I shared the story behind the Leannan Sidhe dress from my capsule collection last week, but did you know the full collection is online now? You can shop it at Nour and the Merchant and the collection is limited, so if you love a piece you should get it now. Every piece is slow fashion made in Italy and worldwide shipping is available. If I was to describe the style of the collection overall I'd call it "off duty fairytale character." They're the sort of clothes Briar Rose will wear while living in the woods with fairies before she meets the prince, or something Cinderella might have in her wardrobe while still living in the attic. They're whimsical and romantic, but like the Hollyhock Skirt above they aren't too fancy for every day wear. As much as I love the Leannan Sidhe (it is my dream dress) the other pieces in the collection are the ones I see myself wearing day in and day out.
One of the first pieces I started to design with Cristina was the Thimbleweed Dress. This dress is inspired by my love of romantic and Linen dresses, as I do wear those so much! But so many of the linen dresses I find in shops are either very shapeless in design or if they are fitted are button-up styles with collars--I wanted something to wear in spring and summer that was still fitted, but without buttons and collars as those can feel very stuffy. The sleeves were also fun to design as I knew I wanted a full sleeve and then came up with the idea of this long ruffle over them, inspired by the way sepals curve and frame around the bud of a flower. The white version is my favorite (and inspiration behind the name) but it comes in twelve different shades of linen, so if you prefer blue, pink, or even black you can have it made in that color. The embroidery is also customizable; you can choose it without embroidery or from a variety animal and floral designs.
As much as I love long linen dresses, I knew I wanted something a bit shorter and breezier in my Collection as well--and I really wanted to create something with a Juliette sleeve! It's one of my favorite style of sleeves but one you rarely see in shops and it seemed like the perfect sleeve for a mini. Thus the Hawthorn dress was born! It's a fluffy mini dress made in organic silk chiffon with loads of volume and dramatic sleeves you can style up or down and the print is a custom design as well. The print depicts the hawthorn flowers, which come from the May tree or fairy trees. There are so many legends about these flowers, many believed the trees marked entrances into the Fairy Realm and that on May you might see the Fairy Queen with her procession entering or exiting from a tree. It's bad luck to cut them down, so these pink and white blossoms fill the hedgerows every spring.
The Hollyhock Skirt has a fitted waistband that mimics a corset and the bow straps are adjustable--you can choose how to tie them and at what height. I'm wearing the skirt in coral and lime linen, but you can choose from over twelve different linen colors and several different embroidery patterns as well. This embroidery is called the "Elf Blade" inspired by a fairytale of the same name I wrote (you can read it here). Working on these pieces with Cristina has been an absolute dream and it's so fun to see them come to life. It makes it all the more wonderful to know that everything is being ethically made in Nour and the Merchant's atelier in Italy and that we focused on sustainable materials (linen and silk chiffon). The whole collection is also slow fashion, meaning every piece is made when you order which will also reduce waste as there won't be superfluous stock or excess fabric ordered. The process starts as soon as you place an order and your new piece is ready and on its way to you in 4-6 weeks. Nour and the Merchant also offers partial payment plans if you want to pay in a few installments with no extra fees. Shop the full collection here and get them while you can as this Capsule Collection is only available for a limited period of time.
