The Fabrics (and care of said fabrics) of Mode Merr

Good Evening Readers,
   I hope everyone braved the storm and came away with very few problems. 

The author in her first Mode Merr skirt. MV 2010

   As many of you may remember, I got my first Mode Merr skirt at the Garment District in Cambridge. It was a red, very fitted, straight skirt with an almost full length jaguar going up one side. The fabric was a great summer weight (think a slightly thicker poplin), with a bit of stretch to it. I was impressed with the fabric because it was not flimsy, as I have found with other independent designers, and it seemed to hug all the right spots. The second Mode Merr skirt I bought was somewhat similar. It was bright green and it had that great jaguar creeping up one of my thighs (but this skirt was high waisted). But what was significantly different was the fabric. It still had the same great stretch and fit as before, but this was a much heavier fabric. This new green jaguar skirt became my go to skirt. I have worn it to just about everything. (Work Holiday parties, dinner with the boyfriend's family, etc.) I love it so much, I even have a collection of Perfect Skirts in different colors of this same fabric.

Hostess with the Mostess

Lime Green Perfect Skirt

   I have been talking a lot with Angela about fabrics. Exactly what is Mode Merr made of? (Aside from great fashion sense and style, of course?) Well, those perfect skirts I love so much? They are made of medium to heavy weight Lycra twill (3% Lycra). They are super comfortable and like I said, they enhance all the right places. There are other skirts (of which I also own) that are made of stretchy satin. Mode Merr peasant tops are made of something called Stretch Bengaline. Some of the peasant tops have Cotton Poplin on top, Satin, and most recently,  Poly Satin stretch lace. 


This is what Angela had to say when I asked her what the fabrics for Fall 2011 were like.

"The Lime Perfect Skirt is a heavy weight cotton Lycra twill.

 The Leopard & Black Fitted Peasant Blouse is stretch velvet for the whole
blouse, including the black and under bust.

Go Getter Dress in Leopard

The Go Getter Dress is a machine washable poly peach skin micro-fiber.

The Serious Business Dress is a very soft Cotton, poly, lycra blend.

The Hostess with the Mostess Dress is made of stretch ruby brocade Poly, Rayon Lycra brocade-dry clean or hand wash cold line dry.

The Sacred Brocade is a Poly Rayon blend, non-stretch mixed with black cotton Lycra twill. The black frilly Peasant is made of black stretch Bengaline with a Poly stretch net ruffle."

What Angela wanted me (and in turn ,you) to know, most importantly, was that the fabrics are what inspire her designs. (Thank goodness that they do! :)

Serious Business Dress

As for care of your Mode Merr clothing... As you can see above a few of the pieces must be dry cleaned. Here are some tips I have figured out on my own over the last 2 years. If you get a spot on say, your pink Mode Merr Perfect Skirt. First, treat the stain with a stain stick. Place the Perfect Skirt in a garment bag and wash it alone (if you have something black with like colors, it is ok to wash them together, but for a lighter color it just makes sense to wash it alone) on a gentle cycle. When it is all done in the machine, hang it up to dry or lay it on a drying rack. When it is dry, iron it. (You will be glad you did.) Then wear it and look and feel gorgeous. For peasant tops, I put them all in their own garment bags and wash them in gentle cycles. I either hang dry or dry them on a rack. Please, please, please do not dry your Mode Merr clothes in a dryer! These are beautiful hand made garments. If you want to extend their life and their fabulousness you will let them air dry, even though you really want to wear a particular piece immediately. Also, use common sense. If you have a huge stain, take it to the dry cleaners. It will be worth it.

Leopard Fitted Blouse

  Remember, the Mode Merr Fall Fashion Spectacular will be on September 10th. (This will be a stylin' way to kick off Autumn.) Get your tickets if you have not already. (There is limited seating, and why shouldn't you save $5 by buying in advance?) Have I mentioned that there will be a boutique set up at Church? (The venue, Sillies, we don't think that the clergy would approve of shopping in a sacred place, although if they did, everyone would look so delicious!) 

