Never Gets Old

January 07, 2014 / Michele Wang

It's here! It's here! Launch Day for our Winter Collection! I swear, launch days never get old. I wake up like a kid on Christmas morning. I launch out of bed, propelled by the previous nights dreams of fleece and wool and knitting, make coffee and plop myself down in front of my laptop. And wait, nervously. It seems completely silly, because I just sit here and wait for the Brooklyn Tweed e-mailer to hit my Inbox. I brace myself, get comfortable and flip through the Look Book slowly and deliberately forcing myself to see it through fresh eyes. And oftentimes it feels like I've never seen it before. The design process began almost a year ago and I've completely forgotten what my teammates have conjured up, and sometimes I forget what I've done. It's like flipping through an old yearbook and recalling your best friends at the time, old crushes and favorite teachers.

Anyway, what better way to spend the coldest day in history (apparently) than sitting back and enjoying some new knit-porn. Click here to view the Look Book.

There are two stories in this collection - one is clean and modern shot in a studio space, while the other is more traditional shot outdoors, more typical of past BT photoshoots. 3 out of 4 of my designs ended up in the clean and modern story. Coming off of some rather traditional designs for Fall 13, it was refreshing to pare down and let the fabric and silhouettes speak for themselves.

I had a lot of fun with Alloy. I'm embarrassed to tell you where my inspiration came from, but here goes it: QVC. Yup. There it is. I couldn't sleep one night, and when I need something brainless to watch, I usually flip to QVC or HSN. It's great; it's usually some sort of jewelry or small household appliance that's being peddled. But this one night they were showing some stretchy knit tops and outfits with black panels to "slenderize". Slenderize? I sat up and saw how these black panels were strategically placed either along the sides, or diagonally across, these tight stretchy tops and really making the models look thinner. It was magic. Who doesn't like something that makes you look thinner? I knew this was nothing original, thinking back to a one-piece swimsuit I tried on that had a similar effect, but it invigorated and inspired me to dig through my swatches to find the right fabric for the body of the sweater. Anyway, out came Alloy.

And then there are moments when you swatch and swatch and swatch, and finally you hold one up and think, "Yes. This fabric is amazing." When I held up the very simple slipped stitch pattern that's used in Abbott, I couldn't stop squeezing it in my fingers. The swatch felt so full. The slipped stitches made such a wonderful double layer fabric. To accentuate the diagonal grain, I figured a clean v-neck would really set it off. And because of the cushiness of the knit, I wanted it to be something you could pullover your pajamas to make your coffee, or throw on to run some errands. Easy easy easy to wear.

The same goes for Thicket. After swatching up this stitch pattern, I knew I had to use it in something. I thought the intricate twist stitch cables would make a fun decrease crown pattern at the top of a hat, so I did what I tell people not to do: I cast on, and just knit and designed as I went along. The crown decreasing turned out nicely, but by total luck - I do not recommend this method of designing!

And last but not least, Echelon. Um, what can I say? I just love the cartridge rib and decided an entire garment needed to be dedicated to this wonderful stitch.

While a sleeveless top doesn't seem to be quite right for a Winter collection, I wanted a layering piece. And on a day like today, it seems to only make sense to layer a knit with another knit. I'd love to throw this on with a black cashmere turtleneck underneath for some added warmth.

I do hope you enjoy our entire Winter 14 collection. I know with each and every design we pour a bit of ourselves into them, and your response (positive and otherwise) is always welcome and warms our hearts. Thank you!

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