Summer Clothing Designs by Ivey Abitz Inspired by the Past, Featured for the Future

May 19, 2008 - PRLog -- Ivey Abitz, a made-to-order garment design company, has unveiled its summer 2008 collection through its website, http://IveyAbitz.com. The summer collection features the new women's Barton Cottage designs and the new men's Oscar designs.

Inspired by Memories of Summer
According to designer Cynthia Ivey Abitz, “The designs are vignettes of memories. The kind of memories that make me yearn for summer year round. They were created to echo the movement and rhythms of summer seen in the freedom of ties and the fluidity of the fabrics."

That fluidity is controlled by the wearer. Many of the women's Barton Cottage pieces come with a long tie made of matching cotton lace that can be tied in any way to get a desired look. Ivey Abitz suggests using the tie or accessory sash to accentuate the waist or create a boxy look, depending on the figure.

Natural Fibers and Hand Dyeing
Both men's and women's collections feature natural fibers, including linen, cotton, and silk. The custom colors are created by hand in a series of special dye baths in the Ivey Abitz studio.

Designer Cynthia Ivey Abitz describes the color palette as an attempt to capture the ambiguous and ever-changing tones found in a lake setting. They are tones she became familiar with as she grew up taking summer trips to the family cottage on the sandy shore of Lake Huron.

Some of the colors are ambiguous in that they change as the light changes. The color "Lake" can appear a silvery gray under cloudy skies and a greenish blue when the sun comes out.

The soft nature-inspired colors are balanced by a bold blue and white striped seersucker, aptly named "Sky Blue."  

Featured for the Future
All of the designs in the men's Oscar collection can be worn as a three piece suit, but Ivey Abitz says “they're smart enough to be worn casually, too.”

Both men's and women's designs are versatile enough to handle many different occasions, summer life on the beach, or everyday life in the city.

Ivey Abitz claims the summer designs were inspired by the past, but are also deeply rooted in the future. For example, the Oscar Jacket and Oscar Trousers feature a pocket designed specifically for mp3 players and mobile phones.

Cynthia Ivey Abitz says, "Gadgets tend to get lost in standard size pockets, so we sat down with our mobile technology and came up with custom pockets. There's no reason you should have to sacrifice function for form."

Customer Connections
Technology-friendly pockets are just one way Ivey Abitz is melding the past with the present. The company's website, http://IveyAbitz.com, currently features a full-fledged shopping basket for online purchases, as well as a blog where customers write about their everyday experience wearing Ivey Abitz.

Customers can also view a short website movie at http://IveyAbitz.com, narrated by the designer herself, that combines a summer beach cottage experience with a couture designer showroom. The fact that the garments appear on dress forms rather than on live models isolates the fabric, focusing the viewer's attention on its movement in the wind, demonstrating literally the "movement and rhythms of summer."

Garment Pricing and Details
Ivey Abitz garments fit women US size 2 to 18, men US size 28 to 44. Average made-to-order delivery time is 4-6 weeks. Rush orders are accepted based on production schedule and reduce the time to 1-2 weeks. Designs range in price from $40 for accessories to $1,200 for an elaborate coat, depending upon the intricacies of the design and fabric selection. The average garment price range is $250-350. There are no order minimums, and the garments are made in the U.S.A.

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About Ivey Abitz: Ivey Abitz is a Michigan-based garment design company launched in 2006. It features seasonal made-to-order collections through its website, IveyAbitz.com. Garments are made in the U.S.A. by hand. Designer Cynthia Ivey Abitz and her husband Josh Ivey Abitz are co-owners.

Website: IveyAbitz.com