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I am VERY upset

22 Sep

So, I wasn’t a fan of  Victoria Rowell’s Emmy dress. But, when I found out she MADE  it HERSELF I was apoplectic!!

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If that isn’t homesewn, I don’t know what is. My family wouldn’t let me wear a cotton dress to a summer wedding. Yet, this is what she wears to televisions biggest night?

I don’t care if it’s the president I voted for or not. That, is no Emmy attire. If you want to go ethnic (her fabric is Ghanaian), take a cue from Sandra Oh at the SAG awards a couple years ago

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This, is ethnic done right.

Fashion Show

31 May

First, can I say that I love how IKEA is stepping up to the home sewer? Kristy and I got there early yesterday to have a look around. I mean, really, who doesn’t always need something from IKEA?

I love this ‘sewing area’ display they had set up. Complete with binders for your sewing patterns.

They are selling starter sewing kits too.

This cute, stackable storage container

I absolutely bought two storage sewlutions for the sewing room. The pattern storage solution is too heavy to get out of the car by myself. And the other has 30 pieces. So, we’ll just have to wait on it.

Also, love their use of fabric to decorate

And, the most fun thing I purchased were these two pillowcases. They are $8.99 for both.

I bought two sets and will take them apart to make sewing machine covers. Something I’ve been needing to do for a good long time now. I am even tempted to make a Weekender bag out of them too since that’s a good size for carrying my new Featherweight.

So, the fashion show was really interesting. I think Lisette, Kristy and I were absolutely checking out construction. And, not just because we sew. You can’t help but notice construction, because if it looks sloppy, you’re distracted from the design. There are 15 semifinalists and you (yes, even YOU) can vote online for your favorites.

Apparently, someone thought it would be totally funny to put my daughter in the show.

Like seriously. Can’t you imagine I would have a kid that looks like this? She strutted in an Kristy and I were shouting ‘WE LOVE YOUR HAIR’!!

This, stylistically may have been my favorite. I love the two different fabrics and the twisted bubble skirt.

Very cute / sweet look. Love the details on the neckline.

Take a look at the yellow pleating on the bodice. Lovely.

I love that this designer went all out! But, he used a black invisible zip that you could see against the white in the back of the skirt.

 

Again, I liked the fabric mix. Was happy it wasn’t the black and white print that most people gravitated too.

THIS was the BEST finishing I saw on anything. I love how she followed the pattern print to create those leaves. I should also say I ‘know’ the designer. As well as you know anyone from the internet that you’ve never met IRL. But, seriously, this dress was great.

The guys outfit was really basic. And, honestly, I was too distracted by all those muscles and the green eyes.

How freaking CUTE is this. I think I have a love affair for piping. Because that’s what also made me love the dress below.

I think I would have done something different with the straps on the dress on the left. And, imagine the impact if the bottom was finished like #5

The dress on the right is a basic sheath dress.

Love the dress on the right. The dress on the left was interesting because they used kind of like a sack cloth fabric. The fabric just makes the dress on the right.

 

So, below is what I meant about the invisible zippers in the ‘wrong’ color. That being said, maybe that was the look they were going for.

This exposed zip I loved. This is obviously on purpose.

After, I was so inspired I bought the white fabric below to go with this orange jacket that I never have anything to wear with!

Overall, lots of fun and great to meet up with Lisette. So, make sure you vote for your favorites.

Book Review: Bringing Home the Birkin

26 May

I picked the following book for bookclub. We usually only read ‘serious’ books. But, each summer we pick a beach book. I thought this was a good summer read. Especially for those who like fashion and celebrity (umm, me). It comes out in paperback this July.
Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World's Most Coveted Handbag Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World’s Most Coveted Handbag by Michael Tonello

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
$25,000 for a bag? Not so crazy in the circle that author Tonello travels in. How can Hermes claim to only make 100 bags a year and put people on a waiting list? The author was able to buy five at a time and spent years traveling the world lookng for new Hermes stores to buy from. All his wares ended up on eBay or sold otherwise online. What is ingenious is how Hermes built their name and the mystique surrounding them by totally faking exclusivity. The BEST chapter IMHO is when one of his bags is taken hostage. The rest of the book felt like filler to that point.

Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to read something easy and light. And, this was read start to finish on a Friday evening after work. It is *not* high lit, but would be great for a marketing class.

I was impressed with the ingenuity of the author and the thrill he gained from working the system. But, to read how ravenous others were for a handbag boggled my mind.

