Best Day Ever: HALF OFF Today at Mountains of the Moon!

Sustainable Fabrics For Sale, Oh My!

Attention designers, seamstresses, and all-around crafty folk!  For a limited time, Mountains of the Moon is offering up some very delicious fabrics for sale!  These gorgeous organic cottons, hemp blends, and vintage beauties are the same fabrics they used in their own collections.

More details available right here.

TGIF LOVE!

Mountains of the Moon sure does love Friday.  And even more so, Mountains of the Moon loves YOU!  To celebrate this grand affection, take $20 OFF your order of $40 or more with coupon TGIF at www.mountainsofthemoon.com. 
Like our beloved Friday, this special will be gone in flash:  it's good TODAY ONLY.

Fashion Illustration as Art

(This entry was originally posted in the spring, but with my recent focus on returning to my roots as a visual artist, I thought I'd revisit the subject of fashion illustration, a life-long crush of mine).

Recently my mother brought over a box of drawings I'd done as a child.  Most of them were mixed media (as in magic marker on lined manilla paper with some crayon experimentation thrown in), and I even discovered a few Fashion Plate etchings.  (Remember those, fellow children of the '80's?  My cousin Lisa had a set and I practically dove for them every time I went to her house).  Almost all of them were stick figure-esque images of women wearing extravagant gowns embellished in lace, ruffles, bows and flowers.  Perhaps these sketches were early indications of my deep rooted love for fashion (or maybe just silent cries for help feverishly sketched by a child-of-hippie-parents dressed in denim overalls with grass stains on the knees).  Regardless of my motivation to create them,  it was fascinating to look though them and realize that even as a 5 year-old, my brain had some sort of propensity for communicating fashion through drawing.

One of my favorite steps in the fashion design process (if not the favorite) is the sketching.  (I have a strong affinity for inspiration boards as well, but we'll save that for another post).

There is just something about translating an inspiration for a design onto paper that allows for pure artistic freedom without the "rules."  Yes, there needs to be an understanding of the human form and an ability to convey how fabric naturally drapes on the body, but for the most part, the mathematical aspects of garment construction (admittedly my least favorite part of the design process) can be tuned out for a while, and replaced with a permission for the imagination to overpower practicality.  In essence, the more abstract qualities of a collection - mood, aura, spirit - can be captured through illustration in a way that can't always be conveyed through a ready-to-wear garment. (Above: My illustration for my recycled candy wrapper dress on display at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, October 2008).

Originally, fashion illustration was not only an essential part of fashion communication, but truly the primary means of presenting designs to a mass audience.  Photography, retouched or otherwise, allowed for a more realistic visual of a designer's work.  As a result, fashion illustration, along with its poetic personal interpretation of the garment, fell to the wayside.

Charles Dana Gibson, 1901.

Fashion illustration certainly isn't dead, although it exists today on a very different plane that in the past, with a much more minor (though not insignificant) role in the visual presentation of fashion.  I really believe that as an art form, even separate from its original place as a practical means of fashion communication, it's under appreciated.  There exists something incredibly profound and beautiful in these works that enables the viewer to see beyond a piece of clothing, sometimes to an entirely different realm of perception.  Take a few minutes to look through FIG's website, or google "fashion illustration" and you'll see what I mean.

Peter Woodruff's illustration of designs by Lavin (left) and Chanel (right). Vogue, July 20, 1929.

Andy Warhol, 1959.

 

Michael Roberts' illustration of Azzedine Alaia 'Sphinx Dress,' 1990.

 Joe Eula's illustration of designs from an early 90s Givenchy collection.

Breezy Autumn By the Bay

 

 Me:  vintage patterned dress, thrift store boots, organic cotton knit cap

Boyfriend:  band stage manager garb (I gave up long ago in my attempts to style him while he's working on the road)

xo,
melissa

The Audrey: Autumn's Favorite Dress

Five reasons that the Audrey Dress = everything Autumn:

1. Smart Trend:  Unlike the very un-sustainable trends that sometimes show up on the runways, the Audrey Dress embraces one of the season's smartest trends - understated glamor.  Fall 2010 runways were brimming with the return of quality and classic style, traits upon which the Audrey was based.

