“Work-Life Integration”

66 days until launch

“Work-Life Integration”

I recently came across this article on zady.com. It really struck a chord as I imagine we are all feeling that “Sunday night dread” of fall approaching – when the impending onslaught of serious obligations and packed schedules start to give us heart palpitations. When we are thinking, “how do I achieve a better work-life balance this year”?

The article refreshingly states:

Let’s look at the phrase “work-life balance” more closely. Balance implies that two separate forces are involved, each pulling in a different direction. Which is exactly how we’ve put it into practice: We divide our work life and our home life into church and state, and thereby set them up for conflict.

She challenges the reader to think more in terms of work-life “integration” instead of “balance” – recognizing that one does not have to be such an out-of-place intrusion on the other.

Here at HEUCY we have been thinking hard about who our woman is, how she will wear each piece, how she will be able to care (or not since she is busy) for each piece. These pieces are crafted for women who strive for this integration – for those who don’t want to think so rigidly about work-wear and life-wear. She wants effortless style – to be comfortable but chic. We want to offer an option that fills the void between twin sets paired with mid-rise khakis and yoga pants (please ladies, those are not meant for outside the gym). Try this instead:

Heucy Label – Option 6 Comes Alive

67 days until launch

We conducted a poll  in early July asking you to opine on the best option for the Heucy logo label.  Option 6 was the most popular choice, and now we can all agree that you – the readership – has great taste.  This label was printed locally on herringbone patterned cotton ribbon.

 

Photo Shoot!

71 days until launch

Yesterday was the photo shoot for the debut HEUCY collection. Thankfully all the samples made it on time and all looked GREAT. Whew! Here are some of the behind the scenes shots.  More images to come soon…..

knitwear redefined: n/a/m

71 days until launch

My talented friend and former colleague Kiyeon Nam just launched her own beautiful knitwear collection called “n / a / m.” http://www.kiyeonnam.com/. This collection redefines the boundaries of knitwear – (no boring sweater twin sets here).  Inspired by nature, art and music, each piece is unique, thoughtful and gets more interesting as you examine the details of the stitches. These gorgeous pieces will be available next spring – check out her website for retailers coming soon!

 

 

Gray is the New Black

74 days until launch

The forces that move the fashion needle have spoken and gray just might be the new black.  Bill Cunningham of the NYT featured it as the IT color on the streets of NYC for this summer (image from his piece “Gray Is The New Black” pictured above), while Gwyenth Paltrow proclaims (on GOOP) that it is a MUST for the Fall.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/10/fashion/bill-cunningham-gray-matters.html

http://www.goop.com/journal/get/297/fall-fashion-update

We could not agree more.  Gray is both sophisticated and versatile.  Lucky for us at Heucy, gray will be a STAR feature in our debut.  Below are two amazing paintings featuring gray that served as inspiration for the fall collection.  Both works are at the Whitney Museum of American Art – more breathtaking in person – go see it!

 

Top: Barnett Newman, The Promise

Bottom: Pat Steir, September Evening Fall

“Out to Lunch With Livia Firth”

80 days until launch

“Out to Lunch With Livia Firth”

Love this article in the current September issue of Vanity Fair featuring Livia Firth – eco-fashion activist (married to Colin Firth). She is inspirational in her drive and efforts to make the fashion industry greener and more thoughtful, but also seems accessible and unsanctimonious about her cause. I appreciate the following categorization of “sustainable”.

Her informal eco-stylishness defines her….her trousers, from the London shop Joseph, weren’t “eco” or “ethical,” however, but several years old and therefore “sustainable”.

Often having too hard of a line on what we should or should not wear, eat or do in order to be “eco” or “ethical” creates a bar that is unrealistic to achieve. Small steps to not be wasteful like wearing and re-wearing trusted garments (80 days until that is your trusted Heucy dress) also counts!

Livia is also seriously chic – she and her husband also made the best dressed couple list.

best dressed list – couples

“Goodbye To All That” (In August Issue of ELLE)

87 days until launch

Check out ” Goodbye To All That,” a great article that rings true to Heucy’s mission in the current (August) issue of ELLE by Meghan O’Rourke.  The author writes about breaking up with the clothes she had once loved. She talks about her younger self who sought out bargains for “office-y” things with the occasional spend for the quirky and most likely odd discount designer item. She writes, “[t]he result was haphazard: half of my closet cheap fast fashion that pilled or frayed, half of it idiosyncratic high-end pieces bough on sale.”

She realized that her older self needed a more refined, edited and chic wardrobe. Listening to her new impulses to “buy less stuff, but of a higher quality, to shop less often, but in larger batches; and to make sure that each purchase plays a necessary role.”

Meghan, you just need one more item in that beautifully edited closet – a Heucy dress!  87 more days…

NYT Bill Cunningham Trend Spots Stylish Jersey Dresses

88 days until launch

NYT Bill Cunningham: Great Lengths

According to Bill Cunningham, the fashion street photographer and tastemaker for the New York Times, chic long jersey dresses are in and here to stay. Looking forward to seeing our Heucy jersey dresses similarly spotted on the streets of NYC in a few short months…

Vermont Vacation

90 days until launch

First day of summer vacation in Vermont went like this:

9am: Wake up in a little cabin on Lake Champlain at the Basin Harbor Club. Saunter over to the breakfast buffet in the main lodge with wrap around views of the lake.  Old school New England charm was everywhere to be seen – think delicate little china plates and doilies – fresh-baked pastries and hard-boiled eggs in little cups.

10am: Hike up Snake Mountain – enjoy beautiful 360 degree views of the Champlain Valley at the top. Get caught in a torrential downpour in the middle of the thick forest and appreciate the feeling of being totally beholden to mother nature.  Also realize how awesome dry clothes can feel.

2pm: Drive through picturesque rolling hills into Middlebury – charming little town where the college by the same name (also my alma mater) is perched on top of one of those rolling hills.  Lunch at Noonie’s Deli in Marbleworks – best sandwiches in Vermont.

3pm: Peek into Edgewater Gallery in Middlebury where works of emerging and established Vermont artists are featured.  The vibrant landscapes are breathtaking, as is the setting – One Mill Street overlooking the falls on Otter Creek.

5pm: Back at Basin Harbor Club for some cannonballs into the pool where the scene is straight out of Poolside with Slim Aarons.  I was just missing my floral swim cap.

7pm: Head down to the resort harbor for drinks and dinner (lobster!) by the dock with stunning views of sunset behind the lake and the Adirondacks – all layers of fading grey. Watch kids play shuffleboard in the warm glow of the setting sun.

10pm: Lights out – got a lot more ground to cover tomorrow!