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La Chemise

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Finally London is sunny! So here’s how La Chemise turned out…

Les Basics…

Mit Frou Frous…

Mes Dames,

Le Scandal!

Les Westerns Bon Brute et Le Truand…

Apology for the Pigeon French, with gate crashing Bastardized German :o)

Overall I’m quite happy with how it turned out – a couple of Oops notwithstanding (1. miscalculated armhole depth – thanks Burda for the red herring – easily fixed! 2. misaligned underarm seam while fixing oops 1 – not worth fixing – no one’s going to get close enough to see). It’s already gotten some wear just days after. And so has les Frou Frous…

Cuff Sides & Brooch Fronts

Cuff Front et Back & Brooch Backs

La Rose Brooch Mein Weg

And to recap, this is how it looked in progress…

7/13 Hopefully there’s method in the madness

How it all began…

Originally, I was inspired by these clippings of Vivienne Westwood’s  Autumn/Winter 1988-89 collection:

Vivienne Westwood Autumn/Winter 1988-89Vivienne Westwood Autumn/Winter 1988-89

Vivienne Westwood
Autumn/Winter 1988-89

The first fruit of those seeds was a slip skirt with frills & worn with a vinyl A-line mini-skirt I made, both long gone – the vinyl a victim of careless laundering.

Yes, I’m not very good to my clothing. Even designer ones have had trips to the painting studio. Call me a Romantic with a capital R. Clothing needs to be lived in. And lived in Beauuuuuutifully. No dry-clean only clothing for me. Well, almost none. And certainly no specialist cleaning – goodbye real leather and suede in pristine-only colors. But I digress…

Thakoon Autumn/Winter 2007-08

So anyway, no so long ago I came across this Thakoon dress in US Vogue Oct 2007.

I really liked the contrast between the rather monastic dress and the peasant cuffs, but couldn’t commit to such a permanent pairing. I’d rather have a sack dress that  could be worn separately as well, maybe with  a fabric sash for a 60ish look. So I brought the VW idea back from hibernation.

So part 1 of this look is now complete. Some day part 2 Le Sac will be made. Hopefully part 1 won’t have disintegrated by then! The gauze is rather delicate after all even if I’m not being typically careless 🙂

Vogue Pattern 7581

There were smattering of other inspirations as well. Like Vogue Pattern 7581 dress.

I never got the pattern as it seems like such a simple dress that one ought to be able to make something up oneself. But I saved the clipping for inspiration…mainly because of the necklace! I’m crazy about turquoise. And I’m wondering where I can get a tassled shawl like that, and pick up some flamingo moves on the way. ¡Olé!

And let’s not forget the period dramas…

Like the visual feast that is UK Channel 4’s English Civil War drama, The Devil’s Whore…

The Devil’s Whore, episode 1,
with scenes that could have come straight out of the Old Masters. You can watch it on Channel 4’s You Tube channel (at least in the UK). Or you can get the DVD.

The Devil’s Whore, episode 2

Finally, not so much an inspiration, but another idea of how to wear La Chemise…Another Vivienne Westwood:

Vivienne Westwood Spring/Summer 1991

She likes her historical inspirations doesn’t she. Peasant Punk! I think I’ll do without the slashy denim.

Searching for The One, The Perfect T-Shirt One

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Burda Style 2011-06-120

It’s still gray and dreary in London. So no picture update on La Chemise.

In the meanwhile I’ve started plotting the next assignation. I thought it’s about time I have a reliable block for a well-fitted T-Shirt. Shouldn’t be difficult right? Burda Style June 2011 had a T-Shirt that looked just  about right. A deeper scoop. Get rid of the back zipper – why would anyone need a zipper on a T-shirt I would never know – it’s not even a feature!!!???

I traced out the pattern – this time taking care
to recheck my measurement and pick the right size. Then I compared it to a Victoria’s Secret T I had which fitted quite well.

Surprise surprise. Burda pattern is like way too big! Going by the front alone it’s like 1″ wider each side – that’s 4″ wider at the bust. The armhole is lower / bigger. So how does it look so fitted on the model? Answer on a postcard please.

So what do I do? Go with the pattern? Go with a T I already know fits me? I’m inclined to go with the latter. That’s how I end up with all these improv patterns. Why do the pattern companies insist on frumpy proportions? Sigh. Maybe I should google around to see if anyone’s tried this pattern with any  success.

Blast from the past: back-burner CdG top

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Hurrah! La Chemise is done!

And for once I’m quite pleased with the result. There were hiccups for sure. But not bad enough to make me want to feed to the TBA pile. More about La Chemise soon. London weather has turned all Spring-y and changeable. So it’s too dark to take pictures. And a blog post is no fun without the pictures.

In the meanwhile here’s a blast from the past. Another back burner project. Another attempt to raise the glorious dead! 🙂

The sketch is from a long time ago, in a notebook I hardly use anymore.

