In fact Betty will wear both pieces again, which is a testmament to the timeliness of my pieces.

Betty is a bad ass and we had a great time collaborating.

Timeless jacket style will be worn again and again with wardrobe choices already in her closet.

Working with Betty to create this look gave me so much joy.

Meet Betty

Betty is an avid traveler, very athletic, likes to swim with the dolphins, follow Bruce Springsteen wherever he may land and is curious about many things.  She has many hobbies and is an artist in her own right.  When her son announced his engagement, she was thrilled.   Since she is athletic, she wanted to emphasize her good form, posture and cover her arms as she gets cold.   One of the requirements was a certain color of blue.  Moreover, when you are restricted, it becomes a daunting task not to mention dresses are hard to fit and a bit confining for those who like to move with grace and ease.

After much research Betty reached out to me, came to the atelier and tried on several prototypes.   She asked if a full tulle skirt would be appropriate for a Mother of the Groom for a luxurious Chicago wedding venue.    Of course, I said yes and we were off and running.  She chose a short, cropped jacket(part of my prototypes) with a back flared detail in a specific color of blue silk shantung.  For the skirt (another prototype) we worked together to determine the layers of colors of tulle to create depth and interest when she walked down the aisle.  It was like layering paints on a canvas to come up with just the right mixture.

New Look, custom artful wearable

I like to think of this ensemble as a spin-off of Dior’s 1950’s design called the New Look 

.

My design is different as I am a firm believer in comfort first.  Betty’s jacket was tailored to her figure, and skimmed her body in just the right places so when she moved the jacket moved with her.  If she lifted her arms to hug her friends, the jacket moved with her.  When she danced the skirt was a delight to maneuver in.  It was playful and whimsical.

Problem Solving

I am in the business of helping humans with solving problems in how they want to dress.  Betty had some ideas, I listened and with that we came up with the most comfortable appropriate ensemble where Betty got compliments all evening from both peers and her son’s friends.

At her son’s wedding reception, Betty was touched by an unexpected compliment in the ladies’ room. A friend of her son’s stopped her, and commented:  “Betty, your outfit is stunning,” the young woman gushed. “When I get married, I want my mother to look as cool and comfortable as you.” Betty felt a warm glow of pride by this kind gesture.

It’s always nice to feel that age is not a factor when dressing for important events and still achieve comfort and style along with elegance wearing classic designs.

Reuse

I trust Betty will separate the pieces as an additional way to include them in her wardrobe.  Her exuberant display when we had our fittings is apparent in the photograph below.

We believe that to reuse is an important feature to cherish pieces while keeping them out of the landfill.  Its a win win situtation.

Working with Betty and others who appreciate attention to details with an artistic flaire where collaborating and having a creative experience is what we have become known for.

Reach out here if you are interested in working with us.  

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Let us help to transform your keepsake textiles into our Legacy Jacket.  Perhaps you have a beautiful tablecloth you love and never use. Or maybe there’s a textile you couldn’t resist buying tucked away in a drawer. You might even have an actual piece of clothing from a loved one holding wonderful memories but isn’t something you’d wear.  We have a way to transform these keepsake pieces into something truly unique and totally wearable.

We are excited to share with you our ‘Legacy Jacket’ made from transforming keepsake textiles.  The  design features reworking vintage pieces that are perfect for those who love retro and vintage fashion and keeping memories alive. Each piece is one-of-a-kind and made to order, making them truly wearable works of art. The Legacy Jacket is also sustainably made in Denver, Colorado and completely eco-friendly.

Each jacket is made even more special with our creative use of visible mending and patchwork techniques.  These techniques add beautiful details and unique accents. Our slow fashion approach ensures that every Legacy Jacket is crafted with care and attention to detail, so you are enjoying  it for years to come.

Whether you’re looking for a statement piece or just want to add some color and personality to your wardrobe, our upcycled heirloom Legacy Jacket is perfect for you.

Join us in our commitment to sustainable fashion and get your own wearable art today!

Contact us here  or at designroom@brooksltd.net.

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What is deadstock fabric?  Deadstock isn’t a word you come upon every day. When you hear it, it doesn’t exactly bring to mind beautiful clothing and environmental wellness. But, that’s exactly what it means to us at Brooks LTD.

