Grace asked me a question, but I can’t find it…….Yes,,,the natural flecked tank looks great with the stone Kate shirt….It’s lighter but the flecks pull it together and lightens the whole thing up…………………Someone else asked if there will be any more Mulberry sweaters….besides the swing tunic and poncho….no….There will be a sweater in Jan with just a touch of Mulberry on it, but it is mostly walnut.
……………………………..The newest addition to my BYZANTINE COLLECTION OF JEWELRY is the necklace with the ARTISAN CROSSES which have CABOCHON CENTER STONES combined with the OVAL ENAMELED SPACER BEADS……all hung from a chain that works beautifully with the piece. The cabochon stones in the crosses are……… RED….BLUE…..and GREEN. The oval GOLD BEADS are enameled in….RED…..BLUE….GREEN….and PURPLE…………..The necklace has an extender. and you can see from the photos at the lower left….the necklace worn at its’ shortest and longest lengths……I do not have the J number for this piece, but it should be posted soon……………The Byzantines were know for their riches and OPULENCE…..and for their beautiful jewelry……They loved…..GOLD….GEMS…. and PEARLS. I am a major fan of OPULENCE too…..PUTTING IT TOGETHER….PIECE BY PIECE…..adding one, two…three or four necklaces is up to you………Coco Chanel never thought anything…..jewelry wise….was too much…..I am in the same camp. We definitely are not minimalists!…. It must be due to the fact we are both Leos…… All of the pieces in the photos above are avail. and then some…….Starting with the earrings, you can choose the HAMMERED BUTTON EARRING with the large center CABOCHON stone , J284037 in BLUE, RED, and GREEN. This earring has gotten a 100% recommendation………. Another earring that I designed to work with this grouping is the J267611, the INTERCHANGEABLE DROP EARRING. The top of the earring is a much smaller version of the button earring, and can also be worn on it’s own as a button. However, you do have the option of adding either a PEARL TEAR DROP or a matching COLOR TEAR DROP BEAD . I love mixing the top with different color bottom drops to create different combinations, but you would have to get two pair…..I.E. the PURPLE and the GREEN. This earring is not pictured here, but is is below…..12 out 0f 13 reviews recommend this earring and it is beautiful……To change off you can always select a Gold earring Like my DEMI HOOP, The SWIRL or the BOLD HOOP……all of which have been reordered……Adding the CABOCHON CROSS PENDANT, J264036…..[57 out of 60 recommend]……..the 48 inch simulated GEMSTONE NECKLACE, J264037…..[32 out of 35 recommend]…..,..and the 61 inch MULTI BEAD STATION NECKLACE ……completes the look. The photo at the upper right illustrates all of the pieces worn together…..If you would like to mix other necklaces in I would recommend the solid gold Baroque multi cross necklace, which is exactly what I did on my runway show…….The HUNTER GREEN SIDE BUTTON TUNIC is the perfect back drop for these necklaces………and a very glamorous way to look for the Holidays………..All of the BYZANTINE JEWELRY was inspired by a group of jewelry I did for Anne Klein years ago, and I invite you to take a look at the photos below………………………………………………………enjoy………………..much Love………………………………… Louis
…………The collage of photos above are all pictures from my 1990 Fall Anne Klein Look Book. These photos represented looks right from the runway…..but most importantly….clothes, jewelry, hose and hats that were purchased by the stores and were housed in the AK boutiques. As you can also see some of the jewelry pieces are very close to the pieces I am offering you now, and some have been redesigned for today…….Case in point…the earrings were much bigger then they are now………I hope you enjoy this look back 24 years!!!!! WOW I can’t believe these pictures were taken 24 years ago….I don’t think there is one outfit on these pages that you couldn’t wear today……… Tunics, suedes, brocades, jacquards, crushed velvet, boucles, satins and knits are all current in fashion today……….Good style lasts forever………………….enjoy, much Love………Louis
Today the fashion industry morns the passing of a legend…..Oscar de la Renta……………I have known Oscar for almost 40 years, but I can’t honestly say I knew the man. We were both on the board of directors of the CFDA [Council of Fashion Designers of America], and sat on many committees together, but we traveled in very different circles. He and his wife Annette were major players in New York society and politics, and he dressed many of the women who traveled in the same circles. He was always the gentleman and always impeccable…..even pictures that I have seen of him at his vacation home in the Caribbean… he was always dressed. I doubt he owned a pair of jeans……maybe he did. He was a very handsome tall man with a wonderful voice and a wonderful accent…………the ladies did swoon over him. He was a very private man and very close with his family. He had one adopted son and was step father to Annette’s children, all of whom are in and run his business. It was only two days ago that his successor was named, so they must have known the end was near. We, in the industry, all knew he had cancer, but after seeing how well he looked in the most recent pictures of him in the final fittings of George Clooney’s wife’s wedding dress, I was surprised when I heard the news. With his passing….his era of society designers has almost come to a close….There are many designers in NYC, but none who can fill his shoes….He was known for extravagance, opulence and splendid gowns…..His Latin heritage always came through……..I am glad that when I was a young designer I was able to experience the likes of Oscar and Bill Blass when they were at their height….Their kind just doesn’t exist anymore….anywhere………. it’s a very sad day.
