” Now, moms are encouraged to wear a look that makes them feel fashionable and confident (with the bride’s approval of course)” a quote from The Knot by by Sarah Hanlon.

I know Barbara well, she’s been a follower for years.  She loves blue. Pulling out all  stops with a special textile (pleather and tulle) with blue as the accent color.  Working around that theme I  put together different shades of blue in different textiles, all 100% silk.  With my current knowlege of the Art of Japense Draping I began the process which can be appropriate for Mother of the Groom or Mother of the Bride as well as for a speaking engagement, or any event that you may be participating in in the near future.

Documenting the finished product

I choose to make artisan clothing for Mother of the Bride & Groom which has delightful interesting details.  View the front, back and up close in these photos:

The wedding event

Fast forward to the actual event that took place in September 2020, with Covid restrictions in effect.

Barbara, the Mother of the Groom looks very happy in her artisan clothing piece.

Jo Julia Photography

Relationships

With each artful piece I create I’m lucky to say that important relationships are created.  I love working one on one with women helping them to create handmade clothing that speaks to their personal style.  Fashion has no age limits as I believe that age doesn’t matter. Whether it’s for a special occasion or your everyday lifestyle choice, it’s all about how you present yourself to the world.

I  help you with your fashion needs, including a mask that might be appropriate for the occasion. In my newly revised web site I take you through the steps on how easy it is to work with me.  Read about it here.

We are all about one stitch at a time, slow fashion at it’s finest.

 If you have a need for a special garment or know someone in the market, send them our way!

Lastly, we’ve got you covered, literally!  We help you reveal your favorite body parts and conceal ones you’d like to hide.

Here’s to your well being,

Brooks

The post Mother of the Bride & Groom Dresses appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

Photo credit: Erin Lassahn Photography

The wedding was this summer and I had the pleasure of dressing them and their mom for the festivities. Today I will concentrate on Erin, Megan’s sister who stood in for the bride as the only bridesmaid. I had a blast working with all three of them, and since we started several months ago, it helped to make the design process more relaxing and all about pure fun. That’s something I strive for when creating dresses of women’s dreams.

The color choice was based on the bride’s desires. Fun, happy colors that will look festive and bright in the urban industrial wedding venue: Moss Denver. Once you’ve chosen your wedding venue, picking colors for your bridal party is always important, too!

Photo credit: Erin Lassahn Photography

Erin fell in love with some lace pants at my atelier, so with that in mind and the turquoise color choice, I searched for the perfect fabric that would create a pant to go underneath a silk skirt in the same color. I tied all of the elements together in a hand-stitched decorated waistline of her wrap skirt. Note the touches of red to pull out the color of her shoes. No detail is left undone.

Photo credit: Erin Lassahn Photography

I believe that the back is just as important as the front. That is why I chose to decorate the center back with an exposed zipper. The sleeve detail is also visible front and back.

Here is a snippet from the actual fitting. I use Erin as the fit model to change up the original idea of a dolman sleeve to a set in sleeve. Things change as we go along. Yes, it’s me who does the designing, fitting, sewing, and cutting. One of a kind ensembles need that one-on-one special attention; why not work directly with a local designer you can trust?

One of the details I always prefer is to look toward the future. I wanted Erin to be able to wear these pieces again, not just for the wedding. I suggested she wear the skirt with other tops, maybe a tight fitting sweater with leggings when the weather gets colder. The lace pant would look great with a tailored white shirt and the lace bodice works well with a dark colored pant and jacket for a day into evening look. The choices are endless and makes this a sustainable ensemble that she will wear many years from now. For other fun, sustainable fashion designs, check out my lifestyle ensembles online!

Photo credit: Erin Lassahn Photography

Congratulations to everyone! I loved working with these creative ladies. Thank you for the opportunity.

And did I mention how much fun we all had during the process?

Contact Brooks LTD for a Custom Ensemble Designed Just for You!

Whether you’re attending a wedding as a bridesmaid or mother of the bride, or you’re celebrating your own wedding or other major milestone event, you deserve to feel stylish in a unique piece made with your personality and body type in mind. Reach out to me for a custom dress that fits you perfectly.

The post A Custom Bridesmaid Ensemble for Erin appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

I recently attended the show alone, since a friend was not able to attend the preview that day. It was cold and rainy outside, which made it the perfect time to see such an exciting event indoors. I thought it was very interesting for me to see the show by myself, and I think I retained more of the details since I could really concentrate on the entire show.

I saw over 200 couture designs, as well as videos, sketches and dozens of great photographs. The curator, Florence Müller, did a beautiful job articulating many designs in her audio review.

The fashion house of Dior was first founded in 1947, after World War II, and the exhibit’s first display showed the “New Look” of their initial couture garment from this time period. The piece is very tailored, but with a softness and a feeling of femininity — hopeful that women were longing for that femininity after the war.

Although the design looks simple, the intricate shaping and details make it iconic and revolutionary for its time. Not everyone was happy about the turn of this kind of fashion after the devastating war, especially since it was a luxury collection available only to the wealthy during a time of rebuilding for the world.

