Burda

Cape of Hope

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I’m deflated. I thought for once I’ll be able to whip out a bought pattern design quickly then move on to fight my war with the moths. No such luck.

I traced the cape pattern 112 from Burda Style 2011-08. I then decided to make a muslin fitting first just in case. I reckon I can reuse the muslin as underlining for the cape itself, wool being generally too scratchy for my sensitive skin and an extra layer between the fabric and lining helps greatly.

So yesterday, I got the muslin basted together, tried it on. Shock horror, I look like a…

…fully padded out American footballer.

And here’s me & my cape…

See what I mean?

Worst yet, with all that extra room in the shoulder area, I still couldn’t move my arms freely if the cape is buttoned up. The holes for the arms are too close to center front for comfort. I want to rest my arms by my sides. I don’t want to walk around with my elbows glued to my waist and hands folded!

I don’t know if it’s meant to be that way – I’ve never wore a cape before. Anyway, it’s not comfortable. And I know I won’t wear it if it’s not comfortable.

I’m so glad I haven’t cut into the fabric yet. But what to do now?

I was feeling so flat last night I thought I’d ditch the cape idea and find another pattern for this fabric.

But then I found these cute capes on Asos this afternoon, and they gave me some ideas…


I’ll convert the original arm slits into in-seam pockets and make a slash on both side front panels for new arm slits where it’ll be closer to my sides and more comfortable. I might even raise the slit top a bit like the bottom two pictures, or maybe add welt to the slits like the top picture. That should fix the comfort problem and give me two useful pockets to boot! (It’ll definitely be lined, unlike the Burda original.)

That footballer shoulders will still need to be fixed somehow.

And I’m hoping I’ll have enough fabric left to make a handbag.

Like this Queen of Heart Bowling Bag from Hot Patterns:
(…which supposedly is inspired by a Vivienne Westwood handbag)

Or the Hepburn Handbag from Aspinal:

(I don’t know why it’s so difficult to find patterns for classic structured handbags. All the patterns I’ve seen tend to be oversized, or too casual. Crafty quilty country totes just aren’t my cup of tea.) Orange wool with the hand of cowhide + brown faux leather trims. What do you think?

Anyway, here’s to hoping that I’ll be back on track this weekend!

A Cozy Retro Detour

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So of course as soon as I finished tracing out the pattern for Le Trench London weather turns too cold to wear trench. God has a very wicked sense of humor. I’m now considering putting Le Trench on the back burner and go for a full-on cozy cape or coat.

I got four less precious coat-weight fabrics and also two astronomically expensive cashmere. With my current state of slightly dodgy sewing skill and even worse fitting skill I think the cashmere will be safely tucked away for another year or two. So here are the candidates:

50ish Cape…

I quite like this 50ish cape from  Burda Style 2011-08. I got a rusty colored coating fabric I my Mom gave me which I think would work well. I can just picture this with one of my classic golden brooches. Mmmm…

Unfortunately there’s only 1-7/8 yards of this fabric, so even this short cape would be pushing my luck a bit. But as this fabric is stiff as cardboard, I’m hoping I can skip the facings in self-fabric and instead go for a thick lining fabric instead.

Who knows, I might even be able to squeeze a fabric tie out of it and wear it like in this jacket from vintage sewing pattern. (Picture from Blueprints of Fashion: Home Sewing Patterns of the 1950s.  I love that book for retro inspirations!)

Or 60ish Coat?

I also quite like the rather structural shape of Vogue 8548 coat. I like view A’s retro feel, but am not sure about 3/4 sleeves for a coat. I get too cold in the winter to wear shorter sleeves, and long sleeves poking out is going to  ruin the look. You need a pair of elegant, slim-fitting gloves to complete that look. So maybe view B would be better, if more boring.

Fabric-wise, well, there’s brown or brown or brown!

See what I mean about buying more of the same? 😉

OK, they’re slightly different weights. The left one is definitely coat weight. But I have just over 3 yards of this and it seems a waste to use it on this pattern that only needs 2-1/8 yards. The one in the middle I also have just over 3 yards. The one on the right is closest at 2-5/8 yard, but it’s a thinner fabric probably more suitable for a thick jacket. Urgh, decisions decisions decisions?

How would you decide?

Speaking of pockets…

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…What is it with Burda and in seam pockets that are stitched to the dress fronts? Like these from recent issues…

Sporty / funky patch pockets I get. Discreet lady-like in-seam pockets I also get. These I don’t get. It rather ruins the drape of otherwise classy / funky dresses.

“Home made” comes to mind. And not in the flattering sense of the word 🙁

Catching the Kimono Train

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I was reading about Chanel No. 6’s blue cut velvet kimono the other day, and thought I’d share my 2 cents from my clipping stash (and past obsession with many things Japanese, though mostly pop / modern).

So here’s the lovely kimono she made, with her step-by-step instruction inspired by an authentic kimono she got from a friend.

And here’s how to wear it
if you really must do housework in it…

Keeping Your Sleeves out of the Soup (and Laundry)

I’m glad I found this, for I thought my mind was going. I vaguely recall seeing something like this, but can’t find any evidence in my clipping stash. Must have been some girl’s manga I was into way back when.

I wished I had found it earlier though. I had made this kimono robe a few years ago. But it got little wear because…well, the sleeves was sharing my soup and much more.

It also doesn’t help that it’s a bit immodest in the back – thanks to not enough yardage as it was just another fabric from the stash. And as Channel No. 6 mentioned, you really do need a very soft, drapy fabric. Mine was a bit spongy – soft, but not limp enough. So it feels a bit too boxy for a shorty like me.

Construction-wise…

Mine is a little bit different from the version Channel No. 6 detailed. It also has the open underarm and inner edge of the sleeve flaps, but without the rectangular insert mentioned in her step 6.

I made mine unlined and reversible as I find the peach side more flattering for my skin tone than the lovely iridescent blue side.

Mine was based on a Threads article on kimono from Jan 1991. Unlike the recent Burda 7/2011-124, it’s all rectangular pieces of fabric…

It seems relatively authentic – if you can trust Japanese Jenny doll kimono pattern and instruction to be faithful to the real thing…

Variations & Styling…

I love the extra long sleeves of girl’s / single women’s formal kimono. So decadent! There are some styles that don’t seem to be as well known in the west. Like the middle picture below, which is a Meiji period school girl uniform.

Kimonos from different periods

Interestingly the Japanese versions don’t seem to be drapy. Yet the way they wear it still makes them look slim and elegant. I guess what looks like a padded middle and the resultant high-waisted effect create a vertical column that’s slimming…Unlike my unpadded attempt which by betraying a narrower middle paradoxically ended up exaggerating the width above and below the obi belt (actually a wide scarf ).

And the long sleeves of course further emphasize the graceful vertical lines. Love to catch a breeze in those!

Also note how the collar hangs away from the back of the neck in the most deliciously seductive way. As they say, less is more – just a tiny peak of a graceful long neck is way more enticing than acres of skin.

But can one pull off a Japanese styling if one’s not Japanese? I think I’d feel foolish. Costumy is not an issue, but I’d wouldn’t know how to move in it with conviction. And that, I think, is a key ingredient of style.

My all time favourite western styling of a kimono has to be this one from John Galliano’s Autumn/Winter 1994 collection…

John Galliano Autumn/Winter 1994

Supposedly he was so broke he had to resort to cheaper lining fabrics for this collection. Yet the result is stunning.

A real shame then about his recent disgraceful behaviour. But I’ve never been one to put talented people on pedestal. So the fall in no way affects my appreciation of his designs.

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.