Oooooo - Look What the Mailman Just Brought!

Reading material...

and Watching material...


Oh boy, I have eye candy for the next week! Reviews to come. Stay tuned...

Happy sewing!

A Must-Own Fashion Movie

I'm waiting for a copy of the poster to put up here, but next week Valentino, the Last Emperor is coming out on Tuesday, September 8th! This is one that I'm buying for my own library. I can't wait!

I got a note from the production company that there is also a giveaway - a red Valentino gown. I think I need to go put my name in that hat!


NAYY, I'm just very excited about this! Now I just need to find a DVD copy of "Unzipped" and I'll be a happy camper.

Happy sewing (and dreaming of red gowns)!

Emmett is Showing On QVC at 6:00 Eastern Today!

Okay, my dears, Emmett is going to be on QVC today at 6:00 PM (eastern) selling his fabulous handbags! See the red one over there? He has it in cobalt blue, and it has my name all over it. I'm trying to expand outward from my usual greens/browns, so this should be quite a change. Plus, it won't match anything in my wardrobe. Ergo, it will go with everything!

He asked me to tell you to call in! He wants to talk to people who know fashion, so call in to QVC, tell him I sent you, and buy a bag!

Happy sewing and shopping!

What I Did in New York

I finally have almost caught up from last week. What a whirlwind! Down on Thursday and back on Friday, and that's a lotta traveling! Fortunately the weather cooperated, and the traffic didn't get too bad until we were well down the West Side Highway. I met up with my darlings Emmett and TLo on Thursday night and we headed off to Leeanne Marshall's collection at her studio in the Garment District. Leeanne is so sweet, and her collection, for the most part, was incredibly gorgeous! The poor thing was telling me the next day that she only had 3 weeks to work on it. But she got it done! Here are two of my favorite looks:

The fabulous Amanda wearing an amazing black silk gown

This gown of silk chiffon and ombred, raw cut organza was gowachuss!

Check out the skirt detail:

And here is the lady herself.
I didn't get to talk with her that night beyond the polite hellos, but we spoke after the Project Runway. She is such a sweetie, and so talented! Love. Her!

The next day was the Project Runway Finale. I have to tell you - it was fabulous to be there, but it was a bit anticlimactic. I felt badly for the designers; they didn't get to have their moment in the sun. But the clothes were interesting and, in some cases, fabulous. You can see the complete collections on Project Rungay (and a big hug and kiss to TLo for having me there as the official PRGay photographer!), so I won't repost them here. But check out the view from my seat...

The crowd before the show

That's Christian Siriano in the lower right corner

Heidi - Tall, thin, gorgeous, and I have no idea how she can work it in those heels...
Nina and Heidi

Heidi-ho, neighbor!

Nina

Introducing the show

Michael Kors and Heidi

Suzy Menkes (guest judge and the best fashion writer on the planet), Nina, Michael, Heidi
The very first look

Heidi and Tim Gunn at the end of the show

Nice rock, Frau Seal!

I have tons more pictures, but I think I'll point you to them at Project Rungay. Tomorrow I start on the Burda for sure!

Happy sewing!

I Promise I'll do a Post Later...

But I'm exhausted, I have to comb through about 400 photos and DS' dance competition is today, so here are just a couple of pictures from Thursday and Friday.



Happy sewing!

Hello, Lemons. Meet Lemonade...

Here is how I work. I do something. There's a problem. I get pissed. I sulk. I put my brain (I had a CAT scan - I have proof it's there. I took home photos) to work on it. I fix it.

