Month: November 2018

We design our collection to be timeless and versatile so each piece will live on in your wardrobe and be wearable for lots of different occasions, from big events to everyday, depending on how you style them. They are forever pieces that you will cherish and love wearing for years to come.

We are also striving to offer you the perfect fit and style choices in lengths, sleeves and neckline to suit your preference as we know that one design or style does not suit or answer everyone’s requirements. We believe in slow fashion not throw away fashion and want to find ways of helping you, as our customer, to maintain your favourite pieces.

As all great Personal Stylists advise the best way to curate the perfect capsule wardrobe involves investing in key pieces that will last the test of time and that wearing well fitting clothes will make or break an outfit. So knowing a good tailor, can be even better than a good stylist, when all you need to do is make that little tweak to make the garment fit you perfectly – giving a made to measure look for a fraction of the cost.

“Wearing something that is tailored to fit you instantly elevates your style. It can make even an inexpensive item look expensive – when it fits you well”  Monika Mueller Founder Signature Five Personal Styling Service Zurich

“Never be afraid to buy something you love just because it’s not necessarily available in your size. With the help of a great tailor, you can have something made to measure, uniquely to fit you.” Karen Wareham @thestylenurse Fashion Influencer, Stylist and Image Consultant

We are therefore really excited to be collaborating with the Clothes Doctor who offer an award winning online service for tailoring and alterations with a convenient home delivery service and expert advice. As seen in The Guardian, Refinery29, Independent and The Week they are experts in wardrobe maintenance. All our customers will receive a voucher to spend on any tailoring or alteration service to use, either on one of your Ethereal purchases if required, or any other garment in your wardrobe.

Sometimes a nip here and a tuck there is all it takes to make you feel truly fantastic in your most coveted clothes, have a look at their website for more details…

www.clothes-doctor.com

Sometimes its not just a tweak to the fit that can make a garment last, even the slightest change in design can help give an item a refresh or make it more versatile in your wardrobe. We just love the way Venetia Lozovskay,a @champersandpacifiers lifestyle and style influencer, has re imagined our Viola Print Maxi dress from its first wear to a formal event in Paris to a more relaxed holiday style simply by altering the length to be a midi length and styling with sandals. An alteration the Clothes Doctor can easily help with at a fraction of the cost of buying a new outfit.

@champersandpacifiers

“Using a tailor to refresh a favourite piece can give it extra years or update it and bring it inline with current trends, I’ve been known to buy an item of clothing, only to have it changed into something completely different. I currently have a gorgeous floral jumpsuit I’m waiting to turn into a pair of trousers, I’m thinking with a paper bag waist band. It’s where you can really get creative, which is what I love the most! ” Karen Wareham @thestylenurse Fashion Influencer, Stylist and Image Consultant

Silk is a luxurious yet durable fabric that will stand the test of time if it is treated well and looked after, here are our top tips for caring for your item

1. Wash care instructions always advise to dry clean silk which is the easiest and safest option

2. If you are very careful, and the trims on a style allow it, hand washing or a low temperature machine hand wash cycle will be fine. Using gentle detergents and spin cycles will help care for the fabric. Silk releases dirt quickly so the was process can be shorter

3. Silk will fade over time so always test for colour fastness and avoid hanging in direct sunlight or near strong heaters whilst drying

4. Rather than spot treating stains on silk it is better to wash or dry clean the whole garment to avoid any changes to the fabric or colour in the area being treated

5. Steaming is the best way to finish a silk garment ready for wear however if this is not possible ironing on the reverse whilst damp is the best approach

6. To store correctly hang in your wardrobe on textured velvet or non slip hangers. Moths are huge fans of silk and cashmere garments and can cause small holes in these garments if not stored correctly so keep cedar wood in your wardrobe to ward them off or for longer term storage fold carefully once cleaned and store in sealed bags – should you have this problem all is not lost as this is another area the Clothes Doctor can assist with!