………………………..GOOD NEWS!!!!………….The REVERSIBLE FAUX FUR COAT, A259614………..which was supposed to be avail in November has been MOVED UP, and it will be presented on my October 27th 1:00PM show!!!!!!! I couldn’t be more happy about this decision, because the weather here in New England has definitely turned into FALL!…QVC is calling this coat a “Walking Coat”…..I guess if you have to call it something more than a COAT….a “walking coat” is just as good as anything……The color in the photos above is ………….STONE with BLACK FUR……This color combination is a CLASSIC…..Chic as all get out….and when you reverse it….you still have a black coat!…The Walking Coat….in the old days we called them “strollers”….I’m dating myself…LOL…..is approx. 35 inches long for the XS. The coat has PRINCESS SEAMS with INSEAM POCKETS on both sides. The front of the coat is double breasted and has LOOPS & BUTTONS to close it. The tie belt, in self fabric, is OPTIONAL. The belt in the STONE/BLACK coat combination is reversible too. Both sides of the coat are made in 100% Polyester. The fabric is a beautiful quality, and looks very expensive. It has the look and feel of an expensive SILK rain coatings that are used for real Fur reversible coats. I’ve used them many times myself. This is not a rainproof fabric, but if you are caught in a drizzle the water will run off. I have tested my sample coats with a glass of water poured onto the sleeve and the water BEADS and runs off….no absorption at all. Since the fabric has not been given any special treatments [sometimes it makes the fabric stiff], and has not been tested as a “rainproof” fabric I can not make such claims….Do the test yourself and I assure you your result will be the same as mine……..The FAUX FUR has the look and feel of MOUTON or SHEARED BEAVER……..It is super SOFT and not extremely bulky, but lets face it a fur lined cat is not a skinny coat…..it’s just a LUXURIOUS COAT! AND FEELS wonderful ON!…….You can wear the collar three ways……COMPLETELY unbuttoned to the belt which creates a beautiful SHAWL COLLAR……..buttoned all the way up which creates a higher shawl for more protection………or wear the shawl HIGHER still….right under the chin for maximum coverage and protection…………….it also looks very dramatic and Doctor Zhavigo worn this way!……I don’t know if this is a must have for some of you……but it is definitely a WANT. I do very few outerwear pieces, but this season was an exception. I believe I have brought you something very special in this coat with all the quality you have come to expect with Linea. This coat is the FINALE to the Fall 2014 season……This is the last apparel sneak peek. You have now seen the entire Fall 2014 collection and I hope you have found some things that appeal to you……………For the rest of 2014 I will be bringing you new Holiday JEWELRY items to gift and to gift YOURSELF!……….Then we start again on Jan. 30th with some addition Fall transition piece…..just to freshen things up and fill in some gaps…..LOL……………………………………………………………………………………enjoy………………………………..much Love…………………………Louis