Here at serafina, my editors and I are big fans of AprilMarin’s custom apparel. And we’re happy to announce their new fall collection. They’re now offering two great new skirt suits and three new dresses for every petite lass.

The Audrey, Dae and Capri dresses are prefect for the holidays. Dress them up or down and you’ll look spectacular.  I love the design of the Audrey dress especially the pockets! Its also 10% off this month…

The Dae dress is excellent for any occasion as well as the office. What else is excellent about the design is that you can pair it with all of your jewelry, shoes, tall boots or handbags. It really is that versatile.

The Capri dress is another perfect classic option for all girls’ closets. You’ll wear it forever and never tire of it.

The suiting is equally as fabulous. I love the Grace suit because its classic and sexy.

And, the Kristina suit is beautiful. I like that its different than anything out on the market currently and the cut of the jacket is elegant with the right amount of flair. I adore the ¾ sleeve design and the cloth buttons. Wear it as separates too – the jacket would look perfect with all of my denim.

Additionally they’ve updated their website  to make your custom ordering oh so much easier. They’ve added a variety of pull downs so after you’ve been measured you can choose the correct measurements and voila! your new purchase. So easy.

Still love the Cella dress? No worries, they’re original designs are still available.

AprilMarin designs range roughly $130 to $200 which is what you’re gonna pay at other shops but without the perfect custom fit. Contemporary custom clothing is the way to go to get the polished look you want.

“We have great appreciation for what these icons did for the fashion world and how they influenced what we wear today.  We were thrilled to focus our research and design on these women - and reinterpret the most iconic wardrobe staples - the little black dress and  the skirt suit,” says April Bukofser, co-founder of AprilMarin.  The fall collection is simple and understated with a focus on dresses and skirt suits.  Marin Milio, co-founder, said “What I learned most from these icons is that simple-classic lines are enough and there is no need for ostentation when the fit is perfect.”

Moi-Même is hosting a design competition to challenge customers, designers, doodlers and fashion-enthusiasts alike to create a new embroidery design for their new Calgary jacket!

The Calgary jacket features a vine-like embroidery design at the waist. Moi-Même  would like to give their customers the opportunity to personalize the jackets by offering them a second embroidery design option.

The chosen design will be produced and added to their collection and the winner be rewarded with a $500 custom clothing gift certificate from Moi-Même.

Finalists will be selected by Moi-Même founder and CEO, Dawn Verbrigghe, and fashion designer, Steven Hoffman. Subscribers to the Moi-Même mailing list will determine the winner by voting online for their favorite design from November 11-13, 2008. To make yourself eligible to vote for the winner, subscribe to the Moi-Même mailing list before November 11, 2008.

Moi-Même’s fall collection is replete with everything you could ever want in a sophisticated wardrobe for the petite professional. As a busy executive myself, I’m thrilled with the stylish collection, so please allow me to elaborate…

New this fall: jackets, pants, suiting and dresses in rich, supple, cashmere-wool blend fabrics. Year-round noir, grey and navy solids, as well as winter white and warm khaki. Plus soft tweed herringbones in navy, charcoal and brown to warm up the cool temperatures.

Moi-Même’s suiting is also lined in Bemberg fabrics, which are as soft as silk, yet cooler and more durable. And a palette of colors await, from the muted to the dazzling.

Moi-Même Tailored Jackets
Moi-Même’s tailored jackets are constructed of eight panels — two more than the usual design — to better frame a slim silhouette. Petite girls should try the Reykjavik and Madrid (as the shorter styles are best for petites). New this season are the Calgary, Torino and Valletta styles.

Moi-Même Pants and Skirts
Available in separates – for everyday wear – or as complementary pieces to a tailored jacket, their pants and skirts are smartly designed to fit and flatter your petite body. Try the Cape Town Pant and Tangiers Pant or Buenos Aires Pencil Skirt and Santiago A-line Skirt.

Dresses
These tailored dresses are smartly designed with extra darts to fit and flatter your body. Try the classicly designed Singapore sheath dress and Tokyo sheath dress.

Custom-tailor your own petite suit and petite professional attire with Moi-Même personal tailoring.
Founder and CEO Dawn Verbrigghe believes that every woman’s professional wardrobe should be just as smart as the gal wearing it. Her designs are classic and perfectly tailored to fit your petite frames. To ensure a perfect fit every time, Dawn invites clients to schedule personal tailoring appointments — with evening and weekends available to accomodate those with busy schedules. You can book online.

Here’s how personal tailoring works:
When you order a Moi Même garment or petite women’s suit, a style consultant helps you select the most flattering and appropriate style, fabric and lining color — taking into consideration your petite body proportions, work environment and professional goals. The style consultant takes 20 comprehensive body measurements, five garment measurements and a handful of photographs.

Your order is then given to a Moi-Même tailor, where it is crafted against your chosen garment. From measuring to final delivery, your custom-made petite clothing will arrive within four short weeks! And because you’re sure to love the results, Moi-Même keeps your measurements on file for ease in ordering next time around.

