Tank No. 1
I started making the Beauty & Use Collection a year ago (see Collections I, II and III) because I wanted to share with other women some of the pieces that I had been dreaming up for myself. I wanted to create garments that I loved and therefore ones that others might enjoy as well. I didn’t want to change the world or make a big ripple … just wanted to do my thing and hope that people might respond.
Tank No. 2
In this, my fourth Collection (where does the time go?), I still stand proudly by that same simple intention. It still feels right to me.
Tank No. 3
For Beauty & Use IV (coming to the shop on 2/22/13), I have chosen very special silks for Tanks No. 1 and No. 2; these are silks I could only get 10 yards of! They are amazing, just amazing. I coupled those with a more basic, and yet just as charming, cotton/hemp for Tank No. 3.
This is the kind of tank you might wear to bed, get up and throw a cardigan over, and find that you have been wearing it all day long. My tanks are meant to be “intimate” pieces but in a new sort of way. They are tanks you might wear exclusively in front of your sweetheart, or just when you want to feel a bit more sexy, or they can just as easily fit under a blazer or a hoodie or be worn alone tucked into your favorite shorts. But, mostly they are created to be comfortable and to fit naturally into your own personal style.
Smock No. 9
Smock No. 8
And then there are two new Smocks. My seamstress and I worked the pattern a bit more on these and we are very pleased with where things came out. I think these are my two favorite fabrics yet—a black/navy/tan woven from Nepal that wears in like a good pair of jeans, and a faded red plaid hemp/cotton that is so cheerful and washes to a softness akin to sheets.
Handkerchief No. 1
Last, there is a lush silk handkerchief in this Collection which I have a huge crush on. The color is intense when the fabric is layered and then when it is spread out it is light as air. This is my springtime “must have” and I plan to wear mine around my neck daily come mid-March.
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The best part of every Collection is when I get to share it with you. I have appreciated your support of my past Collections more than I can say here and am grateful for the emails you have sent and the dedication of our wonderful by3191 customers. I hope you find something you love in this new offering but more than that, I thank you for supporting 3191 over the years so Stephanie and I can go on this adventure together. We’ll see you in the shop next Friday, 2/22/13, and you can join our mailing list to get a note when the shop is stocked.