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

Pants, Pants, And More Pants (The U.S. Meaning!)

It seems that wide legged trousers are now trendy.

This is strange to me, because I don't dress in-time with fads. Which is obvious because I've had a pair of wide leg pants in my wardrobe every year since high school. But then, I'm the girl that was wearing Japanese designer-inspired fashion in junior and high school and vintage full-skirted dresses, and men's sport jackets and gabardine shirts in college. I just find fluid wide legged pants to be the comfiest thing to wear when it gets cold (and when it gets hot!) I am notoriously cold all the time in winter and wear tights or long underwear almost daily. Wide leg trousers give me the room to layer up and still look stylish. Below, evidence from my pattern archives:

High School/College

McCall's 5867, Vogue 1986, McCall's 7550, Vogue 2938, Vogue 2853, McCall's 2684

You can see that in College I also played around with silhouette, where I had a few pairs of "carrot" pants, where they are fuller with pleats at the top and narrow considerably down the length. In fact, that last pattern in a stable knit was a favorite pair of mine. I would love to find that pattern again, they were the closest I've come to harem pants.

Beyond/College:

Simplicity 6529, Vogue 2532, New Look 6836

My love of these structured yet loose wearing trousers obviously comes from the glamorous film stars of the 1930-40s; Garbo, Dietrich, Hepburn, and Lombard. Check out this link at Fashionable Forties for fabulous images of women wearing the many varieties of trousers worn at that time.

What's In A Word?

Where did the term "pencil skirt" go? Now, I’m not talking about the current usage or the original period in the late 1940's that the phrase was used. I’m talking about those decades in between.

I started reading fashion magazines in the 1980s and have read them consistently since then. However, a year or two ago when I started reading the term "pencil skirt" on the sewing blogs, it struck a chord. Why did this seem so faddish when we were describing a timeless item of clothing? How did the phrase get to be so out of use? Now the words sound like buzz words used to differentiate the in-the-know from the out-of-touch. The pencil skirt is not that unusual, it is only:

A skirt that is a slim and straight in silhouette. The length is just above, at, or below the knee and is tailored for a close fit. The name comes from this fit; it is long and slim like a pencil.

Its predecessor was the hobble skirt which was just as narrow but worn down to the ankles! In fashion, Christian Dior has been said to be the first to show this silhouette in the late 1940s as a contrast to his New Look.

So, what DID we call a knee-length tapered skirt in the 1970s or 80s? It’s not like the garments themselves disappeared, they have been with us consistently for decades. In high school, I wore so-called "pencil" skirts with tights, thick socks, and chunky ankle boots and that was the 1980s. However, I can’t remember what they were called then.

So, does anyone remember what consumers and the fashion press called pencil skirts before their resurgence?

Image: In Vogue One Day blog

2011 in Review

I noticed many sewing bloggers did a year-end review of their projects. For some reason, I didn't feel up to doing that (it's not like I have SO MANY items to show) If you want to see them all in one place just hit the imadethis2011 tag in the column to your right.

Last week I saw the year end post that Caitlin did at The Story Girl, where she listed things in her life she experienced instead. I like that idea, so here is my 2011.

Movies:

In this past year, I have seen over 25 movies through Netflix or in the theaters. I have a Netflix account where I receive 2 DVDs a month, but that's not where all these come from. No, a good friend of mine has been treating me to a movie a week, knowing that I have no money for entertainment. The highlights of this year:

Despicable Me - I actually want to own this one!
Bridesmaids - I laughed...I cried. Seriously. I did.
The Hurt Locker - Brilliant.
Drive - the staging and atmosphere was fabulous. The gore, just a bit too visual.
The Muppets - Perfect movie. No doubt.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Can't wait to see the next two installments. Rooney Mara is truly mesmerizing.

Books:

Because of my lovely local library (half a block away!) I have read even more Agatha Christie novels (total is now 35+) and have read vintage sewing books that I otherwise would not have discovered.

My enrollment at VCU has allowed me to read glossy expensive books on designers and fashion history books.

I reviewed Little Green Dresses and then received a free copy from the publisher!

School:

I finished three classes (topics: global ethics in world religions, eastern world religions and local Richmond architecture) during 2011 by attending all three semesters, gaining an A in two classes and a B in one. Just one more to go!!!

Sewing:

I participated in the Colette Patterns Fall Palette Challenge which morphed into a wardrobe plan that I am using for fall 2011 through to spring 2012.