   Until next time. <3

Flyering Boston and Mode Merr Fall Fashion Spectacular Press Release

Good Evening, Mode Merr Fans,

This has been a busy week of flyering for me around Boston, namely in Jamaica Plain and Cambridge. Angela was kind enough to give me flyers and postcards (designed by the lovely and talented Beck Rustic). My crusade began in JP, which is my hood. I went about to Eye Q, where I got my fantastic cat eye spectacles last Spring and Got Sole, a cool store to buy new kicks. I dropped flyers at JP Licks, Real Deal, Kitchen Witch, Station 8 (go check out Gia, she does fantastic brows!), Salmagundi (hats for ladies and gents) and Boomerangs. Needless to say, perhaps I should not have worn my pink heels that day. 

The following day I was able to post at Kookoo Cafe at Brookline, which has fantastic coffee. Cambridge was next on the list. Flyers can be seen at Hootenanny, Raspberry Beret and Hourglass Tattoo, which luckily already had postcards and just needed a flyer (thanks, Amy!). For the vintage minded among you, The Cambridge Antiques Market has been tagged. For those of you who are driven by their tummies, like I am, my fantastic and piratic boyfriend posted at Poe's Kitchen at the Rattlesnake (where he works) and at Bukowskis in Inman Square. If you want to get an up close look at our lovely flyer (or want food, coffee, eyeglasses, shoes, hats, ice cream, etc.) stop into one of these classy joints and check it out!


I have to say my flyering experience has been a fun and positive one. People are friendly and genuinely seem impressed by Mode Merr and our product. People get excited about the style and especially the fact that it is made in the USA, and always will be. I truly hope that all the interested folks show up and support a local designer. <3

Below is the press release, written by Irene Fazio, as well as the stunning flyer for the Moder Merr Fall Fashion Spectacular. (Check out the entertainment!!) Remember to buy tickets now, as the venue can only hold about 200 guests.

Calling all modern day pin-ups, the infamous Mode Merr Fall Fashion Spectacular finally makes its way to Boston. After several successful shows in New York, New England native Angela Zampell brings her label back to her roots for a retro- fabulous afternoon of fashion, cocktails, scintillating sirens and most importantly SHOPPING! Saturday September 10th, 2011 - Spend a glamorous afternoon sipping cocktails while enjoying live music, tantalizing burlesque performances and the notorious Mode Merr fashion show. Catch a sneak peak of Mode Merr’s newest designs for Fall and Winter in sizes
xxs-xxxl in their pop-up boutique at Church, during the event. Be one of the first to own some of the newest Mode Merr designs. In addition to lovely ladies strolling the catwalk in the latest Mode Merr; the audience will be delighted by the off-color, yet incredibly sexy musical satire of the Steamy Bohemians, Boston’s new favorite rockin’ girl-fronted band the Skeleton Beats and saucy performances by Boston’s sweethearts Thru the Keyhole Burlesque.

*Mode Merr*
Founded in 1989 by Boston's girl genius Angela
Zampell, Mode Merr is a line of edgy retro women's
clothing made in New England with an international fan
base of loyal customers from boardrooms to burlesque
halls.

“If anyone knows how to combine fashion and partying into one exciting afternoon, it’s Zampell, who’s even impressed
designer Jean Paul Gaultier with her collection. Not only is the audience being introduced to some of burlesque’s
hottest dancers since queen bee Dita Von Teese, but they’re also discovering one of the few existing labels that
celebrate glamour in an array of sizes. ‘I don’t like the stagnant shows where the models don’t relate to the audience,’
Zampell says.’ I make clothes for the girl next door with curves.”
- Stephanie Nolasco, Splash Magazine, NYC

“Mode Merr designs are classic and streamlined; the perfect foundations for a fantastic retro wardrobe, yet unique so
as not to be deemed “basic”. Even if you’re not dramatically into pin-up, there's no telling how many creative vintage
looks you can create with their elegant “Perfect Black Pencil Skirt.”
- Hope Adela Pasztor

www.chictopia.com
http://www.modemerr.com
Mode Merr Fashion Show Spectacular - 2009
by Suzanne Hillinger
http://vimeo.com/9938731

*Steamy Bohemians*:
“Thwack together vaudevillian comic chops, astounding musicality, and oodles of quirky sex appeal and you’ve got the
Steamy Bohemians, Boston’s very own darlings of debauchery. Part glam rock, part stand-up comedy, and all sass,
steamy duo Lainey Schulbaum and Niki Luparelli seductively tickle audiences with songs like “Second Cousin,” and
“The Ballad of the Bastard,” which the ladies claim are inspired by “chaos, cultural discontent, and gender polarity.
Though their banter rivals Lucy and Ethel and their lyrics are borderline absurd, these broads offer more than just a
kitschy hook. Both are classically trained sopranos, and Schulbaum’s guitar playing will rock your pretty little face off.”
- Boston Phoenix

