Night Garden has Landed at Dark Garden!

The Evgenia Lingerie Night Garden collection has officially landed at Dark Garden, our longtime stockist. The Night Garden collection is the epitome of luxury: from fine lightweight silk crepe de chine to an exquisite French starry lace and our signature insertion lace bow detail. Each piece is made right here in the Bay Area.

Bralette in Black Dahlia, $130

Deco Romper in Moon Flower, $234

Tap Short in Moon Flower, $141

Modern Star Knicker in China Rose, $108

Modern Star Knicker in Black Dahlia / Moon Flower, $108

Tap Short in Wisteria, $141

Deco Tee in China Rose, $223

Visit Dark Garden at 321 Linden Lane in San Francisco to pick out your favorite pieces!

A Little Tease...

The new collection drops next week on Big Cartel. I am so excited to share my hard work with all of you!

I See London, I See France...

...I see a new stash of HCH Papillon Knickers!

My newest style has been a bit of a hot seller, so while I've been working on my official collection, I made sure to sew up some new colorful pairs for the shop. Check them out and snap up a pair or two for yourself (or your favorite leading lady).

Clockwise from top left: Nea Papillon Knickers ($60), Georgia Papillon Knickers ($50),

Aida Papillon Knickers ($60), Thalie Papillon Knickers ($55)

There are even more new pieces in the Knicker section of the HCH shop than ever before, including larger sizes in beautiful colors and laces. The Papillon style is going to be a staple in the official collection, and I'm so happy it's gotten so much attention so far. My current favorites are these, which feature a gorgeous silver elastic and velvet bow!

Adrienne Papillon Knickers ($65)

Which are your favorites from the new Knicker stash?

Three 'Grams: Making it Official

I'm kicking off the weekend with a brand new feature (actually the only weekly feature) on the HCH blog: Three 'Grams. Instagram has become a huge part of sharing my creative process and I find myself posting tons of photos throughout the week. For those of you who aren't following me there, you can tune in right here to see my three favorite shots from that week. Enjoy!

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Line illustration

I've hinted over the past few months that I would be changing things up here at the HCH atelier. And it's official: changes are underway. I'm now in the throes of sewing up samples for smalltime production. What does that mean? Big factories? Warehouses of fabric? Not quite.

It means that for the first time, I'll be buying fabric in (modest) quantity, grading all of my patterns and offering a set selection of pieces in a range of sizes and colors. Lace motifs will be duplicated for the first time - using the same lace from piece to piece. That means that when you visit HCH either online or in person in the future, you'll actually be able to buy your size made-to-order in whatever piece you like. Because this is a big scary step for me, initially the size range will be S - L, but it will broaden over time if things go as hoped and planned. As always, everything will still be made by my own two hands and I'll still be doing custom work, so if you don't fit into the S - L range, I've got you covered. And as if this all wasn't news enough, I'll be adding new products to the range in addition to adjusting the fits on all my patterns. Whew! So in addition to working on an official HCH collection, I'm officially a little overwhelmed, officially a little freaked out and yes, officially, excited.

Laces

My lookbook shoot is scheduled for early October, so I've got a nice chunk of time to work out all the kinks in my patterns and sewing. So far, though, so good.

First samples

New Style: Papillon Knickers

Yes it's true! There's a new style available on the HCH official site and on Etsy: Papillon Knickers. The drafted pattern is similar to that of my traditional Knicker style, but with more room and gathered stitching in the seat. It's an extra-sexy style that gives more definition to your rear and is sure to attract attention.

The name "Papillon" comes from the French word for butterfly. When laid out, these lovelies remind me very much of a butterfly's wings!

Lovella Papillon Knickers

Check out the three new pairs available: Lovella (featured above - dachshund motif silk jacquard, size medium), Dierdre (polka dot lavender silk jacquard, size large) and Philomena (green floral motif silk chiffon, size small).

HCH Papillon Knickers are perfect for a a sexy striptease, leisurely lounging or just about anything beyond and in between, don't you think?

Red, White and Blue

Ever since I returned home from Europe I've been playing catch-up at HCH HQ, part of which has involved re-taking my Knicker, Bloomer and Garçonne Tap Short photos. Those of you who follow HCH on Facebook and Twitter know I've been struggling with photographing bottoms on a mannequin for the past few months. Two agonizing paint jobs, hundreds of discarded photos, a purchased (then abandoned) lightbox, and a tripod later, I feel like I may have finally nailed it!