I completed 10 clothing items, more than I thought I had. I happily can say that I wear most of those items all the time. I also repurposed two prior makes into things I would wear. I also made 6 infinity scarves and three necktie eyeglass cases as X-mas presents.

I researched and then took comprehensive body measurements to assist in fitting all my future garments. That knowledge has already helped me out with my dress and my coat.

I acquired two vintage sewing manuals, Better Homes and Gardens Sewing Book and Designing Dress Patterns through Alibris.com

I was reunited with my mother's old Kenmore machine, which my sisters and I thought had been sold or given away. Guys, this was the machine I learned to sew on.

Music:

This year I have discovered Florence and the Machine, Claire Maguire, and Mumford and Sons.

Life:

I was in my very first car accident right outside of my office on the way to work. I was hit by someone running a red light. My car suffered quite a bit of damage, Luckily I suffered none, though I still flinch at some intersections. Strangely, while waiting for the cops I could not stop thinking about how much the guy who hit me looked like Joel David Moore, Colin the "squintern" on Bones.

I experienced the largest earthquake ever on the American east coast. I was outdoors sitting on a wooden picnic bench and felt the sustained vibrations go up through my body. It felt like a train was passing just a few yards in front of me with the bench and trees vibrating along with me. What a unique sensation!

I relaunched my Etsy shop, Metamorphpursuit with a new banner design I created in Powerpoint. I also designed labels and business cards to brand the store.

I completed my stint writing profiles of fashion's important designers for Colette Patterns and their Coletterie blog.


So on to 2012, a year which will reveal its own mysteries and adventures. Happy New Year!

Vintage Sewing Books I Want!

I borrowed two great sewing books at my local library this year (multiple times).

All-around Sewing Reference


Note: Same book, different editions: 1961 and 1970 (they removed the tag-line). The 1970 edition was available in a metal binder version, see below.

Better homes & Gardens Sewing Book (1961)


What's I found cool inside:

The book shows five different ways to make a sheer overdress with an opaque inner slip that also formed its own foundation garment. The instructions included details on how to construct the inner corselet for each dress. The construction is a little different depending on how the outer sheer dress was to be attached to the inner slip.

Drafting and Patternmaking



Designing Your Own Dress Patterns (1951)
Designing Dress Patterns Third Ed. (1971) by Helen Nicol Tanous.

Check out some of the styles I could create from this book (more at the link above):



Examples of drafting projects

Her method of moving darts is probably no different than many other guides, but her variations are what I love. The book shows things that they did when designing clothes in the 1940-50s that they don't do anymore in home sewing patterns. Besides the Advanced Vogue designer patterns the goal nowadays is easy quick sewing, with a minimum of custom details.

I want my own copies. Onward...new mission!

Update: Just ordered them both from Alibris!!

Roy Halston - Slinky in Silk

Here is my last designer profile meant for Colette Patterns.

Roy Halston (1932 - 1990) American

Halston and the Halstonettes.

Born Roy Halston Frowick in Iowa, the designer later known as Halston wanted to be in fashion and sewed as a child. Before moving to New York, there was Chicago where he took night classes studying at the Art Institute of Chicago. In New York he started in the business at the bottom, working as a window dresser and then milliner for Bergdorf Goodman in New York. His high point there was when in 1961 he supplied the first "pillbox" hat worn by the new First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

Halston of Bergdorf Goodman hats.

In 1966, with the help and financial backing of his employer Bergdorf Goodman, he went into business, even establishing his own ready-to-wear boutique within the store. Unfortunately, the venture only lasted eighteen months before Halston resigned to establish his own company, Halston Limited in 1968.

Wool suit, Halston of Bergdorf Goodman, 1965.

At a time in America when it was not fashionable to appear rich, his clothes portrayed an understated wealth, a sort of all-American look combined with a luxe "jet-set" vibe. He was considered America's answer to Yves Saint Laurent, as he brought sophistication to sportswear.

In 1970, he developed Halston International for his ready-to-wear clients. His style was of a minimalist nature. His clothes were usually in only one color, rarely in prints and devoid of embellishments. If a patterned or sequined fabric was used, as he did for Liza Minnelli's stage costumes, then the actual outfit design would be spare and use simple lines. Sometimes the only adornment would be the graphic jewelry designs of collaborating artist Elsa Peretti.

Silk evening dress, 1978.

