Ever since I was little and was ushered into the joys of sewing by my cousin Elizabeth when we were, what, 8? I've had a little part of me that's very interested in fashion. (This may surprise those of you who attended high school with me!) We sewed together, picking out whatever scrap from the "sewing pile" that caught our fancy. Sometimes we sewed without a pattern, certainly never following it exactly, and Elizabeth even made her own patterns occasionally.
I still sew skirts for myself. I have 6 or 7 in the closet, most of which are now a little tight. :( A blissful hour for me constitutes sitting on the high stools at Walmart looking through the Butterick or Simplicity patterns. (You have to keep in mind that they will look better on you than they do in the photos, and worse on you than the drawings! Nobody has legs that long.)
The summer before last, when I was trying to build up a studio at home and had next to nothing to do, I discovered hotpatterns.com. I haven't bought any of their patterns...they're pricey...but I like how up-to-the-minute they are. They had a reference on their site to style.com, and I like to surf it occasionally. You get a sometimes cutting, always intelligent, often completely off-kilter, review of each of the major fashion houses, along with pictures of their work for that season. (Warning: there is a lot of over-the-top stuff that NO ONE would wear, along with quite a bit of immodesty, so not a good idea to leave it on your computer if you have husbands or kids)
Last spring/fall my favorite designer was Olivier Theyskens for Rochas. I'm not original in that opinion, but his stuff seemed feminine, sane, even MODEST, and just exquisitely made.
Today I looked over just a few houses for fall and wanted to cry. The fashion scene couldn't be worse. This fall, skinny jeans, voluminous tops with shoulder pads, psychedelic colors, and just plain old drab, minimalist gray and black "structured" are IN. Zippers abound, "scarf" neck ties a la '70s breeze behind in the wake of models in dagger-sharp pointy heels. I'm seeing lots of shiny fabrics held in at the waist with huge, patent leather belts.
Is this what we have to look forward too?? Not the '80s again. We who lived through them never want to go there again by choice!!
I guess I can say thank goodness for Walmart and fashion-lag! I'm told that Americans are always five or six years behind the "real" fashion scene in Europe.
I actually liked the look we had going for the early 00's. Bell bottoms or bootcut are flattering to almost everyone. You can't say the same for pencil pants. The Boho chic look was sweet, craftsy and feminine. It has some humanity and femininity, unlike the impersonal, structured "tough girl-knight" look that seems to be upcoming. The earthy colors of before are being replaced by grays and blacks, or, when there is color, it's radioactive blue, hot pink, or lime yellow. It seems like we're returning to antiseptic "depressed" instead of glamorous, richly colored and feminine.
On a hopeful note, the '40s are back as well, with suits that look sharp and tailored. Just don't buy them in hot pink!!
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7 comments:
Don't forget the stretch leggings! I noticed those in a magazine my SIL had. I hate to even picture people wearing the 80's style again! Might make me more pressed to start sewing my own clothes.
Letisha
Interesting post, Em! I'll have to check out those sites. I'm w/you on not liking the fall trend, but I doubt anyone around here will be doing it-maybe Atlanta though, since y'all are more refined there. :-)
I can't believe I forgot the most egregious error of all....leggings! Just the thought makes me cringe! Please send me hate mail if I ever succomb! :)
Laura, I hope Atlanta is a little behind the times. If not, I'll be the one sticking out like a sore thumb, wearing my bootcut jeans :)
I'm so glad I taught you to sew (Did I teach you or say, just do it!) I remember sitting in the boys room and telling you the needle wouldn't get your finger if you didn't get too close! You picked it up quickly and were making clothes on your owns right away. SO smart and witty too, you got all the talent!!! Have to run, will type more later. I do have one request: I want pictures of the belly...or at least a baby outfit you're making: with leggings right??? hehehe (it that witty?)
I had turquoise leggings with lace around the ankles...that's really bad, right?? :)
Emily, I will be right there with you in bootcut jeans!
You should syndicate a fashion column!
Alison--Hey! Good to hear from you! Wow, that would be fun, if only because they're so much to satirize now! :D
Elizabeth...of course you taught me to sew! Sometimes we'd start doing something (like sewing a hem) and I would have no clue, and you'd look over and say "What? You can't do a hem stitch?" So that helped me learn real fast... :D I wanted to be as smart as my cuz!
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