On my recent trip to The Big Apple, I had the pleasure to sit down with Dawn Verbrigghe, CEO and founder of Moi-Même. We met at her showroom in the Garment District and chatted about suiting women, petite sizing, fashion and her fabulous line, Moi-Même.

After all of my sampling, I’m absolutely excited with the quality of each piece. Moi-Même will thrill women looking for proper, high-quality suiting. Not just the fabric, mind you, but the immaculate tailoring of her line. And because each piece is custom-fitted, there is nary a sizing tag.

Dawn walked me through the new fall collection and I have to say the new fall tweeds rule. (I want a Reykjavik coat in tweed. So hot!) Soft wools and tweeds flatter like nothing else. And, since the U.S. is moving away from fast fashion, purchasing those classic pieces is a worth-it investment for your wardrobe.

And because many of her customers are petite and 5′2″, she can easily identify her best-selling pieces for our frames: Reykjavik jacket, Buenos Aires pencil skirt, Singapore sheath dress and, of course, all pants.

We all know what an issue it is to find pants that fit perfectly without a tailor-made overhaul. So Dawn took it upon herself to study us petite gals, coming to our shared conclusion: the rise of a regular pant is too long. Same with the leg length.  All of which are perfected in her line. It was extremely interesting to hear about her line and the petite sizing of her customers; she mentioned that women have left the showroom in tears because they are so happy to finally find clothing that fits.

When I asked her about what was next on her list she said: shirting. Because, in general, they are too long for petite gals. And buttonhole placement makes them difficult to alter. Dawn is embracing this challenge — Moi-Même will launch a new shirt line at the beginning of 2009. I’ve seen the samples, and let me tell you, they are lovely!

The details: three colors to choose from with more coming later next year. The ‘Dublin’ shirts fit, ladies. The construction is well-thought and precisely what every petite woman needs in her closet. They’re sewn from a cotton-stretch fabric and the button area is covered by a plackin to hide any peekage from the twins. Plus, they’re machine washable and iron free. We couldn’t be luckier with this upcoming shirt.  Say farewell to that hefty bill at the cleaners.

I simply can’t rave enough about Moi-Même and Dawn. Her commitment to fashion is evident in her designs — but it doesn’t stop there. Dawn is also a professor at Parsons and writes a fashion column for 85 Broads, using her business as a case study. It was a true delight to meet her and I look forward to meeting up with her again in the near future. Her entrepreneurship and the success of her line was a real inspiration. (Stay tuned for Part Two: The Fall Collection…)

Wool suiting for me is always a highlight of every fall collection. As an Angelena, I’ve been thrilled to wear my wool when it gets chilly (now its a choice — it used to be a necessity). BCBG has a few great pieces with sizing that starts in XXS this season. Their suits this year are much more lovely than the last few seasons, and the designs won’t date too quickly. You will most-likely need to hem the pants but its worth it – the suiting is stunning.

As a professional woman and an XXS, I’m always looking for the right business attire. BCBG has always been one of my favorite lines to rock the boardroom. They do not disappoint; dress it up or dress it down their suiting will travel to Hong Kong with all the bling and minimal rumple.

Moi-Même is your one stop petite shop for professional attire made to fit the only body that really matters — yours.

And, ladies, I’m thrilled to announce that Moi-Même is offering serafina readers a $50 discount off orders through September 30, 2008. Yep, that’s right, stock up on your custom apparel for fall!

Just a few simple rules apply:

- To get your discount you must show a print out of Moi-Même discount entry from serafinablog.com to redeem (just print out the page), or mention the ‘serafina discount’ in your email order.

- One discount per shopper.

- Each discount may be redeemed only once.

- Discount expires on September 30, 2008, if not redeemed (so get your orders in!)

- You can’t redeem your discount for cash.

Also, don’t forget to join the Moi-Même mailing list to stay abreast of all new info about the line. Thanks again Dawn!

*Moi-Même reserves the right to change gift certificate terms and conditions at its discretion.

Girls, have you been longing for those classic staple pieces for your wardrobe but can never find them because you are a 00 and under 5’2”? Well you can sit back and relax because Below Zero Petites founder Debbiann has just made your life a whole lot easier.

I spoke with Debbiann about her first line this week.

Below Zero Petites is a new company that caters to the small-framed petite woman less than 5’ 2” who happens to have some curves. They differ from other petite lines as they cut in smaller proportions than the average 0 and 00.

Below Zero Petites offers four classic, sophisticated pieces necessary for every woman’s wardrobe: a suit, wrap dress, cocktail dress and elegant nightgown. Understandably, when you’re small its exceedingly difficult to find proper pieces that don’t need to be taken to a tailor.

“We provide a line of clothing that will proportionately dress you like the beautiful woman you are. We specialize in smaller than petite size clothing to fit the small stature women – Our first line of clothing will present the basics that every sophisticated, working or stay-at-home mom should have in her closet.”

Their garments are not vanity sized. The dimensions of the line will continue to be consistent with every piece of clothing that they design and cut.

Debbieann went on to say, “I would love to say that I am a size zero, but the truth of the matter is that I cannot find a size zero that accurately fits my small frame. I am a small -framed petite woman who has a plus size personality who loves clothes.”

