is not. The pattern has texture and a raised dimension. The colors are………PUTTY……………..PURPLE……………….TARRAGON. This is a jacket you can wear right now, and into the late spring early summer. In the photo you can see I have paired the PUTTY with the natural faux linen herringbone pant [still avail] and the flecked shell, which has been reordered and will be avail late spring. The fabric combination is pure designer and the look is very expensive. The PURPLE is paired with a white tank tucked into the charcoal gray heather drawstring pant…..that many of you own…..a casual dressed look. The TARRAGON has the charcoal heather body suit with a vintage Linea charcoal heather pencil skirt……a pair of heather grey tights, shoe booties, boots or heels and you can wear it right now. Throw a charcoal, ivory or black turtle neck under any of them, and a pair of jeans and you are super casual…..great for a night at the movies. The shirt/jacket does come with a self tie belt which you can use if you want to be cinched in…..or not. There are lots of details that disappear in the pattern like breast pockets and buttoned flaps, epaulets, and the sleeves are LONG……I just like them rolled up. This is a very special knit in a very special pattern and it is QUALITY with a capital “Q”. I also LOVE this jacket worn over the matching dress……Talk about a “Designer LOOK”…..very CHIC! I know for those of you who will give this a try…..you won’t be disappointed……..compliments will come, and that’s for sure. …………..remember…..this will be on this Monday morning with Pat and Jane!!!!……………………………………………Enjoy…………much LOVE……………………….Louis