Pardon My French

I just finished designing a new capsule group that I'm rather proud of and I thought I would share it with you.  When I first visited Paris last year, I had the pleasure of falling madly in love.  With the city, that is.  The winding and bustling streets overlooking the Eiffel Tower were beyond beautiful and so charming. The sophisticated people strolling around each neighborhood were the most stylish and fashionable I have ever seen, which is a big statement coming from an avid New Yorker.  I decided to turn my attention towards the City of Lights in this new group, which I chose the cheeky name, "Pardon My French."

Inspired by the romance of Paris, I wanted the styling and color palette to be soft and feminine.  I pulled mood images from a multitude of different genres, eras, and destinations -including France, of course.  I wanted to create an alluring mix of vintage nostalgia with a touch of modern girlish charm.  To do this I included some of my favorite iconic women into the mix, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and a personal hero of mine- Cher Horowitz.  Vintage paintings, pink roses, high heels, and stolen kisses blend together splendidly with quintessential Paris imagery, such as Notre Dame and the Arc de Triomphe, to provide an overall direction for the group.  The palette came together naturally from these photos.  I selected pale blush and neutral tones in antique pinks, washed corals, and french grays, all merchandised back to black and warm ivory.  The results are light and airy and perfect for Springtime in any city you may find yourself.

My first thought for the styling was to feature key item crop tops, a current favorite of mine. I offered a very short sleeveless double layer tulip hem top, and also a cap sleeve cut-away front top with a pleated high/low hemline.  I incorporated feminine drape details with a sleeveless twisted front shirting top, and an easy tie-neck halter with romantic peplum hem. For a more classic option, I included a short boxy top with vintage mock neck and elbow sleeves.  In terms of coordinating bottoms in this group, I wanted items that paired back nicely to the short novelty blouses.  A pull-on high waisted skirt and basic legging are both important items, and a skater skirt is still a viable trend which is worn nicely with these proportions. A trip down the Champs-Elysees wouldn't be complete without a ladylike bow detail, which I placed over a cascading ruffle on the back of a fitted skirt for walk-away value.  Finally, a cabert-style slim skirt constructed with heavy ruching on all sides completes the group.

I hope you love these designs as much as I do and until next time- Au Revoir!