When May arrives, it’s time to get out and show off those clothes some and what better occasion is there than a picnic? Here are a few pictures that were taken at a picnic at Rancho Los Camulos in California. Enjoy!

Color is an important element in all Lilly Absinthe designs and we like to incorporate different, yet complementary colors such as a butter yellow parasol and olive green gloves.

Spring colors at their best – The dark red rose and the surrounding greenery provide a contrast to the dress, yet it all works in harmony.

Once again, spring colors in their full glory.

As can be seen from the above, dark lavender is the order of the day and it shows up beautifully in a sun-light rose garden- the colors are quite complimentary. There is something to be said about springtime in California. 🙂

As for the dress itself, here are a few details from Karin:

The dress itself is based off an original dress c. 1879 – 1880 and is constructed of all printed cotton lawn, over dyed to match some taffeta I already had for the knife pleating at the hem. The embroidered part, I threw in the dye bath.* All the layers of the skirt are sewn together at the waist, each shirred panel is flat lined on cotton in a deeper shade of violet, so it would show through the sheer fashion fabric.

Day Dress c. 1878 – 1880, constructed of white cotton batiste; Metropolitan Museum of Art

And there it is- from original to here at Lily Absinthe!

Below are a few more pictures from the picnic. It was a pretty low-key affair.

Contemplating designs for future offerings by Lily Absinthe…

The Lily Absinthe design team on location at Rancho Los Camulos. It was a good day.

Overall, it was a beautiful day and it gave us an opportunity to get out of the studio and enjoy some spring air.

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