7. Finally, avoid any rough or sharp jewellery or accessories that will snag or pull the fabric, if you do get any snags don’t be tempted to cut the loose thread as this could lead to holes. Gently try and thread the snag back through or get the experts at the Clothes Doctors to look at this and they can prevent any further damage

Investing in the dress or that luxury item of clothing is worth it when you know it is going to last you, and if you are armed with the knowledge to correctly care for it you will definitely get your pay per wear over the years! Our moto would definitely be…

“Words to live by, from the queen that is @viviennewestwood. Did you know that in London alone 11 million tonnes of clothes get thrown away every week. If we all made our garments last a little longer, we could make a big difference in decreasing that stat. Rework, repair, rewear #ClothesDoctor” Founder  & CEO Lulu O’Connor

The Little Black Dress has been an icon in its own right since Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s where it became more than an item of clothing

“It was a warm evening, nearly summer, and she wore a slim cool black dress, black sandals, a pearl choker.” Truman Capote Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

This iconic long little black dress was designed by Hubert De Givency and worn with effortless style By Audrey Hepburn

Chanel created her first little black dress in 1926 just a few years after she told Harper’s Bazaar “Simplicuty is the keynote of all true elegance“. The Little Black dress was more than just a design to Chanel, it was part of a larger idea that modesty was the chicest way of proclaiming superiority. Having spent time in a boarding school amongst pupils from much wealthier back grounds than her she witnessed from an early age the great distinction between those that had money and social position and those that didn’t and clothes formed the uniform of both these classes and distinctions. In her era, women who wished to live a privileged life would go on to ‘marry well’ or would work hard to gain their own wealth with the ‘kept’ mistresses of wealthy men dressed in elaborate fashions, again like a uniform or badge of honour.

The little black dress Chanel designed was almost a uniform of her own choosing which the wealthy mistresses would then go on to pay her for the privilege of wearing. Chanel was a woman of her time, independent to men while retaining a desire to be attractive to them, however she was certainly not a slave to fashion to please anyone and if the fashions of the time did not suit her she would just design styles that did. Comfort, and practicality where at the core of her designs and black’s appeal to her was that of practicality

Black has many connotations and can trigger powerful reactions from provocative, the dark arts through to a more pure observation of a nun’s habit and the use of mourning dress. The observance of mourning dress reached its peak during Queen Victoria’s reign where as well as showing respect, wearing all black reflected a family’s wealth and social position and Queen Victoria, as a widow, wore black for 40 years until her death, in homeage to her beloved husband.

The LBD has proven everyone wrong over time and has remained  a fashion staple decade after decade. Yes the silhouette and the fabric of the dress has changed to suit the style of the times however it continually proves that it can be reinvented and remains a favourite, the thing about any little black dress that remains the same is the fact they share the same timeless quality. There have been many style icons who have shown the versatility of the little black dress alongside the impact one can have, the likes of Elizabeth Hurley, Hilary Clinton and Princess Diana have had their fashion moments in a LBD and I bet you can all remember them!

People wear black for many reasons from fashion statement, for its slimming affects, to contrast with blonde or just because its easy and it looks cool. It is a seasonless, all year round colour staple in many wardrobes and, as the Audrey Hepburn quote above eludes too, there is nothing chicer than a black dress in the summer. The black dress is a perfect interview outfit, everyday piece or party piece, the good old faithful have you got yours?

We have the Ultimate Black dress in our Luciana styles that will take you from day to evening effortlessly with the two belt options and the most stunning black tie worthy dress in the Portia.  The Audrey Hepburn styling of a little black dress still lives on however I think today’s take on that would be with boots and a biker jacket personally. What would you choose and what do you look for in your perfect little black dress? Do let us know your thoughts

“She raised the little black dress to an art form. She taught us how to wear it once and for all, not with fussy fuchsia print scarves, but with simple pearls, a black hat and a long, black cigarette holder” Ellen Melinkoff What we Wore about Audrey Hepburn