Monthly Archives: February 2013

February Sneak Peek # 5, A232343, is the CHIFFON CLIPPED DOT BOW BLOUSE. This ladies, is a beautiful blouse. If you purchased the pheasant feather print blouse, A227579, this is very similar. The blouse is approx. 27 inches long. It has a front and back yoke doubled with the self fabric…….where two pleats hang from each side. The back has four pleats to give a beautiful feminine drape. There are side slits so it looks great worn out, but it can  just as easily be worn tucked in. The graceful sleeves end  with a 1 7/8 inch,  one button cuff. The beautiful, soft self tie bow is approx. 2 inches wide. There are tiny buttons down the front. The blouse fabric is 100% polyester, but you will swear it’s SILK!  For those of you who don’t know exactly what a CLIPPED DOT fabric is……I will explain. These are not printed or flocked appliqued dots. The dots are woven into the fabric, and there are fine threads , which are loose between each dot, connecting dot to dot. In the old days, when the fabric was taken off the machine, women would sit and hand clip around each and every dot, leaving what is called an eye lash effect. You can imagine the time and cost producing those fabrics. Today, this clipping is done by machine, which makes it affordable, but still pricey. The original fabrics were mostly made in Switzerland…….in cotton. Later, designers wanted them made in silk and the manufacturing technique spread to France and Italy. The dots themselves, in this fabric, have a slight satiny effect, which you can see when you enlarge the picture. The colors for this blouse are……………………..BLACK…………………..BLUSH………………..IVORY………………….When you tie the bow of the Ivory blouse, look at the close up of the ivory bow above, you will notice it has a very very pale pink tinge……….sort of like a camellia or a white orchid. Needless to say these blouses look marvelous under the new suit, or any jacket you may already own. Yves St. Laurent has been showing this style of blouse for years, and the new designer for St Laurent has brought them back in a BIG way…….showing them under suits, very similar to the new one I am offering to you. This blouse completes that whole Bianca Jagger, Lauren Hutton look. I love them dressed up, but I also love them with JEANS, as you can see in the photo on the right….. towards the center. Wear a terrific belt, my demi hoops or chain hoops, and that’s all you need…………………….You will NEED to wear a CAMI under this blouse as it is sheer. I recommend a nude tank or camisole. Spanx has some nice ones if you don’t own one already. In the photos above, the black blouse has nothing under it and you can see the gold of the mannequin through the blouse. Of course, it is very exaggerated by the camera flash! The Blush  and Ivory blouses have a nude tank under them and you can’t see anything, nor does it change the color of the blouse. You also have the option of wearing a black tank under the black . but I do prefer NUDE…………. NUDE…..what is a good nude color……..after many years of trial and error……and research……..I have come to the conclusion that the best nude color to wear under or line garments, for most women, is the color of an ordinary BROWN PAPER BAG! It’s not too pink….too light or too dark. It seems to work perfectly on most skin colors. For the daring amongst you, and I am sure there are a few, a beautiful black lace bra would look great under the black blouse…….jacket optional! This very delicate looking blouse is machine washable, so it is easy care, packs to nothing so it’s great for travel. I think every WOMAN NEEDS to have a beautiful, feminine blouse in their wardrobes………and if it’s as affordable as this one……why not???????…………..Enjoy…………much Love……………….Louis

Sneak Peek # 4 Is A232345, the WHISPER KNIT TANK. First let me say, this is not your garden variety tank top. This one has STYLE! It is approx 25 1/2 inches long for the xs and has an approx, 11 1/2 inch rib start at the bottom. If you double click the picture it will get larger and if you then click on each picture…. they in turn will get larger still. By doing this you will see more detail. The colors are…………………BLACK……………………….IVORY……………………..TOBACCO……….Many of you have the stretch cotton Capri pant in the Tobacco, which is what is in the photo above. The Tobacco also looks great with black, navy, chino, olive, wine, aubergine, walnut, charcoal grey etc. etc. The tank looks terrific under the new blazer which continues that longer, leaner line. Do not be afraid of the ribs. The are very fine and actually almost disappear……..what they do is give the tank a better fit. In many of the photos above I have shown it with the matching WHISPER KNIT shrug that will be on next months show, and I will give all the details then……so hold your questions…..they will all be answered.. Think how many things these shrugs will work over in your existing wardrobes. Also, it is fun to mix them up…..black over the tobacco and ivory……tobacco over the black and ivory tanks, especially when worn with the ivory trouser. Please don’t ask me why the two pieces were split up into different months…….I have no reasonable answer. I love the two pieces as a set and of course as separates they will all go with so many things that are coming…….A HEADS UP……this tank will get no air time or selling time during the show. It will get what is called a show and mention, which means they will flash a picture of it during the show……do not worry………I will have it on the models when I sell the crepe pant, so all of you can get a good look, but don’t wait too long…….or it will be long gone……..Enjoy……much Love………Louis

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