Blog Post – Howdy!
It’s been a while since our last blog as there has been so much happening!
Our Team headed out to Provence for our holiday at the start of the summer and to get the low down on the new collection from the creator herself Lillian. As always we get our chance to ask all the questions and find out what you need and would want to know about the collection from sustainability to why things have been designed the way they are, what’s new and why certain details are placed where they are too!
One of the best bits about our visit to Provence is that we get to try the production samples of the garments that are a part of our collection so we know how soft the fabrics feel, how the materials move and what the fit is like on the garments themselves (yes I really did try on a thick woolly jumper and thick woolly scarf in the heat of the Summer in the South of France ! Very toasty!) all so that we can give you the best advice now that the collection has launched.
We don’t get to see everything that is coming, only the first part of the collection (unless we can twist Lillian’s arm to give us a sneaky peak) so there are still some capsule collections, limited editions and the Winter pieces to come later that will be a nice surprise for us as well as you!
You may have noticed that part of our collection has a bit of a country theme going on which Lillian told us has been inspired by the TV show Yellowstone. I haven’t seen it but seems to feature family rivalries and “revenge” so I think it sounds like a cross between Dallas and The Firm! Maybe you know of it?
Think plenty of denim, chocolate shades, blues and khakis with a subtle twist to a Country & Western style in easy to wear and easy to layer pieces that will see you through the transition from Summer into Autumn and beyond and other parts of the collection featuring tomato reds and deep berry burgundy shades plus rich animal prints too adding warmth and colour to the darker days as the nights draw in.
We've also got differing textures of fabrics from light and flowy to super snug – some fabulous detailing including studded features and smocking pleats which are great for dressing head to toe in the same colour as you can add depth to your outfit by mixing up the textures.
With this theme in mind, I recently set about transforming the deck outside my house into the backdrop for a Country & Western themed mini Fashion Show and Photoshoot.
I borrowed old horseshoes, a cowboy hat and some straw bales from Josh Ellery at Talskiddy Forge who is a brilliant mobile Farrier.
One of my models (Tara) brought some saddles, stirrups, reins and other horsey “bits” to decorate “the set” … and my teenage son, spent weeks practicing something that sounded a bit more country blues-ish to play on his electric guitar rather than the usual Metallica/Ozzy Osbourne inspired repertoire!
Was it risky aiming for an outdoor show?? … Yes!!
Did Summer decide it was going on holiday and doing a swap with Autumn so that a named storm could blow strong winds and rain through meaning it had to be postponed at the last minute?? … Yes!!
Did it rain on the day we re-scheduled the show?? (I mean it is August so surely not - surely summer is still here right??) … it rained!!!! But luckily it stopped late afternoon and we had a glimmer of temporary sunshine so we could go ahead!
An exclusive group of Tortue customers and friends came and joined in the fun – some wearing their own cowboy hats for good measure too!
If you are looking for a country and western “vibe” to your outfit, pairing it with cowboy boots and a cowboy hat definitely works but if you want to be a bit more subtle then this new Studded Blue Denim Dress is a loose fit shirt dress style with metal rivet details across the yoke at the front and also comes with a removable belt. There are no belt loops attached to this dress which means you can tie the belt wherever you like that works best for your body shape. It also looks great worn unfastened as a longer line over shirt “shacket” style too!
This dress is part of our Eco sustainable fashion range featuring long sleeves with a fastened cuff. In sizes UK6 to UK24 we think this dress will work well into the Autumn and Winter months, worn with wool tights, boots and a chunky knit for the colder days.
One of the Team Favourite pieces when we tried the collection in Provence that looked fab on everyone whatever their body shape or height was the new Wide Leg Jeans and everyone who has tried them on in my Style Space seems to love them too!
Available in sizes UK4 to UK18 they feature a high waist with a zip and button fastening plus waistband darts for enhancing the fit to your figure with button detailing at the waistband too. There are faux pockets to the front helping to make sure you have a fitted figure hugging but not tight to your hip area before widening gently and flatteringly from the top of the thigh down to the ankle. They are 98% cotton with 2% elastane for a little stretch in the denim and are also part of our Planet Tortue eco range.
The best bit though is that our smallest size is an inch shorter in the leg than the other sizes to ensure that our petite customers can get a really good fit without looking swamped.
If you only buy one thing this season I would suggest that these Wide Leg Jeans are the thing to go for! They are just so comfortable as well as being super versatile which I am sure you will wear time and time again.
For a relaxed look pair them with this “Imagine” Crew Neck T-Shirt in midnight blue. At only £39 this simple T really packs a punch as the wording is in a ‘Caviar Print’ – essentially lots of little tiny balls (that look a bit like caviar) that make up the word which you see in finer detail when you look closely. These little tiny balls are attached to this 100% cotton T-shirt which comes in sizes UK6 to UK24 with short sleeves and a round crew neckline. Its also available in a white version too with the wording “Hey,” crafted in the same way.
Model Lana is wearing the belt from the denim dress tied in a bow and has turned up the bottom of the jeans for a super casual look. She is also wearing the T-shirt twisted into a knot at the front for a more fitted cropped look (oh to have a flat stomach and defined abs to make this work on me lol!!). It just shows how versatile our pieces are and can be styled to suit different ages and body shapes creating different looks depending on what your preferred style personality is. I for one have quite a few customers who tell me that when they can’t find their favourite Tortue pieces, they usually find them in the wardrobe or being worn by their teenage daughters!!!
