Yesterday was the launch of Bittersweet Collars' first collection “Welcome into the Garden” and today I want to make you a little bit more familiar with the line and show you a couple of the designs.
The timing of this soft launch wasn’t meant to be in the Fall, but in the Spring of 2021. However, I didn’t know what it takes to build a product from the ground up, especially between two continents (Europe - North America). It takes a lot of time, revisions and patience, with yourself, as well as with the people that you work with. I had envisioned almost everything from the beginning and I wanted to get as close as possible to that vision with the final product.
For this first collection I created sizes XS-S (just one piece of each) and please remember there is a very limited number. It’s all about quality and not quantity, timeless and not trendy!
Each collar is individually hand-made with careful attention to all the details using various fabric manipulation techniques, some of them dating back to the sixteenth century. The fabric is truly special and remarkable, Liberty London premium 100% Tana Lawn cotton, a fabric that behaves and feels like ultra fine silk, soft yet durable, cooling yet warming. Printed in northern Italy, the colors are vibrant and makes an impact statement with each and every piece crafted in the form of these bespoke collars. Last but not least these pieces are made with love in Romania, my country of origin.
As for the idea, I wanted to create a versatile piece to complete any look I may want (over a dress, layered on top of a white shirt, and on cooler days under a sweater or a cardigan. As I like to say these collars are all about reinventing existing favorite pieces you have in your wardrobe, this way you give a fresh new look and originality to a variety of outfits.
I have always believed fashion, beside many other things, has to be versatile and fun. Buy one thing- wear it at least in 3-4 different ways and for many years to come. A collar is a fashion accessory and you can choose to wear it as a central piece of the look by pairing it with a plain garment or just integrate it with other favorite prints and create a bold statement.
The possibilities are endless.
I want to get more personal here and share another reason with you of how this was something "that I need it". Many times I found myself not wearing/ buying beautiful dresses because of this precise reason: they had a very low décolletage and I couldn’t see myself wearing them... it may be just me but I prefer it this way. So I wanted something to complete my looks and cover when is necessary and now I have the solution!
At first I wanted to do these collars just for myself but knowing I will wear them on my blog and there will probably be some women with the same fashion inclinations, I said why not creating small collections, so here I am, sharing this first collection with you today!
As right now you will see 3 designs available in the shop: Catherine, Grace and Anais, and another one coming soon, The Elizabeth! I will leave here the link for the SHOP, but you can always find it on the front page in the top menu bar as “shop bittersweet collars”
From now on you will see me styling them in different looks and can’t wait to show you the first one!