Summer Trend: Ditch the coffee and grab neon!

This summer, bright colors are HOT.


From vibrant tangerine to chartreuse to hot pink, energizing neons will take over your wardrobe like wildfire.


Why are neons the summer trend?


You can strategically brighten up your neutrals or more subtle colors with a pop of neon color. Add a fluorescent accessory to your outfit for a boost.


For the bold, wearing neon from head to toe is in. Talk about a head-turner!


Plus, neons look good with any skin tone. And they make your tan go wild!

Nasty Gal bag

Marc by Marc Jacobs scarf

Shoes by Zara

Win an Ivy & Me Poppy Tote Bag!

Enter to win a tote bag in honor of Mother’s Day! 

We are giving away a hand-painted, hand-stitched canvas Poppy Tote to one lucky winner.

This handy and feminine bag is the perfect Mother's Day gift for a special person in your life... or you can always just keep it for yourself!

Our hand-painted, hand-stitched canvas Poppy Tote
This little gem of a tote is a $30 value!

Giveaway Contest Rules:

Send us an email at giveaway@ivyandmeapparel.com with your Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and blog links to show you’ve taken the following actions:

1. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/ivyandmeapparel

2. Follow us on Twitter @ivyandmeapparel

3. Tweet about our giveaway with a link back to our blog: ivyandmeapparel.blogspot.com

* For every picture you pin from our shop on Pinterest, we will enter your name again for better odds! Just tell us how many pins and where to find them.

** If you blog about the giveaway, we will enter your name again for better odds!

*** Tell us if someone referred you, and we will enter that person’s name twice. Share the love!

This contest is only available to residents of the USA. Sorry to all our international friends.

We will verify all the information you give us, so please make sure your information is correct. Don’t worry, we will not share your information with anyone or spam your inbox.

Enter by April 30th at 11:59 p.m. We will announce the winner on May 1st. Good luck!

The fine print: Name draw is completely arbitrary and computer-generated. We will announce the winner on our blog and Facebook and send the winner an email. If the recipient does not respond within 3 days of the draw, we will select an alternate winner. This product can not be exchanged for credit or compensation. Please note that colors may vary slightly due to photography or monitor colors.

3 Must-see Nashville Boutiques

We've met some fabulous emerging designers here in Nashville and have visited some great little shops. These three boutiques are our personal faves, not only for their shopping, but also because of the people behind the garments.

Stacy and the designer of Tuft, Jessica Jones, posing
with the Tuft installation at Nashville Fashion Week

House of Stella This family-owned shop in Cool Springs made us want to sit down for a tea party - but to a punk rock soundtrack. They carry trendy and affordable clothes, accessories and home goods. And they love cats. One of the owners, Stacy, is a young fashion designer herself and a total hoot. We were there to visit the shop and to see the Tuft trunk show, but we really had a blast chatting with Stacy over some Starbucks.

Abby Palmer and Emily of Wai Ming
at Emmaline

Emmaline For the sophisticated shopper seeking designer labels, Emmaline is the Franklin shop to see. The owner's name is Abby Palmer, and she was very friendly and engaging. Emily Brady Koplar, the designer for Wai Ming, was there for her trunk show. We were excited to talk to her and see the pieces from her runway show on Wednesday evening. The collection was just as beautiful up close as it was onstage. Come to think of it, we really loved all of the clothes at Emmaline!

Local Honey

Local Honey This consignment shop in Hillsboro is the talk of the town. Literally - everyone we've talked to about the Nashville fashion market has directed us to Local Honey. They carry local designs (hence the name) with trendy and eclectic styles. We haven't yet met the owner, Shea, but we did get to see her designs for her line, White Rabbit, at tonight's fashion show. She shares a studio upstairs at Local Honey with one of our favorites, Jamie and the Jones.

5 Favorites for fall fashion

We had a look at some of Fashion Week's most anticipated designs. Fall 2012 for women brings us long silhouettes, menswear and mid-century inspiration.


The color scheme was dominated by a sea of black and white with Chanel, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Gucci and others, with frequent pops of vivid color. Tones of gray, brown, mustard yellow, beige and navy set a serious mood for fall. 


Some designers like Miu Miu had us ODing on flashy, intricate patterns. Paisley and floral contrasted with geometrics in several collections. We do love our prints and patterns!


