THE TREETOPS STUDIOS - SAANICHTON

 

Fashion Accessories

Winter Wear      Given the climate on Vancouver Island, we did not expect that there would be a demand for Canada's most common 'Fashion Accessories' - mitts, gloves, headbands, toques and wooly scarves. But we have good skiing on Vancouver Island, some of the best in the world a few hours away on the mainland, and Island folk do visit back east - even in winter. So, Elaine has revisited winter to produce a cold weather line of accessories to complement our Traditional Sweaters line.

Scarves      For years the most popular accessory was the 'Funny'© scarf , named after Sandnes' range of 'eyelash' yarns. Other manufacturers produce similar yarns in different colours and textures as well. Elaine emphasizes their 'fly-away' lightness by hand knitting a loose, very low tension, lace stitch on two different sized needles. Ply in a thin 'glitter' or metallic thread to accent the natural shimmer of fabrics made with these yarns.

The demand for the scarves has fallen off recently. But we still use a lot of this sort of yarn for banding and accents in our ranges of very light weight garments. Elaine has also developed a way to machine knit eyelash yarns. The knit lace fabric is less showy than the hand knit product but better suited to some uses in garment design. Top

Layers (Shawls, Capes & Ponchos)      Over the shoulder 'layers' are the answer for cool evenings and indoor-outdoor occasions. They have to be light weight but comforting, shapely when worn but easily folded for a hanger or peg. Larger shawls can be provided with hidden ties that allow them to be worn over one shoulder or across the body like a sash, or as a 'shrug' with one or both wrists passed through loops near the outside points of the garment. Imagine a shawl or a cape that 'stays with you' as you move, in a crowded room, while you are holding an animated conversation, and a cup and saucer, and maybe a small sandwich. Then, imagine a shawl or cape that flatters your figure, can be worn as a stand alone accessory or as part of an ensemble and will be wearable art next year or ten years from now.

The Ponchos of 2004      Could you have missed the sudden morphing of the poncho from cult status to fashion craze in 2004? Along the way ponchos became brighter, lighter, smaller and often asymmetrical. Like the shawl, the poncho fits naturally into the 'layers' wardrobe on the West Coast. There will always be a place in The Island Look for a well-designed traditional poncho to keep you warm and dry in our wet season. But, since 2004 a poncho can be anything you want, from a beach fling thing in synthetic or cotton lace to an off the shoulder and asymmetrical personal statement in accented synthetics or the very best natural fibres. To see more of our Ponchos of 2004 please skip over to The Gallery.    Top

The Wraps, Shawls & Shrugs of 2005 and 2006   are the result of two years of nearly continuous expansion in the types and styles of wraps, shawls and shrugs that Elaine has developed and produced. A series of loose, earth tone, wraps and shawls followed on the 2004 ponchos. Then a new series of shrugs, this time adapted for formal evening wear. The earth tone wraps and shawls are similar, in shape and fit, to the rectangular ones we featured in 2005's Gossamer series or in our Gallery as 'Deep Red'. ('White Wheat', to the right of 'Deep Red' in the Gallery, is a much larger and boldly fringed design but it gives you an idea of the potential for a loose wrap in any soft earth tone.) The dressy shrugs now vary in size and style from the elaborate 'Kimono Shrug' shown on the left in 2005's New Wraps, to smaller, close fitting designs in white or off-white intended to be worn with your 'basic black and pearls'.

In 2006 other wraps and shawls appeared in two general types. The first type, shown in the two images above, is basically an unfringed, rectangular wrap. It is light weight, knitted lace and typically twenty inches by sixty inches or larger. (The one shown here is 20 by 72 inches.) The collar and lapel effect in the left image is created by the way the wearer rolls one long side of the rectangle over the back of the neck. The roll can be larger or smaller, to coordinate with the garment being worn under the wrap. The size and fabric type we produce are determined by the way the client intends to wear the wrap. Given the flexibility of designing with fabrics produced in our own studio, wraps can be optimized for over the shoulder (The right image is the wrap on the left, with a flip.), over the forearms, or cross body wear.

The second type, shown in the two images below, is basically a fringed or edge-banded, square wrap. Again, the collar and lapel effect is created by the wearer. The triangular appearance is an illusion, like folding a square of paper, corner to corner, into a triangle. Typically, thicker textured yarns are used for the fabric but an open mesh knitting pattern keeps the garment loose and light. The colour contrast in the fringe or banding can be subtle or striking. Depending on the client's wishes, the garment can be sized as a simple shoulder wrap or made larger with the option for a folded double wrap. Looking at a double wrap from the back, the triangular illusion is almost perfect.

Elaine has done more than two dozen variations, no two alike, on these themes. Yarns have varied from pure wool or cotton, through wool or cotton and synthetic blends, to quality synthetics alone. Black and the whites have been the most popular colours with everything else coming up a distant third. In the final weeks before Christmas 2006 the most interesting variant was a set of small shrugs, lace knitted in 100% wool and then lightly felted. A little tricky to control for size but the customers like the soft, smooth surface. To see more of our wraps, shawls & shrugs of 2005 and 2006 please skip over to The Gallery.   Top

Purses and Bags      Finally, the Treetops Studios produces several lines of small to large over the shoulder purses and bags. The simplest ones are small zipped or flapped cotton or cotton denim handbags, with options for shoulder straps and decorative patches cut from Studio fabric remnants. The medium-sized line can be made in Studio fabric or something 'interesting' from your stash or ours. The largest bags look like a medium-sized foldover purse in normal use but unfold and expand to double or triple their capacity. If you need something special in a bag but don't want to look like you are delivering flyers please contact us. Top

Contact Us

Elaine Dendy e-laine@shaw.ca
John Oliver Dendy dendy@islandnet.com
URL: http://www.treetops-studios.com/index.htm

Copyrights for the entire site
(unless otherwise stated in the page source code):
Text and Photography - © 2001-7 John Oliver Dendy
Design and Art - © 2001-7 John & Elaine Dendy
Web Layout - © 2001-7 John Oliver Dendy
Revised 24 July, 2007