My spring capsule collection with Nour & the Merchant is officially available for sale, so I thought I'd take a moment to talk about the collection and inspiration behind each piece. It's always exciting and daunting to put the work you've been laboring over for months in silence out there in the world, but I'm very proud of the clothes we've created together. Each piece is romantic and feminine with vintage inspiration but perhaps most importantly it's all made at Nour and the Merchant's atelier in Italy. Everyone in the atelier is paid a living wage and we tried to find deadstock or more sustainable materials where we could. We always aim to be as sustainable and ethical as possible, so another facet of that is clothes are made to order to reduce fabric waste--with the added benefit that customization is easy and affordable, whether it's shortening a skirt or getting something made in your measurements. I could talk more about her atelier because I think it’s really incredible what she and other small brands do, but let’s talk about the pieces a wee bit! Instead of creating a cohesive collection my goal was to create a few special pieces. And you might notice right away that the names are inspired by different figures in history and fiction.

All good things come to an end, and so it with heavy heart that I have to share that my collection with Nour & the Merchant is being retired. This means all of the pieces we designed together from my summer collection (like the chemise dress featured here) and the Harvest dress and Leannan Sidhe dress won't be available to purchase for much longer. The end of October is the cut off date for all sales and I don't believe we will be bringing back these pieces in the future, so this is your last chance to purchase anything I've designed with Nour & the Merchant. It's been a dream come true to design a wee clothing collection with Cristina and her atelier's help and I think we created some beautiful and hopefully timeless pieces together. The collection may be coming to an end but I know I will be wearing many pieces from this collaboration for many years to come!
One of my favorite pieces has to be the Mystical Beasts Chemise that I'm remixing in today's post. It's based on the classic chemise design that is simple and versatile; it's loose fitting with an elasticized neckline and sleeves. A deceptively simple piece meant to be styled by the individual wearer. Most chemises come in classic white or occasionally pastel shades, but I had the idea of a printed chemise. All the versatility you expect from a chemise, but made more unique by a custom print we designed inspired by heraldry and mythological animals. The print features dragons, gryphons, and kelpies interwoven with thorny roses and is digitally printed on organic cotton. If you prefer a more classic chemise this dress can also be purchased in plain white cotton. As with all of Nour and the Merchant's clothes, these dresses are made slow fashion in their atelier in Italy with sustainability in mind from start to finish.  I really love how the chemise looks styled under the Apothecary Apron--another piece from my summer collection that is retiring in October. Whenever I think about sustainable fashion, I also think about versatility. How will this dress item fit into my wardrobe? How many ways can I wear it? My goal with pieces like the chemise and Apothecary apron is that they can be worn countless ways; the chemise can be styled as a blouse or a skirt, fitted or loose, on the shoulder or off, layered beneath things or styled simply with a belt--the options are endless. The Apothecary apron is slightly less versatile but still very remixable; unlike traditional aprons that inspired it, this apron can be worn with nothing underneath or layered endlessly with various blouses, knits, and more. Designing these pieces has been so much fun and I still love how these collections came out. It's sad to say goodbye to these dresses, but though they won't be for sale for much longer I'm sure you'll still be seeing them on my person and my blog! Shop my limited collection while you still can.

