4 minute read
Longfellow Serenade
Personal Personal s s ho ho PP PP er er Longfellow Serenade
Fledgling couturière brook DeLorme demonstrates creation needn’t be a private act.
Amid considerable fanfare, University of Rochester psychologists have recently confirmed that men can’t help but be attracted to women wearing red… so why fight it? Jane Babirak takes it up a notch in this Mobius Dress in red-orange soy/organic cotton, $130.
hrough large bay windows spilling onto Longfellow Square, elegantly draped mannequins seize the attention of passersby in Portland. But the mystery persists: This isn’t a store, so what exactly is it?
Brook DeLorme, 29, owner and designer of Brook There (and daughter of DeLorme Publishing founder David DeLorme), says, “The window displays here are really just simple mannequins which help introduce my line to the community.” Simple or complex, these eye-catching mannequins, dressed in tubeshirts, tangled dresses, and more, are the best company Henry Longfellow’s had in a very long time.
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Babirak hits the coast button in this Mod Pieced Dress in organic cotton and citrus hemp/silk at Mackworth Island in Falmouth, $136.
Babirak channels Coco Chanel in DeLorme’s lissom Pieced Dress in black organic cotton twill inside a snowswept farmhouse in Freeport, $196.
The atelier, where Brook and associate Anna Ray design and meet with retailers, is clearly piquing interest. “I loved this studio the minute I saw it because of the light and Raw & Raw & Sweet the big windows. I really appreciated the opportunity to put my garments up where the community can see them. It’s wonderful to have people tell me they saw the windows and thought the designs were really interesting. “Sewing and fashion design suit me since it’s both practical and creative. I started making dresses for myself when I was 13, using vintage 1960s Vogue and Butterick patterns and bright-colored fabrics. I also worked for five years at my father’s business, DeLorme Maps. Learning about technology and business there was very important to what I do now with fashion. I always knew I’d come back to designing full time. “Clothing, ideally, makes someone feel unique, approachable, and at ease. Comfort’s very important to me, but I want my pieces to look fashionable, so comfort has to come from soft fabric or a perfect fit. “Bamboo’s a very silky fabric; most of the
Framed by her window for passFramed by her window for passersby, Brook DeLorme, 29, burns ersby, Brook DeLorme, 29, burns the midnight oil in her studio on the midnight oil in her studio on Longfellow Square in Portland. Longfellow Square in Portland.
Little Black DressLittle Black Dress
Snappy Details
Babirak adjusts for the season in her optional Hoodie in slate soy/organic cotton, $135.
Snappy
Bamboo blends I use feel like they’re a silk jersey. I also use a lot of organic cotton–washing and dying it myself, so the result has the texture of a well-loved t-shirt.”
Having always admired the comfort and utility of Coco Chanel’s iconic suits, “I’m now inspired, almost exclusively, by thought processes or emotional states,” with feelings her raw material as surely as silk. It’s as though–taking a page from her dad–she’s out to map the human heart.
“This is somewhat of an abstract place to start, but it guides my design process,” says DeLorme. Which quite naturally leads us to
her reason for the name Brook There…
“‘There’ reminds me of someplace else, a place of fantasy,” she says. “That’s how I want someone to feel when wearing my designs.
“At 21, as a MECA student, I started selling some of the garments I was making. My designs were often theoretical and had a raw aesthetic, lots of detailing, and very feminine cuts. Those traits are still with me,” but with some frankly sensual twists.
Especially striking is the hidden detailing in DeLorme’s designs, including colorful facings on reverse sides of garments and shirts Craftsmen with Natural Stone and Tile
Photo by Brian Vanden Brink
47 Park Drive Topsham 725.7309 MorningstarMarble.com
with thumbholes faced with bright silk prints. “I think the wearer should enjoy a secret identification with her garment,” she says.
“My fall line was inspired by the emotional notion of tangled,” says DeLorme–confronting viewers in red, pink, and lavender, to black, gray, and copper. Downshifting, “our Spring line is inspired by a foggy morning,” in whites and grays to lavender, citrus, and blues. “I prefer having multiple colors from one side of the spectrum, or combining a neutral with a bright.
“If you’re culturally aware, you can’t help but design for the moment,” she says. To catch your moment in a Brook There design, visit Whole Foods in Portland, Bliss in Portland & Portsmouth, the Velvet Ribbon in Brookline, Massachusetts, and www.brookthere.com. n
