Sophie is one of the chicest young bloggers I know. I first discovered her via Laws of General Economy, a designer item resale forum on which we both once transacted (she still does), and I've enjoyed watching her wardrobe ebb and flow.
Lately she posted about her classic 10 wardrobe items, an artful assemblage - and ageless I might add.
In fact, I totally share her perspective - on my, ahem, more mature form - re: 8 of those 10 items.
Sophie suggested I undertake her challenge and, while I LOVE the idea (and encourage you all to do the same), I am so overwhelmed by items in work and life right now, it's a struggle just to write - much less catalog.
Nonetheless, this topic is on my future-post list and one day soon I expect you'll see my take.
For now, I urge you to check out her post - and site - because it's a treat.
As a fun sidenote: I'm curious to learn, new and long-time readers, how well do you know my style? Why not guess which 2 (of Sophie's 10 basics) are the ones I don't gravitate towards on me. (Since there are only 2, I thought it would be a more chancey long-shot than to guess those on which she and I entirely concur.) Of course, it goes without saying that I love all of Sophie's choices on her. They are perfectly suited to her modern, sleek and urban look.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Don't Bother Putting on Your Red Light
A few days ago, for reasons that are unfathomable, I found myself at a TO bra boutique at which I no longer shop. (Trust me peeps, you don't want me on your lingerie Do Not Fly list. There's sufficient loss of income impact...)
Anyhow, while I did not buy - I couldn't stop my eyes from bugging out at this amazing confection (the colour of which is much more jewel tone in real life):
Empreinte is a high-end French brand for "full-busted women" - though French lingerie and "full-busted" are generally oxymoronic. In this instance, the term fits - as do the goods.
In case you're interested, it costs $216.00 at this boutique, which is in line with other retail establishments in TO. That's before you spend a hundred bucks on the undies. And I know you always get the matching set.
No doubt, even by my crazy-lingerie lady standards, that's rich.
It was particularly easy to walk on by because I knew I would surf until I found it at a reasonable price online. And - very quickly - I did, at my go-to, Figleaves. It's 78 pounds there - not cheap but much less expensive. I even found a promo, which cut the price down to 70 pounds.
Alas, if you read the small print (and I did, though I refused to believe it):
Due to licensing restrictions, we regret that we are unable to ship UK Empreinte ranges to countries outside the European Union.
It's true. Customer Service confirmed by email after I (seemingly successfully) purchased.
Alas, aligned with the general cursedness of online shopping in Canada (and everywhere other than Europe - this time), my affordable hopes were dashed.
I don't seem to be able to find this for less than $200 bucks before shipping and I am very pissed off. Why do the Europeans get to benefit from this? Don't they have enough already, like, being European and living in Europe and having good rail transport??
Needless to say, life is not fair.
Anyhow, while I did not buy - I couldn't stop my eyes from bugging out at this amazing confection (the colour of which is much more jewel tone in real life):
Empreinte is a high-end French brand for "full-busted women" - though French lingerie and "full-busted" are generally oxymoronic. In this instance, the term fits - as do the goods.
In case you're interested, it costs $216.00 at this boutique, which is in line with other retail establishments in TO. That's before you spend a hundred bucks on the undies. And I know you always get the matching set.
No doubt, even by my crazy-lingerie lady standards, that's rich.
It was particularly easy to walk on by because I knew I would surf until I found it at a reasonable price online. And - very quickly - I did, at my go-to, Figleaves. It's 78 pounds there - not cheap but much less expensive. I even found a promo, which cut the price down to 70 pounds.
Alas, if you read the small print (and I did, though I refused to believe it):
Due to licensing restrictions, we regret that we are unable to ship UK Empreinte ranges to countries outside the European Union.
It's true. Customer Service confirmed by email after I (seemingly successfully) purchased.
Alas, aligned with the general cursedness of online shopping in Canada (and everywhere other than Europe - this time), my affordable hopes were dashed.
I don't seem to be able to find this for less than $200 bucks before shipping and I am very pissed off. Why do the Europeans get to benefit from this? Don't they have enough already, like, being European and living in Europe and having good rail transport??
