Categories
Designer Notes

Animal Advocacy & Rescue

Cynthia Ivey Abitz in her “Wolfie Wagon” with a rescued dog named Pepper during an animal rescue transport mission.

Animal rescue has always been important to me, even as a child. Over the past 25 years, it has become part of my daily life. Josh and I have only ever had rescued cats and dogs in our family. During the past 14 years, we have given homes to senior dogs and puppy mill rescues that are difficult to place. They are usually the first to be euthanized at animal control facilities. Ironically, they are the most amazing souls I’ve ever known, and my life has been transformed in the best of ways because of them. Because of their love and examples, animal advocacy becomes more important to me as each day passes.

Cynthia gets cats named Ember and Bella settled into the rescue transport van before heading to their new lives in New York.

Animal control facilities in the United States are reporting record numbers of strays and owner surrenders in recent months. To help keep euthanasia at bay, I organize rescue transport missions. I pull dogs and cats from animal control facilities that are overcapacity and bring them to New York where longtime no-kill animal sanctuaries and rescue groups find homes for them.

Cynthia meets one of the dear dogs she pulled from animal control. He was #210 at the facility. Now, he has the dignified name of Mr. George Emerson.

Several cats saved and ready for a life of comfort, joy, and love.
Ember watches calmly and waits.

One of the most satisfying things in the world is to see a terrified dog and cat just pulled from animal control decompress and relax in the rescue transport van. I try and find homes for those most in need, like senior dogs and senior cats that are FIV+. Those are the most triumphant placements. It is so heartening when a rescue groups steps up and says, “Yes, I can help them!”

A relay rescue transport. Here Cynthia is meeting a volunteer midway between Maryland and New York. Several more dogs and cats were pulled from animal control, and homes were found for them in the Hudson Valley, New York, and New York City.

I’ve met some of the kindest people through this endeavor, too. Just a few minutes of reading the news leads me to believe there is no hope in the world. These rescue transport missions always prove the opposite to be true.

It is a joy to work with likeminded people who want to make a change for the better. It is inspiring to see these collective actions make life’s pendulum swing toward goodness. I’m so grateful for all of the rescue group directors and volunteers that step up to help. Without them, these rescue missions would not be possible.

Josh Ivey Abitz and Cynthia Ivey Abitz on one of their rescue transport trips with six dogs and five cats, just pulled from animal control into safety.

Have you ever heard of the No-Kill 2025 Initiative? Well, you have now! The goal is to make the United States a no-kill animal control country by 2025. It can happen through things like trap-neuter-return programs, people stepping up to provide foster homes, and coordinating connections between animal control facilities and sanctuary shelters that help find permanent homes for the animals.

If you’re in the New York area, contact us. We’d love to have you part of our next animal rescue transport! We need rescue transport drivers as well as short stay sanctuary/foster homes for dogs and cats. These types of homes are crucial for us to help save lives. It gives rescue groups time to organize and prepare for the animals that have just been pulled to safety from animal control. It is such a rewarding mission, and it would be wonderful to have you part of it!

–Cynthia Ivey Abitz

Categories
Designer Notes Media and Press

Ivey Abitz Empowers Women with Joyful History Inspired Collection

Read the press release for the 2022 Summer Collection here.

NEW YORK – July 5, 2022 – PRLog — The new Ivey Abitz summer collection, “100 Looks of Summer,” seeks to empower women with joyful clothing.

Artist/designer Cynthia Ivey Abitz looked to art from the first world war and the 1918 pandemic to see how artists countered the trials of their time.

“The undeniable parallels between life one hundred years ago and life today resonated with me,” said artist/designer Cynthia Ivey Abitz. “I looked to bold palettes and positive messages from the past for hopeful clues about how to endure the present.”

Ivey Abitz went one step further by adding inspirational directives to her paintings. She chose credos that drive her own life and artwork.

Cynthia Ivey Abitz painting in her studio.

“While reading the news, it often feels like the world has derailed, and I need to be reminded of the basic tenets that I believe give a life purpose and meaning,” Ivey Abitz explained. “My hope is that the clothing Ivey Abitz creates and puts into the world will be a guidepost on the path to living everyday life with intention.”

Part of living life with intention for Ivey Abitz comes in the form of keeping her business small and local. The clothing is made in New York by a select few tailors who adhere to a high standard of quality. Garments are sold directly to customers through IveyAbitz.com.

“As an artist, I savour each and every interaction with clients. They are wrapping themselves in my creations, and I consider it a great honour. That willingness to live within a work of art is a big part of the definition of success for me,” said Ivey Abitz.

Each Ivey Abitz garment is made only when a customer orders, which reduces waste and overhead. Ivey Abitz believes her garments are the antidote to fast fashion and a source of daily joy for those who wear them.

