Pants: I don't need Gene Kelly to be happy...

I remember when I was a kid that on almost any day you could view an old black & white movie. Sometimes it would be a musical starring Gene Kelly (Brigadoon, An American in Paris, etc.) or a dramatic classic like The Strange Love of Martha Ivers or The Lady Eve with Barbara Stanwyck. There was somewhere in these films that I could disappear into...a world where men wore suits the majority of the time and women coordinated their shoes with their bags and hats.

Dancing and Singing In The Rain!

Today, give me a man wearing a crew-cut or high v-neck sweater with a white t-shirt and flat front or pleated tapered pants with a deep break at the wingtips (which he will also wear) and I'll be in love.

If he can dance, all the better.

When I was in college, I wanted those pants for myself and slapped inspiration pics in my fashion scrapbook:

Images I saved from an old Tweeds catalog. Remember Tweeds?

 

Nowadays, pants such as these can still be found at this cool company, Old Town of Norfolk in the UK. Their design philosophy is described as "simplicity and restraint with minimal styling" however, I feel these have more style than many pants produced today.

and Denes No. 5s for women!

Unfortunately, their pants are not cheap, as they are made to order from your true measurements in 4 to 6 weeks. In fact, you visit their adorable showroom, try on the styles to get an idea of the fit, and then select your fabric and color by use of fabric swatches, and then wait. No fast fashion here! You are paying for the well-done work and in addition, there is shipping if you live outside of the UK.

Another popular British-based company,  Merchant & Mills, seemed to have taken notice of this older established company. They are now selling the type of textiles and notions that Old Town might use in their completed makes. Though they are also producing sewing patterns that look to follow this industrial utility aesthetic, at the moment their designs are more minimalist in design details.

I hope that either they or another company will start producing patterns with more industrial age details like brace buttons (for suspenders), buttoning cross pockets, waist adjustment toggles, and button flies that make up the Old Town designs.  It will then be up to us, the makers, to construct them out of durable and hardworking fabrics such as heavy cotton drill, canvas, moleskin, corduroy, and 12 oz. denim.
 
Well...I can hope!

Jaywick Smock Dress

 Oh, but back to Old Town, they also have great dresses!

Images: Source unknown; my personal photo; the Old Town website.

The Better Late Than Never Philly Report

A few months ago, my older sister invited me to visit her in New Jersey sometime this summer. Well, a few weeks ago I decided to take her up on that offer. Over the 20+ years that she's lived there visits mostly revolved around my nieces and nephew so traveling into oh-so-close Philadelphia just didn't happen. The last time I went into Philly with her was over 20 years ago when she first moved up there. I took a week-long jewelry class at the Moore College of Art and stayed with her in a townhouse on South Street. Sweet, right? Well, on this trip, I vowed to get back into the city...and I did.

I took Amtrak and of course finally read last year's big book (and this year's awaited movie) The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins. I had wanted to read this on my last train trip to Florida but the paperback version wasn't available yet and it didn't feel right to have it on my Nook. When I arrived, I had about 1/4 of the book left to finish on the return trip home.

Hard Rock Cafe on Market Street

1st Day:

The only plans that I made was to meet up with Kyle from Vacuuming the Lawn on the first day of my four-day trip. Kyle was one of the first blogs I read and in 2010 (!) she even sent me this fabric when I expressed that I loved it on her blog. That fabric became two of my favorite well-worn garments even though I think it's really for swimsuits or active wear. She suggested meeting at Reading Terminal Market (12th and Arch Street) for lunch.

As soon as we walked in I saw the most delicious little cakes by the Termini Brothers. They stayed in the back of mind for the rest of the day. I bought one of their limoncello ones on the way out of the city that day and again two days later when I came back in. Sooooo goooood! Melts in your mouth and so creamy. So good, in fact, that I checked to see if they were one of the preferred vendors for my nieces wedding venue...and they are! Hmmm...wonder if the wedding couple likes lemon?

Kyle and THAT amazing bag!

After a great grilled cheese sandwich lunch at Meltkraft (I got the Brielle: cranberry chutney, Brie, carmelized onions, and pine nuts!), the Fabric Workshop and Museum (1214 Arch Street) was to be our first stop; however, they didn't have an exhibit going on at the time. Kyle suggested that we instead catch the Vlisco exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art instead and I said yes, please!

