Here are some of my thoughts on 2018’s hottest fashion trends, as well as a few examples from my own clothing designs.

Bright, bold, solid colors

Solid colors with a lot of saturation are always a safe choice to add to your wardrobe. They enable you to dress up or down with accessories. I always suggest choosing a color that compliments your hair and complexion. Turquoise is one of my favorite colors for this trend.

For evening wear, I went a little extreme with this coral strapless gown embellished with turquoise and yellow. I call it “here comes the sun.”

Transparent/Sheer Fabrics

This turquoise ensemble shows off the sheerness of the fabric. The skirt design has a short lining so one can appreciate the sheerness of the fabric. Subtly sexy, covered up with the illusion of your figure underneath.

Lots of Tulle

Tulle is a beautiful, feminine way to express yourself. This black tulle dress is adorned with colorful appliqués. I always like to cover up the figure, but with a sheer illusion so that you can see beyond the fabric.

Fringe

Fringe is making a comeback this year and being used in various designs, from dresses and jackets to boots and purses.

Although I follow trends, fringe is not on my radar this season. My clients would need to see this more in the market place before they would experiment with it. Maybe I’ll catch up next season, I was too involved in sheer and transparency this year.

Sequins and Sparkle

I love sequins right now especially paired with lace! They make a beautiful combination especially for formal events, such as galas and weddings.

I’m currently on the hunt for paillettes which are bigger than sequins. I trust I’ll find some next month on my fabric journey back east.

Fair warning to the brides out there: be careful if you choose sequins for your bridesmaid dresses, since they come in many qualities of fabrics. Sequins can also take away attention from the bride and can reflect the light in unusual ways when photographed. Here is an ensemble of a MOB dress I designed, mixed with silk charmeuse.

Contact Brooks LTD for a Custom-Designed Dress

Whether you’re looking for a truly unique wedding dress, an elegant mother of the bride dress, or a show-stopping gala or party dress, reach out to Brooks LTD for a design that suits you and fits perfectly! Contact me online or call 303-573-3801.

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For me, one of my favorite highlights of the whole day were the clothes. Meghan expressed herself so eloquently through her choices of classic details with meaning, especially in her bouquet and veil.

“Flexible” being a word that this couple, and this wedding, has managed, to everyone’s great surprise, to attach to the formerly-perceived-as-entirely-rigid royal family.”  — Vanessa Friedman, NY Times

With this Royal Wedding, the world was able to see the new, modern influences on the British Empire. And the modest, simple, and elegant fashion design was at the forefront of the event. It made me want to dress royalty. It also reminded me of how I have described my work to potential clients in the past: “You deserve a wardrobe that treats you like nobility.” And isn’t nobility another word for royalty?

Meghan Markel’s choice of fashion for her wedding dress was classic, demur, elegant and tasteful. The clean design line of her wedding gown will add another dimension of choices for women getting married in the bridal marketplace. Classic design and luxury fabrics are all one needs to create a statement. In my world of fashion, I have always believed that timeless design is everlasting.

Photo Credit: Getty Images, Town & Country

One of my favorite clothing designs of the guests was worn by Amal Clooney. The color was lovely and the design simple and understated. I especially liked the surprise of the train extending beyond the garments hemline.

Photo Credit: Getty Images, PopSugar

Megan’s gown for the reception also resonated with me. “The Cold Shoulder” has been around for decades, and you can read more about the style in the New York Times. It’s sexy and revealing in a very subtle way. Shoulders have a tendency to remain the same shape and size no matter a woman’s weight fluctuations, so it’s a beautiful option for many body types. I’m sure this design element will show up in many new bridal collections over the next year!

Photo Credit: Getty Images, Town & Country

Below you can see some of my current designs photographed this past season, and I think they simulate what everyone saw at the recent Royal Wedding.

Photo Credit: Hardy Klahold

I also like to think that my ‘mustard’ version of a summer suit would have looked well at the Royal Wedding.

Photo Credit: Hardy Klahold

And these ladies look like they would fit right in with the Royal Family, don’t you think?

Photo Credit: Hardy Klahold

About Brooks LTD

Modern trends blended with timeless elements are always part of my inspiration for every custom design I create. I collaborate closely with clients to ensure the most stunning look for their personal style. This is what makes the Brooks LTD atelier an influencer in the Denver fashion scene.

If you’re looking for a custom wedding dress, mother of the bride dress, or custom lifestyle clothing, reach out to me for a consultation by calling 303-573-3801. I look forward to hearing from you!

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And wearing custom-made garments may say all the right things you want others around you to know. If you’ve thought about buying a custom blouse but want to know what the process is like first, this post is for you.

On the blog this week, I wanted to highlight a few of the steps involved when I make custom garments for my clients! The example we’ll use here is a custom-made linen blouse for my client, Carolyn.

First, I take measurements and sketch a design. Then I use a muslin, or a prototype, as a guideline to make corrections and adjustments based on how it would fit the client. Below is an example of what it looks like when I adjusted this blouse in a protoype fabric for her shoulders.

Then, I place a vertical dart under the arm(instead of at the armhole as shown) to give the bodice the illusion of extra length — in other words, making it appear taller. When I do this, it creates a smaller armhole which allows me to decrease the width of the sleeve, which was a request from my client to have a tighter fit.

After I mark where to make adjustments, I re-cut the garment. For this blouse, I used an eyelet fabric that I had in my stash, and my client loved it so much I finished it for her to keep and wear! Below you’ll see the fabric we used and a photo of the final product being modeled on delivery day.

As you can see from the photographs below, the linen jacket compliments Carolyn’s body type, and has a beautiful framed neckline that she can accessorize with her wonderful collection of jewelry. The basic teal knit garment underneath is a colorful choice for the fashion fabric to pop with pizazz! Both fabrics are from Marcy Tilton Fabrics, a fantastic fabric shop based in Oregon.

Carolyn and I both have been in the clothing industry for over 40 years and have collected many treasures that we can’t live without. Collaborating with another creative person is always fun and enlightening! We both share the love for textiles, and expression of fashion. You can see her jewelry collection online here!

I created this blouse design for her using inspiration from my current ‘off the rack’ garment design for Spring 2018. Her blouse has a few subtle differences in the design, mostly in the creation of a smaller armhole with an underarm dart for a fuller bust.

I can’t think of a better fit for a tailored garment in a beautiful fabric. I can also imagine how this might look dressier with an imported lace added on, or a variety of other endless ideas! Here I used a luxurious lace fabric to create a garment that if paired with a navy silk charmeuse skirt and cami would be appropriate for a Mother of the Bride.

When I get to work one-on-one with special clients, it opens up my creative process to think of new designs that would fit the current needs of women out there!

I am lucky to be able to create beautiful clothes for beautiful women.

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