We voted on some of our favorite Fall 2012 looks:

Gucci
Elegant, flowing dress. The yellow print adds a little spark to a long black dress.
Plus, we're partial to showing off our shoulders.

Akris

A bright little dress for fall. Love the yellow detail.

Luis Vuitton
Doing the shimmery trend right. Dandy can definitely look sexy on a woman.
And who doesn't love a fun top hat?

Burberry Prorsum

A feminine take on the wool suit jacket. 

The way this piece falls is so flattering.

Chanel
Gorgeous colors on an airy dress. Red pants for fall.
We love that the dress pattern looks hand-painted, like our own designs!

How about you? What fall designs have you drooling over the catwalk?

Get the look: Marbled Skirt

Here are a couple of ways to rock your Ivy & Me Marbled Skirt.

      Dress it up                       Casual affair    
                                                    

We love this professional look with a 

feminine twist. Match your skirt with a 

navy blazer, some eye-catching heels 

and a bright clutch for after-work plans
with the ladies.   

Try this casual-meets-chic look for a
cool spring day. A tucked-in navy
sweater adds nautical appeal, and earthy
accessories give your style a boho touch.

Etsy Shop Open!

Great news, everyone!

Our Etsy shop is now open for business!

Check out our clothes!

Our patterned Mod top

We posted our first pieces today. 

Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks!

P.S. Thanks to all of our Facebook fans for Liking our page!! You guys rock!

Behind the seams: Who is Ivy & Me?

by Brooke Bateh

Say fromage!

Allow me to introduce you to Ivy & Me's owner and lead designer, Meredith Bateh. 


When she's not taking pictures of herself taking pictures (see right), Meredith pursues all things fashion, art and Jolly Ranchers. To capture her interest, strike up a conversation about trends, crafts or innovative marketing.


Growing up, Meredith and I always daydreamed about becoming fashion designers and starting our own line. Doesn't every little girl dream of doing just that? Well, Meredith was actually serious about making that fantasy a reality, and here we are!


Meredith studied fashion design at one of Paris' most prestigious mode schools, ESMOD. After graduation, she decided to come home to her Southern roots and completed her M.A. at the Savannah College of Art and Design. 


She knows her stuff, y'all. She creates all of our patterns and stitches all of our garments herself. 

Ahhh, Paris.
Ancient castles and shopping.

I love to help Meredith come up with concepts for our collection. For the most part, I work with the paints and dyes and lead our marketing efforts. I've always had a thing for drawing and painting. Nothing keeps me more centered than playing with colors and creating things with my hands. 


When we were young, our family moved around the world quite a bit. I guess it was a natural choice for me to study International Development and Anthropology at McGill University. We've lived in the Belgian countryside, in the Andes, in two frozen cities of Canada and in the hustle and bustle of Mexico City. All of our experiences have shaped us and our love of people. Wherever we went, our parents always made sure we were exposed to culture and the arts. At the time, our day trips to endless cathedrals and museums seemed so totally uncool, but of course as adults we came to appreciate, love and eventually miss the worldly education. I doubt we will ever really settle down in one place and give up the excitement of travel!


Our work for Ivy & Me is inspired by the visual arts, modern architecture and elements of nature. We're both very drawn to colors and are fascinated by their effects on mood, light and personality. The clothing designs are born of an admiration for textures and patterns and how they come together. Our distinctive fabric patterns blend modern and retro styles. 


We value the original and the new, which is why each of our garments is a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork, and all of our designs are limited editions, at least for now.


We love what we do, and we hope that you will, too!

Meredith on the left, Brooke in the center, 
Cinco de Mayo party-goers in the background. 

Check us out at www.etsy.com/shop/IvyandMeApparel

Our studio

Ivy & Me’s apparel is created in a cozy little unfinished room in our basement. 

We hand-craft everything in our collections. It’s all designed, dyed, painted and stitched right here, by just the two of us.

Meredith's trusty Pfaff sewing machine gets the job done.

The concrete walls are a backdrop for our seasons’ inspirations, post cards, maps and peg boards for hanging rulers and french curves.


Our little studio is busting at the seams with textiles supplies like buttons, paints, brushes, Pantone markers, multicolored threads, fabrics... And mind your step; we don’t always catch all of the straight pins on the floor.

Our inspiration corner, complete with Jolly Ranchers.
This is where the magic happens.

Pantone markers for sketching
designs and silhouettes.

We have a small button obsession.
Vintage, modern, wood, plastic, glass, metal...