Author: Louis Dell'Olio

“December Sneak Peek # 4” is A230028, a GAUZE CARDIGAN. This is a very SPECIAL PIECE for many reasons. First, look in your closet…..do you have anything like it? Chances are the answer is NO. A true BOUTIQUE item. This is a wonderful new fabric for me………it is a crepe gauze……sheer, but not too sheer. You can see in many of the above pictures the sheer effect at the hem of the garment. The photo in the lower left, of the black gauze, shows perfectly the texture and sheerness of the fabric. This cardigan has a V-neckline with one single fabric loop and DTM button. It has  an uneven hem…..longer in the front…..shorter in the back. The front….from the HPS to the front point measures 37 inches, while the back measures approx. 31 inches. It has long sleeves and the bodice has princess seams……front and back. The fabric is 99% polyester and 1 % span, but there is a lot of natural stretch to the fabric. I must say, I am constantly surprised at what is being accomplished with polyester yarns. The yarn can take on many different characters. I used a fabric very similar to this at Anne Klein, but it was 100% fine wool gauze….very expensive and had to be dry cleaned. There is very little difference between the two and this is washable. The colors are ……………COBALT…………..BLACK…………. You may look at this and say….this is a want…not a need…..maybe so, but isn’t it the “wants” that make your wardrobe interesting!!??………Also, this is a garment that is truly SEASON-LESS. Wear it as soon as you get it…..in a variety of ways and for any occasion. It dresses up a white shirt and jeans,….wear it open and flowing for a more casual attitude. Wear it with a turtle neck or jewel neck sweater and a pair of slim leg pants, and it becomes  a great outfit for work. Pair it with a tank and pencil skirt, some fabulous accessories, and it’s perfect for any special event. When spring and summer return, again wear it with a tank or a sleeveless mock neck [coming as part of the new WK group], and a pair of leggings or Capri pants ………. sandals……..big sunglasses and a woven shoulder bag…..can you look  any more chic than that? It is the ultimate cardigan to throw over a slim….. black….. sleeveless dress. For my petite ladies do not be afraid of the length…….because of the gauzy fabric….it is not overwhelming, but has a gossamer quality ……It is also an extremely flattering cardigan, because it just flows over the body and conceals the lower figure ………Just maybe….a garment like this should move from the WANT category to the NEED column!………………..This cardigan will be on the December 27th, morning show at 6am with Pat and Jane………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………….Enjoy your Christmas Eve………………..much Love, Louis

The December Sneak Peek # 3 is the A230027, Ponte Knit dress. I have used this fabric this past fall for dress style A228334. It is substantial, but still has a soft hand and drapes perfectly for the styles I have designed for it. It is a polyester/rayon/span blend. This dress has beautiful, but subtle detailing. It has LONG SLEEVES, and they can easily be altered if you need to have them shortened. I prefer just pushing them up for a more relaxed attitude, but that’s up to you. The dress has a V-NECK LINE, which I know so many of you prefer, because it does elongate the neck and looks great with jewelry. The dress is approx 40 inches long for the XS size. There is also a back zipper and a hook and eye at the neck. The front seaming of this dress is very unique. There is a center front seam which creates an INVERTED PLEAT, and the body seams on each side also ending in a pleat which gives the skirt, combined with the inverted pleat, a BOX PLEAT effect. Under the outer pleats….cleverly hidden…….there are POCKETS!!!!. Please notice in the photos of the dress without the belt the detailing of the 2 rows of top stitching which holds the pleats in position, and also provides an additional DESIGN DETAIL. This gives the wearer the opportunity of wearing the dress without a belt and to still look finished. Most importantly the dress STILL MAINTAINS a lovely SHAPE. This dress can easily become a WORK HORSE in your wardrobe as it is perfect f0r any occasion. Keep it plain and simple and let the jacket  be the accessory….or…..layer all types of jewelry, belts, scarves or whatever else you may conjure up!!! The colors are………………………RASPBERRY…………………………CHOCOLATE [scroll down for more pictures]……………………………and the perfect LBD!…………………………..