So today, my seam ripper and I had a grand old time. I pulled the drape off the dress, and I cut a new drape. Tatiana wanted a cowl drape that wrapped around the back to become a halter. The problem with the Lycra is that it doesn't drape properly. It's too heavy; it drapes into semi-stiff folds rather than soft curves. So I replaced it with a drape made from a rectangular-sort-of-thingie of the turquoise mesh. I sewed that into the collar (and thank you Emilie for sending the suggestion!). I gathered the front so it drapes beautifully and I left the back relatively plain. I brought it to Tatiana tonight, and she saw me walk in with it, stopped her dance lesson and ran over to ooh and ahh over it and give me a big hug! I hope she loves it as much on her as on the hanger. I also made two arm bands for her from the sequined fabric that she can wear on her biceps to kind of pull it together a little bit. I promise I'll get pictures this weekend.

In a perfect world, I would sprinkle some sequins on the drape. But this isn't a perfect world. Because tomorrow, rather than gluing sequins on the drape, I'm going to New York to go to...


Wait for it...


Fashion Week!!!!!!



Oh. My. Gawd! How excited am I? I'm meeting up with my darling Emmett and my darlings TLo and we are going to the Tents! Be still my beating heart! That's why I got the new camera lens. I promise to post pictures!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines! There's something big coming. First thing tomorrow. I can't give too much away (2 years!), but fill your shopping bags, watch your email and this site and....


Happy sewing!

It's Frickin' Cold Out There, Mister Bigglesworth!

Brrrrrrr... I hope Dawn is on her way to sunny Hawai'i. Lord knows it feels like Alaska just plopped down in Boston today. The temperatures are supposed to be in the teens with wind chills below zero. And Friday is supposed to be worse. So I thought this might be a nice time to recap some of my favorite cold-weather garments that I have sewn.

First up, and what I am wearing as I type, Vogue 8138. It's a cardi-wrap style that is really designed for a lightweight jersey.

I made my version from a heavier wool-blend terry that I had on Gorgeous Fabrics in 2007. I can't tie it at the waist, as they show in the Vogue picture, but I can belt it or toss it over my shoulder. It's incredibly warm.

Another great favorite is McCalls 5472. I made this from a double-sided ribbed sweater knit that turns from gray on one side to burnt orange on the reverse.

I finished it by binding the edges, and I made it so I can wear either side out, depending on my mood and what I am wearing under it. It's so comfortable. It's like wearing a bathrobe.

Another option for layering when it's chilly is HotPatterns Sportive Suit jacket. I made this from a wool jersey and partially lined it with silk charmeuse. Oo la la, this one feels so good on!


So today I'm going to spend my time staying warm. Oh there's a great Clearance Sale going on at Gorgeous Fabrics right now. I need space, so a bunch of fabrics are on sale for 30%-40% off our regular prices. Have at it - please - I need the room!

Happy sewing!

What Iconic Image/Era are You?

Photo: Helmut Newton

I'm finishing reading my book about John Bates, and I was discussing it with Sewing Diva Phyllis the other day. One of the things that we were discussing was the fact that, while I admire the work and intellectually "get" the silhouettes of the 1960s, they aren't something that appeal to me viscerally. I don't really have an emotional connection to the silhouettes of the day. Phyllis' take was pretty much the opposite. She really loves that silhouette and is a big fan of the Emma Peel look. I said to her, "I think I'm more of an Yves Saint Laurent 'Le Smoking' kind of gal."

Eureka! I had never really thought about it in terms of defining icons before, but that's it for me. I have always been drawn to YSL's silhouettes, and I have made several tuxedos for myself over the years. I owned a couple of YSL original dresses back in the 90s (thank you, Filene's Basement!). The other archetypal image that shaped my fashion preferences when I was young was also an Yves Saint Laurent dress, photographed in Vogue. In the photo, Maria Schianno (My bad, I thought it was Catherine Deneuve) was seated with her back to the camera, looking over her shoulder. She was wearing a black, long sleeved Saint Laurent haute couture dress that was quite demure until you saw the back - it was made of lace from the high neckline down to her bum. That photograph and dress are seared into my memory. Thank you all for finding the link!


One day I will copy it and I'll wear it to some very swish event. I suppose I'd best do it soon while I can still get away with it!