So, just in time for the inevitable patriotic run-up to July 4th, here's a sample of what's been going on on the HCH site and Etsy in red, white and blue.

Mimi Knickers, Charity Knickers, Peggie Garçonne Tap Shorts

What do you think?

Countdown to Gatsby: Neo Flapper

A sneak peek of things to come...

"Her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes and a bright passionate mouth, but there was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget: a singing compulsion, a whispered "Listen," a promise that she had done gay, exciting things just a while since and that there were gay, exciting things hovering in the next hour." 

- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby hits theaters in less than 2 days. Are you ready?

Honey Cooler Handmade is on Instagram!

I'm a late adopter.

Let's face it - I discovered my passion for 1950's dresses thirty years after they were part of mainstream culture. So it should come as no surprise that took me years to jump on the Instagram bandwagon. I thought I'd dismiss it as just another social media time suck - and maybe part of that is actually true - but it's turned out to be a really fun way to share my progress photos and out-and-about discoveries with like-minded people.

Here are a few shots from my feed: honeycoolerhandmade.

Custom Natasha Deco Cami in progress. (via)

Sketchbook detail. (via) 

Street art outside Flax. (via) 

Lucky Star Deco Cami in progress. (via)

Be sure to share your account name in the comments!

Where Are All the Skulls?

Flying off the shelves, so to speak!

In probably the most delightful surprise of the past month or two, my Skull Deco Camis have become quite popular... so popular in fact, that I sold out of all but one at last week's private trunk show! They are my favorite pieces to sew, and my most time-consuming, so it's been a challenge to keep up with demand. But never fear, there are two new Camis on their way to the Etsy shop, and they'll be making their in-person debuts at Dollhouse Bettie this Friday.

Bellinda Deco Cami

The first is above, a new take on an old classic, bias-cut and sewn from a gorgeous navy animal "print" silk jacquard. Bellinda sports a dragon crown too - one of my favorite laces.

Keep your eyes peeled on the Etsy shop for more newness, and don't forget to swing by Dollhouse Bettie on Friday and Dark Garden on Saturday for two delicious trunk shows featuring my pieces!

The 100 Club

Just call me an Etsy badass.

From How to be a Retronaut

I finally attained the oft-discussed-on-the-Etsy-forums magic number: 100 items in my Etsy shop! Even though I've made tons more than 100 pieces at this point, this is the first time I've had that many on Etsy at once. The lady that made it all happen, Wanda, is below. She's made of a gorgeous fuchsia-tinged purple silk jacquard with a triple bow detail and sheer tulle panels at the sides. At once sexy and lovely, Wanda makes the perfect gift for the special lady in your life, especially if she's you!

Wanda Garconne Tap Shorts

As I begin to work on my next 100 pieces, I'd love to hear what you want to see in the shop. I love hearing from all of you, so requests for specific sizes, colors and motifs are always appreciated. Bralettes are in the pipeline as well, so stay tuned!

My Newest Lace Haul

New lace in the HCH stash... stay tuned for new pieces next week! In the meantime (since the suspense is undoubtedly killing you), check out what's fresh at the Honey Cooler Handmade Etsy shop.

Black and White and Red and Yellow All Over

One of the benefits of working toward a last-minute trunk show is that you get to create a boatload of product in a short period of time. This week you'll see a bunch of new pieces from HCH, each with a personality all its own.

Joanie Deco Camisole, Luna Garconne Tap Shorts, Georgina Cropped Deco Camisole

Is it possible for lace to be badass? I don't think I would have been convinced a year ago, but lately I've been coming across the most wicked insertion lace on the planet. My Joanie Deco Cami has a black and white kiwi bird lace and (brace yourselves) the Georgina Cropped Deco Cami boasts fire-breathing dragon lace. All vintage, most likely from the 1930's. Those flappers were some crazy folks.

Joanie is spoken for but Luna and Georgina are up for grabs. And you'd better believe that if I were a smidge smaller, Georgina would be mine, fire-breathing dragons and all.

What are you waiting for? Go hit up the Honey Cooler Handmade shop now! And stay tuned for more pieces this week, including a sweet stash of Knickers!