Yearly Archives: 2018

………………….I thought on this Halloween you might enjoy a TREAT…..instead of a trick!…….This photo of Jac and I was taken for a May 1992 article and photo spread in HG magazine. There are 3 or 4 pages of our home in CT, and this picture was taken in my Anne Klein studio as part of the spread. Anna Wintour had come from England and had taken over the magazine “House and Garden”. There was quite an uproar because of the changes she made including the logo of the name! I believe this 1992 May edition was either the second or third one she put out. From there it was a short jump to taking over Vogue. The new editor and chief, who then took her place, changed the logo back to the original “House and Garden” as it remains to this day…..I guess the HG magazines that Anna did are true collector’s items since so few were published.. I remember Jac and I having a good time in the studio working with the fabulous photographer Oberto Gili. Oberto still does work for H & G. He specialized in architecture, home and interior photographs…….The suit Jac is wearing was white with black and red bands. It became Saks 5th Ave’s Spring Vogue ad…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Jac was too beautiful for words……the perfect model……………..My inspiration then……………………..and my inspiration now.

………………………The Maltese Cross is avail! I’m sure there are very few, and will probably be gone soon, but I thought I’d give a heads up to anyone who missed it!….A perfect Holiday gift!

……………………….I thought the NOVELTY BEAD NECKLACE, J357120, was worth a second look…..This time of year when we seriously start thinking about buying gifts for Holiday giving I like to post some of my favorite things that are still avail……The necklace and earring set above, which I call my BYZANTINE SET is one of those favorite pieces. The combination of the Fluted Color beads with the Baroque Gold beads, and the Enameled Ribbed beads adds up to one beautiful and VERSATILE accessory. The necklace is 72 inches ling so you can wear it many ways…..This is a QUALITY piece of jewelry that I’m sure anyone would love to receive. Maybe, for someone very special, you are planning to get them a WK sweater and something else. Wouldn’t a coordinating piece of jewelry be the perfect duo, and this necklace goes with everything I have presented for this past Fall. The earring is very light so it will be perfect for everyone. It brings color to the face. The necklace is also a wonderful piece to MIX with other necklaces you may own, especially if you have other Byzantine pieces from the past……Above, I have it mixed with the HARP necklace, J357131, which is now on CLEARANCE. This is another great present for someone who appreciates a UNIQUE artistic piece of jewelry…Both pieces are highly rated as most of the Linea jewelry is…………………………Happy Holidays………………much Love……………………Louis

………………..Above, is the original  “working sketch”, and the “look” sketch for the TUXEDO JACKET…..A343558…………A working sketch is the sketch I give to the pattern makers. We discuss it and they write down all of the details like the seaming placement and the shape I’m looking for, length, type of pockets and shoulder pads, lining, buttons etc. etc….every detail that goes into making the jacket a reality…….The “look” sketches are the final ways I have decided to show the tuxedo on the models………For my newest Linea Ladies….a little back story. Some years ago, don’t remember how many, I did a beautiful tuxedo and coordinating pant for QVC. It was for an end of Oct. early Nov. show. The production was made and shipped to NYC, where it was held in a warehouse in Long Island City awaiting OK from QVC to ship…..All was good and everyone was excited about the new Tuxedo jacket and pant………….Then we heard a Hurricane was on its’ way to NYC. I don’t remember the name of the Hurricane, but I’m sure some of you do! It caused a great deal of anxiety. I remember discussing this with Elaine, who manufacturers all of my apparel. She told me not to worry. She had already spoken to the shipper, and they were putting the shipment of Tuxedos and other items on the truck and moving it out of the warehouse which was very near the East River…….The hurricane hit, and it was devastating! Floods were all over, but my Tuxedos were safe…..or so we thought……………Elaine got a phone call from the shipper after the hurricane passed. She was given the bad news that not only were the trucks not moved, but the boxes of Tuxedos were never even put on the trucks!…………The end result was the entire shipment was caught in the flood and everything was destroyed……We were heart broken. All of those months of developing and fitting and finding the right fabric and satin to trim the tuxedo were for nothing……Every time I mentioned doing another Tuxedo you would have thought I dropped a bomb in the room!….Well time has passed, and all of you who wanted that tuxedo have made it very clear to me over the years that this was something you still wanted……Tuxedos have never been more popular, and I convinced both the buyer and Elaine that the time was RIGHT!!!!………SEQUIN PANTS and a TUXEDO JACKET…..all in one collection.. Hip Hip Hurray!…………I am a strong believer that there is a reason for everything……..Sometimes I struggle terribly to understand what the reason is for why things  happen to us………..Some reasons are never, nor could they be ever be answered…..I do, however believe there was a reason for the first Tuxedo being destroyed…….If it hadn’t there is no way I would have ever been able to bring to you this new version. I learned from the original jacket that there were things I would have changed, but I’m never ever 100% happy with anything I do….The new tuxedo is an improved version….the perfect marriage of fabric and design, and I’m sure you will all love it………….It is now POSTED ON THE LINEA SITE!…………………………………………Happy Holidays…………………………..enjoy……………………….much Love………………………….Louis

…………………………I am so happy to be able to bring you the 2018 TUXEDO JACKET, A353558………….I made a strong statement that I though this Tuxedo was a NEW and IMPROVED version. Why? because I think the fabrics chosen for this jacket are better than the original…..This Tuxedo is made in the same fabric as the TRENCH coats and the newest BLACK, PORT and MUSHROOM BLAZERS……….so those of you who already own them know how beautifully they TAILOR. Also, the SATIN that I was able to find this go around has more substance which is important to create a beautiful lapel…………Fabrics that tailor beautifully are the MOST IMPORTANT thing in making a beautiful Tuxedo, or any jacket……..The tailoring is SUPERB!!!….. The design is similar to the original. It’s a THREE BUTTON jacket, and the buttons are covered in the same satin as the lapel. You can either wear the top button closed, the top two buttons closed, all three buttons closed or all three open, as you prefer! The shaping is similar to the blazer. It has princess seams and body darts. The shoulder pads and cap fillers give the Tuxedo a beautiful shoulder line. The working opening of the pockets are made with piped satin bound button holes. Doing the pockets this way enables you to either keep the flap out or tuck it in. You can see this in the two photos to the left………There are no buttons on the sleeves so shortening is an easy alteration if necessary…..The jacket is approx. 28 1/2 inches long for the size 4. In the photos above you see the Tuxedo the way I conceptualized it…..with the matching pant. There is a slight cutaway in the front…….the Tuxedo is fully lined…….. The Tuxedo like the blazer will be numerically sized. I strongly recommend that you buy the same size you bought in the blazer……………….There are many many ways to wear a Tuxedo jacket…………………..I can tell you that you will NEVER find another Tuxedo jacket as beautifully tailored as this one at the price it will be offered to you. You would have to shop in your most expensive boutique or department store to find anything that comes close! and surely it will be three or four times the price if not more…………..This Tuxedo is truly SUPERB!………………….Happy Holidays……………………….much Love………………………Louis