BTW, for anyone in the San Francisco area, the DeYoung Museum is holding a YSL retrospective. I wish I had a reason to be on the Left Coast. I would go to it in a heartbeat. It looks like a great exhibit. Don't miss it if you are nearby!

So what is your fashion avatar? I'd love to know.

Meanwhile, I'm off to finish the dress. Happy sewing!

You Have GOT to Check This Site Out!

I read three newspapers per day now. I added Women's Wear Daily to my roster. And given the depressing headlines stalking the other two, I'm glad I did. Though I must admit, lately the gloom has spread to the front page of WWD.

But you know what? This post isn't about that. This post is about fabulousness in its purest form, available for free online. To whit, WWD had an article on Tuesday about the latest offering from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. They are placing their entire catalogue online! And my favorite part?

The Costume Institute

Oh. My. God. How happy am I?? Want to see a Chanel Suit? Here you go!


Or a stomacher from the 18th century? Have at it.


Or how about Alexander McQueen's Oyster Dress? Look all you want.


Yes, I'm in heaven. I have a new fave rave site. Check it out, get inspired and have fun!

Happy sewing!
All photos: The Costume Institute

Fabulous Financial Frippery

Images: Bradford Exchange

Every Couture Sewer/Fashionista needs these checks!

Snooze Shopping

Sewing Diva Phyllis and I met today at The Natick Collection. The Natick Collection is a mall that opened last fall in, go figure, Natick, MA. It features Neiman Marcus and Nordstroms as anchors, and lots of boutiques: Anthropologie, Michael Kors, Max Mara and the like. We decided to meet for brunch then go snoop shopping.

Snooze shopping is more like it. Honestly, there was very little I even felt like trying on. I saw one coat in the Max Mara store that was just beautiful. I can't find a picture of it online. It is a deep olive green with a slightly raised waistline. The sleeves are the coolest feature. The front has cut-on sleeves with a gusset for the side front. The back sleeves are your standard set-in. I wish the salespeople hadn't been all over us. I would have snapped a picture. The back had a cool design too - the back skirt of the coat was pleated. I really loved the effect. But then I tried it on. I tried on a size 8. I should have gone with a 10, since it was close cut at the bodice. The waist and hips fit fine, but when I took a breath, the covered snap closure popped open at the bust. Unfortunately, that was the least of the problems, because the correct size would take care of it. There were two other problems with it. Phyllis noted right away that the pleating actually splayed out once it hit my bum. Now, I don't have a big booty. On someone with a little more curve to the butt than me, I'm afraid it would look like a Peacock in half-display.

The problem that I noticed was puckering at the right sleeve cap toward the back. This wasn't a fit issue. It was a distinct pucker caused by inadequate easing of the sleeve cap into the armscye. For $1460, I expect better easing. Makes me glad I sew.

We next went into Nordstroms, where nothing outside of the shoe department even caught our attention. I fell in absolute love with a pair of Manolo Blahnik peep toe pumps. They aren't on the Nordstroms site, but you can see them here on the Bergdorf Goodman site:

Image: Bergdorf Goodman

I will say, though I was less than impressed with the clothing, Nordstroms has one of the best lingerie departments around. I didn't have time to drag Phyllis through, but they have Lise Charmel and other high end French designer lingerie. Those babies pick you up and make it seem like you never had babies, if you get my drift. You do pay top dollar there, but as you know, the right bra makes all the difference. Hint - if you are in Manhattan and downtown near the WTC site, check out Century 21 for the same lingerie at 30% to 50% of the retail price. Guess where I buy mine?

We also hit up Neiman Marcus, where I saw an absolutely stunning Akris dress. Can I find it on the website? No. But it was beautiful. It was a deep red, long-sleeved knit sheath, with black inserts at the shoulders. The only one they had was on the mannequin, so it was probably a size 0. I didn't ask to try it on.

There was a light gray cable knit skirt we saw in Anthropologie (Good God, don't any of these shops keep their websites up to date? It's in the stores but not on the site. Grrrr....). It wasn't something I could wear, but it's a super cute look, especially with a close-fitted top (Cindy Anne!)

