Sketches of Carolina Herrera

1993 International Desk Diary

Here comes Carolina Herrera Designs

On the town: grape and mulberry charmeuse and satin for a show-stopping number.

Let it snow: rosy red cashmere and wool tartan make a matching three quarter coat and skirt a toasty combo-look at that doggie.

Ready to go: a luxe wool amber-toned coat trimmed in black velvet and topped with a golden cashmere muffler.

So chic, Miss Carolina.
 Don't you think?

To see your vision come to life, email us about our design services at Peggy Braswell Design. 

You can purchase many of the items found on this blog, according to BRASWELL and much more at  BRASWELL. 

We will work with the trade.

Sketches of Dries Van Noten

 Fabulous 1993 International Fashion Desk Diary
by Shirley Kennedy

Today the designs are by Dries Van Noten

Royal Culture: the Antwerp, Belgium Designer see the city's hostesses in a fleecy sweatshirt printed with the "King and Queen" and a wrap-around shirt with a city hall print.

Cityscape: the poplin A-line shirt is printed with "famous buildings" and the fitted pants are covered with a full color "Cathedral print."

 Follow directions: the fitted light wool jacket is printed with an Antwerp

"general view of the city"

A rayon full skirt offers a complimentary city-map print.

I don't know about you, dear readers?- but I could step right into every piece of Dries Van Noten
Aren't these prints something to love?

To see your vision come to life, email us about our design services at Peggy Braswell Design. 

You can purchase many of the items found on this blog, according to BRASWELL and much more at  BRASWELL. 

We will work with the trade.

Going to London!

"Leaving on a jet plane" or something like that.

Post cards in the picture are taken from Penguin book covers.

Penguin books was started in 1935 by Allen Lane because he was disappointed at the poor range of paperback books to read while traveling from Exeter railway station to London-and now Penguin books are part of Britain's culture. I adore that story.

 

Off to UK to work on a project - I am so blessed, I adore London. (do ya think I'll see the engaged couple? Hmmmm, strange, I haven't received my wedding invitation YET.)  

Thank God for Janet! She will hold down the fort while I am away.



Dear Readers, thanks muchly (is that a word?) for stopping by and leaving me a comment. 
Bye-bye! Be back soon...

The other door - Portiere

I think it's best if I tell you about the origins of the portiere (Ha-I had never heard of them...  

my good friend Whitney, who is part French, very kindly told me of portiere's when I first started my interior design business).

 from wikipedia 

A portière is a hanging placed over a door or over the doorless entrance to a room. Its name is derived from the French word for door, porte . From Asia it came to Europe at a remote date. It is known to have been in use in Europe in the 4th century, and was probably introduced much earlier. Like so many other domestic plenishings, it reached England by way of France, where it appears to have been originally called rideau de Porte (literally, "door curtain")..

In Margaret Mitchell's novel, Gone with the Wind, the protagonist Scarlett O'Hara makes a new dress from her mother's green velvet portieres. Although the term is used incorrectly in the movie. The characters are talking about green velvet window curtains while portieres are so named because they hang in doorways. (the scene was famously parodied on The Carol Burnett Show when Carol Burnett, playing the role of Scarlett, wore not only the fabric but the rod as well).

 Now who knew that green velvet dress was really portieres? 

I didn't know that-and I am from the South.

Go figure!

  

I love to use them in client's homes-

this one for a bathroom.

 

Here I used a portiere where there was no door to separate the kitchen from the dining area

I use them whenever I can in design jobs!

Cote Sud,photo - Gilles Trillard

The three pictures above where taken from a lovely Taschen book by Lisa Lovatt-Smith.

OK- so now we all know about Portieres. Don't you think they are a delicious

 solution? I Do.

Tell me, where you plan to use portieres?

To see your vision come to life, email us about our design services at Peggy Braswell Design. 

You can purchase many of the items found on this blog, according to BRASWELL and much more at  BRASWELL. 

We will work with the trade.

Sketches by Sonia Rykiel and Zandra Rhodes

From the 1993 International Fashion Desk Diary by Shirley Kennedy comes the fabulous 
Sonia Rykiel & Zandra Rhodes-take a look!

Lunch at one: an easy sunny yellow suit features a tied viscose/crepe long jacket covering a flirty short skirt.

Time to Shop: all in lipstick pink wool jersey, the flowing, swingy coat worn with a matching short skirt and spotted sweater. 

 

Ethereal : 

flowing silk jackets and trousers. One with a sea shell border paired with Oriental-style wrap trousers. The other jacket is made from "matchstick square," a scarf inspired by Mexican sombrero embroidery.

Pure romance: a typical Zandra Rhodes extravagant crinoline. The bodice cream and gold filigree lace. The neckline is edged with silk roses and bows. The skirt is designed with "lace carnation print". Fabrics are exclusively designed by the divine Zandra Rhodes. 

Soft and subtle: a shimmering sheer chiffon shift in ombre tones ranging from bronze/ginger to moss green to grey to deep brown is worn over a bronze floral lace slip. The tunic front panel is printed with a freely drawn bronze metallic necklace. 

These are all from the desk Diary..what are your favorites? let me hear from you...

To see your vision come to life, email us about our design services at Peggy Braswell Design. 

You can purchase many of the items found on this blog, according to BRASWELL and much more at  BRASWELL. 

We will work with the trade.