Questions and Answers
Designer Cynthia Ivey Abitz answers your questions.
Posts are displayed starting with the most recent.
What's In Store for Summer?
posted 03.20.08
Question: Can you let me know what to expect for your summer collection? I can't wait to see what is next!
Answer: This has been a very popular question this week, apparently from the brief mention of summer in
our latest newsletter.
The Spring 2008 collection will be closing on April 13, and the palette will close, too. An entirely new palette
will make its debut in Summer 2008. And yes, that palette is under wraps until its debut in April. What I can
share with you is that if you like the palette from spring, it is important to gather your favourite fabric and
design combinations now. The palette will not be carried over like it was from autumn 2007 into winter 2008.
I hope that helps you plan during the next three weeks while you make your final decisions from the current
spring collection.
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What Are French Seams?
posted 03.16.08
Question: I read on your website that the garments have french seams instead of serged edges. What
exactly does that mean?
Answer: Serged edges are a fairly recent invention. By using an inordinate amount of thread, seams can be
put together with serging machines. It saves some time in the construction process, but at Ivey Abitz, we find
such edges unsightly and consider them a shortcut at the expense of quality.
French seams have been a part of fine garments for centuries, and they are a two-step process for our
stitchers. The seams take more than twice as long than a mass-produced serged edge, but the results are worth
it.
First, the seam is sewn together with small, even stitches, as opposed to large and quick stitches seen on so
many garments today. Once this line of stitching is in place, the garment is folded at the seam so the raw edge
does not show. The garment is flipped inside out to make the second line of stitching, tightly enclosing the raw
edge inside of a casing of sorts. The result is a smooth and clean inside seam.
We believe a garment should look as good on the inside as it does on the outside. Such smooth seams are also
more comfortable against the body, which is one of the reasons people feel like they can actually live in Ivey
Abitz garments for hours and hours.
Have you ever worn a shirt that itched or poked your skin and just drove you crazy? More than likely, it was
due to the synthetic thread in a seam made by a serging machine. Serging machines might save a garment
company some time, and thus money, but the garment wearer gets the short end of the stick.
French seams are an intricate part of what makes each Ivey Abitz garment high quality and very, very
special.
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Who Sews for Ivey Abitz?
posted 03.13.08
Question: I love that everything is handmade so well. I also like that it's made in the United States and not
some sweatshop -- that is rare these days. Who sews the garments for Ivey Abitz?
Answer: Our stitchers come from varied backgrounds, but they do have one thing in common, and that is
their passion for sewing. All of them have been sewing for at least twenty years or more; their experience is
immense. Some have worked on costumes for films, authentic period costume work for reenactments, haute
couture design houses, and some even used to own their own tailor shops.
However, due to the mass exodus of designers taking their work to third world countries for sewing, as well as
a wobbling economy in the states, many of these talented stitchers could not find work here in North America.
Some even began to work at odd part-time jobs, doing tasks that were completely unrelated to sewing, just so
they could stay in Michigan to be near their families.
When Josh and I decided to officially launch the Ivey Abitz label in 2004-2005, we starting seeking out these
stitchers to ask them if they'd be interested in sewing professionally for our company. I was just talking with
one of our stitchers this week, and she said she's the happiest when she's sewing. She has been sewing full-
time for Ivey Abitz for 1 1/2 years now.
These are the kinds of stories that inspire all of us at Ivey Abitz to work hard creating the most stunning and
unique garments we can. Ivey Abitz is not just changing the lives of the people that wear it (read the client
blog); Ivey Abitz garments are changing the lives of the people that sew them, too.
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Choosing the Right Fabrics
posted 02.18.08
Q: I love the designs. Now how do I know what fabric will work for the designs I like?
A: The fabrics are meant to complement the majority of the designs in the Spring 2008 collection. At the
same time, there are some basic guidelines you can follow, as you make your final fabric and design
combination choices.
• Lighter weight fabrics work best in shirts, frocks, and overlays. For example, a 3 layered silk chiffon is a
lighter weight fabric, and it should not be used in trousers.