You might ask, “What exactly is deadstock?”. Good question, dear reader!  Deadstock is the surplus fabric manufacturers(including our own brand) haven’t used during their production process. Basically in our mind, really pretty leftovers. In the past, these fabrics often found their way into landfills, adding to the already overloaded and damaging textile waste supply. Since companies need to clear out this extra material to maintain their low-cost inventories, small businesses like Brooks LTD., are able to purchase these fabric remains.  This keeps the textiles out of landfills and instead, using them to create new designs for their customers. In addition, other deadstock fabric could be a quilt top your Great Grandmother made and you’ve stored it in a chest of drawers.  We can fix that, read what we’ve done with one client’s textile she wanted to be made into a wearable here. 

Sustainability and style

Sustainability and style are pillars to the design process at Brooks LTD. Our goal is always to create clothing that is unique, comfortable and easy-to-wear. Using deadstock fabric  in conjunction with modern fabrics allows us to do just that.  This simultaneously limits textile waste and lowers the environmental impact of the garment industry. It’s a win-win and keeps us authentic to our aesthetic.

We always select notable fabrics to use in our designs so most everything we create using deadstock is one-of-a-kind. There’s just not enough of the extra material to mass produce any particular item. We take a couple approaches to working with our beautiful deadstock fabrics. Sometimes we use the entire piece of deadstock to create a special item like this linen duster. The fabric was leftover from a home goods store and we added hand stitching and beautiful appliques to create a fun, seasonless topper.  See this piece here.

Other times, we may have smaller amounts of modern textiles that we combine with different fabrics to create a patchwork effect. The Ida shirt is a great example of this technique – we combined the excess modern fabric from garments we made last year with vintage tablecloths. This allowed us to add fun details like the accents at the wrist and the attention-getting back to a simple style making a piece that is easy and fun to wear.  See more of this piece here.

Our priority

I hope this has given you some insight to how we create pieces for our customers that can never be duplicated thanks to the use of deadstock. And how reducing the amount of textile waste is a priority for us at Brooks LTD. Utilizing deadstock allows us to do our part for the environment, it pushes us creatively, and ends up resulting in unique and exceptional clothing for our cherished customers to enjoy for years to come.

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Baseball style jackets or bomber jackets for women that are creatively designed can have a place in your wardrobe.  Moreover, bomber jackets does not mean they have to have a logo or a team printed on it.  Take my neoprene bomber jacket for instance.  I fell in love with this fabric and had to create the perfect design for it.  Part baseball style, part jean jacket style.  Taken to a new level.  You can too, think out of the box.  This piece can go to your local grocery store, that picnic in the park or an evening out on the town.  This all depends on how you style it.

Here are 4 ways to style one baseball jacket for women.

Koya from Let Me Show You Different chose to style the baseball style jacket with mustard colored pants and red boots.

Dorothea chose a party ensemble and used the jacket as a cover up.

StyleBeyondAge choose a simple tee shirt and jeans while out on her town in Dallas, Texas.

Finally, Samantha chose a bomber as a cover up in a beach setting.

My design aesthetic includes many ways to wear one piece that is timeless, a show stopper and comfortable. We all like these elements when dressing.   It makes dressing up fun and adds value to your wardrobe.  Something we all need in today’s saturated market, an investment piece.

We’ve got you covered when it comes jackets for women.

Lastly, we’ve got you covered when it comes to jacket dressing both creatively and literally.

Shop this jacket  here.

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I am inspired by Modern Jackets for Women. Often times I am inspired by the fabric.  When I see something special I grab it up knowing that I will discover a perfect design to compliment the fabric. This neoprene fabric that I found in the garment center in New York City became a great covering for women.  It found it’s way on Koya Nyangi from Let Me Show You Different.

See the video here.

A modern take on baseball or bomber jackets.

Here are a few key talking points from Koya Nyangi on the video

So these pieces are timeless. When you put them on they are  casual, chic, and comfortable.

Three things women want .”…Koya

Zippered front modern baseball jacket

Hand painted bomber jacket

Unspoken Accessory-Jackets for Women

“I think jackets are like an unspoken accessory.  You can create timeless looks with one piece. “……Koya

 ” I try to do that-timeless pieces that have longevity. I enjoy making jackets.  You can take a jacket put it over a dress, wear with jumpsuits, or jeans. I make different styles of jackets all the time.”…..Brooks

In case you missed the video, see it here.

Thank you Koya for understanding my aesthetic and enjoying wearing my pieces.

See this one of a kind jacket available for sale

here

Remember,  we’ve got you covered…. literally!

The post Modern Jackets for Women appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

Tis the season to wear Red for Christmas.  Cherry red is the  main color for the Brooks LTD 2020 holiday season. Wearing red is a sign of confidence, but which red you wear tells it all!  This boiled wool cherry red jacket protects you from the biting winds in winter, and shows your holiday spirit. The  jacket is the perfect length to top off some feisty leggings or a mid-length skirt with boots.

