Monthly Archives: April 2021

………………………….Cotton jersey knit was a fabric I always loved to use, but at the designer level I had to be careful because there was a lot of competition with cotton knit fabrics at lower price points ….so the quality had to be very special. There are all grades of cotton. Long staple cotton is the best. Italy imported a lot of the raw cotton yarn from Egypt where the best yarn came from…..There is also a great deal of difference between COTTON JERSEY and COTTON INTERLOCK which is the more common cotton knit fabric……I always used cotton jersey from Italy which was a superb fabric……The open front cardigan, the V-neck slip top…..the “Boyfriend Blazer” and the TN sleeveless dress were all in cotton jersey knit…..The backless halter dress in the cotton jersey had a convertible cowl/hood. Any of the jackets worked over this dress…..The trousers were linen……….There were two sizes of Fish that I used for the “School of Fish” belts. The larger fish was used for a single row belt, and the smaller fish was used for a double row belt………….There were many “special orders” taken on all of the belts! They sold like HOT CAKES…….expensive hot cakes!

MOST jewelry is on sale including the SILVER PIECES! FREE SHIPPING & HANDLING and FIVE EASY PAYS………..check it out!

………………………There simply is nothing like wearing beautiful Linen in the tropics. I practice what I preach, and have many pairs of linen pants, shirts and 4 blazers…..The unlined “WASHED LINEN” had a very soft hand, and the breezy topper jacket had a fishnet long flap in the back. She is wearing it over cotton/span knit leggings…..remember THIRTY YEARS AGO………I was always known for my sweaters……The white cotton and silk 3 gauge knit sweater was a beauty……made in Italy……………….perfect for those cool,early dusk sea breezes.

…………………….I have always loved WHITE COTTON SHIRTS….especially when the quality has a superb silky feel on the skin…..The wrap notched collar shirt with the drop shoulder and exaggerated shirred sleeves looks like it was designed for spring/summer 2021…..Yes, these shirts needed care, but thirty years ago everything need care!. There is nothing like a crisp, freshly pressed white cotton shirt. The navy pull-on skirt was made out of cotton/span knit. Trust me when I say this Italian quality was incredible, and there is nothing it can be compared to……..a true designer fabric….. Convertible cotton knit cowl top could also be pulled up and worn as a hood…..The white bottom was also in the cotton/span knit…..These were great take away packable pieces………..I always had an assortment of belts for each collection. The wide belt was in a white elastic with navy calf leather tab fronts and gold metal closure. The navy calf leather belt had a menswear inspired buckle.

……………………….I used to buy this beautiful silky soft cotton from an Italian company named “Braghenti”. They specialized in cotton and linen. They also had a home division that made the most beautiful cotton and Linen sheets. I still have Linen sheets and pillow cases from them that are wonderful in the summer. The company was owned by a very young man named Emanuele Castellini. It was a family owned business as so many of the Italian fabric companies were and are still today. This company was four generations old, and very well established. When I first started doing business with the company Emanuele’s older brother Waltero ran the business. He was a tall handsome man and very charismatic…….On one of our trips to Italy we found out Waltero was thrown from a horse and was killed. He was an Olympic jumper. It was such a tragedy. We all supported the very young Emanuele, who took over the business. He had to be very responsible very quickly, but he had a very good seasoned team behind him. As the years passed he proved to be a wonderful and creative member of the family who not only took the reigns, but grew the company too. I worked with him directly for years…The clothes above were the fishnet tee with cotton shorts, and an unlined cotton “Boyfriend” blazer with a cotton mini skirt. The blazer had a beautiful crest emb. on the pocket. I also had clear resin buttons made with tiny gold ball centers. One of the great advantages of working for a “designer” company was I could make anything I dreamed of including all of the accessories shown……..the hat……the tote……the belt and the jewelry…..You may recognize the model at the right….Her name is Famke Janssen….Famke modeled for me for a few years, doing both the shows and print. She left the modeling business to become an actress. I had doubted she would become a success, because she was so beautiful and TALL. These attributed would put her in a VERY limited category….plus no one really took models turned actresses seriously [there have been some wonderful exceptions], and most leading men are SHORT. However, she got the role as a “Bond Girl”, and her career took off. Unfortunately, today she is almost unrecognizable due to bad plastic surgery and FILLERS. I really don’t know why so many women go down that same path only to end up with the same horrific results….blown up cheeks to the point of ridiculous, and distorted features. I know so many who do…….”mirror, mirror on the wall”……..Famke ended up being a cautionary tale. I googled her to see what she was up to, and was really shocked at what I saw…..