Happy May Day! Exciting news! I've been quietly working on a capsule collection with Nour & the Merchant and it will be available to purchase in May! Working on this collection has been an absolute dream! I'm a big fan of Nour & the Merchant's clothes and how their clothes are thoughtfully produced using as sustainable materials as possible in Italy with all of the production team earning a living wage. When I received the invitation to collaborate with the designer Cristina my answer was an immediate yes since I knew the clothes would be ethically made. For this collection I designed four pieces--three that I feel are quite wearable everyday and one dress that is a bit more of a dream piece. I didn't want a big collection with loads of styles, but rather to very intentionally create a few key pieces that I knew I would personally love in my wardrobe and wear again and again. Much of the inspiration for this collection comes from the local woodlands of Ireland and the folklore intrinsically tied to that landscape. Every spring when the woods transform from barren and brown to a lush blanket of flowers I can see why people used to believe magic is at work. So many of my favorite flowers that emerge in spring and early summer each have their own ties to folklore as well; like the hawthorn blossom which inspired the print above. Hawthorn trees are said to be portals into the fairy realm and one might be able to see the Fairy Queen herself if they linger by a hawthorn tree on May Day. These are the first sketches of the designs and I can't wait to show you more once the collection launches. There's so many details that can't be seen in a sketch that I think you will love! Every design is based off of the things I love in clothes and what I would love to wear but can't find in shops. Romantic silhouettes, unique embroidery, the puffiest of sleeves, etc. It truly feels like a collection sprinkled with a bit of pixie dust. This is the first look at the "Hollyhock Skirt" from my capsule collection. Every piece in the collection is really my favorite piece but I love how easy to wear and style the Hollyhock Skirt is. If you prefer separates and pieces you can dress up or down then this is such a perfect skirt. I will probably style it often with a simple puffed sleeve blouse, but I could also see it looking very stylish with a printed tee shirt. The skirt is perfect for twirling and the adjustable braces tie into bows so the height of the waistband can be adjust to your preference. I can't wait to show you more details when my collection with Nour and the Merchant launches in mid-May!