Finally, we walked back through Neiman Marcus. I wanted to look at the Louboutin shoes, and Phyllis wanted to check out the Chanel bags. Girls can dream, right? Color me less than impressed with the selection of Louboutins in the suburban Boston stores. If I hit the lottery, I'll go to Paris to buy them. But boy, did we hit gold for Phyllis. She wants a Chanel bag, and they had one that was so gorgeous, I lusted after it! And that is unusual - I'm not usually a Double C bag gal. But we found one, in a wonderful bittersweet chocolate, that is to. die. for (no, she didn't buy it - we all need to play the lottery first):

Image: Kaiser Karl's folks. It's gorgeous.

You know, though, it was really disappointing walking through the stores. There isn't anything that is "Oh-my-gawd-I-need-this-for-fall." Phyllis says it's like the 70s. In 20 years we'll all look back and say, "What were we thinking?" She may be right. In the meantime, I'll keep working on my Sexy Secretary skirt, which should be done tomorrow. Until then.

Happy Sewing!

Project for next week....

I just got a note from Rue La La that they are having a Muse event. I really love this dress:

But as you can imagine, my DH would look at me like I was nutz if I bought a knit dress, even if it is a fantastic bargain. Plus, my stash of knit fabrics is, well, pretty big these days. So rather than spending $75 on a dress from Muse, I'll take inspiration from it instead and make my own.

If you take a close look at the front of the dress, you will notice that the bodice bears a striking resemblance to Jalie 2806:

So I'll use that as the basis for the front of the dress. It will need some adjustments to the neckline to make it more of a V, but that will be easy.

The back:


actually has a very cool seaming/darting detail that is similar to this Vogue Pattern:

So I'll use that as the basis for the back. The pattern is designed for wovens, but it will be easy to adjust for knits. I'm going to make it out of this fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics:

It will fit in well with the purple theme I have going for fall (Carolyn, I'm almost sewing with a plan!)

Yeah, sorry. It's sold out.

Well, that gives me a hobby. DS the youngest is going to attempt to get his Open Water Diver certification this weekend. I'll be with him on Saturday, but I think Sunday I'll stay home and get to work on the Sexy Secretary Skirt and then this dress. Should be fun.

Happy sewing!

I Tire of the Red Carpet

I'll admit it right now. I'm cranky. Well, cranky may be the wrong word. I'm grieving. I'm sad. Yves Saint Laurent, who was my favorite designer (ever) died today.

But I don't care. Even if he was alive, well and designing, I would still feel this way. I am tired of the red carpet.

Every day, you can log onto Instyle, Style.com, Us, Entertainment, along with a host of others, and see the same passel of wah-wah-wahhhh startlets parading down the endless acres of red swathed roadways. Follow the Yellow Brick Road? No darling, follow the men from Joe's rugs. And have your stylist grab the latest, greatest and most expensive from the designers du hour. These spoilt children get all sniffy when they don't get the first dibs on a designer's goods. Case in point? Sarah Jessica Parker, who wore Olivier Theyskens (yawn) to the premiere of the SATC movie in New York (one of, BTW, something like two thousand different looks that she had in trunks waiting to be worn for various city premieres, photo ops and press junkets). Here's a quote:

"What bothered Parker was that she felt she had been deceived by both Grauso and Theyskens, who met her in the studio and assured her that the dress had never been worn except for magazine shoots.

...

Parker says she remarked to Theyskens during the fitting that she was surprised the dress hadn’t been worn before. He assured her it hadn’t.
'He didn’t say, Well, actually I just escorted Lauren down the red carpet at the Met.' said Parker, adding, 'I just wish it had been handled differently and they had been straight about it.'" See the entire article Here.