Needless to say, life is not fair.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Matchy-Matchy
So here's my latest project, once again for somebody else (?!), this time my daughter:
The pattern matching isn't great at the top, improves as I move down the fabric. This is one crazy pattern to try to align.
This is a securely-attached zipper that nonetheless looks like crap. This is what I'm talking about trying to resolve in this post...
The goal here was to a) match the rather difficult pattern and b) create a summer dress the kid could enjoy (should the weather ever actually improve).
Alas, I didn't excel on either account.
For starters, I'm going to level with you: I loathe matching patterns. I rarely do it, preferring to deal with solid colours (even if in very tricky fabrics), or huge florals, neither of which demand the precision of this cotton lawn.
But I saw this fabric a while ago. It was in the $2.99 bin and it was compellingly lovely. It even has a nice smidge of stretch, odd for straight cotton.
It didn't occur that it would be a freakin' bitch to match for the following reasons:
The second domain of failure was in fit. While I cut the 8 (which accords with her bust, waist, hip measurements), and lengthened it substantively, I discovered at the end that (even with a mere .25 inch turn-up hem) this thing is already too short for my kid.
Note: Today my not quite 11-year old fit into a pair of size 14 skinny jeans from The Gap. The legs are not actually skinny on her (and, thankfully, the button elastic allows us to pull in the waist circumference), but the length is just right. Jeez.
Other than the zipper finishing, I'm very pleased with my workmanship on this garment - a plus given all the things that didn't quite work.
So, I'm remaking it right now in lovely, predictable, solid-shade denim. I added another 3.5 inches onto the bottom (in addition to the extra 2 inches I applied to the first attempt). It looks like it will fit, even in June!
Thank goodness for young, tiny nieces. Or this would just depress me.
The pattern matching isn't great at the top, improves as I move down the fabric. This is one crazy pattern to try to align.
This is a securely-attached zipper that nonetheless looks like crap. This is what I'm talking about trying to resolve in this post...
The goal here was to a) match the rather difficult pattern and b) create a summer dress the kid could enjoy (should the weather ever actually improve).Alas, I didn't excel on either account.
For starters, I'm going to level with you: I loathe matching patterns. I rarely do it, preferring to deal with solid colours (even if in very tricky fabrics), or huge florals, neither of which demand the precision of this cotton lawn.
But I saw this fabric a while ago. It was in the $2.99 bin and it was compellingly lovely. It even has a nice smidge of stretch, odd for straight cotton.
It didn't occur that it would be a freakin' bitch to match for the following reasons:
- The pattern is very regular.
- The pattern is neither small enough nor large enough to be inconsequential.
- The pattern is extremely complex. Almost filigree.
- Back diamond darts really screw with how a pattern lies at a centre back seam.
The second domain of failure was in fit. While I cut the 8 (which accords with her bust, waist, hip measurements), and lengthened it substantively, I discovered at the end that (even with a mere .25 inch turn-up hem) this thing is already too short for my kid.
Note: Today my not quite 11-year old fit into a pair of size 14 skinny jeans from The Gap. The legs are not actually skinny on her (and, thankfully, the button elastic allows us to pull in the waist circumference), but the length is just right. Jeez.
Other than the zipper finishing, I'm very pleased with my workmanship on this garment - a plus given all the things that didn't quite work.
So, I'm remaking it right now in lovely, predictable, solid-shade denim. I added another 3.5 inches onto the bottom (in addition to the extra 2 inches I applied to the first attempt). It looks like it will fit, even in June!
Thank goodness for young, tiny nieces. Or this would just depress me.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Shout Out to the Experts: Finishing Fabric Edges Around Zippers
Hello Sewists:
Y'all know how I hate inserting zippers. Nonetheless I keep on with them, invisible and "regular", though invisibles seem easier to complete without utter crisis. I don't know what my issue is. I've read and watched dozens of tutorials on working with both varieties. They all make zips look like a piece of cake. Whatever. This post isn't about how I look for any opportunity to use a) stretch fabric or b) snaps.
This post asks the question: How do you make your zippers look pretty from the inside?