“It is essential to clothe ourselves in aesthetic ideals and to be kind to our bodies and the Earth. Wearing Ivey Abitz is an act of defiance against the worldly woes that claw for our good humor each and every day,” she said.

For Ivey Abitz, the key to reclaiming that good humor lies in wearing clothing that brings joy.

“My designs are cloaks of intent. They are the arms of the warmest, most caring embrace, saying, ‘C’mon. Savor it. There is joy in the journey!'”

The Ivey Abitz 2022 Summer collection of bespoke clothing is sold exclusively at the designer’s website, IveyAbitz.com.

Categories
Designer Notes

Beacon of Hope

 

An important part of our mission at Ivey Abitz is to celebrate individuality. But this week we also experienced solidarity. We received an extra outpouring of gratitude from clients finding solace in their Ivey Abitz clothing. We’re so grateful to our beloved clients across the country – and the world – for sharing your hopes and fears with us. You continue to show grace and love through your words, and you exemplify how we can find hope in our everyday lives.

What clients are saying this week…

“Thank you for putting beauty out into the world. We need it now, more than ever before.”

“I’ve worn my favourite Ivey Abitz outfits all week. It is helping me through this difficult time.”

“The clothing you make for me is a beacon of hope.”

“We must surround ourselves with beauty and goodness. Thank you for being a refuge for me.”

“My new fall clothing arrived this week, just when I needed it most. It helps empower me to get out into the world and continue working hard to make this world a better place.”

Categories
Designer Notes

Gilbert and the Gilbert Cardigan

Meet Gilbert, namesake of the Gilbert Cardigan

Gilbert with his fabric swatches for bowties, given to him by his fabric friends in NYC.
Gilbert with his fabric swatches for bowties, given to him by his fabric friends in NYC.

Gilbert inspecting fabrics from his favourite travel bag, where he feels safe.
Gilbert inspecting fabrics from his favourite travel bag, where he feels safe.

The Limited Edition Gilbert Cardigan was named after one of our four-footed children. Gilbert was rescued from a wretched puppy mill in 2013. Thankfully, he wasn’t filling his puppy-making quota, so he was surrendered to WeHelpAnimals.net, a rescue group run by our dear friends in Tennessee. He’s been an absolute joy to have in our lives.

Because of his smaller size and quiet disposition, Gilbert frequently accompanies me on many outings. His favourite outing is visiting our fabric makers in New York City where he gets doted on with treats and fabric swatches for bowties. His sweetness, quirkiness, and playfulness is emulated in the playful stripes and comfort of the Gilbert Cardigan.

May Gilbert’s namesake cardigan become a faithful everyday companion for you as well.

– Cynthia Ivey Abitz

Limited Edition Gilbert Cardigan from Limited Edition 2016 Collection, as shown in our comfortable and versatile Inkwell/Natural White Textured Striped Knit.
Limited Edition Gilbert Cardigan from Limited Edition 2016 Collection, as shown in our comfortable and versatile Inkwell/Natural White Textured Striped Knit.

Categories
Client Stories Leslie in North Carolina

Go Everywhere and Do Everything in Ivey Abitz

Go Everywhere and Do Everything in Ivey Abitz

This has been a motto for quite some time for us, and it’s a wonderful thing to see it firsthand in our clients’ lives. Comfort and beauty are relevant for hardworking women.

We’d like all of you to meet a new client that has become quite special to us. A farmer, veterinarian, and artist, Leslie has appreciated Ivey Abitz for years and placed her first order from Summer 2016.

Along with these beautiful photos of Leslie working her farm wearing Ivey Abitz, we received a heartfelt note from Leslie included below.

Leslie working on her North Carolina farm wearing her Ivey Abitz Phinneus Coat Dress in Wolfie Grey Crinkled Voile.
Leslie working on her North Carolina farm wearing her Ivey Abitz Phinneus Coat Dress in Wolfie Grey Crinkled Voile.

Leslie working on her North Carolina farm wearing her Ivey Abitz Phinneus Coat Dress in Wolfie Grey Crinkled Voile.
Leslie working on her North Carolina farm wearing her Ivey Abitz Phinneus Coat Dress in Wolfie Grey Crinkled Voile.

My Phinneus Coat Dress arrived today. My fingers brushed its material as I pushed aside the tissue paper wrapping. I was immediately compelled to grasp the beautiful and surprisingly soft steel gray bundle without unfolding it and hold it against my cheek, relishing in its coolness. I let the fabric flow over my hands as I unfolded it and gazed upon my very first Ivey Abitz creation…sigh…..I am truly blessed. Thank you.

