Here’s an idea on how to avoid rising tariffs in your wardrobe.  In a world of shifting supply chains and rising tariffs, it’s time to look closer to home for unique solutions. While businesses dependent on offshore sourcing are scrambling to adapt, we’re embracing a different approach—one that transforms forgotten textiles into bespoke treasures.

Your Hidden Gems Deserve New Life-Resist Tariffs

Do you have beautiful textiles tucked away in drawers? Perhaps a hand-woven shawl from your travels or a cherished fabric passed down through generations? These special pieces shouldn’t remain hidden—they deserve to be transformed into something you’ll use and love every day.

Why Choose Our Custom Textile Transformation Service and Tariff Hikes:

• Sustainable – Give new purpose to existing materials instead of contributing to more production
• Personal – Each piece carries its own history and meaning
• Unique – No mass-produced items, only one-of-a-kind creations
• Tariff-Free – Bypass supply chain challenges by using what’s already here

Click here to see a good example of what we do

Another example of our repurposing textiles:

Not your mother’s jeans, but my husband’s (handmade by me)

How to avoid tariff restrictions:

We collaborate with you to understand your vision and needs, then apply our design expertise to transform your textiles into functional, beautiful items perfectly suited to your current lifestyle.  Reach out here.

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Upcycling with style is creating beautiful garments out of textiles that are used for something besides clothing. Reusing has long been a practice of inventive and curious designers. The first pair of jeans was created in the 1870’s out of a sturdy, cotton fabric originally used in tent-making. Flour  sack dresses(see below) popularized in the 1930’s made adorable day dresses from the bags that contained feed and seed used by farmers. This practice of repurposing materials not only served a smart economic goal, it also opened the door to new designs and eventually changed common styles forever.

Photo from National Museum of American History/Smithsonsian Institution

We embrace this technique at Brooks, LTD. We value reducing waste and reusing things to create beautiful and unique pieces to wear. Take for instance a special coat we designed. Our client had a quilt top(see below) that had been sewn by a dear friend who was never able to complete a project using it. The piece held deep meaning for our client and leaving it in a drawer for safekeeping didn’t feel right. The client came to us and gave us free reign (yahoo!) to create something special and wearable using the quilt piece.  This is upcycling with style!

Bias Cut

At first, you don’t notice the grainlines of the quilt pieces that are cut including the bias. This gave us quite a challenge. A bias cut is a technique used by clothing and quilt makers to cut fabric at a diagonal angle across the weave (called the grain) to give the material more softness and elasticity. We let the fabric hang on our dress form for awhile. As a result, we decided to stitch down the drape so it would take on the shape we were trying to execute. Challenge accepted and completed.

The Final Artful Wearable

The client was thrilled with the result. She ended up with a wearable piece of art that is imbued with meaning. Moreover, she can celebrate and honor her friend by wearing their work as a unique and beautiful piece of clothing.  This is such a fun and special way to utilize meaningful textiles. Do you have something hiding in a drawer for ‘safekeeping’ that could be better enjoyed? Consider bringing or sending the  piece to Brooks, LTD. and enjoy the experience of repurposing and transforming your keepsake into something functional and truly special.

Reach out HERE to learn about all of the possibilities.

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Sometimes when we are out of our element exploring new places and a beautiful textile appears, we can’t resist the temptation to purchase it even if we’re not sure what we’ll use it for. But then it sits in our closet, while we wonder what to do with the exquisite find. Eventually, it somehow gets pushed to the back of the closet or the bottom of a drawer, only to be re-discovered years later.

This is where I can help. Based on years of experience, trials and experiments, I have a collection of perfected patterns in original Brooks LTD designs. In our collection we can translate a woven textile into a beautiful wearable garment no matter what the fabric is. We’ve made countless ensembles out of Indian Saris, batiks and various other hard to find textiles.

One of my latest creations is from a beautiful fabric that was printed as panels. A client brought it to me wondering what we should create with this textile. At first, I wanted to try a luxurious vest design and thought it might work in her fabric. I would line the vest so she could have different looks because the fabric is so intriguing.

But as I thought more about the fabric she brought, I changed my approach. Sometimes I need to concentrate on looking at the fabric and draping it on a mannequin before I cut into it. This fabric had so many unique characteristics to it, I wanted to highlight the printed design and make it free spirited and loose instead of tailored. At the final fitting, my client didn’t even bother to take off the blouse she was wearing, and look how nicely it all looks layered together!

As you can see from these photos, each focal point has a different dimension. I love working with interesting fabrics that create a challenge. This Brooks LTD original design works well with the lightweight silk twill that my client purchased many years ago. In fact, she was ready just to give the fabric away until I suggested I make something out of it. It was a win-win collaboration.

Contact a Custom Fashion Designer in Denver, CO

If you’ve found a beautiful fabric or textile but aren’t sure what to use it for, talk to Brooks LTD. We may be able to collaborate together to transform your unique material into something you can wear and love for years to come. Contact me online or call 303-573-3801.

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Each season, I am exposed to the newest technology of fabrics. In order to keep fashion fresh and interesting, the textiles need to be innovative. The latest technologies are 3D, pile and tactile fabrics.

3D fabrics are definitely one of my favorites, and whenever I can’t find them, I create them. This makes my fashion designs more distinct and one of a kind. One print may be the underlayer of the overlay print, which creates a 3D effect when the fabric moves. It can be hard to notice unless you see it in real life.