Like most of my attempts back then, it was an attempt to copy designer clothing I couldn’t afford as a student – I was much more fearless back then. The inspiration for this one was…as the sketch indicates…Comme des Garcons’ Spring / Summer 1987 collection. I adored CdG at the time. It was my first designer love. This collection was quite feminine – a bit unusual for the avant-garde brand better known for weird baggy stuff. Actually there were a few seasons back then that were quite feminine / wearable.

My copies were mostly guesswork. Occasionally I got to examine the real deal in store and make a few sneaky notes. Sometimes the guesswork paid off. But mostly there were no cigars – like my various attempts to recreate Romeo Gigli Autumn / Winter 1989-90 coats…more about that epic attempt another time!

I made this top once back in the days and it was relatively successful. Unfortunately I don’t have pictures of the result from that incarnation.

I’m now hoping to create it again. This time with a thinner, flimsier jersey. I’m hoping for a slightly more fluid, drapy  effect, like the variation in the collection that was the same sort of bias-tape-lace effect, but on what looks like chiffon or voile.

I’m a bit worried that this fabric is going to stretch out of shape while I sew the bias tape on. Hence the procrastination. Maybe a bit of dissolvable stabilizer like those used for machine embroidery?

In the meanwhile, here are some more luscious CdG SS 87 clippings for you to oggle!

Comme des Garcons Spring / Summer 1987


Hopefully there’s method in the madness

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What do you do when you can’t decide? Go to Plan C of course!

In this case, a back-burner project that has sort of been in the planning for a while…A chemise type top, to be worn mostly under something else. I’ll show the inspirations & styling plans when it’s done. But the work-in-progress look so ridiculous that I just had to share…

Mad innit! Hopefully when the elastic is in it’ll look  sane again. I had to go to this extreme because I tried this gauze fabric – which used to be window drapes, though I think I bought yards of it in the dressmaking fabrics department…erm, where was I?

Oh yes, not limp enough nor crisp enough gauze. I tried to make a kaftan out of it. But it just made me look too well-fed as it was neither oversized nor fitted. So this time I’m betting on the gathering to actually making it look slimmer even though the ungathered state is way wider. I hope I can pull off this paradox. One things for sure, this one won’t be a No-Breathing Oops!

The pattern is sort of a Frankenstein’s monster – a mix of Burda Style 2010-02-117/118 and this simple instruction for Italian Renaissance raglan chemise I found online.

I’m just hemming it by hand now and waiting for the mail-order elastic to turn up – I couldn’t find any nearby, ridiculous isn’t it?

Stay tuned to find out if it goes onto my TBA pile or if you can really turn water into wine!

A risqué 122 & her french pretender twin 112

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Burda Style Feb 2010 issue’s patterns 122 and 112 that is…

Burda Style 2010-02 Style 122

Burda Style 2010-02-122

Burda Style 2010-02 Style 112

Burda Style 2010-02-112

These I’m quite proud of even though the fit left something to be desired. For once I used up a piece of fabric within 3 months of purchase. That’s unheard of! Usually it’s years, if not decades. Or ever.

It’s cotton jersey, probably not of the best quality as 112 has started pilling a bit. But I managed to get 2 tops and a convertible headband out of 1.75 yards x 60″ wide. The hand is quite pleasant to work with. Matching stretchy stripes not so much.

And like almost everyone else who’ve attempted 122, mine refuse to stay on my shoulders. Granted I didn’t help things by lowering the back neckline. I also made the booboo of not altering the pattern for my “mature” boobs. I went for the skinniest size – dowdy-phobia again – but forgot to lower the underbust seam. It’s not end of the world though it does look like I borrowed some teenager’s top. The off-shoulder number I do need to fix though. I’m just not sure how yet. So another one for the TBA pile.

112 came out better. Hence the pilling from wearing it once too often. I lowered the neckline and shorten to 3/4 sleeves. And went for the skinniest size again of course.

So here is me striking a pose in it with a jersey tube skirt and a cashmere beret I made earlier. No, I wouldn’t go out in the full regalia. Or maybe I would! :0) You can get away with a lot more crazy dressing in a big cosmopolitan city.

And the headband is typically me – commitment-phobe. At least when it comes to sewing.

Without Bow
With Bow


How it works

The loop covering the joint is closed by hooks. There are two sets of loops for the hooks to latch on to, one set of which are thread bars. This is to accommodate the bow: with bow the loop needs to be looser, without it needs to be tighter.

Now if only my head isn’t so flat so the headband would stay put instead of slipping off the back of my head…

And as if that wasn’t enough, the tiny scrap leftover is going to MBP. That’s “My Blythe Pile”…

Lucky Girl

I must have been Scottish in my past life. Or blighted by rationing. The MBP is overflowing as well.