-Leslie in North Carolina

Thanks to Leslie – and her husband’s photography – for sharing a glimpse of beauty with all of us.

Categories
Designer Notes

Cottage Design Collection by Ivey Abitz

A cottage.

A getaway that’s all your own.

A refuge from the have-to’s and the must-do’s.

Cottages come in different forms: a room set apart from the rest of your home, a cabin in the mountains or by the seaside, or a moment in time where you can shut out the world and surround yourself with comforts.

This is the new Cottage Design Collection — Cottage Camisole, Cottage Trousers, and Cottage Frock. They have a put-together quality about them, yet their abundant ease fills you with the comfort that makes the idea of a cottage so very profound.

We invite you to come to our Cottage and make it your very own. Find your getaway Cottage in Ivey Abitz, and order your favourites straight away!

Categories
Designer Notes

A Great Traveler and Top Layer

Wispy White/Pond Floral Voile

Romantic without being too sentimental. It is the perfect play of blue and white hues.

Wispy White/Pond Floral Voile in Look No. 1 of the Ivey Abitz Summer Look Book
Wispy White/Pond Floral Voile in Look No. 1 of the Ivey Abitz Summer Look Book

The floral motif flits and floats across the 100 percent French cotton voile.

Semi-transparent.

Wispy White/Pond Floral Voile in Look No. 1 of the Ivey Abitz Summer Look Book allows other fabrics to show through for a special layering effect.
Note how the Wispy White Floral top fabric allows the plaid fabric of the frock beneath to show through.

Ideal for layering in extremely hot weather.

Wispy White/Pond Floral Voile is a great choice for your Ivey Abitz sash or scarf for summer.
Wispy White/Pond Floral Voile is a great choice for your Ivey Abitz sash or scarf for summer.

Great traveler because it looks better crushed. Spritz with water, twist, and it is refreshed and lovely.

Simply hand wash cold and line dry, or gentle cycle cold and tumble dry on low heat.

Categories
Designer Notes

Fabric Spotlight – Faded Rose Washed Plaid Gauze

Faded Rose Washed Plaid Gauze, a light layering fabric for summer from Ivey Abitz.
Faded Rose Washed Plaid Gauze

Faded Rose Washed Plaid Gauze – Our double layered Italian cotton gauze is the most intricate and complicated gauze we have EVER met. It is incredible.

Truly incredible.

The play between the bolder and more faded design in the plaid plays tricks on your eyes, drawing you in even closer to it.

It is so breezy, but there is great coverage, considering it is a cotton gauze.

A hue note: the Faded Rose hue is really in the plaid. It is subtle in comparison to the black, but it is there, and it is what makes this gauze for us.

This fabric is a great traveler because it looks better crushed. Spritz with water, twist, and it is refreshed and lovely.

Simply hand wash cold and line dry.

This fabric is featured in Ivey Abitz Summer 2014 looks 6, 42, and 48.

Look 48 features the Cilla Slip Frock Flood Length in in Faded Rose Washed Plaid Gauze by Ivey Abitz.
Look 48 features the Cilla Slip Frock Flood Length in in Faded Rose Washed Plaid Gauze.

Note how the plaid is used on the bias in certain layers of garments to add contrast and cause that extremely pleasurable sensation of feeling beautiful.

Categories
Designer Notes photos

A Great Ivey Abitz Starter Set

An Ivey Abitz clothing ensemble as ordered by a client.
A great Ivey Abitz starter set.

These garments were ordered to be worn just as you see them here. The Cozette Skirt was also chosen to be worn with other garments like the Hambledon Duster Coat, Truitt Jacket, Holkham Hall Vest, and Amorette Shirt Jacket to name a few. This is a great example of a “starter set” in Ivey Abitz where you can easily expand your wardrobe with just one ensemble. Mixing and matching possibilities are plentiful.

Holkham Hall Shirt in Black and White Striped Cotton Scrim
Holkham Hall Necktie in Black and White Plaid Cotton Voile
Cavendish Cardigan in Black Checked Netting
Cozette Skirt in Signature Black Ribbed Weave

Find them all here: IveyAbitz.com

Categories
Designer Notes photos

Go-to frock of the season

This just shipped out…

Clothing by Ivey Abitz.
This just shipped to an Ivey Abitz client.

The Addy in plaid, as well as our other frocks, have been the go-to frock of the season. Here’s another ensemble that was just made for a client, combining our Foggy Cotton Velvet Corduroy with our Foggy/Black Soft Plaid Cotton. A Baedeker Scarf in our Signature Black Ribbed Weave is as comfortable and versatile as it is lovely draped around the neck. The bias cut pleating in our Mathilda designs feature the variegated cording in the cotton velvet, making a striking addition to the ensemble.