Dress Up
Shade Clothing’s new Basic Black collection fills a void in the fashion market
Utah Valley magazine Nov/Dec 2006 Issue
For decades, it has been hailed as the essential piece of a woman’s wardrobe. But for many in Utah Valley, the perfect “little black dress” is rather difficult to find. This is most apparent during the holiday season. Invitations arrive in numbers – a seasonal wedding, the neighborhood New Year’s Eve celebration, the annual company party or a family Christmas gathering. For many of these events, “semi-formal” is the dress code.
“Many people end up resorting to a church dress or settling on a shirt-skirt combination,” says Chelsea Rippy, CEO and founder of Shade Clothing. “Every year, my husband’s company party comes around, and for years I’d almost not look forward to going because I didn’t have anything to wear.”
So Chelsea decided to design her own dress. Luckily, she created some to share.
Shade Clothing, the leading provider of hip, modest clothing for women, announced its Basic Black collection in mid-October. Ten custom-made styles will be available on www.shadeclothing.com beginning Nov. 1, just in time for the holiday season.
“The search for the perfect little black dress is an issue that affects women of all ages and sizes, especially for women looking for more modest styles,” Chelsea says. “Basic Black provides dresses that are both elegant and modest in a variety of styles and colors, continuing Shade’s tradition of being the original provider of hip and modest clothing you love to be seen in.”
Chelsea says her designs definitely take a different approach to dresses. People often hear “modest dress” and imagine a certain cut or style – typically boxy and unstylish.
“The Basic Black collection is modest, but the dresses are not what you would initially think they are,” she says. “They really look like they just came off the red carpet.”
The first ten styles will be available in a limited run – only 100 of each style, 1,000 dresses total. New collections featuring new styles will be released periodically each year, beginning in 2007.
“We don’t want people to worry someone else will be wearing their dress,” Chelsea says, “so some of the styles are more limited than others. We’ll replenish with a new style when something is sold out.”
Shade Clothing considered all body types and age groups when designing the dresses. Each of the styles is cut distinctively – varying lengths, sleeves and fits. Dresses will be available in sizes 2-14, and the majority will be black. Several designs will debut in other colors, including chocolate, silver, navy and charcoal. Styles in the initial collection include both classic and modern cuts.
“Our initial Basic Black collection presents women with 10 gorgeous, designer styles just in time for all of the semi-formal events this season,” Chelsea says. “But these dresses, like any fashion staple item, are timeless. You will be able to wear them to special events for years to come and will always look like a fashionista.”
Basic Black is available online at www.shadeclothing.com and at select boutique retailers in Utah.