His signature items were slinky halter-neck dresses and silk jersey jumpsuits in solid jewel-tone colors. Many of his clothes fastened without zippers, slipping over the head for effortless wear. His one-shouldered dresses constantly flirted with falling off the shoulders and his unstructured strapless dresses were held up by elastic, drawstrings, and gravity. These light and richly colored dresses were ideal for dancing and being seen in nightclubs.

Ultrasuede shirtdress, 1970s.

More traditional pieces such as his form-fitting turtle necks, trench coats, jackets and shirtdresses of Ultrasuede were a large part of his collections. He became so well known for his use of the synthetic fabric Ultrasuede that in 2010 a fashion documentary about the designer was released titled Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Silk dress, 1978.

Halston was considered the first American designer of the Media Era and the first true celebrity designer. He appeared as himself on television and was seen out socially with customers Liza Minnelli, Angelica Huston, and Bianca Jagger at nightclubs, especially the famed Studio 54.

Nylon and plastic dress, 1970.

By 1975, he was involved in the design of home linens, menswear, fragrance, shoes, accessories, cosmetics and luggage. In 1983, he was contracted to produce an exclusive Halston collection for American discount department store, J.C. Penney. Unfortunately, among fashion insiders this was considered a huge mistake and a huge backlash developed that resulted in many clients and retail outlets dropping his business.

Silk jersey gown, 1972.

Halston's late night lifestyle and his increasing addiction to cocaine began to negatively affect his life and business. Around this time, the company was acquired by new owners who fired Halston for unreliability and stripped the designer of the rights to his name. In less than ten years, he was dead from an AIDS-related cancer.

Vogue 6606.

Home Sewing Connection: Halston designed patterns for McCall's and Vogue. Earlier Vogue patterns were for his Halston of Bergdorf Goodman hat designs and the company also benefited from his 1970-80s clothing designs.

Silk caftan, 1975.

His style, innovations, and lasting influence on fashion:

• He won the Coty American Fashion Critics award in 1962, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1974 and was placed on the Fashion Walk of Fame in New York in 2000.
• He appeared as himself on a 1980 fashion-themed episode of The Love Boat.
• Designers who have stated that they were influenced by his work are Calvin Klein and Tom Ford, especially in his 1990s designs for Gucci.
• Like many of the designers in this series, he also designed airline staff uniforms, in his case for groovy Braniff Airlines.  

Images: Costume Institute, Metropolitan Museum of Art; Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Sources: Fashion: The Century of the Designer, 1900-1999 (1999) Charlotte Seeling; The World’s Most Influential Fashion Designers (2010) Noel Palomo-Lovinski; Fashion (2003) Christopher Breward; Halston: The Bergdorf Years Patrica Myers, Bergdorf Goodman blog .

Betsey Johnson - Cartwheels In Color

Originally published on the Coletterie blog.

Betsey Johnson (1942 -     ) American  

As a child, Betsey Johnson spent her time in dance classes. Her early love of dance and its tulle-enhanced costumes directly influenced her adult design sense. She eventually left Connecticut and moved to New York where she studied at Pratt Institute and graduated from Syracuse University. In 1964, Johnson got a fortuitous break when she won a Mademoiselle guest editor contest, resulting in an internship at the fashion magazine.

Spring 2016

After working as an assistant in the art department at Mademoiselle she was hired as one of the designers for the popular Paraphernalia boutique in 1965. The boutique was modeled after the London store Biba, creating up-to-date and revolutionary fashions for the youth market. While designing for Paraphernalia, Johnson continued to develop her style combining her childhood love of those feminine ballet costumes and the newer influences of rock and roll and current street fashion.

Betsey Johnson wool sweaters

Her A-line minis, groovy pantsuits, and drop-waist knit dresses were very popular. Her long vintage-inspired prairie dresses in small floral prints were reminiscent of the calicos described in the Little House on the Prairie book series. Paraphernalia was popular with the fashion and rock and roll crowd such as models Penelope Tree and Twiggy, members of the Velvet Underground, and actress Julie Christie. In fact, style icon and Warhol star Edie Sedgwick was Johnson’s fit model.

Knit top and shorts, 1970s.

Johnson left Paraphernalia and in 1968, she opened a boutique with two Paraphernalia co-workers called Betsey, Bunky, Nini.

Alley Cat color block sweater dress.

 In 1970, she was hired as a designer for Alley Cat, a junior sportswear company until 1974. During her time at Alley Cat, Johnson became their head designer and had creative control, designing everything for the price conscious line aimed at teenagers and young adults. Her rock and roll and rockabilly influenced clothing were a success, sometimes incorporating hippie-like maxi skirts, vibrant knitwear, and petticoats.