2. Chameleon Qualities: The Audrey's simple elegance is complimented by any accessory, making it ideal for the in-between temperatures of fall.  Wear it alone now.  Thrown on a chic scarf and your favorite boots as the weather cools off.  Available in neutral colors (natural or black), it goes well with just about anything.  It's also incredibly flattering (bye bye traditional wraps; this baby is a mock-wrap pull-over style that will never cause you to look like you stepped out in your bathrobe!).

3. Temperature Control: It's made from a luxurious organic cotton and hemp blend jersey fabric that breathes with your skin.  If you get chilly, it warms you up.  If you get hot, it cools you off.  Simply magical.

4. Transition Magic:  It's the perfect transition piece from summer to fall, from fall to winter, and from winter to spring.  We call it "The Dress for All Seasons.'

5. Price!  For under $100, you'll have a gorgeous wardrobe piece that will be part of your closet for many, many moons.

Get your very own autumn dream dress right here. 

Stunning Fall Styles + A Gift For You

(*Read our full September 2010 Newsletter right here).

 

See You Later Summer.  Fall Has Arrived!
Hello friends!  While saying farewell to summertime is bittersweet, here at Mountains of the Moon, we all agree that autumn brings us all kinds of goodness: a crispness to the air, local apple picking adventures, Halloween, and best of all, fall fashion!  What better way to welcome the season than with a beautiful new dress, an elegant pair of pants, or a fancy new top?  In addition to looking absolutely smashing, you'll feel lovely on the inside too, knowing you're wearing a garment that was made locally from all eco-friendly materials.  

Hoping to add something new to your wardrobe for fall but looking for a bargain?  Our Clearance Section is chock full of the sweetest sustainable styles, for up to 80% off their regular prices.

A Gift Certificate For You, From Us With Love
Because we adore you, dear Mailing List Subscriber, we're giving you your very own Mountains of the Moon Gift Certificate (valid now through Tuesday only)!

Spend $20 to $39, use this Gift Code for $5 off: AUTUMNGC5
Spend $40 to $79, use this Gift Code for $15 off: AUTUMNGC15
Spend $80 to $139, use this Gift Code for $30 off: AUTUMNGC30
Spend $140 or more, use this Gift Code for $50 off: AUTUMNGC50

To redeem your Gift Certificate, just enter your code in the coupon code box at www.mountainsofthemoon.com 

*Code must be entered at checkout to redeem. Not valid toward purchase of gift certificates, or in conjunction with other gift certificates or store credits.  Expires 9/28/2010.  Limit one per customer.

Rediscovered Treasures

Have you seen the amazing vintage and gently worn garments in our brand new Rediscovered Collection? Handpicked by our team from the best of second hand shops, these one-of-a-kind garments are recycled fashion treasures just waiting to be given new life - by you!  (Pssst!  We just added a new batch of Rediscovered pieces this morning!)

Enjoy all the beauty autumn has to offer.
xo,
The Mountains of the Moon Eco.Fashion Team
www.mountainsofthemoon.com

But We Have An Excuse!

Oh beloved readers, we hope you haven't given up on us!  I realized today that (until now) we hadn't posted a single entry in the month of September.  Admittedly, this is all my fault, as I've been immersed in revisiting my roots as an illustrator and mixed media artist, spending every free moment on a brand new line of goodies.  These one-of-a-kind and print collages, drawings and more - made from eco-friendly and recycled materials - will be available for purchase soon.  In the meantime, here's a little preview of one of my favorites, a mixed media piece (pen, colored pencil, and digital painting) of my favorite critter in all the land, my (nearly 15 year-old!) lab/chow mix, Leary.

xo,
melissa