“THE OLIVE ORGANIC BEAD & RING NECKLACE

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…………………………..The newest addition to my growing selection of LINEA JEWELRY is the ORGANIC BEAD & RING NECKLACE, J317652…..or as QVC calls it the “Free Form Bead Necklace”. First, I want to say I love this type of necklace, and I love them because they look like something out of nature….well maybe a fantasy of something out of nature. If you have ever picked up SMOOTH PEBBLES and STONES at the ocean or from a river bed….you can’t help but to be mesmerized by the time worn feel of them. I think that’s a big part of the reason people collect them. It’s the TACTILE feel of those stones that I wanted to achieve with this necklace, and I promise you will love the way they feel in your hand. The resin beads were custom made for this necklace, and the FREE FORM RINGS were also CUSTOM MADE to compliment the beads. This is a CHUNKY NECKLACE, but it is very LIGHT in WEIGHT. I think you can see the proportion in the photos above with the beads on the OLIVE WK DRESS. The necklace is ASYMMETRICAL……meaning the look is that there is no order to how they are lined up….of course, I  decided exactly where each bead and ring would be placed so there is a  definite balance of ORDER in the disorder. By now you k now I like multiples…..I like the statement of layers of beads and how the light bounces from one to the other…………a little story………One of my favorite characters in “GONE WITH THE WIND”, also one of my favorite m0vies, was Belle Wattling……the bighearted Lady of the Night. There is a scene in the movie when Rhett Butler goes to her establishment complaining about Scarlet and their life together. Rhett is oblivious to the fact the Belle is madly in love with him. Now to the point….She is wearing a tiara of AMBER BEADS, and the light gleaming off of the beads always caught my attention. I have always been drawn to that translucent color……and to AMBER BEADS…..I also have always been drawn to details, and how the director caught the shimmer of the beads with the tears in her eyes….that was  no accident….and it gave the scene it’s pathos………………..back to the necklace……..There is a three inch extender to this necklace …so…if you wish to wrap it around your neck for a chunky CHOKER style you can…..it’s a marvelous look……………………The color above is……………..OLIVE………….the rings are LINEA GOLD….so it is that warm golden color with a semi matte finish. This color always looks real….Sometimes a shiny gold finish, if not done right, can look cheap and bright. An example of a shiny gold finish done right is the GOLD FISH PENDANT. The OLIVE beads, thought transparent, because of the size maintain a beautiful color and depth. When you wear the necklace….the color of the beads intensifies due to the color of the garment beneath……….The QVC photos are not representative of the necklaces at all. They are photographed against a white background and then back lit……a perfect formula to bleach out, and destroy any depth of color, shape and volume.. If you have ever gone into a very fine jewelry store….they always show you the jewelry, especially diamonds, on a BLACK VELVET tray……..lesson learned………..For those of you who prefer symmetry…..then I would recommend getting two necklaces and wearing them the opposite ways so each side will be the same………for those of you who like to MIX IT UP….the J288007, COLOR STATION BEAD NECKLACE in the OLIVE works perfectly………….Do not feel the OLIVE necklace is to be worn on Olive only……..think of it as a compliment to Olive or an ACCENT to many other colors………..It is also a SEASONLESS piece of jewelry and will look just as good in the spring/summer as it does NOW………………………………………………………….enjoy…………………..much Love…………………………………..Louis

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“THE GREY ORGANIC BEAD & RING NECKLACE”

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………………..The GREY ORGANIC BEAD & RING NECKLACE, J317652……….just has a TINT of GREY…..They definitely  have a grey cast, but because they are almost clear….they pick up the color under the beads, which makes them more universal……On grey they look more GREY…..on STONE….as above…..they look more STONE in color……………….The rings are SILVER…..a perfect combination. When you put them on WHITE, for summer wearing, you would think they would be bleached out, but they actually look more GREY…….They are somewhat cameleon like, but they do always maintain that cool grey color Above the necklace is shown on the Stone Swing WK tunic, and the Stone Short Sleeve WK jewel neck sweater with the GREY SHETLAND tunic over it……………………enjoy……..much Love…………Louis

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“The LAST word on the sheer tights”

OK…I have spoken directly with the QVC buyers and my manufacturer…….The sheer tights are 82% Nylon and 18% spandex…….I was wrong in my post. I read another item that they were describing which was listed just below the “sheer tights”, and made an honest mistake…..don’t kill me! LOL…… According to my manufacturer…..the “tights/pantyhose” have a  20 denier sheer leg with a 70 denier control top panty and a reinforced toe. Even with my mistake….this is still a SUPERIOR product……………………THE END

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“THE CLAY COTTON/SPAN KATE SHIRT”