“The lack of small framed petite clothing in the apparel industry is what got me motivated by the void in the industry to design clothes that respectfully, empower, the small-framed petite professional women to feel successful and powerful and to be taken seriously.”

“Below Zero Petites came to conception out of my own personal frustration as an educator who could not find professional clothes that fit my small framed petite body. I created my line of clothing– after years of exhausting myself from trying to find a name brand that didn’t vanity size a size zero. Below Zero Petites is a clothing line that is true to its name and sizes. Our XS petite starts out with a 29 bust/ 22 waist / 27 inseam and our XL petite ends with a 34 bust/ 25 waist/ 28 inseam.”

If you aren’t in the 0 or 00 range rest assured they are offering sizing that runs SP to XLP. Because as you know, being petite doesn’t necessarily mean ‘petite’ – just that you’re short. Questions? Send Debbiann an email or check out her sizing chart.

Us petites, we know a thing or three about a tailored fit, and how it’s near impossible to find it off the rack. So we all deserve to know about Moi Meme, Dawn Verbrigghe’s oh-so-appropriate personal tailoring service. Dawn is serafina’s guest editor for May. Take it away Dawn!

Like you — and most American women — I have a hard time finding off-the-rack clothing that fits. It all started when I moved to NYC from California a few years ago and realized the skirt suits I wore in California were too lightweight to get me through a New York winter. I spent months shopping for a smart, stylish pant suit (my legs are too long for most pants). To no avail. So I began thinking about custom apparel.

Last year, I launched my own custom fashion business, Moi-Meme Attire. We design two collections each year, and tailor our garments made-to-measure for our customers. We meet customers by appointment only at our showroom in the Garment District.

My mission with the business is to help women find stylish and great-fitting, custom-designed clothing — regardless of their size — at an affordable price. And we work with many petites. As I began writing this entry for serafina, I searched my database and discovered that fully 44% of my customers have a natural waist measurement of 28” or smaller. Our petite customers look to us for contemporary professional attire, which is more difficult to find in petite departments.

Our petite bestsellers include the Reykjavik jacket, Cairns pencil skirt and Cape Town pant. The Reykjavik jacket is new for spring/summer, and we designed it with petites in mind. The waistband is perfectly flattering and the fabric below the waistband is symmetrical with the fabric above the waistband (to the top button), so it evens out a petite’s proportions.

The Cape Town pant is simply a great fit. Because everything is custom, the rise will be the correct length and the waistband rests wherever you prefer on the body. Hemming, of course, is included.

Also new for s/s and great for petites: the Singapore shift dress. The waistband features a topstitch detail that matches that of the Reykjavik jacket, so they go well together. In a vertical stripe fabric (with a horizontal stripe waistband), you petites look long and lean.

As for shipping internationally, the answer is “yes,” but with the same caveat as any out-of-NYC order: measurements must still be taken by a trained Moi-Même Style Consultant and we are not responsible for alterations made outside our showroom (naturally).

Questions for Dawn? Leave a comment for a response!

Petite professionals, hear this: You don’t have to settle for Ann Taylor (and the like) for smart office attire.

Follow my lead: I frequent BCBG for stylish work clothes. And why? Because its size 0 / XXS fits me oh-so-well with a line that caters to a size 32 bust, 25 waist, and 35 hip.

BCBG suits are equal parts sexy and professional. Size XXS is a comfortable fit around the shoulders, and the leg length is perfect — a reoccuring problem for little me. I wear BCBG’s suits almost exclusively — not only for the fit, but because the colors and fabrics are more appealing than the usual, bland neutral-toned petite suits.

While in NYC last weekend, I paid a visit to the Flatiron BCBG boutique on 5th Avenue. And, as expected, its sales staff was duly educated in BCBG merchandise and sizing. So I asked about petite sizing, and just how many of those coveted sizes arrive per order. This particular shop generally orders five size XXSs in tops and dresses, and five size 0s in pants and skirts, and only one or two size 5s in all shoe and boot styles.

All things considered, I’m impressed.

Most shops order a mere one XXS size per style, and even that varies per order. Same goes for retail boutiques and larger stores such as Nordstrom’s and Dillard’s.

Another BCBG option for XXS is their BCBGirls lines. And while the styles are a bit more youthful, its flare adds a much-needed kick to the solid colors and straight lines of a typical professional gal’s wardrobe. Their size chart varies from BCBG: the size 0 / XS caters to a size 32 bust, 25 waist and 35 hip.

BCBG locations run the gamut in SoCal. In LA, you can find BCBG XXS sizes at the following locations:

BCBG: Max Azria - Hollywood & Highland Center
6801 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 463–1922

BCBG: Max Azria - Rodeo Drive
443 North Rodeo Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 275–3024

BCBGirls & BCBG: Max Azria - Melrose
8026 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 658–8083

BCBGirls at BCBGirls - Citadel Outlets
100 Citadel Drive
Commerce, CA 90040
(323) 722–8313

The best BCBG boutiques in NYC:

BCBGMAXAZRIA - Flatiron
168 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10010
(212) 989–7307

BCBGMAXAZRIA - SoHo
120 Wooster Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 625–2723