Hardy Klahold photography

The jewelry that compliments my design is by Christine Marguerite from Boulder, Colorado  and is also a symbol of protection.   The Shaman Medicine Stick joined with prayer mala beads, is associated  with prophecy and good health. Layered with an accenting longer green rough turquoise bead necklace and topped off with stacking bracelets finishes your holiday look.

The art of Japanese Draping

I utilized the new technique of The Art of Japanese draping in this unqiue piece.  It’s a one of a kind jacket with interesting design lines throughout.

Note the touch of hand embroidery at the sleeve opening.  I take delight in slow fashion and creating something unique in each piece.

My jacket is one of a kind, and once it is gone it’s gone.  Act soon!  Purchase it here.

Jeweler:  Christine Marguerite

Model: Alyssa Wahr

HMU:  Amiee Elise

Venue:  Hope Held by a Horse.

A portion of the sales of these items go back to Hope Held by a Horse for breast cancer survivors.

This is my 30th year since diagnosis!

Show that you care, support local artists and look fabulous doing it! 

The post Wear Red for Christmas appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

Recently my friend Judith took to the streets to showcase my felted wool coat.  This forever forgiving design is comfort and elegant at the same time.  This design shows up in my collection interpreted in different fabrics.  Women love the ease of it.  Thank you Stylecrone for the photo.

The most recent is a kimono/opera coat that also has a forever forgiving fit.  Forever and forgiving seem to be the go to fit lately.  It just makes sense.  This design comes in tea length and can be special ordered in shorter versions and other fabrics.

Some of my resources get mill ends of fabrics and I can’t resist.  Here is a decorated wool fabric executed in two different subtle designs.  A complementary leather collar is the detail of the first jacket, the second is an asymmetrical 3/4 length jacket, same fabric.

The same asymmetrical design is made in an italian wool fabric.  You can see how one design can be represented in many different ways by changing up the fabric.  A good design has endless possibilities.

I love color, below is another example of a jacket, mostly a ‘sleeve’ design.  A study in geometry I call it.  Looks really simple but the complexity of the design took hours to compute.  “How difficult it is to be simple” a quote by Vincent Van Gogh.  This jacket was designed to cover up the arms only, it wraps around the back, fits tightly to the body and has the illusion of a sleeve on an otherwise sleeveless dress.  I use this design in my wedding collection specifically for Mothers of the Bride and Groom.  Imagine it in an all over lace pattern to compliment a understated solid color strapless dress, your arms are covered and you have a beautiful piece to show off a statement piece of jewelry and a plain dress. Or, in this case, a solid color jacket to compliment a bold dress.

I also love to mix textures. Add the on trend exposed zipper, wear with jeans or a festive skirt.   Red with camel:

Tis the season of coats.  Here is another italian wool tweed that has interesting hip detail along with fur appliqués and leather collar.

And a close up of what sets Brooks Ltd appart from the masses.  It’s all about attention to details.

See more diverse designs in my all about town category.

I’m over the moon with all things fashion.

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Welcome to the cooler season, coat season Paris Style.  Last year about this time I had the honor of traveling to Paris with my niece on a tour with Marcy and Katherine Tilton.  They are there again right now, fabric lovers, sewists, designers and anyone can experience Paris through their eyes http://paristilton.com.  They have tours in November and then again in May.  We shopped fabric stores, clothing stores, saw wonderful museum exhibits, went to Sunday flea markets.  Everything we did we did with gusto!

Along the way I discovered a wonderful felted wool fabric that I had to have.  It is handpainted and I had already created  the perfect original design that would work into this fabric.  The fabric was bulky to pack, but like I said I had to have it and when I have to have something I get it, especially if its fabric!  The original design is forever forgiving, one size fits most.  The zipper opening is easy and carefree.  And there are side pockets.

Fast forward a year and here it is modeled by Judith Boyd, check out her blog at http://stylecrone.com.  Dress it down with leggings or your favorite jeans.  Dress it up with a perfect dress for out on the town.  A show stopper of an outerwear piece, you may not want to take it off.

Want it?  There is only one, a one of a kind.  Contact me and let’s talk! https://www.brooksltd.net/contact

Stay warm out there, wool felt will help with that, and it comes in solid colors too(special order).  I can’t help re creating a grand design outerwear or otherwise.  It’s my aesthetic, from daywear to evening wear.  What could be more fun than expressing oneself  through the clothes that you  choose to wear?

I am lucky that I can execute a vision from start to finish.

Happy Fall everyone.  Get ready for colder weather.

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