Philadelphia Museum of Art

 

Hero collection, season 1, 2014

Gala Dress from Congo, 2016

Frozen Dreams Collection, 2009

The Vlisco: African Fashion on a Global Stage exhibition was at the Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (2525 Pennsylvania Avenue) This exhibit was amazing. the clothes were amazing and I wish my camera had been better to capture all the little details. I loved how these seemingly elaborate textiles used the simplest of subjects or images and manipulated them by placement or repetition into intricate patterns and then how the use of the color combinations and layering of hues elevated them even more.

Mine!

I had a great time with Kyle, she is exactly as she seems on her blog, funny, kind, laid-back, extremely talented, and above all generous. Don't get jealous but look what she gave me at lunch! Yes, it matches that amazing leather bag that she had just finished. A bag that if I didn't read her blog I would have assumed she bought, and yes it does feel like "but-tah". I am chuffed and honored to receive this gift and it should motivate me to make myself a bag that deserves this tassel. Thank you, Kyle! Hopefully, I will see you again at PR Weekend 2017!

On my way out of the city that day, after picking up my 1st limoncello cake, I stopped by their beautiful old school Macy's and then took a few pictures of the Philadelphia City Hall (1401 John F. Kennedy Blvd.) and it's lovely architecture.

2nd Day:

My sister and my BIL told me that the new Philadelphia Pennsylvania LDS (Mormon) Temple (1739 Vine Street) was recently constructed and because it had not yet been dedicated and blessed it was available for non-members to tour until September 9. They had toured the one in Salt Lake City and wanted to see what could be seen in a temple pre-dedication. So two days later, I went back into the city for our two-hour tour.

There was a short video presentation we were shown before the tour but surprisingly besides that, there was  no religious pressure as could be expected. The building was gorgeous and loving interior details as I do, there was always something to notice from the huge and varied floral arrangements in the halls to the fact that the cornices, millwork, and even the door hardware and handles became more elaborate while the finishes seemed more expensive as we ascended floor by floor. No interior pictures were allowed during the visit but pictures can be seen online, in particular for the baptistry and celestial room.
 

Because of the newness of everything, we were required to place white protective casings over our shoes to protect the new carpet from dirt. I really wanted to get a picture of us with these on, but there just wasn't time. So, just imagine a group of twenty adults people shuffling along the staircases of this structure with basically chef hats on our feet.

The temple as seen from the adjacent roof garden.

After our tour as we walked from the Temple downtown we passed this unique sculpture honoring Benjamin Franklin on the highway overpass at 17th Street and Vine.

Big Ben at Franklin Town

We also passed through Comcast Center in order to view the Comcast Experience video wall.

Comcast Experience video wall, at the Comcast Center.

After a delicious lunch at at Parc Brasserie in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood, we took a long walk back through the city and stopped by Reading Terminal Market so I could pick up my second Termini Bros. limoncello cake before we took the Broad Street Line back to AT&T Center and then home to New Jersey.

Canyon!

As it turned out, that was the extent of my visits to the city because I decided to hang in Jersey for the rest of the visit. I had a friendly puppy to play with, good food, and excellent Wi-Fi. To be honest even though the weather was fabulous the entire time, the constant walking really took a beating on me and my out of shape legs!

Yes, there were other sewing-related places I had planned on visiting; however, after talking to Kyle about our current and future projects I couldn't stop thinking about all the fabric and patterns I had left at home and how I shouldn't buy anything new, so these stops will wait for another trip: Jomar* (22 Jackson St and 2590 Grant Ave); Butcher's Sew Shop (800 S 8th Street); Fabric Row on South Street; or MADE Studio (305 Cherry Street).

*So which Jomar is the best one to go to?

Carven + Vogue: A Love Story

Though not officially, it seems that McCall's and its Vogue pattern division has had a little crush on Carven designer Guillaume Henry. First, there was this delicious little dress from the Spring 2013 Ready To Wear collection that showed up in its books as Vogue 8900:

Spring 2013 RTW

Vogue 8900 OOP

The style lines were on-point, including those curvilinear princess seams in the skirt. Unfortunately, not enough sewists purchased the pattern Vogue provided and it is already OOP. However, the Internet is our friend and you can still locate it if you wish. Just imagine it in the fabrics used in the collection; a textured raffia linen and a great Toile de Jouy print. However, don't let the cut-outs intimidate you (which I think was the reason for the pattern's unpopularity), version A has them inset with fabric for a little trompe l'oiel action.