Laser-cut fabrics are also becoming mainstay in the industry, for everything from bridal gowns to outerwear. I was thrilled to run across an interesting pattern that was laser cut on tulle fabric. Stay tuned for the final result! I have a roll of it now in my studio.

Shredding fabrics and using a quilting technique can create an interesting design. When applied to a garment, it becomes intriguing to the fashion-conscious woman.

I also get inspired by the environment and what is happening culturally. When I was walking the streets of New York on my annual trip this summer, this window display resonated with me. The word “truth” has really become a mainstay in our political climate today. I know deep inside that I was creating graffiti on my clothes last November using the word TRUTH. Although we all try to be the first to do something, it’s impossible! 

These are just a small sampling of the fabric I choose to work with. They are always changing, so I can’t get too attached to one fabric because of this. This holiday season in 2018, be on the lookout for more texture, dimension, and a contrast in drape and fluidity in fashion designs. Thank you for following my story, and be sure to check out my Instagram feed for my latest updates and inspirations!

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As I prepare for an upcoming show for the next season , I wanted to share my last summer’s end post.  Staying in town for the Labor Day weekend allowed me to step out, dressed up in my favorite knit dress.  Its comfortable, fun and easy to wear.

Dress Design Details

I love the detail of the sleeves, it has a shoulder cap with a slit down to the elbow.  It’s very trendy but so much fun to wear.  The softness of the collar makes it easy to wear into the fall warmer days. Maybe I’ll add some short funky earth toned boots and a long sleeve tee shirt under the dress for a ‘fall’ look.   I adore the print, a graffiti design in some of my favorite colors.  I purchased this fabric from Marcy Tilton Fabrics Here.

The hem of the dress has horsehair in it to make it flirty.  You can purchase it Here.

My longtime friend gave me a clutch that happens to go with so much in my closet.  This is a perfect match!

Curious Theatre Celebrates 20 years

Our evening was spent at a special 20 year anniversary party for Curious Theatre Here. No Guts No Story is their tag line.  Congratulations on 20 years, quite an accomplishment.

Rooftop party with great views during the sunset.  Denver is moving and shaking.  The Bannock Rooftop Shared Space Venue Here was a delight on a perfect evening.

Stylish folks out for the evening.  Men’s wear is happening in the market place right now!  I’d like to have a pair of shoes in those colors.  Healthy delicious small plates by Occasions Catering Here.

Art work in the hallways are very interesting.  This art piece hung on the wall and is the inside panel of a receiver.  How clever is that?

The Play:  Appropriate

The evening ended with a provactive play about a dysfunctional family gathering to disperse their father’s estate.  I’m still thinking about all of the interactions and relationships.  Like the tag line says, No Guts, No Glory.  Go see it if you are in the area. It’s here for 6 weeks, until October 14, 2017.

My Accessories

The evening wouldn’t be complete without the last detail of my ensemble.  My earrings.  I purchased them in Paris, they are wrapped silk balls on a chain.  The colors went perfectly, I just opened my drawer up, and there they were screaming to be worn on my night out on the town.

Here comes a new season

Now onto the next season.  Fall here we come.  Enjoy the freshness of the season.

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I am lucky to say that LACE (“a fine open fabric, typically one of cotton or silk, made by looping, twisting, or knitting thread in patterns and used especially for trimming garments.”)  is my medium. Remember that there are several kinds of lace.

Over the many years that I have been designing women’s clothing, now particularly for Mother of the Bride, Mother of the Groom where I can  choose all kinds of lace for my gowns.

My go to lace right now is called Guipere Lace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guipure .  Also called Venetian lace, Guipure is a firm, stiff lace without a net background. Patterns are created by a series of close, embroidered stitches onto a fine fabric that seems to disappear in the finished piece.

Alot of Mother of the Brides are looking for interesting lace for their gown. For more Mother of the Bride ideas(both lace and otherwise) go to https://www.brooksltd.net/mother-of-the-bride-mother-of-the-groom/.

In this particular gown, the Mom wanted just a hint of contrast to her otherwise fitted, softly gathered silk gown.  I have hand stitched all of the lace and finished the edges with a machine stitch to prevent raveling. Pearls and sequins adorn the open cut work of the guipere lace.

This leather look like jumpsuit has hand appliqued lace on the bodice and down the back of the garment.

The blue guipere lace really pops on the rust colored ensemble.  This would be a trendy ensemble for a fun evening out on the town, a gala, cocktail party or art opening.  Very unique and a distinctive look.

In this sheath gown I have applied lace appliques to the bodice of the dress complimenting the tight fitting skirt.  I cut apart the lace and re-apply it strategically throughout the bodice to create an interesting, tasteful covered up look.  If you look closely you can see that I have left edges of the lace appliques for depth of movement.  Feathers embellish this cocktail dress.

From my most recent collection, the Merlot Collection I have used the guipere lace in several ways.  The fitted sheath for the body of the dress skims the body perfectly.  The crop top has detailed hand stitched lace appliqués to create a custom one of a kind artful piece.  I have also added another element, a ribbon trim that compliments the undergarment lining to tie everything together.

This short description of guipere lace is an overview of what can be accomplished.  The lace comes in many colors and many variations.  I love working with each piece of lace as an individual tool to create a dress of your dreams.

Visit more party clothes at https://www.brooksltd.net/party-dresses/

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