Quilted corduroy jacket, Alley Cat, 1971.

Her designs were made accessible to another market, home sewers, when she collaborated on a line of Betsey Johnson for Alley Cat patterns with Butterick Patterns. Her designs were first produced under the Betsey Johnson of Alley Cat label and later as Betsey Johnson. She produced over fifty patterns with Butterick.

Christy Turlington in Betsey Johnson, Vogue 1991.

She worked for Alley Cat until 1974 and in 1978 started her own company, Betsey Johnson, LLC with business partner Chantal Bacon. With her own company, her designs started to embrace the ballerina aesthetic. Now Johnson is known for her tulle-enhanced feminine styles and the generous use of the color pink. This was not always a pale ballerina pink but frequently a shocking hot pink shade usually combined with other bold colors and black. She no longer used prairie prints, instead her floral prints became large-scaled with roses in vibrant colors. They were printed on cotton-Lycra jersey to create form-fitting and sometimes overly frilly dresses.

Shoes and accessories were designed to complement her clothes. Like other designers, Johnson also held licenses for items such as lingerie, handbags, eyewear, hosiery, and fragrances.

This use of the colors, pink, black, and white were also evident in the interior design of her retail stores and in her homes. Her elegant and colorful homes share the same color palette and have been featured in magazines such as Vogue, Elle and others.

Spring 2011

As a breast cancer survivor, Johnson has been involved in securing funding for several breast cancer organizations such as the National Breast Cancer Coalition and the CFDA Fashion Targets Breast Cancer Initiative. For years she has also hosted a yearly event in her boutiques and has created limited edition items whose proceeds fund breast cancer-related charities.

In 2001, preparing for her end of show cartwheel!

Over the years, Johnson has been known for a particular look and persona, with her shocking yellow, orange, red or white-blond colored wigs that immediately announce her presence. Her mega-watt smile and natural exuberance lead her to perform her signature cartwheel down the runway as an ending to her shows even though she is now in her late sixties. Her runway shows incorporate loud rock music, inventive lighting, her colorful clothes, and rock and roll styling, all with energy to match the designer’s own.

Edie Sedgwick in Ciao! Manhattan.

Film Connection: Betsey designed the wardrobe that Edie Sedgwick wore in her last film, Ciao! Manhattan (1972).

Butterick 6529

Home Sewing Connection: In 1971, Johnson was included in the Butterick Young Designers collection along with designers Mary Quant, Jean Muir, and Willi Smith.

Her style, innovations, and lasting influence on fashion:

• In 2008, Johnson was awarded the Medal of Honor for Lifetime Achievement in Fashion Award.
• While at Paraphernalia she designed a “Do-It-Yourself” transparent vinyl dress kit packaged with stickers that could be placed in strategic locations on the dress.
• Johnson was once married to Velvet Underground member John Cale, who wore her designs on stage when performing.
• Johnson’s daughter Lulu starting working at the company after graduating high school and is now a creative director.

Images: Twirlvintageco; DearGoldenVintage; Yannis Vlamos – GoRunway.com, 1stdibs.com, Getty Images,

Sources: betseyjohnson.com; Fashion: The Century of the Designer, 1900-1999 (1999) Charlotte Seeling; “Betsey Johnson for Alley Cat” (2009) Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Museum blog; Weller, S. (2015, February 15). Betsey Johnson: A Role Model, Still. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com

Norma Kamali - Retro Punk

Originally published on the Coletterie blog.

Norma Kamali (1945 -    ) American

Nylon parachute dress in International Orange, 1974.

Norma Kamali (born Norma Arraes) grew up wanting to be a painter but instead graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) with a degree in Fashion Illustration. While searching the city for a job in the fashion industry she worked in the office of an international airline. A perk of this job were the discount tickets that allowed her to visit London frequently, sometimes weekly. In 1968, she and her husband opened the first store in New York importing and selling some of the clothes she saw in London along with items from local Salvation Army stores. In 1974, the store moved to a more fashionable address on Madison Avenue.

Nylon evening dress, 1978.

She was now creating and selling her own designs. She began experimenting with unusual materials, producing dresses and jumpsuits from parachute silks. To capitalize on the original use of the fabric these pieces were constructed with drawstrings in place in order to adjust the fit of the garment. Her 1975 “parachute” collection was a huge success. In later years, the material used would be changed to a more durable and water-repellent nylon. Several of these pieces are now part of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art permanent collection.