Honey, get over yourself. You're not paying for the dress. You're wearing it for two hours, and you couldn't even be bothered to get it hemmed properly for that. This brings out the I-wanna-smack-someone in me (preferaby in the lovely metropolis of... oh, nevermind, that happened last night while I was asleep and I think that person must have been, well, nevermind).

Seriously though, I am tired of the red carpet blitz. I know there's a season for it, but it seems like the season extends every year. I admit that I enjoy the post Oscar red carpet analysis but it's getting to be too much. I'd rather do the runway analysis as the fashions come out each season. The good thing? We all can. Style.com is a democratizing factor. I can look at, well, looks, on a mannequin and decide what I think without having to deal with the Anne/Angelina/Scary-Olsen-Twins factor on top of it all. And it's one of the things I love about Project Runway. Heretofore nameless designers and models who work the clothes like there was no tomorrow. Because in fact, for many of them, there isn't one.

I've been up since 5. DS the eldest got his black belt in karate (no mean feat - his dojo has awarded 5 Jr. Level Black Belts in 15 years and he's one), and we had to get him to the test at 6, then wait for the call that came at 8 to see the final half hour. YSL died (sob!), and I'm exhausted. The Burda dress is most of the way done. It should be finished tomorrow. In the meantime

Happy Sewing

Vale, Yves Saint Laurent

Yves Saint Laurent with Catherine Deneuve, 1966

The fashion world lost one of the greatest designers ever today. Yves Saint Laurent passed away at the age of 71. Read his obituary

Here

Tomorrow I'll write about his patterns and what they meant to me. I'll be on my fainting couch for the rest of the night.

Matchy-Matchy? No Way!

I was shopping for a laptop case the other day, and I came across this beauty. Of course, any accessory I carry has to be fabulous, non? Well, this one called to me across the store. I had lusted after one very much like it last year. It was the same shape, but it was made of ocelot print ponyskin trimmed with bright red patent leather. I walked around the store with it for about a half hour, then put it back: it was right on the border of too expensive, so I wanted to think about it. The next morning I woke up and decided to go back and buy it and - quel horreur - it had been sold the day before. I was devastated. I checked back frequently to see if they got any more, but no, that was the only one. Sigh.

Well, I was determined not to let this one slip through my grasp. And the color! It's a beautiful egg-yolk yellow. You know what I really love about it, though? It matches absolutely nothing that I own. So in reality, it goes with everything I own. I've never been one for the matching bag/shoe/belt/gloves/whatever, even when it's been the fashion. I really love mixing it up. This bag looks fabulous with a pair of bright blue shoes I own, and it looks equally fabulous with red, tan, brown and black. It's such a fun color! This is one that I'll carry all summer long. Just looking at the color makes me smile. My friend Emmett really loved it when he saw it, so it gets the designer stamp of approval, which is always good.

Happy handbags!

What I Did Yesterday (and the day before)

Man, am I exhausted! If you read Project RunGay, you already know that I spent yesterday at Bryant Park with Tom, Lorenzo and Emmett. We attended Malan Breton's fabulous show! It was a real hoot being with TLo - they are celebrities in their own right. But I had the cooler camera! But let me go all stream of consciousness on you for a moment and talk about Tuesday first.

Tuesday was a quadruple whammy in New York City. It was Super Tuesday. It was Fashion Week. It was Mardi Gras. Finally, and possibly most important, it was the day of the Giants' Superbowl parade and rally. The energy in the city was palpable. The crowds were very rowdy, and I think I saw more Eli Manning Number 10 jerseys on Tuesday than I had seen in all my previous trips to New York combined. It was really a lot of fun, even for a die-hard Pats fan like me. How can you not smile, right?

Anyway, I had business to attend to, but then I got together with Emmett and went to his store, where, BTW, he is having an A-MAY-ZING sale right now. Dresses are $49, $59 and up, for just gorgeous, timeless styles! I bought three dresses. Check out His Website for styles, then call the store for price and sizes (the prices on the website are not up to date with the sale). Honestly, his stuff is totally gorgeous, and at those prices it will go fast. I got mine, now go get yours! Don't forget your Tim Gunn talking bobblehead while you're there.