*Skeleton Beats*
The Skeleton Beats are a brand new band formed this year by Amy Von Eerie (ex Ghouls Night Out & Pulp 45) whose
focus is high energy riffs that ooze with the influences of 70’s punk, garage and 50’s rock and roll. Amy's vocal styling
has been described as a female Eddie Cochran with a growl for the blues and she continues to growl even more
leading the Skeleton Beats. This band is an all star cast of ex Boston band members from Pulp 45, Mourningside,
Photon Torpedoes and Red Invasion. Each member donates their individual style to produce an explosion of rock that
will fuse to your soul! With Mike Rancid on drums, Joey Two-Fingers on bass and K-rock on lead guitar, this group's
rhythms will really shake your bones!

*Thru the Keyhole Burlesque*
Boston’s longest running and most playful burlesque troupe, shimmying since 2002! From Maine to Connecticut, TKB
keeps New England entertained with saucy costumes, imaginative props, obscure musical selections and a kicky
chorus line.
http://www.facebook.com/thruthekeyholeburlesque

Mode Merr Fall Fashion Spectacular
Saturday, September 10th
1:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Tickets $10 in advance, $15 at the door
http://www.ticketfly.com/event/54711/
18+

Church
69 Kilmarnock Street
Boston, MA 02215
617-236-7600
http://www.churchofboston.com

Contact Info:
Angela Zampell
angela@modemerr.com
603-923-8679

My final agenda for tonight, is to happily report that after a minor snag, Mode Merr is once again up and running on Etsy. For those of you who do not know, Etsy is an online market place. There are only 2 kinds of shops on Etsy...vintage shops and handmade shops. (Yours truly has one of each.) Mode Merr of course has only one shop and that, of course, is a handmade shop. Here is the link. www.etsy.com/shop/modemerr 
Go take a peek. You know you want to. 

Now I must say good night, dear readers. I hope all of you on the East Coast are safe and sound this weekend and that Hurricane Irene does not cause too much trouble for you. 

 

Mode Merr Pin Up Fashions Greeting Blog

Hello there. Like the title of my blog says, this is the Mode Merr fashion blog. For those of you who don't know who or what Mode Merr is, let me tell you. Mode Merr is a local clothing company based out of Rochester, New Hampshire and owned and operated by a fantastic and super cool lady named Angela Zampell. Her clothing style is Pin Up and is made in the USA. 

The first time I discovered Mode Merr was at the Garment District. (Those of you from the Boston area will be familiar with the Garment District.) I found a red pencil skirt with an almost full length black jaguar with a red rhinestone eye. I was completely hooked and slightly more than obsessed. It fit PERFECTLY. (It is called a "perfect skirt" after all.) So for the last 2 years I have been expanding my Mode Merr collection. 

The thing about Angela's designs that make them so great is that they fit a wide variety of sizes (xxs-xxxl). How perfect is that? All my life I have had difficulty finding fashionable clothes that fit properly. I currently take a size 14/xl. I am a 38 DD and have an hourglass figure. This stuff fits perfectly every time and always looks amazing. 

I was lucky enough to go to the Mode Merr studios this past June for shopping and meeting Angela in person. We absolutely and immediately hit it off. My boyfriend who was along for the ride suggested that I model for her in the future and that, dear readers, is exactly what is happening. I have the honor and the pleasure of modeling at the Mode Merr Fall Fashion Spectacular. The event is going to be held at on Saturday, September 10th from 1pm-6pm at Church in Boston (69 Kilmarnock St in the Fenway area). Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. There is going to be live music, burlesque acts and most importantly the Fall line preview. Of course you will be able to buy fabulous Mode Merr clothing at the event as well. 

Do yourself a favor. Check out www.modemerr.com. Like Mode Merr on Facebook. Follow Mode Merr on Twitter twitter.com/#!/modemerr. Come to Church on September 10th. Have drink, listen to some music, see some beautiful ladies in beautiful attire, and buy something for yourself.