• More substantial weight fabrics, like premium irish linen (which can be worn as an all season linen), works
in all designs.
• Peruse the LOOK BOOK. Make mental or actual notes of which fabric combinations you like best. Are you
drawn to silk linen double weave, or do you prefer patterns like in the english floral cotton broadcloth?
• Choose fabrics that drew you in immediately. Be true to your initial response, as this is an indicator of what
you really like. This fabric will more than likely complement the designs you love, too.
Of course, if you ever have specific fabric questions, you can always email us.
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Ivey Abitz origins and dream job
Part 1 in a series of questions posed to Cynthia Ivey Abitz
posted 02.14.08
Q: Have you always wanted to be a clothing designer?
A: I've always wanted to create. I've always wanted to be an artist. I've always been drawn to design. There's a
magnetic pull to the arts that I won't ever shake. As for appreciating garment design, it started early. The first
memories of my love for it stems from a collection of dresses I had at about age 5. I loved them all. At one
point, I was changing dresses about 4 or 5 times a day, just for fun. I remember how special they were to me.
How they made me feel. That planted a seed, I think.
Pursuing garment design seriously really started for me in college, alongside my studies in oil painting and
fine art photography. The ideas and sketches just started flowing, at that point, and snowballed into a large
collection over the years. When I was approached by a haute couture wedding boutique (during college) to
create couture designs for them, that validation really encouraged me. Once I started recognizing my ideas as
a cohesive idea and philosophy, I knew it was time to share them with others.
Q: Designing clothing seems like a dream job. What's it like?
A: Work work work. And more work. Then more work after that. And after a little more work, throw some
more work into the mix. Am I drawing an image yet? (laughter) Seriously though, it's an enormous
commitment, in terms of time and energy, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I can't imagine only giving a
part of myself to it. Because I put every cell of my being into the creative process, I end up working all the
time. I eat, breathe, and sleep it, and so does my husband, Josh. Though he does not do any of the garment
designs, we're both equally involved in our garment design company. I think many people that own their own
company live that way, especially those in the creative fields. They're passionate about their work, so they
want to give everything they've got to it. Josh and I work extremely well together; we're together basically
24/7, and it's been that way for many years. He's hilarious, intelligent, highly creative, and he is the driving
force behind the inner workings of Ivey Abitz. It's meaningful for us to see the garments affect other people's
lives in such a genuine way.
But this way of life, and way of working, is certainly not for everyone. There are a lot of sacrifices to be made.
There are many late nights and working weekends to get collections debuted. To create something tangible
from an idea is no small task. To me, the words "dream job" can sort of make it sound like my work is this
light and airy existence where I sit and sketch garments for an hour with my Yard o Led calligraphy pen at an
exquisitely hand carved drawing table, then call it a day to go dream in a rose petal-filled hammock, donning
my 3 layered silk chiffon Bartholdi ensemble by the lake until dusk. Designing garments and running our own
company is very demanding work, and it's a real existence. And I like it that way.
Q: How did Ivey Abitz, the design company, begin?
A: Its inception came from the desire to be surrounded by things that are aesthetically pleasing to me - every
day. I have made that a goal for my life, and our company began to connect with others that are like minded.
But I should explain - I do not refer to "aesthetically pleasing" as an artifice to distract me from what is really
going on in life. It's not a materialistic drive to acquire for the sheer act of gathering things that I like. Instead,
wanting to be surrounded by aesthetically pleasing things is a natural, intuitive search for an authentic
Absolute Beauty in life - the kind of Beauty that gives us a glimpse of true answers in our very mysterious
existence. The kind of Beauty that allows us to face the ugliness and nasty realities of life head on without
flinching. That's the driving force behind it; that's really how it all began.
Our surroundings, and more importantly what we clothe our bodies in on a daily basis, has a profound effect
on what we think, how we feel, how we act, and how we react to the world around us. The Ivey Abitz garment
collection came from this philosophy.
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