Fast forward to today, and this look has been the inspiration for the future designers of the house. The exhibit featured an updated dress modeled after the original New Look from 1947, with new details adding a soft, yet strong sense of tailoring to create a feminine look. The pleated sleeves are creatively attached at the shoulder, the waist is softly defined and the contrasting pleated skirt is alluring and feminine. As you can see in the image below, there’s even a beautiful headpiece to go with the look, created by Stephen Jones of Dior — who I was fortunate enough to hear speak at this event before the show opened!

Yves St Laurent was Dior’s protege at the time of his death and became the head designer, and each time I walk through the exhibit (to date I have attended four times), a quote from him resonates with how I interpret what I design:

“Being a fashion designer is to make women attractive by taking into account their body, their gestures and their attitudes.”

Having this exhibit at my fingertips has enabled me to understand what I set out to do in my own small way over 40 years ago. I love to help women feel beautiful by expressing how they feel when they wear a beautiful design — made especially for them.

Below are a few photos from the exhibit (on the left) alongside of some of my own designs (on the right). We are all heavily influenced by our surroundings and other people. Seeing this exhibit helps me feel that I am on the right track. My blue gown has hand made 3D embellishments. My stylized bow (bottom right photo) is placed stragetically at the center back neck.   There are many details in the garments displayed that I have learned from and I trust my memory will somehow incorporate something from this exhibit in my future collections. I appreciate always learning something new. You can even check out some of my latest lifestyle fashion designs here! 

My favorite room from the exhibit was the flower garden. Dior and his predecessors loved flowers and gardening and it’s apparent in the clothing designs. Not only was I overwhelmed  with the elegant garments, but the mannequins even looked like they were floating on an invisible display. I can’t imagine the work it took to get each detail perfect when setting up this show. Needless to say I floated out of this room with a huge smile on my face.

Take a look at this video which features how the dresses were transported and set up for these magical displays:

The Dior exhibit is a learning experience that all ages and genders can relate to. After all, as the curator Florence Müller explains in the audio:

“Fashion is a form of art that deals with human beings. This is what makes it unique among the arts and makes it so challenging. The body is a shape that is restless, always moving, always changing, just like the imagination of the couturier.”

There have been moments in my 40+ year career when I’ve been told that my clothes are, “too much fashion and not enough fantasy.” I found that to be quite a challenge as I believe that art and fashion go hand in hand no matter if it’s fantasy, reality or a little of both. This exhibit confirms my belief.

I can’t wait to go back, time and time again, until the show ends after March 3rd. If you’re hoping to visit the exhibit, head on over to the Denver Art Museum’s website for more information.

The post Dior Exhibit at the Denver Art Museum appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

In part one of our photoshoot, our models played the role of two fashionable women meeting in Downtown Denver for an upcoming business conference.

On the second day, they decide to meet for coffee at Huckleberry Coffee Roasters at Dairy Block, wearing unique newspaper print and tie-dye navy mesh tunics made by Brooks LTD.

Then they head off to important business meetings while wearing clothes that are equally professional and fashionable.

Mallory ends up at an early evening meeting for cocktails inside the Maven Hotel’s Poka Lola Social Club.

Later, both Judith and Mallory meet up with their colleagues for a nice dinner before heading to their company’s dressy affair. They even decide to treat the hostess with some beautiful flowers from The Perfect Petal, located in the lobby of the Maven!

Before they leave for the event, they spend some time together admiring the art in the lobby while drinking a glass of wine.

Our Team:

Photographer:  JJ Constantine
Models: Judith Boyd, Mallory High
Coordinator: Mary Spicer
Hair: Stephanie Fugazzi
Makeup: Tiaja Pierre

You can now see some of Brooks LTD’s latest tunic and blouse designs in the online shop!

The post Huckleberry Roasters Lifestyle Fashion Photoshoot with Brooks LTD appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

Between outfits for your travel days, work meetings and late-night parties or events, it can be hard to find the right clothes that can accommodate more than one outing. One possible solution? Mesh tunics!

Recently, Brooks LTD had a great opportunity to collaborate with one of Denver’s finest new hotels — The Maven in LoDo for a styled photoshoot, featuring some of my favorite designs!

Not only was it a fun location for a photoshoot, but the name of the hotel is also perfect for describing my lifestyle clothing: “maven” means someone who is skilled in a particular field, often crafting handmade items. The Maven Hotel in LoDo wanted a name like this to promote Colorado artists, so it suited our fashion photoshoot pretty well!

For this styled session, I imagined two of my clients traveling to downtown Denver for a business conference, and discovered they share the same philosophy on clothing design.

First, they walk into the hotel, check in and head up the elevator. They love the coincidence of wearing similar mesh tunics, and start a conversation about how great they are for traveling, since they don’t wrinkle, they pack well and can be dressed up or down.

They decide to have a late afternoon drink in the Kachina Restaurant, and the outfits they’ve brought are perfect for going from a day outfit into a casual evening out on the town.

Our Team:

Photographer:  JJ Constantine
Models: Judith Boyd, Mallory High
Coordinator: Mary Spicer
Hair: Stephanie Fugazzi
Makeup: Tiaja Pierre

You can now see some of Brooks LTD’s latest tunic and blouse designs in the online shop!

The post The Maven Hotel Lifestyle Fashion Photoshoot with Brooks LTD appeared first on Brooks Ltd.