Live Out Loud Colors for Fall 2012

Fall looks incredible - we made up styles from the line in special order colors and they are out of this world!

What a difference color makes!

And not just color- since I showed none of these styles in straight out black, but simply a change of color.

This is why I love doing custom made and special order  - there is no way we could sample the range of colors I offer.

Working in leather is way different than working in fabric.  First off we work in square feet- not in linear yards- the average linear yard is 11.25 sq feet (45" wide).  Cutting in leather... to utilize the grain and avoid the flaws, the industry considers a 30% loss normal so that's about 15 square feet of leather to one yard of 45" wide cloth.  Put simply,  leather easily costs 15X more than fabric since the per foot cost equals and usually exceeds the per yard cost of a decent fabric.

Right there that limits my samples!

In some cases you can get a higher loss - leather is a natural fiber so you can get a lot that is full of flaws & very hard to cut - table cutting is like a puzzle and a poor quality lot makes it a nasty one.  Not only do you loose yield , but it also takes a great deal longer to cut the same garment.

'cuse me, but ... leather is an entirely different animal! 

When I offer colors in leather- they work- feel secure & we'll get the world (well mostly NYC :) past black!!!

Live Out Loud Colors for Fall 2012

Eventful

We have been happily buried in work.  Which,  by the by,  is why I haven't been here much lately!

Yesterday,  we did an event with SkinMedica for a very select group of beauty editors to announce the launch of a brand new SkinMedica product, which will be released sometime in April.

Pre-Event

I can't tell you the name of the product or what it does,  except that it does tie in with what I do,  which is... perfect skin!  The color  theme of the event was pink as you can tell by the very pretty room it was held in.  (I will say the tested results of the product were very, very impressive. )

The mood was very intimate and relaxed. Very refreshing and non- rushed and it gave the editors a much deserved moment of chill,  very different from what most might associate with a "launch".

So yesterday was spent,  (very enjoyably out of the studio for a change!)  fitting editors for their own perfect custom leather piece!

My little rack of sample & fitting garments

Sleek leather pencil skirts, with a open vent and bright gold (but not exposed- just a hint) zips, were the big hit, followed by a sexy low back peplum top, again with a gold zip - this time exposed.  Black (of course) followed by mahogany, cognac and grape.

We hope to have photos of these new styles up soon- on the Blog, so check back soon! & Thank yous to Josie and Chrissy!

Eventful

Stretch Leather Mens Jeans

Another recent project, this time men's custom made jeans in stretch leather:

The stretch leather is popular with guys, its great if you are active and also if you need to sit for long periods since the waistband allows for stretch as well.  The leather is from the same tannery that creates the leathers Jitrois uses. Beautiful, supple and comfortably backed with cotton stretch fabric. The leather is available in a constantly changing array of colors weights and finishes, Black of course is a pure classic....

Stretch Leather Mens Jeans

Traveling Leather

This is a recent project for a client who travels a lot.  It needed to be light enough to be worn in many climates, and packable without adding too much weight.  The client brought to me a jacket he'd  purchased several years ago, from a well know European designer.  It was incredibly light weight and also very worn out.  In fact, it was actually pleather! (for lack of a better term)

He'd believed it to be leather at the time he purchased it and it did have an amazing hand to it.  It could have easily pass as leather when it was new, except for the weight.  Really, it was so good  only someone who really versed  in leather would be able to tell.  Plus the workmanship in it was very high, quite odd to put that work into a synthetic...

But, what had happened over 4 years of wear was inevitable with a petrol product.  The jacket's finish had virtually disintegrated everywhere there was friction, contact with the skin or the even the slightest perspiration!  The edges, the cuffs, full across the back, the collar, and the underarm area- to the elbow!

He wanted the jacket re-created as closely as possible, in real leather.  keeping it as light as possible and seamless along the length like the original. (This is often impossible since the very light skins tend to be very small and just don't allow for the length required in a men's jacket.)  It worked out perfectly that the one skin that usually runs larger suited this project to a T).  There were also fit adjustments needed, to have a really well fitting jacket.

This is the finished jacket:

The new jacket - just a little heavier than the original,  has minimal inner construction, to keep the weight down.  And,  it can comfortably go from Lima to London without adding too much extra to the carry on.

Traveling Leather

Happy Summer

I hope your 4th of July was wonderful, relaxing and and thought provoking.... to me it is the big kick off to summer.  The weather is nicer, the BBQ tastes better,  and you get a bit more time to spend with friends and loved ones this time of year....thought provoking because of all the things it means on so many levels, which can get lost in all the hoopla.   So, I am going to post a bit thematically here, since I recently got to work on several fun projects in that most wonderful color scheme...

“Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom.” Albert Einstein

“As Mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality.” 

George Washington

“I have always been among those who believed that the greatest freedom of speech was the greatest safety, because if a man is a fool, the best thing to do is to encourage him to advertise the fact by speaking” Woodrow Wilson

“So, Two cheers for Democracy: one because it admits variety and two because it permits criticism” EM Forster

Happy Summer

Blood on the Snow

It is falling solidly right now - from where I am sitting you can hardly see across the way.  It may go on like this for days.   Looking at the photos of this jacket I recently finished  got me thinking of the Grimm's Brothers version of Snow White and the blood drop in the snow...

This color is probably my favorite color, especially in leather, a true, true oxblood. The combo of red and black against white has always struck me.  Perhaps it goes back to when I was about 3 or 4 and cut my foot and bled all over the black and white checkerboard floor.  It stopped me in my tracks, I have such a vivid memory of the colors and the contrast.

This is my fantasy Motorcycle Jacket.  It was inspired by and created for a great client and very cool guy. Buzz Bissinger. I hope he gets to wear it in the snow.

Blood on the Snow

Rolex Jacket Icon- Mystery Solved?

I was so happily surprised to open up a copy of Elle magazine and find
a new picture of my leather Aviatrix jacket that was commissioned by Rolex for a campaign themed around the Rolex watches worn by historical icons.

Jacket By Carla Dawn Behrle/ BehrleNYC, for Rolex

Then, moments later I got an email from the stylist in Rome telling me it is also featured on the back cover of V magazine!  Double surprise.  I am very glad this campaign has been so successful,  especially since both the stylist and I thought this particular shoot was not going to see the light of day.

The model is incredible, (I personally love this variation…) the photo is incredible and of course the Icon is a pure American Legend.  I think the photo brilliantly captures so much of the spirit of the legend. The adventure, the strength, the dreams and the goals.

The timing is wild too since the mystery of Amelia Earhart’s disappearance seems closer to being solved than ever…

For information on purchasing a  Made-to-Order or Custom Made variation of this jacket Please contact me directly via this link.

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Rolex Jacket Icon- Mystery Solved?