Color Blind

Now I know you're not supposed to mix politics and commerce, but there's a color issue that needs to be discussed. I'm talking Obama. And his shirts. They're white. Always white. Really, really white. Dark suit/white shirt. Every appearance, every photo op. Now I know there's a subliminal Kennedy thing going on here-slim suit/dark tie/white shirt. But we're a bit more enlightened now, aren't we? I don't see Michelle Obama running around in a pill box hat. But the 2-tone thing? People have a knee jerk reaction to this combo-it's uptight. As petty as it seems, I think a little more color needs to creep into the campaign trail. You want the blue collar vote? Lose the white collar.Perhaps an icy blue shirt on a hot summer day? It'll sneak up on people-they won't even know what happened, but they'll be drawn in. And I'm not talking chambray, roll up the sleeves and work the land, but just a little color. Maybe even a taupe suit in August? We are a sorry lot-as hard as we try, we judge a book by it's cover. Why did Hillary fall? Two words. Yellow Pantsuit. If any woman came into my store, and said "Hi, I'm running for the highest office in the country, and I need a yellow pantsuit", my first reaction would be to take a few steps back for safety, then direct her to one of the fine therapists in the neighborhood, because sister, you need help. But on the other hand, a little color, that's a good idea.

love is...

Depending on your situation, or your nano, love is all you need,a battlefield, like oxygen, or in my case, the cause of a large late spring workload. Because despite the odds,(I think it's now one in two fails)people still get hitched. People going to weddings, mothers of brides and grooms, brides, flower girls(I guess if you count First Communion, Brides of Christ-not sure on the odds there, though-think slightly higher)No matter, it's still an honor to be any part of what is a huge day in any person's life. But here's my idea-not exactly throw convention out the window, but why not get something with a longer shelf life-I'm talking get-ups here, not spouses. Why not a 3 piece wedding dress, so you can wear the pieces again for your anniversary, out to dinner, to another wedding. Why not a dress for your son's wedding you can wear to some one else's? Why not be the best dressed guest in a fabulous skirt and top you can split, and wear one with flip flops to the corner bistro? Now THAT'S love!

Present and Future, Learned from the Past

No, No, no,don't worry- I'm sober. But maybe too sober, like most of us these days. Bad news is everywhere. But so is bad design. I'm doing Fall, making Spring, and it's almost Summer. Frankly, with that schedule, I should drink. But with a wary eye to excess, I wonder what we'll all need come September. Will we need to escape? Will clothing be fantasy, disguised as reality? Or will we batten down the hatches to prepare for the bumpy night? I know, it's just a skirt, right? Well, not really. How you dress, how you look-it's a loaded gun. Are you too sexy for work? Are you too uptight for the party? Are you too mom-sy 24 hours a day? And does any of it make you look fat? By learning from my immediate past, as in this season, I can see you need to look like you can handle anything. Nothing too fragile. And when it does double duty-day into night, trans-seasonal, it's a keeper. But sometimes, when it's extra special, when it had never occurred to you that you might actually 'need' it, because you never knew it existed, but now that you've met, well......"Excuse me, Embroidered Plum and Black Velvet Coat-I couldn't help noticing you from across the room...Can I buy you?"

Can you please turn that up?I'm trying to think!

Okay, it's officially Spring. I know this, because I have bid goodbye to hose. But what am I doing? Well, between filling Spring orders, I'm designing fall 2008. It started a while ago, when I felt a little tingling inside that sent a Mad Max meets Elizabeth the Golden Age vibe through me. But not the trussed up Elizabeth- the scene where she's firing up her troops on the battle field, and her hair's down, and she's in armor. Except I'm thinking her armor may have some vinyl involved in my book. And I have my mental soundtrack on continuous play-it's the new Gutter Twins. Then my friend Douglas said he had a fog machine, if I should ever need one, for a show. Uh oh-I see trouble ahead. But I just went to see The Diving Bell and the Butterfly with a friend at her insistence, and as much as it's an arresting, amazingly life affirming movie(about death, of course, because that's when we need it the most, eh?)it was the use of Tom Waits' song "All the World is Green" that sent me reeling. Back in 1987, I heard his Swordfish Trombones for the first time, from a very unlikely source- a shop neighbor next door to mine in New Haven, and it changed my life. Until then, I had been remaking the past, and not thinking ahead. Because didn't thinking ahead mean spacesuits, pseudo mod get-ups, which I'd already redone again and again, and silly things, not real clothes? No, it meant going somewhere dark, and coming out with the bright light of something new, with an edge, but still completely wearable. Perhaps these are dark times, and I think what I do needs to wow you. I hope come Fall 2008 I've come up with "The Juice"(needs to be said with thick Aussie accent for impact)and you'll all be riding down the Post Road on your way to the shop in your crazy Road Warrior vehicles with heady anticipation. Just watch out for that kid with the boomerang.

cross eyed and pinless

Where have I been? Filling orders. Oy. We're pretty much sold out of Fade to Brown,and Turncoat, the reversible rubbeized linen raincoat has been a huge hit. We have renamed the section of Post Road in front of the store Sheath City. And sating all the lost mothers of future brides who have found there are two choices out there when you say "My child is getting married" -Vegas hooker(re:see, I'm still hot, too!) and Old Lady(re:my arms are bigger than the centerpiece and I'm going to hide in something beige with a jacket) If you missed the show, a video can be found on youtube, under Jennifer Butler fashion show. Complete shots of the show are coming any day now on this site under "see the latest show", and if you missed the show, pop in the store and see what's going on. I'm the one on the floor, cutting.

More Frock, Less Talk?

So with 2 weeks to the show, the logistics are being analyzed-model/oufit order, final song picks, even pre-show soundtrack. And the biggest issue for me is the chatter. Do I, or don't I? Last season, I was going to just send the models out, since we were onstage, not doing luncheon tables, or a country club setting. But I always hear "I love the commentary", more than I hear, or more likely overhear someone saying "I'd rather just look at the clothes". Now I am not a fan of director's cuts, but with clothing coming so close to home-I make it, we fit it,you wear it -I sometimes find it helps to say "you can't put x with y" and see how it appears like an epiphany to clients that you can mix it up, and not only do it as it's shown. And I also think it makes it more human. In the design industry, this is frowned upon. "Must be above the fray. No talking to 'the little people'.. Which is why the industry is failing the client. I can be as affected as any Eurotrash trouser peddler you'll ever run across. I can tell you my abstract influences, and prattle on about how Rothko's depth of colour changed my life. But maybe I can do it with a sense of humor while you watch 3 months of work pass by in 20 minutes, and make more of a connection. Or maybe not. I'd love to know what you think, so let me know.

More, More, More

Not that I'm pulling a Hanna Montana grift, but the week long Everything Sale has been extended. If you want a jacket, I'm afraid you're out of luck. They were gone faster than honeymoon pajamas. But if you need an exceptional skirt, a great cocktail dress, a fabulous coat, reversible waterproof/faux fur storm poncho, or sexy sweater-not an oxymoron in here, but a real need-hello-I can't feel my fingers today-could it be a little colder???? -you're very much in luck. Perhaps you've got a Valentine date? You know, if you get it on sale and look amazing, you'll be loved more.