Kamali in the sleeping bag coat, 1982.

The following year, she produced her most famous item, the “sleeping bag” coat. Inspired by an actual sleeping bag, she wanted to transfer that insulated and snug feel to quilted, down-filled outerwear that insulated the wearer from winter weather.

 "Pull" swimsuit, Cosmopolitan, June 1977.

Kamali’s swimwear business was launched after Christie Brinkley wore her “Pull Bikini” on the June 1977 cover of Cosmopolitan magazine and the orders multiplied. The unique bare and graphic  suit was a sensation and Norma Kamali became an internationally recognizable name.

Sweatshirt fleece dress, 1980s.

Kamali and her husband divorced in 1978. Norma Kamali, Ltd was dissolved and she began a new company, OMO for On My Own. During this period she produced clothing made from sweatshirt fleece, knits and terrycloth. She elevated gray sweatshirt fleece from functional athletic wear to everyday street fashion. Many of the dresses incorporated elasticized sleeves or waistbands and were sold with detachable shoulder pads.

1970s sneaker flats.

To complement her new take on using gym-like fabrics she designed high-heeled sneakers that literally looked like athletic shoes propped up on sturdy heels with extra-long laces meant to be wrapped and tied around the leg. Her fondness for athletic wear would continue as she has a current partnership with Everlast and has aimmence interest in health and wellness.

Jersey plunge halter dress.

Swimwear continued to be a substantial amount of her business. In the 1980s her designs changed to more retro-influenced styles, long before the recent fascination with all things vintage.

Antonio Lopez illustration

Around the same time, Kamali had a distinctive look loosely based on the 1940s with her jet black hair put up in victory rolls, a powdered face, and lips made up with red lipstick. She has streamlined her look and wears less makeup but that retro look is still seen on her models in promotion materials.  She was influenced by films of the ‘30s and ‘40s in her personal wardrobe and her clothing designs too. Her ensembles of bold-shouldered jackets, mid-calf skirts and platform heels were highly reminiscent of Hollywood designer Adrian.

Jersey dress and shawl, 1980s.

In 1995, she developed an interchangeable practical, comfortable wardrobe of jersey pieces available in three colors; black, red, and white. This collection was reminiscent of the clothing philosophies of designers Bonnie Cashin and Claire McCardell.

Resort 2017

Early on Kamali embraced the possibilities of direct marketing and the Internet for customer sales. Her direct marketing venture, 1-800-8Kamali allowed her customers to purchase all of her products through the Internet. Her product line at this time includes swimwear, active wear, fine clothing, home furnishings, her cosmetics line Norma Kamali Beauty, fragrances, eyewear and swimwear.

Kamali Walmart Fall 2010.

In 2006, she revisited the jersey wardrobe idea and produced an affordable collection, Norma Kamali Timeless, exclusively for the Spiegel catalog and Spiegel.com. Instructive videos were provided on the website showing the many ways the pieces could be worn. She used this same concept in 2008 for an even lower priced collection for Wal-Mart stores. A $30 trench coat from that collection was voted Best Travel Fashion in Travel + Leisure magazine in 2009.

Emerald City sequence in The Wiz, 1978.

Film Connection: Kamali designed the costumes for the hyper-colored Emerald City sequences in The Wiz (1978) with Michael Jackson and Diana Ross.

Her style, innovations, and lasting influence on fashion:

Darren Fawcett poster, 1976.

• Kamali was responsible for the red bathing suit worn by Farrah Fawcett in her best selling 1976 calendar.
• She designed costumes for three of choreographer Twyla Tharp’s dance performances.
• Her 1999 Living Rubber collection introduced a thermo-chromatic fabric that changed color via body heat similar to a mood ring.
• Kamali has been awarded many honors for her clothing, video production, and architectural and interior design,  along with her efforts for education and the arts in New York public schools.
• She received a plaque on the 7^th Avenue Fashion Walk of Fame in 2002.

Images: Mark Seliger; Costume Institute at Metropolitan Museum of Art; Pamcoco on Etsy; Kick Shaw Productions; Wal-mart.com; and the Norma Kamali OMO blog.

Source: NormaKamalicollection.com; Norma Kamali (2003) index magazine; Who’s Who in Fashion (1996) Anne Stegemeyer; Fashion: The Century of the Designer, 1900-1999 (1999) Charlotte Seeling.