Moving On - A Summer Wardrobe Revamp March 9, 2008

The Girl Scout Leader  wadder dress is in the trash and will be out for pick up in the morning!  I really enjoyed all of the comments and suggestions, but in the end it had to go because I just couldn’t see  myself wearing it under any circumstances.

So - next up -  a revamp of my summer work wardrobe.  Most of the time I go for a three-season work look; Boston can be cool well into April, and my favorite season is Fall anyway.  I love boots, skirts, and light jackets and would dress that way all year if I could.

Summer is problematic; I don’t like hot humid weather, have sun sensitive skin and I loath pantyhose.  Summer is also a short season in Boston, and most people tend to go uber-casual for work because no one wants to bother spending money and energy on clothes that work for just a 12 week period.  I fell into that mindset too, not that I’ll wear Crocs (ack!) but there were days when I  wore way too much Old Navy on a regular basis.

 This has to change!

After giving it some thought, here is my summer work wardrobe criteria:

• No pantyhose; so this means pants, capri’s or longer skirts
• Nothing drapey; I’m SO SICK of the gathered, empire waist, baby doll, Duro looks of the past three years!
• Structured but not tailored because tailored is my regular three season look

 After some stash shopping, I decided to go with the Hot Patterns No Sweat Easy Sew Geisha Girl Jacket and Pants.   The jacket will be a reembroidered Japanese floral cotton with a red silk twill for the facings and belt.  I like the facings on this pattern because I can make the jacket reversible, and the red silk tones down the floral.  The lining will be the same red silk twill, and for the topstitching I may pickstitch the facings with red Delica beads on the red silk side.  I have to thank Gigi for educating me as to the right way to approach florals;  she has often noted they tend to look better on younger women and I totally agree with her.  Fortunately, this floral fabric is more subtle than most, and the red, white and black cross-stitch embroidery adds an interesting surface embellishment.    The pants will just be a nice black polyester for easy care in hot weather. 

Time to trace off the pattern!

Abject Failure March 2, 2008

It’s been  while since I’ve made a wadder, and maybe my sewing room needs one of those signs you see on construction sites: “This Job Site Has Gone _____ Days Without An Accident”. 

 So when I have one, as you can see below, it’s a doozy.  This thing looks like:

• A Girl Scout leader uniform
• I’m seriously channeling the 70’s, but not in a good way
• I’m on St. Patrick’s Day overload

Even with some styling, things don’t improve much:

This is the HotPatterns Plain and Simple Shirtdress, and my orginal version is one of my all time favorite garments.  The great thing about a great dress is that all you need to do put it on; you don’t need to think about coordinating other pieces  as with seaprates and there are no worries about having to constantly tuck in a top.  A dress just is.

Live and learn.  Wadders are part of sewing, and I just need to let go and toss this in the trash.

Faking It February 23, 2008

 

For the past new years I’ve been building a collection of  costume jewelry and I want to spread the news that (1) costume doesn’t mean ugly, and (2) costume doesn’t need to mean cheaply made.

I’m not a huge fan of fine jewelry; mostly because the pieces I do like are way out of my price range, and the pieces that are in my price range are kind of twee and bland for my taste.  Give me costume any day!

The necklace above is a foray into faux tortoise; it’s a Liz Claiborne piece from Macy’s.  I do wish it were a bit longer,  but that’s easy to change because I can go to A.C. Moore and just buy chain to make an extender.  The resin and Swarovski crystal bangles are Kenneth Jay Lane and are brand new on QVC.com  - aren’t they fabulous?  I really want them and they also come in clear and black in addition to faux tortoise and black.  I may also look for a nice silver chain necklace with big links to wear with this; I like to double up necklaces.

 I wear my faux Chanel jacket all the time with these pieces; the pearls came from the Store Who Shall Not Be Named, the Voldemort of Retail.  This strand is 48 inches long, perfect for doubling up.  The glass pearls are nice and heavy, and each is individually knotted.  The black & silver necklace was made by RivkasMom on Etsy, and it’s made from a gunmetal chain,  lava rock beads, and the beads are embellished with Swarovski crystals.

Somestimes I wear just the pearls along with this brooch; it’s Monet from about 2-3 years ago.

The necklace on the jacket below I found about 2 years ago in Filene’s Basement; I love the bold colors,  and the way it nicely fills in a neckline.  The brooch is 20 years old at least, I think it’s Catherine Stein but it’s unmarked and I forgot who made it long ago.

I’m always on the look out for cool costume pieces, and good sources include Etsy.com, QVC.com, as well as discounters like TJ Maxx and Marshall’s.  Costume jewelry gets marked down pretty fast, and you can get some great deals.  The most expensive piece here was $60.

Separated at Birth February 21, 2008

Our good friend from Barcelona, Paco Peralta, sent me this photo of the Balenciaga dress that inspired my vintage cashmere coat.

Paris Calling, Circa 1957 February 9, 2008

Now that I have a proper dress form, I can show you one of my prize pieces of fashion.  This coat belonged to my grandmother; she bought it from a department store called Pomeroy’s in Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania sometime in the late 1950’s.  The coat has a Pomeroy’s store label, and the fabric label reads Cashmere “400″, 100% Virgin Cashmere, Country Tweeds” and is ink-stamped with a 6-digit registration number.

During the 50’s better department stores had made-to-order clothing departments, and I think that’s where this coat came from.  It’s really beautiful and has many interesting features that I thought you’d like to see. The lining is mushroom grey beige silk crepe.  The coat wraps across the front and closes with a large self fabric button on the front and ties with a matching petersham ribbon on the inside.