Sticking with the same jeans, for a casual look on a cooler day opt for the Iridescent Top in Chocolate which comes in sizes UK6 to UK24. This clever little vest top is created from a jersey knit with lurex yarn to give it a little sparkle (as the name suggests). It will work hard for you in numerous outfit combinations all year round as it has a V neckline on one side and a U neckline on the other and is part of our sustainable fashion range.
Last season this top was available in a champagne colourway and a midnight blue colourway which sold out really quickly so this season, as well as the chocolate option it is also available in “on trend” burgundy or celadon (kind of turquoise/teal) colours too!
Perfect for wearing now on the hotter days with shorts or a denim skirt and also perfect for adding a little festive sparkle to an outfit later in the year too!
For the western shoot we added this fab Reversible Sequin Jumper in Black to complete Tara’s outfit. Available in sizes UK6 to UK24 this jumper is a loose fit and is reversible so that you can wear the V neckline to the front or switch it round to the back giving you a boat neckline instead.
The weather is probably back up to 30 degrees again as you read this blog and so a jumper maybe the last thing on your mind, alternatively it may be an overcast windy day when a nice snug knit is the perfect layer to keep warm and to keep the wind at bay.
The delicate jersey knit is made with little copper sequins in the yarn which helps to reflect light back to your face to brighten your complexion which really helps to soften your look if black is a colour that you like to wear but tends to be draining on you when not part of your colour palette.
The knit has long sleeves and dropped shoulders. The yarn contains 8% wool so handy to know upfront if this is a material that you struggle to wear comfortably.
It’s a piece that you can play around with when you are styling your outfit. It’s a generous enough fit so that you can wear it ‘off the shoulder’ style on one size as an option too which looks brilliant with our new satin skirt and double buckle belt as an outfit combination and also comes in a dark petrol blue colourway too which can be more flattering for warmer skin tones.
Sticking with the wide leg jeans, for a slightly smarter but still casual look opt for this Printed Loose Blouse in Olive. This opaque blouse comes with a strappy vest top beneath. It features a removable scarf and puffed sleeves for a feminine and elegant look. There is tone on tone piping and the back of the blouse is longer than the front which means that if you want to wear loose and flowing it hides the bottom area – or if you want to wear it tucked in, it stays tucked in at the back when bending down and reaching so the ideal choice especially if you have young children that you look after and spend more time on your hands and knees than standing up!!
Available in sizes UK6 to UK24 it is part of our eco sustainable fashion range and also comes in an alternative peacock inspired print version too which reminds me of the 1970’s Charlie’s Angels TV programme … but that’s a story for another day!!!
The little removable scarf simply attaches to the blouse at the back of the colour through a subtle little belt loop. It looks great worn loose or tied as a “pussy bow” at the neckline. It also looks great worn through the belt loops of jeans or tied into your hair instead! You can even wear it wrapped around your wrist a few times “bracelet style” or folded and attached to the strap of your handbag too. Alternatively remove the tie altogether and don’t wear it at all!!! So many different options means that you can be super creative when pulling your outfit together.
To take the jeans up another notch to an even smarter smart/casual look pair with the Iridescent vest top and faux leather biker jacket.
For our western theme we went with the chocolate colourway or to stay on-trend for Autumn we also have a burgundy similar but different faux leather jacket that looks fantastic with the burgundy iridescent vest too!
This faux leather Biker Jacket in Chocolate Brown is the same style and fit as the Petrol Blue and Black versions that have been part of previous collections so if you already have the alternative colourways in your wardrobe you know what to expect!
This jacket is called “Perfecto” in France as it really is the perfect jacket! It is a super soft flexible fabric that really is comfortable and not too hot when you wear it. Featuring a fitted cut with timeless metal zip front and zip pockets. Its fully lined with poppers at the collar that keep the collar back and in place when worn unzipped. The long sleeves have zips at the bottom of the cuff too.
We have added the tie dye scarf to complete Tara’s outfit which features all the shades from our western themed collection pieces – the browns, blues, whites in a pattern which works well with our Tie Dye Dress or Loose Flowing Tie Dye Trousers too as it’s the same colours but the mix of the prints is slightly different.
Mixing prints is something that people often tell me that they struggle with, however, if the prints are a similar size and similar colours then this look can work really well so why not give it a go and see what you think?
This square scarf is a decent size at 100cm and can be tied in a multitude of ways. Its great way for easily dressing up a simple plain white T-shirt and jeans too!
We covered a fair few pieces in a short amount of time – way too many for one blog so for now I will skip a few to the “finale” piece that the girls wore which is this Tie Dye Shirt Dress which is available in sizes UK6 to UK24.
When we first saw the images of this dress we all thought it was a cow print, until we saw the print in person and realised that it wasn’t!
This classic shirt dress style features a collar and elegantly shaped ¾ length sleeves with a loose fit to the cut of the body of the dress making it perfect to wear open “shacket” style over jeans or the matching trousers for a statement look.
The dress is 100% lyocell so part of our eco sustainable fashion range too.
With a number of colours in the print, you can give a slightly different feel to the outfit depending on which colour you decide to enhance for your accessories.
For our show finale Tara went with black accessories (vintage Tortue belt) and Lana went with the tan colour accessories (vintage Tortue belt) but you could opt to enhance the cream, khaki or blue elements from the print instead depending on your own colour palette for your skin tone.
I hope this has given you some ideas of how to wear the new pieces with a nod to the Wild West … I’ve got that line from Beyonce’s Texas Hold Em song in my head but with a few lyrics added in that she forgot … “This aint Texas … no its Cornwall….” !
I may have returned those loaned straw bales but they seem to have left their mark in my car and there is straw EVERYWHERE so time to get the hoover out.
Until next time…
Angela
x
