Author: Louis Dell'Olio

“September Sneak Peek #6” is  A228334, a ponte knit dress. The colors are…………HEATHER GREY……………..GRAPE…………………TARRAGON………….This is a controlled draped dress…..meaning all of the pleated drapes are held into place with different kinds of stitching. The back of the dress has two PRINCESS SEAMS and a center back seam for shape. The front has a PRINCESS SEAM DART. The front drapes start at the back of the neck and are stitched then released at the side of the neck. They are draped and held at the waist with two top stitches. These drapes are great for both full busted women and women who are not. The skirt portion has a center inverted pleat with pleats on either side……great for hiding a little extra weight. There are long sleeves and a V-neck. The dress is approx.  40 to 40 1/2 inches long. It is very soft and very feminine dress……great under jackets, as you can see from the photo of the TARRAGON LEATHER JACKET with the Tarragon dress. On it’s own, it really needs nothing else. You can wear it belted….or not. Different accessories will keep the dress looking fresh and new with each wearing………………Tres Chic!……………Enjoy, much Love, Louis

Since The blouse is already on the LINEA site and ready to sell, I thought I’d better post my sneak peek! Actually, this will be TWO SNEAK PEEKS…….the first being the BLOUSE with the TIES, A228338….the second being the SUNBURST PLEATED SKIRT, A228339. The colors for the top are……..IVORY……..BLACK………TARRAGON………the colors for the skirt are …..BLACK……TARRAGON. I love a very feminine blouse under all kinds of jackets and sweaters…..from denim jackets………to biker jackets,….leather and suede jackets….. to tradition and not so traditional blazers and tuxedos…….cardigans, crew necks [both long and short sleeves], to the tradition V-neck to the new ballet neck tunic. Don’t forget to try one of your WHISPER KNIT TANKS over the blouse as a vest look. I LOVE the look of THE PLEATED SKIRT with the TIE BLOUSE and the TWEED JACKET worn over it……it’s very “JEAN BRODIE” or something you would see one of the women wearing in one of those wonderful “English” TV series or films. The IVORY BLOUSE under the BLACK LEATHER JACKET with the PLEATED SKIRT is SUPER CHIC!!…..and the BLACK BLOUSE  with the BLACK WHISPER KNIT PANT is TDF!!!

A228338….THE BLOUSE……..has many special details,….the most obvious is the three REMOVABLE STREAMERS. There are  three flats narrow bands of fabric that are attached to each other at the center. They pass through a FABRIC LOOP that is attached to the stand part of the collar at the center back…..so they are totally REMOVABLE. IF you got the ivory and black blouses you could even put the black ties on the ivory blouse. The front has a FLY FRONT CLOSURE, meaning all of the buttons are HIDDEN, keeping the front perfectly CLEAN. This way, the buttons will not interfere in any way with your JEWELRY! The blouse has a THREE BUTTON CUFF which adds just a little something……..a little VICTORIAN or GIBSON GIRL……..maybe? There is a front and back YOKE from which there is a little shirring………so your front “click here’ measurement might seem a little large to you…..however……this is not a darted FITTED BLOUSE. It is supposed to have a little drape and if you choose to “tuck”, you will have a beautiful soft, some what 40’s look. There is also a little bit of shirring in the sleeve cap just to add to that feminine retro look. As you can see from the close up shot of the Ivory blouse at the bottom center, this is a beautifully tailored and superbly made blouse. I like the ties tied in a double knot and left to hang….or worn with out the ties and either left open for a more casual look or buttoned up with a wonderful broach……which I have coming in three color ways.  Nov. is the planned due date, but knowing QVC, Dec. is more likely. I will point them out during the show. By the way…..I picked up the OLIVE BERETS in Paris on my recent trip……………..made in CHINA!

The SUNBURST PLEATED SKIRT, A228339, is a pull-on skirt….no zippers. The skirt from the bottom of the full elastic waist band measures approx. 29 inches long……perfect for boots or opaque tights and heels……I prefer a thicker heel. You have a little leeway with the length because of the elastic band waist….meaning you can wear it a little higher on the waist or lower…..more waist down. Again, this skirt has a very retro look and as far as pleated skirts go…..very slimming. Think of a sunburst pleated skirt as a FAN…..there is less at the top of the skirt and then it ” fans” or “sunbursts” out at the bottom……..which is not to be confused with an accordion pleated skirt, where the pleats are the same top to bottom. Sunburst pleated skirts can range from full circles, to half circles and less…..this one is less. The FABRIC of the SKIRT and BLOUSE is exactly the same…… 95% poly and 5% span….. I have used a light weight fabric so I could use it for both pieces. The skirt is surprising light and feels like nothing when worn. Wearing them  together  makes a FABULOUS SKIRT WAIST DRESS…..something Goldie Horn would have worn in “Swing Shift”?….. As separate pieces they will add something very new and fresh to your wardrobes. I would bet you don’t own anything quite like them……………………………..and they are washable!!!! Holey Moley!!…..but you know how I feel about washing pleated skirts……for me…..straight to the dry cleaners……really…. how often do you need to dry clean a pleated skirt? The blouse….no problem….throw it in the washing machine, but follow the instructions!