Much to my delight, a while ago I found the inspiration for this coat: the back of the coat, and especially the gathered detail on the yoke, is identical to a Balenciaga dress from 1957 found on page 542 of Fashion: A History from the 18th to th 20th Century.  Interestingly, the Balenciaga dress originally came with a matching coat according to the caption, and evidently, like my coat, the front of the dress wraps across the front and attaches with a self fabric button as well.

I wear this coat a few times a year and it fits me perfectly.  It’s in excellent condition too, which is a testament to its fine construction. They really don’t make them like this anymore do they?

Instant Gratification! February 8, 2008

She arrived in less than 24 hours!  No need to run another photo - she looks exactly like the photo on Ebay.  Her name is Della.

Delayed Gratification February 7, 2008

Finally, after lusting away for years, today I ordered a professional dress form.  I found it on Ebay at Dress Form Mannequin Factory Outlet,and while it’s not a Wolf (which would cost three times as much), the company that makes them gets high ratings for their service and the quality of the form.  It has all the features I wanted: collapsible shoulders, a pinnable surface, a skirt cage and it’s height adjustable.

The company has a detailed size table posted with each form size, and I chose a RTW 10, because that size corresponds most closely with my measurements.  I’ll pad it out for my lower body dimensions, which are closer to a RTW 12. 

This company also sells the full body forms with legs that you see on Project Runway, and they have a “Make An Offer” feature in addition to “Buy It Now”.

Now I just need to think of a name for her….

The Ghost of Fashion Past February 2, 2008

“It is in paintings or in family albums that traces of true fashion can be found.” - Coco Chanel*

I love old photos and yesterday my mother emailed me this gem. These are my grandparents, Anthony and Adele Vestcyk. I have never seen this photo before and it was a total eye opener.

My grandmother had a keen interest in fashion, and even though she lived her entire life within 20 miles from where she was born and had only a fourth grade education, she nonetheless had supreme confidence in her sense of style. Look at what she’s wearing: knickers (!) a sporty blouse, and very nice shoes. My mother tells me my grandmother was a huge fan of Coco Chanel (me too) and I certainly detect the influence of Mademoiselle beaming like a laser all the way from 1920’s Paris to a coal mining town in Pennsylvania. Like Chanel, Della Vestcyk was a woman who dressed to please herself.

My grandfather looks far more dapper than I remember; look at his straw boater, slim trousers, and I think that’s a pocket watch chain on his right side.

This photo is also remarkable because I can’t ever recall seeing my grandparents express any affection towards each other. When I was little they were clearly devoted to each other in a kind of prickly way, and they had a solid marriage, but my memory is of two people orbiting each other in their house and pretty much living their own lives. But here they look very happy together, and their relationship was more complex than I could ever imagine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Page 377, Chanel and Her World, by Edmonde Charles-Roux (The Vendome Press, copyright 1981 & 2005)

Armani Prive - A Better Bubble Skirt January 27, 2008

I’m sure like most of you; I’m not a huge fan of bubble skirts for a host of obvious reasons. But the spring 2008 Armani Prive collection has several that are a tad different from what we usually see, and I think they are also much more flattering. Here are my faves:

One thing interesting about this skirt on all three designs is the separate hem band along the bottom, and of course I had to see if I could replicate it! The first step was to find some detail photos, and these two of the pinstripe design were really helpful:

Notice the side seam, and also the pinstripes tell us that this skirt is bias cut. So we know for this style there are two side seams on both the skirt and the hem band. I drafted a quick pattern for my daughters 18 inch doll dress form:

Nothing fancy, just a basic A-line shape. I drafted the skirt on the straight grain, although most in the Armani collection appear to be on the bias. There are also a few tulip skirt shapes here and there. The hem bands appear to have fashion fabric facings on the tailored designs, and I’m beginning to think there are also fashion fabric hem band facings on the dress silks.

Oh and I think Mary 9821 is perfect for the jacket on the tweed suit - all you need to do is change the center front closure to the Armani curved lapped front, lower the neckline, add the petal edges at the bottom of the princess seams, flair the sleeves at the wrist, and build out those classic YSL-style shoulders.

This Armani collection is inspiring and very beautiful, so definitely check it out on Style.com and also see the video on The Thoughtful Dresser.  It’s an utterly wearable collection that any of us could see in our wardrobes (well, maybe without the funky embellishment!)

The Ghost of Christmas Past December 25, 2007

My mother sent me these vintage needle booklets for Christmas - aren’t they wonderful?  She said in her note that she found them at a “second hand sale” and as soon as I opened them I felt an immediate and powerful connection to the sewist who used them.

My favorite tools are always the ones I make myself.  I made the needle book below a few years ago when I was going through a bit of OCD while trying to embroider a proper bullion rose.  

The “cover” is filled with two pieces of plastic canvas zigzagged round the edges, then trimmed.  I added flannel pages and stitched a center “binding” between the pieces of plastic canvas.   I have a collection of vintage needles I that like to use for embroidery and hand sewing, so I store them in this booklet.

 

I have this fantasy that the woman who made the vintage needle books was just as pleased as I was when she finished hers.  The fronts and back are two colors of wool felt, and the pages are white flannel.  The butterfly is missing one antenna, but the simple silk floss embellishment is still bright.  The flower basket is embellished with posies stitched from french knots and lazy daisy stitches for leaves.  The handle of the basket folds down to show the needles.  Based on the shapes and colors I’d say both date from the late 1930’s to mid 1940’s.  I love the imagery from this era because it reminds me of my grandmother and my great aunts.

I doubt I’ll take the needles out - I’d rather leave them just as they are, as they were, the last time the unkown maker touched them.   A sewing moment frozen in time; a tangible link to the past and a respite from modern life.