The writing was *ok*. I did feel like the publishers asked him to throw in more about his romance and backstory to flesh out the book. I was also uncomfortable with him talking about his parent’s wealth, seemed to have little to do with the story.

I think if you’re not interested in fashion and retail, this book will annoy you. If you are interested, you will be amused.

View all my reviews.

Frankening a Pattern

25 May

Another reason to love Burda World of Fashion (BWOF. Or BWTF when they don’t make sense). They have every pattern you could ever want. And now that I’ve got them sorted out, thumbing through was so easy! I am often stymied by too many choices. Here are the four patterns that I’m considering to make the biker jacket.

I really like the collar and sleeve zippers on this one 5-2008-119. But, I want the zipper to go all the way up through the neck. Because my neck is always cold. Probably because it’s always thrusting forward. Kind of like this:

Easy enough I think. 12-2008-119. ETA: I was googling and found this: That’s how I want to zipper to go and keep the collar I like best:

I like the front zipper placements on this one best. Including the useless one on the chest. 9-2008-113 But, I think I can’t do a lower band and I’m *not* using ribbing.

I like the princess seams on this one best and how it tapers in. 11-2005-117 This is the one Christina made, so I would want to extend it by two inches I think.

Issues to resolve: No lining. The sherpa is awfully thick when doubled. I looked online and the RTW jackets seem to have matching denim — minus the sherpa used on hem bands, etc.  I’ll use some combination of seam binding and edges finished with a double row of straight stitching

Not that I’m anywhere near tracing. But, don’t we all spend our time plotting and thinking over projects :)

AJ asked if I have tough biker boots to go with proposed jacket. Well, I think I do:

Israel boots,

Israel Boots

New Zealand Boots — I don’t know why I’m looking up so oddly. Hunh.  I should point on that the first pair make my toes hurt and the second Israel boots split on the side. Which would make it the SECOND pair of my three Israel boots that split on the side. And aren’t very warm. Or waterproof. The New Zealand boots were a 1/4 of the price and are better on all counts.

Original Post on the boots:

And finally, I’m wearing these boots I got in Israel over the summer. We were leaving out of Tel Aviv and stopped at the mall for dinner. While everyone got their last taste of Kosher McDonalds, I ran into the shoe store and bought three pairs of boots in less than an hour. They barely fit in my suitcase. And my co-workers who were heading back home refused to carry any back for me. So, I carted all three pairs over to Egypt for another three days. In fact, I wore a pair the entire time I was in 105 degree Egypt since my sandals took up less luggage space. Guess who’s laughing now?

I’m decidedly not laughing now

Sorry, I was confusing in my post about Seattle. The MSB’s and Lady Boutiques are not at Daiso, they are at Kinokuniya

Would it feel like a onesie?

24 Apr

Last week I went out both Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday paid the price. It was a Mardi Gras themed party (hence the feather mask and beads) and I was in high heels until 2:00 a.m. Party Voice all day on Sunday I tell you what.

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These outings have led me to a dilema. I don’t have a club / party outfit. Trena said she has the same problem. Not looking for anything hoochie, just a step up from jeans a cute top. You know what a lot of people were wearing? Jumpsuits and shorts. Similar to this April 2009 BWOF ditty.

jumper

I know it’s trendy and I don’t know if it would work for me. But, I may have to consider it. Although, I think I would feel like I was in a onesie.

Some of you asked about my pants sloper. I had to turn it in for my grade (I got a 94) before I could make it up again with the alterations. I now have it back and will make it up over the weekend.  Dress sloper is also turned in for a grade. I think there are some minor tweaks, but I’ll deal with them later.

View From the Fitting Room

11 Apr

I got out to the mall yesterdy and wanted to show a couple of fun details from the Anthropologie stuff I tried on. The first is this ruffled tank called the Cherimoya Blouse. It retails for $118 on the Anthropologie site.

910071_whi_b In person, there is this cool optical illusion.

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At first glance, there seems to be a few more layers of ruffles. In fact, all they did was sew three pintucks at the bottom of each ruffle layer. This adds the illusion of depth.

913161_ivo_bHere on the Profiterole Blouse the ruffles are edged out in a bias trim.

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Rather than just ruffle them and sew them down, they are ruffled a little, then stitched down the midde in a circular / rosette pattern. Really pretty. I’m going to try and approximate the contrast trim with a serger rolled hem. It would probably work best with Wooly Nylon. But, Wooly Nylon and I don’t talk.

rolled

Helen Rose, a Designing Woman, P. 1

6 Feb

Last year I mentioned that I have a thing for the designs of Hollywood designer Helen Rose. That love affair began when I rented the 1957 movie, Designing Woman.