So back to our adventures. We headed off after shopping to dinner at a place in Chinatown. It was a Mardi Gras benefit party, and it was a lot of fun. After dinner, some amazing rice crispy treats and two glasses of wine (I have now officially given up alcohol for Lent), we headed back to meet Tom, Lorenzo and Emmett's gorgeous boyfriend, Pierre. At about 11:30, they were all going out to a Project Runway party at Beige (you can read about it on TLo's blog). I opted out b/c I had been on my feet in 4 inch heels since 7 that morning, plus I needed to check into my hotel. So I caught a cab, checked in and went to bed. Or so I tried.

Remember the big confluence of events? Well, that meant that a whole lot of folks were partying: celebrating Mardi Gras and the Giants, especially. At 2:08 I was awakened in my 7th floor (usually very quiet) hotel room by two exceedingly drunk young men screaming the f-word at each other and loudly exclaiming to all of the East Village how much they hated each other. Seriously, I was waiting for gunshots.

After a while, things subsided, but I couldn't get back to sleep. Somewhere between 3:30 and 4 I finally fell asleep, only to be rudely awakened by a 6:30 wakeup call. Ugh. But of course, I was going to the Tents, so dammit, I had to look FAB! Roll out of bed, shower, do hair, throw on clothes, go to lobby for very large cup of very strong coffee. Come back upstairs, trowel on the makeup to cover up my dark cirles, put on brand new Emmett dress and boots and head up town to meet the boys at the tents.

On Wednesday, it was warm in New York - bordering on hot. It was in the 60s. Thank heavens I brought my BeSewStylish Jacket with me to buy trim. I threw that on over my dress and I was perfectly comfortable. What a wacky weather day.


While waiting for the show to begin, we caught up with Diana from Season Two and Katy from Season 3. They were both so sweet. I snapped some pictures, then I looked up and said to Lorenzo, "Fern Mallis just came in." We ran over to meet her. She was gracious and so professional (I wish they would have her on Project Runway more often). I got a couple of pictures of her with Lorenzo.


We also got to meet Laura K and TBone from Blogging Project Runway. They were fabulous, gracious and funny!

Here's a picture of the runway before the show began and as folks were filing in.


I didn't take any pictures during the show, figuring it would be bad form to climb all over Tom and Lorenzo to get good shots. Malan did a wonderful job on the show. There were a couple of pieces that I really, really loved and would wear in a New York Minute (I'm with TLo, though - the hemlines have to come up). The only snafu in the show was the final dress. Now, know this - I am not saying this in any mean-sprited way. The dress was beautiful. But it needed a slit or a fishtail hem. The model, Isabelle, had to take such small steps that at one point I leaned over and asked, "Do you think she'll make it backstage before the music ends?" Other than that, the show went off flawlessly, and Malan did a great job! I did get a shot of him and Isabelle during their final walk down the runway.


After it was all over, I went backstage to meet him with TLo. Malan is so gracious, and he has such gorgeous eyes. And that voice? Mellifluous is the word that comes to mind. He looked elated and exhausted. We didn't have time to get a picture of me with him. The security people were hustling everyone out to prepare for the next show. But wow, what a day!

After it was done, we grabbed a bite to eat, went back to Emmett's studio for a little while, then split up to go our separate ways. What a fun and wonderful two days! Tom? Lorenzo? Emmett?

Mmmmmwah!

Here's a reprise of my favorite picture from the whole trip:
.

Now it's back to real life. I got swatches out the wazoo to post on the site and another post to write for BeSewStylish. But I'll be smiling about this one for months!

Happy Sewing!

Back Home!

Oh my goodness, kittens, I'm exhausted! I spent yesterday and today in New York City with three of my favorite people in the world. I'll give you the whole scoop tomorrow, but let me give you two little hints:

Image courtesy of Project RunGay

and



Happy Sewing!