I hope you are  having fun building a wonderful new FALL LINEA COLLECTION! ………………..Enjoy, much Love………………….Louis

“Sneak Peek #4” is one of my most favorite pieces of the collection. It is my REAL LEATHER and RIB KNIT combination BLAZER. The style number is………..A228554……..the colors………..BLACK……….TARRAGON………….

The quality of the leather is superb and feels like soft glove leather. The styling is CLASSIC with a TWIST. This is a three button jacket, BOUND BUTTON HOLES of course. There are two patch pockets with flaps that are DOUBLE ENTRY, which means when you raise the flap  and you can get into the patch pocket…..or……..you can enter the pocket from the side. This is an extra detail that has become a SIGNATURE  LINEA element. The jacket has a beautifully PROPORTIONED collar and lapel. What really gives it the newness and separates it from all other leather blazers is the rib knit. The sleeves are rib knit so there are no worries about shortening…..just roll them once or twice for a cuff effect….or push them up a little and show the white cuff of you “KATE” shirt. From the PRINCESS SEAMS in the front…..to the leather panel in the back……..it is all rib knit. A more comfortable jacket in leather…. you will never find. The knit also adds another interesting texture and contrast to the leather that truly makes it look like a “DESIGNER JACKET”, and stands apart from any other leather blazer. It can go very casual as you can see in the photo at the top  center. There you see the Tarragon jacket with the Tarragon crew neck tunic and a pair of jeans…..[don’t worry about the sweater coming below the jacket…..it’s supposed to], add a pair of boots and a shoulder bag and you are set…….or change it up with the Tarragon crepe shirt and Tarragon WK pant and you are ready for the office, a lunch date or dinner with your special someone…….there’s also a picture of the same outfit with the Tarragon pleated skirt. Naturally the Tarragon will mix with many color bottoms…..black, charcoal grey, navy and the new walnut…..just to name a few. This is a jacket that you can create many different outfits with. Depending on your mood….. you can go from “TOUGH CHIC”….black jacket, black turtle neck, black pencil skirt, black tights and shoe booties……don’t forget the black sunglasses………to “BOHO CHIC”….. Tarragon jacket, a color turtle of your choice and a boho skirt, printed [think black or olive paisley] or a solid…. such as the new CHILI PEPPER and TAUPE with either color jacket. You can even wear it dressy with my sequin cowl neck sleeveless top, a pair of black jeans, and sky high heels. There is no limit how you can wear this one jacket! I rarely do leather pieces…….good quality leather is getting more and more expensive and you are seeing less and less of suede and leather on the Q. This is the one and only piece of leather , or suede, I will be doing for the entire fall/winter season…..so I hope you like it and take advantage of it…………..One warning…….lock the jacket up when you are not wearing it or your daughters with be wearing it for you!!!!!!!!!!……………………………………………………………………………….ENJOY, much Love………….Louis

28 1/2 inches for petite, and 31 1/2 inches for regular measured laying the garment flat on a table. I have been told due to the weight of the knit they will probably hang 1/2 inch longer so the on the body length will be 32″ and 29″. I hope this answers all questions about this pant…they are letter sized. Please re-read my post for all other info…..thanks, Louis

Dear Kate….and all who are interested in the new WHISPER KNIT PANT, A228555. I thought it would be a good idea for Jac to try on the XS sample I have and give a report from a woman’s point of  view on how they fit and feel. First, she wants everyone to know they feel wonderful on, exactly what you would expect from WK. She also loves the wider waist band which she said holds you in and feels very supportive. It also is the kind of waist band that will not turn. The weight of the fabric is not flimsy or heavy and what she loves about the leg is ….it’s a little wider but does not “flop around you ankle when you walk” which she “hates”. The 32″ inseam works for her wearing  flats, low heel boots, and shoes! She can wear high heels with black hose but they will not cover her foot entirely. Remember she is 5′ 10″” and 1/4″ which she reminded me of. I’m 5′ 10″………no 1/4″. There is a little room to play on where the waist band rests on the body depending on your particular rise. It can hit waist down or slightly above…….also because of the stretch you can really play with where you want it. Jac wanted to say that she already owns the slim  WK pants I did years ago and never had a problem with bagging or anything like that. I hope this answers all of your questions………Louis