I know many of you who love dresses or have discovered them again, will love the easy and comfort of this new addition. REMEMBER…..I will be showing this dress on Dec 26th, at 9PM on PM Style with Ms. Lisa Robertson!

……………………………………..Enjoy…………………much Love……………………..Louis

Dec. Sneak Peek #3 is the A230027, Ponte Knit dress in the CHOCOLATE color. This is a soft medium brown shade……not as dark as the Walnut from this past fall. The reason for choosing this color was…………..I needed a brown shade that would contrast well with the black for the jacket. If I had chosen walnut….it would have been too close to the black in value and the design would not have been apparent. This dress can take you right into spring…depending on how you accessorize it…………………for spring try some brighter contrast colors like wonderful turquoise beads or for a more tonal look…. tortoise. Again, belt it or not…..that is totally up to you.

……………Enjoy………..much Love………….Louis

Hello Everyone,

First an update….the sea wall construction is finally over and just in time for winter. There are still many things left to do like a new sprinkler system [the old one got washed out to sea] and a new lawn and shrubs has to be planted. New fences have to be erected, but this can all wait for spring….we need a break!

Back to the December Sneak Peeks………..The first S.P. is the A230025, which is the  jacquard Ponte knit jacket. The inspiration for the pattern came from a collection of antique Tortoise Shell English Tea Caddies from the 1800s…. that Jac and I have collected over the years. The markings of the Tortoise is just beautiful and they were done in most of these colors. The style of this  particular jacket was also inspired by the “ATHLETIC WEAR” you may find in the very upscale sport shops like Lulu Lemon or the original Juicy Couture. Those jackets however, were strictly for casual wear…..where as this one bridges from casual to dressy. This jacket has some really beautiful details such as the two way zip, which you can have fun zipping or unzipping from the top or bottom to create different looks. You can get some ideas from the photos above and below. There are also inseam pockets which are cleverly hidden by invisible zippers…..why is that so special?? It is much more difficult to put in an invisible zipper than a regular zipper. They are also very flat and flexible…..and INVISIBLE. I wanted this jacket to be totally comfortable and reflecting the “athletic wear” esthetic……I chose to do the entire jacket UNLINED. There are princess seams front and back….. for a  follow the body fit. The jacket is approx. 25 1/2 inches long for the XS. The collar stand is approx. 2 inches high. The sleeves have been left unadorned so it is a simple alteration for those who wish to shorten them, but quite frankly, I like them pushed up for a relaxed attitude. The colors are

…………………………….GREY…………………CHOCOLATE………………..COBALT……………………….RASPBERRY TRUFFLE………”they” may have shortened it to raspberry. All of the colors are with BLACK. As I said before…..wear it  as you would a zip front hoodie……….casually with jeans………or dress it up with a pair 0f black WK pants or a pair of BLACK PONTE pants that will be coming on Jan 7th! There is also a PONTE KNIT SKIRT, which is Sneak Peek # 2. I hope you all like my winter offerings……………………….SCROLL DOWN FOR ADDITIONAL PICTURES!

………………………..much Love, Louis

The Dec. Sneak Peek con’t here shows the jacket A230025 in the Cobalt and Raspberry. Notice in the photos above the many ways to zip the jacket…..the advantage of a two way zipper. All of the zippers on all of the different colors are GUNMETAL…..so I have chosen to accessorize with my gunmetal love knots and demi hoop earrings. Of course silver looks great too. Wear the jacket either un-belted or on some occasions [if your a belt person] belted.

SNEAK PEEK #2 is the A231138, the coordinating PONTE KNIT SOLID PENCIL SKIRT. It is unlined……. has a side zipper and is approx 23 inches for the XS size. The colors are …………BLACK…….COBALT………..CHOCOLATE. They all look great with their matching jackets and a black top…….a turtleneck in the winter…..a tank in the spring……and everything in between. Black pants and or black jeans will also complete the outfit. If y0u look closely you will also see glimpses of SNEAK PEEK # 3…………..SNEAK PEEK 1, 2 and 3 will all be on PM Style, Dec. 26th with Ms. Lisa Robertson. BE AWARE!!!! The skirt will not be getting any “AIR TIME” ….it will be mentioned only………………..Enjoy…………….Much Love……………Louis