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…………………………The “KATE” shirt, A214116, has been reordered once again……..due to popular demand. “Kate” is a name I have dubbed this style, and you will not find this name listed on the Linea QVC site so just look for the “A” number…..The new color above is…………CLAY……………..This is a soft TERRACOTTA color. We used to call this type of color a MAX FACTOR color, because it was reminiscent of a makeup color. I think it is a beautiful complexion color, and adds color to the face. This, by no means, is a washed out drab or dull color.. It is EARTHY and RICH………For those of you who are newer to the Linea line I will tell you about this shirt. It was inspired by Kate Hepburn, who was know for wearing white cotton shirts and pants, and named after Kate Karam, one of my Linea Ladies, who repeatedly asked for a good cotton shirt. I’m sure you are all familiar with Kate from my website and the Linea Fashion Forum…… A few years ago when I introduced this shirt, my goal was to make a man tailored shirt for women with all the details and quality of a MAN’S shirt…fit for a WOMAN…… Jac, my wife, would always complain that since I left Anne Klein she hadn’t been able to find a decent white cotton shirt. They were thin cottons that were see through, and badly made. She resorted to buying mens shirts…… First, I had to find the right fabric…..easier said than done. Since I couldn’t find one I liked or could afford, I decided to have it made exclusively for Linea, The cotton is a super fine yarn woven in a fine twill which uses more yarn than a flat weave….therefore the see through problem was solved…..Adding the spandex also adds to the weight with also helps it from being see through…..plus adds comfort to wearing the shirt…..Fabric….CHECK……Next the style. I wanted a shirt to fit a woman so I added body darts so it wouldn’t be straight and boxy, and to give it the proper shape without being tight or constricting…….This requires a delicate balance when using a woven fabric….. especially when dealing with so many sizes.. Then I sent the pattern to the factory with one of my shirts so they could copy all of the mens details….down to the COLLAR STAYS. When was the last time you saw COLLAR STAYS in a woman’s shirt???…..The shirt came out exactly as I wanted and it was an instant success………..Yes, it is all cotton with a little span….no polyester, so there will be some ironing required. I ironed the sample above [learned how to iron in design school], and all the samples I am about to present….it took about 4 minutes. I do not like iron free shirt fabrics, because for the most part chemicals are added to prevent wrinkling. There is no SUPER STRAIN of COTTON….at least none that I’ve heard about…………..Above, I have the CLAY shirt with the new CLAY WK TN, A72448 and the new CLAY BOYFRIEND SHETLAND CARDIGAN, A259619…..The fabrics and the textures and the colors look wonderful together….a TRUE AMERICAN SPORTSWEAR DESIGNER LOOK. ….As the Sondheim song goes, “pieces by piece, putting it together”……..In some of the photos I have the new SLIM LEG OLIVE PANT, and in others the SLIM LEG STONE PANT, A259702 REG, A259705 PETITE…….both work equally well………To accessorize………….The DOUBLE STRAND CHOCOLATE BEADS, J296893……….The new FREE FORM BEAD necklace in the ROOT BEER/GUNMETAL NECKLACE, J317652……and the color station SPICE BEAD NECKLACE, J288007…. The previous two work perfectly together for a layered look without getting heavy………….”Piece by Piece”………………I would call these looks…….CASUALLY DRESSED……………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………….enjoy………..much Love……………..Louis

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“THE STONE COTTON/SPAN KATE SHIRT”

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……………………………….Stone…………….is the second NEW COLOR being offered in the “Kate” shirt, A214116…………There are many color names I could have given this color such as Elephant, Pumice, Putty, French Grey, but we went with STONE…………………………It’s a great shirt to wear layered or on it’s own…..or as a perfect SHIRT JACKET for those of you who live in warm climes……………There are many styles that will be avail this October in STONE. Unless they are in the same fabric, like a Whisper Knit top and skirt, they are GUARANTEED not to match…..but they will BLEND beautifully. Personally, I think that is a much more interesting way to put the pieces together…….TONAL………..In the above photos there are THREE different STONE FABRICS…..The COTTON SHIRT, A214116, the WHISPER KNIT SHORT SLEEVE JEWEL NECK, A257382 [coming in Jan.], and the RAYON/POLY/SPAN slim plant, avail in reg and petite lengths…………..None of them are an exact match, but the overall effect is very good. The Shetland cardigan is also avail. in the STONE which will add a fourth texture and shade to an outfit…..if you choose to dress in shades of one color………if not…………I have added the GREY BOYFRIEND CARDIGAN, A259619, as an accent……very CLASSIC…..always SOPHISTICATED. To accessorize I have added the new “Free Form Bead necklace” in the grey, A317652. I must say the photos on the Linea QVC site do not do these necklaces any justice. They continually back light transparent beads, which washes all of the color and dimension out of them, and there is no way to tell what the actual size or heft is from the photos.. Each bead is a different ORGANIC shape and they are quite chunky. The “RINGS” have a free form shape and work perfectly with the free form beads. I hope you do not judge them by the QVC photos. What I love about this GREY and SILVER combination is…..the beads have just a tint of gray and pick up whatever color you wear them on….cameleon like…….The STONE KATE shirt is a wonder basic to add to your sportswear separates……………………………………………………….enjoy………………much Love……………………..Louis

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