Vogue 8900 OOP

Now, it seems Vogue has interpreted a dress detail from both the Carven Fall 2012 RTW and Louis Vuitton Pre-Fall 2012 RTW collections. Edit: Also the 2012 Pre-Fall Jonathan Saunders collection. How did I not notice until now that these were all in the same season? Anyway, this lovely bodice design incorporated a dart structure I remember first seeing on patterns from the 1950-60s.

Edit: 

It has become Vogue 9020, a separates pattern that again may not make a lot of fans due to it's exceedingly dull envelope illustration.

  

Instead, consider how Carven's 2012 Fall RTW collection shows this front dart on a variety of dresses in different silhouettes with varied skirt designs and in multiple types of fabrics, including velvet and laser-cut lace.

Believe it or not, but both dresses above are based on the same bodice design, only with the center seam open for a few inches vertically. Imagine the vertical area between the two horizontal darts in Vogue 9020 as a large bound buttonhole, perhaps.

Oh, what a versatile pattern, right?

Benny Cumberbatch at 2014 Met Ball!!!

Tonight is the 2014 Met Gala, also known as the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala, in celebration of designer Charles James.

 

Best Dressed Man: Benedict Cumberbatch in Ralph Lauren

 

 

 

Best Dressed Woman: Hailee Steinfeld in Prabal Gurung

 

 

Honorable Mention: Liu Wen

Liu Wen looked gorgeous too in Zac Posen, but her dess was too on-the-nose (as was Posen's dress for Dita Von Teese) in terms of cribbing either the dress design or specific details directly from a Charles James gown. (see also Katie Couric). The Prabal Gurung above was clearly inspired by James but still is fresh, modern, and most importantly, includes pockets!

Also well done:

Anna Kendrick in J. Mendel

 

 

Sarah Silverman in Zac Posen



Anne Hathaway in Calvin Klein

 

However, what were these women thinking?

Katie Holmes in Marchesa
Kate Upton in Dolce Gabbana
Naomi Watts in Givenchy Couture
Lily Allen in Chanel Haute Couture


Additional Met Gala coverage:

New York Magazine's The Cut
Vogue.com
Huffington Post coverage
New York Post

Don't You Love Saturdays? I Do.

I haven't seen much writing about this line, so here goes.

Have you seen Kate Spades' more affordable new venture, Saturday? It's a unique retail and social media strategy, each Saturday they release online another "collection" of a hundred or so new pieces. Some of these are completely new items while others are their staple clothing designs that continue from one "collection" to the next done up in new colors, fabrics, and patterns. Their goal is to keep customers engaged and coming back.

These are basics with a clean design and unique details that keep them from being boring. Designs that would make for a great wardrobe on their own made up in different types of fabrics, colors, and prints. The fabrics range from graphic black & white designs, brightly colored solids, wild oversized florals, pixelated prints, photographic prints, painterly abstracts, to Spirographic circles.

These multi-category collections include everything: clothes, shoes, accessories, handbags, tech accessories, and even travel storage pieces. These clothes are perfect for weekends and going on vacation. The Saturday line is meant as the more casual and lower-priced complement to Spade's namesake line. Think of this as fun clothing for purely fun times.

There is one particular dress I would love to have this summer, the Let Loose Dress:

A gathered tunic dress with cap sleeves, 1/2" elasticized back hem, removable self-tie belt, and hook-and-eye back zip closure. Made in a stretch poplin of 97% cotton with 3% Spandex. As seen below, this belt can be worn around the entire dress or just laced through the slits and tied either to the front or to the back.

Let Loose Dress $170

DIY version:

I found a few patterns that could be easily altered to make a version of this dress; Simplicity 1620 view A, Butterick 5356, view B lengthened into a dress, and probably the best choice of the bunch, Simplicity 2147*, view B. A knit version could also be made with a few alterations to Kwik Sew 3559.

Simplicity 1620 - Butterick 5356 - Simplicity 2147

These three already share the mid-chest yoke, cut-on sleeves, and gathered body of the Saturday dress. Alterations that will need to be done to all are:

• Slash and spread the width of the body portion to create fullness and allow for more gathers.
• If the pattern has a straight or yoke-less back, alter the pattern piece to mimic the front.
• If neckline is large enough, you can omit the zipper completely.
• Create slits at the side seams to allow for a 1 - 2 1/2 inch wide belt.
• Place 1/2 inch elastic in the back hem only. 

Images: Kate Spade Saturday

*There is a fabulous version of Simplicity 2147 here by Jenni of Simple Beans.