When I sew, first off, I serge all exposed fabric edges - including the fabric edges that will abut the zipper. Then I install the zipper (invisible or regular). At this point - if I haven't completely lost it - the zipper is secure, but it looks kind of crappy-tacked-on atop my serged edges.
Obvs, if I line the garment, the problem is solved. Likewise, if I choose to use binding along the seam that the zipper's inserted on. Alas, 2 bound edges when the rest of garment edges are serged looks kind of stupid, no? And binding every edge is way too labour intensive for (let's say) a casual summer dress.
What do you do to nicely finish fabric edges around zippers? Do you simply leave the zipper alone and think it looks fine? Do you serge over the zipper outer edge and affix it to the outer edge of the fabric (which you then serge at the same time i.e. after you've inserted the zipper and sewn up the seam the along which the zipper sits?)
Please do tell.
Y'all know how I hate inserting zippers. Nonetheless I keep on with them, invisible and "regular", though invisibles seem easier to complete without utter crisis. I don't know what my issue is. I've read and watched dozens of tutorials on working with both varieties. They all make zips look like a piece of cake. Whatever. This post isn't about how I look for any opportunity to use a) stretch fabric or b) snaps.
This post asks the question: How do you make your zippers look pretty from the inside?
When I sew, first off, I serge all exposed fabric edges - including the fabric edges that will abut the zipper. Then I install the zipper (invisible or regular). At this point - if I haven't completely lost it - the zipper is secure, but it looks kind of crappy-tacked-on atop my serged edges.
Obvs, if I line the garment, the problem is solved. Likewise, if I choose to use binding along the seam that the zipper's inserted on. Alas, 2 bound edges when the rest of garment edges are serged looks kind of stupid, no? And binding every edge is way too labour intensive for (let's say) a casual summer dress.
What do you do to nicely finish fabric edges around zippers? Do you simply leave the zipper alone and think it looks fine? Do you serge over the zipper outer edge and affix it to the outer edge of the fabric (which you then serge at the same time i.e. after you've inserted the zipper and sewn up the seam the along which the zipper sits?)
Please do tell.
Birthday Cake
Photo courtesy of Jason SparksWhat's your fave birthday cake ever?
Update: I'm am gradually responding to all of your comments from the past couple of weeks and I have to tell you how enjoyable it is to re-read them! What amazing friends you are. Thanks for writing to express your thoughts and I'm sorry it's taken so long for response.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Ice Queen Gorgeous
Can you get over the sassy elegance of this new Vogue pattern?
Arguably, Mr. Rucci is the company's most pedigreed designer. His garments always look incredibly expensive - entirely correct - if verging on chilly.
What do you think of this dress? Would you wear it? Would you make it? Experienced sewists, does it seem very complicatedly constructed?
What do you think of this dress? Would you wear it? Would you make it? Experienced sewists, does it seem very complicatedly constructed?
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Boho
Before I went to NYC, we went out for dinner at our regular place. Sometime after the sugar rush of dessert, M grabbed my glasses and had Scott take a photo. She then promptly jumbled her hands in time elapse, and turned it into the desktop on my iPhone which, at that point, I'd owned for about 2 hours.How the hell kids who've never touched an iPhone can adapt them to their will is beyond me. They're like demi-robots.
At any rate, she wanted to be sure that I wouldn't forget her, bless her little cyborg heart.
Ever since, she's been wearing her own 3D movie glasses (which look scarily similar) minus the lenses (which are crazy-making after all) like regular eye wear. In my day we didn't do this. In my day we avoided glasses. Ironically, this looks rather retro-chic on the child of 20/20 vision.
Since I can't figure out how to modify my iPhone desktop, this photo is destined to wink at me with its merciless cuteness evermore. Every time I look at it, I see a tween-beat poet, hanging at the Embassy, snapping her slender fingers cuz she really digs stream-of-consciousness free verse.
For a beatnik, though, she sure is wearing a lot of cashmere.
Update: Just got a photo from NC trip which proves the whole "3D glasses chic" concept:
M and her cousin C. Photo courtesy of Jason Sparks.
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