Cottages come in different forms: a room set apart from the rest of your home, a cabin in the mountains or by the seaside, or a moment in time where you can shut out the world and surround yourself with comforts.
This is the new Cottage Design Collection — Cottage Camisole, Cottage Trousers, and Cottage Frock. They have a put-together quality about them, yet their abundant ease fills you with the comfort that makes the idea of a cottage so very profound.
We invite you to come to our Cottage and make it your very own. Find your getaway Cottage in Ivey Abitz, and order your favourites straight away!
by Frances from California Frances in Afghanistan wearing her Clotaire Shirt Jacket by Ivey Abitz.
I first discovered Ivey Abitz clothing on my last night of vacation in Paris. I’d spent nearly two weeks there absorbing art, quality design, and craftsmanship. The next day I would board a flight back to Afghanistan, where I had spent the previous 14 months. I worked and lived in southern Afghanistan, in Helmand province, the most violent in the country.
I don’t remember how I found the website, but sitting there in Paris on my last night of leave, I discovered this beautiful clothing that met all my criteria: quality craftsmanship, thoughtful design, and custom made. I am myself a weaver and sewer, and while not nearly as talented as Ivey Abitz, I know enough to identify quality when I find it. It was a fit.
Knowing that I would not have reliable internet for long, I placed an order.
Upon returning to Helmand, Cynthia Ivey Abitz and I struck up an occasional conversation about our mutual admiration for craft and quality. I was back for six more months of living and working in a war zone.
I cannot overstate how much it meant to have a distraction from the violence around me. I served with the British Army, and while our area of Afghanistan was small, we had a disproportionately high amount of casualties compared with the rest of the country. Our task was daunting.
Our conditions were austere to say the least! I lived in a tent with seven other people; we endured a summer and winter with no climate control. However, the most pressing concern there was the fact that we lived in a war zone. Internet access was rare, but when available I went right to the Ivey Abitz site and just looked at beautiful things, and imagined what my world would be like when I was home. There was no better therapy than distraction for me.
Toward the end of my deployment the Afghan phone carrier I had offered very slow 3G. One day our base took indirect fire, where people lob ordnance into where we live. We put on our heavy body armor and headed for the shelters. I sat in a concrete bunker wearing a flack jacket and helmet and waited for pages to slowly load on my phone. Coincidently, that day was the very day IA’s spring 2013 line premiered, and I wasn’t going to miss out on making a mental list of new items to contemplate.
Needless to say, I made my list, placed an order, and by the time I returned home I had boxes of beautiful clothing waiting for me. I love every item I have, and am grateful to Cynthia for providing me with plenty of good things to think about while I was in Afghanistan.
Frances in the Blanchefleur Duster Coat and Palliser Jacket over the Everett Frock on her return home to California.
Faded Rose Washed Plaid Gauze Faded Rose Washed Plaid Gauze – Our double layered Italian cotton gauze is the most intricate and complicated gauze we have EVER met. It is incredible.
Truly incredible.
The play between the bolder and more faded design in the plaid plays tricks on your eyes, drawing you in even closer to it.
It is so breezy, but there is great coverage, considering it is a cotton gauze.
A hue note: the Faded Rose hue is really in the plaid. It is subtle in comparison to the black, but it is there, and it is what makes this gauze for us.
This fabric is a great traveler because it looks better crushed. Spritz with water, twist, and it is refreshed and lovely.
Simply hand wash cold and line dry.
This fabric is featured in Ivey Abitz Summer 2014 looks 6, 42, and 48.
Look 48 features the Cilla Slip Frock Flood Length in in Faded Rose Washed Plaid Gauze.
Note how the plaid is used on the bias in certain layers of garments to add contrast and cause that extremely pleasurable sensation of feeling beautiful.
These garments were ordered to be worn just as you see them here. The Cozette Skirt was also chosen to be worn with other garments like the Hambledon Duster Coat, Truitt Jacket, Holkham Hall Vest, and Amorette Shirt Jacket to name a few. This is a great example of a “starter set” in Ivey Abitz where you can easily expand your wardrobe with just one ensemble. Mixing and matching possibilities are plentiful.
This just shipped out… This just shipped to an Ivey Abitz client.
The Addy in plaid, as well as our other frocks, have been the go-to frock of the season. Here’s another ensemble that was just made for a client, combining our Foggy Cotton Velvet Corduroy with our Foggy/Black Soft Plaid Cotton. A Baedeker Scarf in our Signature Black Ribbed Weave is as comfortable and versatile as it is lovely draped around the neck. The bias cut pleating in our Mathilda designs feature the variegated cording in the cotton velvet, making a striking addition to the ensemble.
Actual ensemble that shipped to an Ivey Abitz client.
This is the kind of ensemble that you have to force yourself not to wear everyday. Our indispensable Elliot Jacket makes a perfect pairing over the Addy Frock. The Addy is particularly stunning in plaid with its bias cut insets, pockets, and waistband. It’s relevant for casual everyday wear, for going out, and for special occasions. Best of all, it’s comfortable AND elegant — a signature Ivey Abitz combination.
Look 15 is casual and playful.Notes from designer, Cynthia Ivey Abitz
Look 15 is one of the more casual and playful ensembles in the new collection.
The warm, rich colour in the Amorette Shirt Jacket draped over a slightly cooler plaid in the Fennefleur Frock is an unexpected juxtaposition without looking over-the-top.
A sash or necktie in our green linen is a nice touch loosely tied around the neck.
It’s also a featured look in our Walk on a Rainy Day gallery, a favourite with our patrons.
We’re almost sold out of the Russet Old World Wool Knit, so if you’d like this ensemble in your lifetime wardrobe, it’s a good time to have it made, just for you.
This recent ensemble order from a client shows a variation on a theme from our ensembles in our Look Book. The Truitt Jacket in our new plaid scrim truly shows its versatility for the wearer. The Truitt and Fennefleur together can go in so many different directions, just by buttoning or unbuttoning the jacket and changing the accessories.
Here are just a few ideas of why these work so well together and how they can be worn in different ways:
— a unique look for work attire by wearing understated, yet elegant, shoes and jewelry
— a casual look for everyday wear by wearing the jacket unbuttoned and wearing ensemble with vintage sneakers or ballet-like slip-on shoes
— an evening out by wearing heels, a silk Clotaire Sash around the neck, and an antique brooch on the collar
Versatility is the hallmark of Ivey Abitz designs, and of the Truitt and Fennefleur together.
How would you wear these two designs together? We’ll create them for you, and you can find out for yourself! Best of all, right now the Truitt and Fennefleur have very special pricing when made in our plaid and signature fabrics. A savings of up to 45% off while the fabric choices are still available.
