Fall Fashions at Whippoorwill Farm

Robin and Allen Cockerline's Whippoorwill Farm was the improbable yet perfect setting for Karen Stone [right] to present her latest Country Couture collection to her friends, neighbors and growing clientele on Sunday evening. Karen has an unabashedly cinematic notion of fall, and she takes traditional fabrics and cuts them to create seasonal clothes with a romantic yet thoroughly modern sensibility. As Karen explains: "For autumn, I offer menswear woolens in feminine shapes...tweed, plaid and houndstooth skirts...necktie paisleys in a shirtdress (that will take you anywhere) pinstripes in a tidy sheath." As the Cockerlines [left] poured wine and served their tender grass-fed beef on sliced baguettes in the dining room, Karen was doing brisk business in their living room, which she had transformed into a chic salon with her own transcendent paintings on the walls. She gives her customers a choice of fabrics that she has hand-picked in New York and takes measurements so that each skirt, dress and jacket will fit like a glove. The shopping process is intimate and individualized, and Karen had a handout for customers so they would understand her modus operandi. "Although the clothing is generally made-to-order, you may find a sample garment that is perfect on you. Rule #1, Do not judge a dress on its hanger. Please try it on ... I do not design with 'hanger appeal' in mind, as they must in ready-to-wear. Therefore, something that looks a bit shapeless on a hanger may reveal fabulous subtleties when you put it on. You will not find sizes on the samples . . . . . . There is no such thing as true sizes anyway (have you noticed that?) Just explore, try it on, we'll pin it, talk about it, look at fabrics, dream up something great."
Karen Stone PO Box 24, Lakeville CT 06039 / 860.435.9789