Inspiration for my latest capsule collection with Nour & the Merchant began with the phrase “pretty but deadly.” I was reading a lot of folktales and stories about the fae which embody that dichotomy well; the fae are often described as beautiful and alluring, but also incredibly dangerous. Humans were always tempted into dire straits by magical beings—sirens luring men beneath the waves, fairy songs making mortals dance until death, etc. I wanted to design a collection of clothing that celebrated some of the beautiful elements in the natural and magical world that appeal to our eye but also pose a threat to our lives. Something beautiful with a nod to the deadly and dangerous, clothes for women who like feminine, “soft” silhouettes but hide daggers up their sleeves. We started with the “Poison Garden” dress featuring our custom print of deadly flowers. Foxgloves, lily of the valley, deadly nightshade, and oleander blossoms weave a pattern around a sly wolf, a spade, and scissors. The story of the print is those beautiful, poisonous flowers, but also the gardener how grows and harvests them. A clever, dangerous woman perhaps and who knows what purpose she finds for these poisons. The dress silhouette is romantic and breezy with elastic ruching in the front and back for a flexible fit for a variety of body sizes and silhouettes. I love how the overall design reads as something pretty and romantic, puff sleeves and a flowing skirt, but only those who look a bit closer will see the danger in the design—its beauty as deceptive as the delicate bells on lily of the valley. Thinking of the woman who grew her own poison garden helped inspire the next dress in the collection: the “Apothecary’s Apron.” This flattering dress in tan linen is reminiscent of a workman’s apron donned in a dusty apothecary where dried herbs hang overhead and a cluttered workbench is filled with mortar and pestle and dozens of tiny bottles with yellowed handwritten labels. We didn’t want to limit this dress to a more literal apron style that needed a dress or blouse underneath to be worn, so it’s cut so perfectly to be worn alone with no other clothes, but it can also be styled with a blouse or dress underneath. A really versatile little dress in a light brown shade perfect for summer, but also wearable into autumn and winter. I also love the contrast between the more durable linen and the satin-sheen of the ribbon detail too, another play in contrasts and dichotomy of elements. The last piece is a real dream design for me—a printed chemise. The “Mystical Beasts” chemise is cut in a classic billowy chemise silhouette, but in a custom print of magical animals. I love a classic loose blouse or chemise and feature them in so many of my outfits, but I always wanted a printed version to make outfits a wee bit more interesting. I’ve never been able to find any in stores, so being able to design this one with Nour & the Merchant was such a pleasure. It has all the wearability of a classic chemise dress that looks good alone, or belted, or with a corset, or layered under a skirt, or styled with a pinafore, but a bit more spice because of the unique print. The custom print goes back to the “pretty but deadly” inspiration while taking the more magical angle then the other pieces, with thorny roses weaving between a dragon, gryphon, and kelpie. All awe-inspiring magical creatures one would love to see, but incredibly dangerous creatures best avoided. The pattern also manages to weave together all four elements with the roses representing earth, the kelpie a creature of the sea (water), the gryphon symbolizing air, and the dragon, fire. Each figure also has a different heraldic meaning, but I also wanted the print to be fairly neutral in tone to work with a wide variety of garments and span the seasons. I think despite the print it’s such a versatile little dress that you can wear in so many ways. It’s been so wonderful designing pieces with Nour & the Merchant and I love what we’ve come up with this season. Hopefully it will do well as we always put our heart into these pieces—sometimes I think I’m going to drive Cristina mad with the nitpicking over the print designs and colors or the exact sleeve length! We’ve also created an exclusive discount for the first 50 customers to purchase something from this collection. Use code “poison” to save 10% and you’ll also get a free headscarf in one of our custom prints.

