Friday, March 9, 2012

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?

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

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 
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.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Etsy Shop Open!

Great news, everyone!
Our Etsy shop is now open for business!





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


Tuesday, February 28, 2012

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...



Monday, February 27, 2012

We are opening our doors this week!

Ivy & Me Apparel Opening on Etsy this Thursday, March 1st!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/IvyandMeApparel



Stay tuned for our collection of hot hot hot hand-crafted tops, bloomers, skirts and dresses!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Welcome to Ivy & Me Apparel's Blog!


We are so excited to share everything Ivy & Me with you. If you're curious about who we are, how we make our clothes and what we're working on now, this is the place to look.


And, of course, check out our upcoming *Etsy shop* for all of our gorgeous women's clothing!

Feel free to contact us anytime at info@ivyandmeapparel.com. We love to hear from you!


Follow us on Facebook for quick updates!
www.facebook.com/ivyandmeapparel
Find us on Twitter: @ivyandmeapparel