My Limited Capsule Collection Available Now!

One of the first pieces I started to design with Cristina was the Thimbleweed Dress. This dress is inspired by my love of romantic linen dresses, as I do wear those so much! But so many of the linen dresses I find in shops are either very shapeless in design (sort of sack shaped with a tie to give it structure) or if they are fitted are button-up styles with collars--I wanted something to wear in spring and summer that was still fitted, but without buttons and collars as those can feel very stuffy or even occasionally juvenile. I mean I still love those dresses, but I wanted something more as well--something exactly like the Thimbleweed Dress: fitted bodice with a back zip, full skirt, scoop neck. The sleeves were also fun to design as I knew I wanted a full sleeve and then came up with the idea of this long ruffle over them, inspired by the way sepals curve and frame around the bud of a flower. The white version is my favorite (and inspiration behind the name; it's named after one of the first flowers of spring) but it comes in twelve different shades of linen, so if you prefer blue, pink, or even black you can have it made in that color. The embroidery is also customizable; you can choose it without embroidery or from a variety animal and floral designs. For this style I chose the bunny design which seemed so sweet and perfect for spring. The linen is sort of a medium weight linen, which gives the dress some weight and structure and is thick enough you don't need to wear a slip underneath, but still very light for spring and summer temperatures. 

As much as I love long linen dresses, I knew I wanted something a bit shorter and breezier in my collection as well--and I really wanted to create something with a Juliette sleeve! It's one of my favorite style of sleeves but one you rarely see in shops and it seemed like the perfect sleeve for a mini. Thus the Hawthorn dress was born! It's a fluffy mini dress made in organic silk chiffon with loads of volume and dramatic sleeves you can style up or down and the print is a custom design as well. This style is one of the easiest ones to wear and is a bit more flexible with sizing as the entire back is elastic ruching so very stretchy and the sleeves are billowy too. Very flattering, very comfortable. The print depicts the hawthorn flowers, which come from the May tree or fairy trees. There are so many legends about these trees, many believed the trees marked entrances into the Fairy Realm and that on May you might see the Fairy Queen with her procession entering or exiting from a tree. It's bad luck to cut them down, so these pink and white blossoms fill the hedgerows every spring. I really loved working on the design for this fabric and we had it digitally printed (which is a way of printing that is more environmentally friendly than more standard fabric dyeing processes) in two colorways: blue and a light coral.

The Hollyhock Skirt has a fitted waistband with backzip that mimics a corset and the bow straps are adjustable--you can choose how to tie them and at what height. I'm wearing the skirt in coral and lime linen, but you can choose from over twelve different linen colors and several different embroidery patterns as well. This embroidery is called the "Elf Blade" inspired by a fairytale of the same name I wrote (you can read it here). Working on these pieces with Cristina has been an absolute dream and it's so fun to see them come to life. It makes it all the more wonderful to know that everything is being ethically made in Nour and the Merchant's atelier in Italy and that we focused on sustainable materials (linen and silk chiffon). The whole collection is also slow fashion, meaning every piece is made when you order which will also reduce waste as there won't be superfluous stock or excess fabric ordered. The process starts as soon as you place an order and your new piece is ready and on its way to you in 4-6 weeks. Nour and the Merchant also offers partial payment plans if you want to pay in a few installments with no extra fees. Shop the full collection here and get them while you can as this capsule collection is only available for a limited period of time.