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.” JRR Tolkien

It's been months in the making but my autumn capsule collection with Nour and the Merchant is finally here and available to be purchased! This collection is called the Dark Cottagecore collection and is inspired by folktales, heraldry, peasant princesses, and autumn itself. Everything is being made as sustainably as possible in Nour and the Merchant's slow fashion atelier in Italy. A lot of thought and detail went into every design balancing our love for fairytales with wearable, flattering clothes that can be worn in every day life. For me, there's no point in a "dream" wardrobe you can't wear every day or pieces that don't feel comfortable. So these designs are very much my peasant princess dream pieces, but also flattering and easy to wear. Harvest dress & Bramble apron: One of the first pieces we started designing was the Harvest dress. The big sleeves and apron are a nod to peasant princesses and traditional folk costumes, but done in a very clean lines for a more modern feel. The embroidery on this dress is pretty special as it's all inspired by heraldic symbols; I liked the idea of mixing a traditionally feminine garment like an apron with swords and arrows and twisting brambles, like a way to wear your shield on your dress. Each of the figures on the apron has a different meaning and you can choose one of the symbols to be embroidered on the bodice as well. I have a golden wheat sheaf (or garb) here which symbolizes prosperity but also the generosity of the wearer; they are someone who has the promise of a full harvest and shows willingness to share it--plus I love little wheat sheafs as symbols of autumn myself! Other details you won't see immediately in the pictures--buttons down the cuffs of the sleeves, pockets, and the skirt is lined for added pouf and warmth! Since it is an autumn collection I really wanted some lining which adds to the warmth and means the skirt is less likely to get caught on your boots/tights--plus pockets are always a good idea! This is the orange shade of the dress (a deep lovely orange that isn't too bright) but it also comes in beige, black, navy, and dark brown. There's also a few other limited edition colors you can choose for the dress and the Bramble apron comes in black or beige. You can shop the dress here, or the apron here.  Mists chemise: One of my dream pieces to design is this deceptively simple chemise dress. We really thought about every detail and the fit and fabric to create this special piece that can work as a blouse (see below) or alone as a dress and will look flattering no matter how it is styled. The fabric is slightly sheer and not lined (you can sort of see my tattoo showing through in the first picture) by intention, I wanted it very "misty" and soft, the slight sheerness gives it the loveliest airy quality and clean silhouette means it layers nicely without being too bulky but also looks nice when worn plain. The sleeves can also be styled down long or pushed up more (as you'll see in some of my images below). You can style it with a corset as shown here, or under a skirt or pinafore or really a dozen other ways. It's one of the most versatile pieces in the collection. The Mists chemise can be made in this cream linen or black. Shop the chemise here. Dusk waistcoat: While I didn't actually set out with hobbits in mind when I started this collection, this waistcoat came out so hobbit-y! My inspiration was more vintage dirndls and classic waistcoats but with a feminine twist. Rather than a v-neck as you see most traditional waistcoats I wanted a square neckline that paired with more feminine dresses and blouses, the slight v at the front and ruffle trim also gives it a nice feminine silhouette. I'm really looking forward to styling this waistcoat more ways this autumn--layered on top of dresses, belted at the waist, etc. The Dusk waistcoat is shown here in brown and also comes in prune (purple) and teal. Shop the waistcoat here.  Conker skirt: A perfect cozy autumn suspender skirt. This style has a lot of hidden details, such as a lined skirt, pockets (!), and you can remove the straps to wear it more simply. There's also a number of embroidery options you can choose from or you can get the skirt plain; there's a full wheel of fabric in the skirt so it's so full and swishy and fun even if it's just in a simple linen. This embroidery is wheat and crow; the wheat as I said before is used to symbolize prosperity and generosity while the crow traditionally symbolizes someone who is clever and observant/watchful. The combination implies this might be a person who is generous with their friends, but also cautious to let someone into their inner circle. With all the symbols as well we were thinking of aesthetics, so I also just like the way these two look together and how folk inspired it looks. There were so many birds in the traditional embroidery pieces we were looking at for inspiration so I knew I wanted to include at least one bird in my collection as well. The conker skirt comes in olive green (pictured here), beige, dark brown, navy, black, maroon, and orange linen. Shop the conker skirt here.

Summer is slowly drawing to a close as the fields grow golden and the orchards fill with fruit. With the waning season my spring/summer capsule collection with Nour & the Merchant is also coming to an end--this collection (including the dress I'm wearing today) will be retired at the end of August. Which means if you want anything from the spring/summer collection you need to place your order before September. It is bittersweet saying goodbye to this collection; it was a dream to design and it has felt truly magical to be able to wear these pieces through the summer. I now have so many lovely memories in pieces I designed and I know these will be staples for me for many years to come. But while this collection is disappearing, we do have another capsule collection planned for autumn, so I'm also excited to share the new designs we've been working on--more cottagecore, whimsical clothes made ethically in Italy and designed for every day wear. If you loved this collection I think you'll also enjoy the new designs we have in the works. The Thimbleweed dress is one of my favorite designs from the spring collection because it is such a versatile piece; it's the dress I see myself wearing the most day to day to go about my life. I wanted this dress to feel special enough to be worn simply without adornment, hence the ruffle sleeves, scoop neck, and voluminous skirt, but also simple enough to be styled with a variety of accessories like the corset I'm wearing today. It layers beautifully with corsets and waistcoats, belts, aprons and other accessories. Additionally there are many customization options with this style; you can choose from a variety of linen colors and embroidery, or get it without embroidery--plus in addition to the standard sizes on Nour & the Merchant you have it made in a custom size to your measurements. Heading into autumn I'm drawn to the olive linen and navy versions, but Cristina convinced me to try this sandy shade--a color I would never normally pick for myself--and surprisingly I love it! It's such a wonderful, warm neutral that can be styled so many ways and I've already worn it countless times over the last few weeks.   If you love anything from my spring capsule collection with Nour and the Merchant, do purchase it this month as the listings will be gone entirely in September and their atelier won't be able to support custom or one-off purchases. It's the beauty of working with a small, slow fashion atelier; every dress is made ethically by their team in Italy when you place your order. As it is a small team and each dress requires a certain amount of fabric, type of fabric, etc, they can only offer a small selection of styles at a time. So, as Cristina shares a handful of new styles for autumn and winter, the spring and summer ones will be retired. Thank you for all your support with this collection and I hope if you love a piece you've had a chance to snag one! Oh and don't forget that you can order a dress and pay in installments with no interest or extra charges if you write Cristina directly!