The photos below are about six years old and aren’t very large. But, you can get a sense of her femine yet professional style. In the film Lauren Bacall plays a fashion designer who marries a sports writer.

Note the definition of the waist and the slimline of the skirt. Don’t even get me started on the PERFECT angle of her cute little hat. Mmmm. The fabric covered buttons and the white gloves too! And the black hat on her imagined love rival is fantastic. Sigh. I love it. You know, if Mad Men is filled with images like this, I get why everyone raves about it.

This isn’t even my favorite dress! I’ll show you another one soon.

One more fashion related post

30 Jan
My good friend bought this Milly dress last month for a whopping $360.

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Dr. Jill Biden wore it to the innaguration. See the video on MSNBC here. 

Butterick 5314

Butterick 5314

And, you can get the plaid from Gorgeous Fabric add some ribbon around the waist and you’re set. 

Courtesy GorgeousFabrics.com

Courtesy GorgeousFabrics.com

 It can be yours via Butterick during their $5.99 sale

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Do you think if I offered to make this for my friend she would pay me $360? Holy cow.

Random kind of Fashion Friday

29 Jan

I have always liked nail polish and loud jewelry. In fact, I remember taking my mom’s Fashion Fair nail polish and painting my nails this garish red when I was in elementary school. Then, being so afraid I would get into trouble, I scraped it off with one of those Afro-fisted black metal picks. I have fond memories of Bonnie Bell’s peel-away nail polish. In high school we could only wear ‘natural’ colors and I was always sneaking some version of brown or vamp on my nails. When I look back on my college graduation photo, I still remember the name of my nail polish (OPI’s Not in Kansas Anymore Red). Actually, I liked that color so much that a friend scooped up four bottles for me eight years ago when it was discontinued. I’m down to the last bottle and a half.

Now, I will be honest with you about what some would see as a bad habit. Retail therapy. Having something new (sewn or purchased) makes me feel better when I’m a little down. Well, so does a cold glass of Riesling.  But, having shot my fabric wad on the very first day of the month and not wanting to become an alcoholic, I went with a low ticket item. Nail polish, under $3 a bottle on the right websites and arrived today.

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I’ve been waiting all week for this Tiffany Blue color to arrive. You see, in loving jewelry and loving nail polish, it’s perfect for me. It’s called ‘For Audrey’  (ironic because I thought the book ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ was boring and oh, kind of racist. Still like the jewelry though :) ) If I was somewhat thinking, I would have put it on my toes instead of wearing it to work tomorrow on my fingers. But, I am not sure I care right now :)

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I came across this $198 hat on the Coach site while looking for inspiration for the March ‘Sewn Hat’ contest on PatternReview.com. Totally reminds me of the fedora in the now OOP Vogue 7460. I made this one for my mom over six years ago. Apparently, before I knew how to sew straight lines.

Vogue 7460

Vogue 7460

Heehee. In searching for photos I found this one of my dad modeling my muslin from six years ago. My head was too big to wear it!  Appropriate, as today was his last official day of work. He retired today after 28 years working for the federal system as a nurse. Isn’t he adorable?

 

dad modeling

dad modeling

Baltimore: THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN FASHION LECTURE SERIES

22 Jan

I’m already pushing my work schedule with my classes, but how badly would I like to attend this local program? Can someone go for all of us?

THE FASHION DESIGN PROGRAM AND THE OFFICE OF STUDENT LIFE

PRESENTS

THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN FASHION LECTURE SERIES

THE THREADS OF TIME, THE FABRIC OF HISTORY

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2009

LIBERTY CAMPUS, NEW BUILDING, COMMON AREA

12 NOON TO 2:00 P.M.

Ms. Rosemary E. Reed Miller, author of The Threads of Time, The Fabric of History will speak about the role and contributions of African-American designers to the world of fashion. Accompanying Ms. Miller will be Ms. Paula Brooks who will talk about pioneer Baltimore fashion retailer, Pauline Brooks, as well as some of the early designers, milliners, and retail merchants that contributed to Baltimore’s rich fashion history.

6a00e54f137f8d883400e553c3203888332 The Burda Version of the Kennedy dress

African-American Fashion Designer

Ann Lowe designed this wedding gown

for Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy in 1953.

The BWOF version ran in May 2008.

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