 |
To View in your browser, click here
December 9, 2022
It's the holiday season, and I'm getting a lot of clients who want to re-fit their old gorgeous designer clothes. This isn't a phenomenon specific to one or two clients. It's across the board.
First, they all realize that I'm a huge proponent of well-made clothing - whether I made it or not. And secondly, they have retained a lot of that well-made clothing through the years, because they knew it would last. Not only would it last, but most beautifully designed clothing, although it was indicative of the style of the time, was classic, when meant it would last forever.
  
All three of these styles were from different periods, yet with a little re-fitting and re-shaping, they are perfectly acceptable to wear today. As a matter of fact the truly wealthy - you know the ones who really have generational money from generation to generation to generation - they have people make clothes specifically for them. Sort of the same way that we sewists make clothes for ourselves. The
only difference is that the wealthy have someone do it for them.
You may think that's better - having someone make it for you. But the truth is that it's not. What I'm discovering in re-fitting and re-shaping these clothes for my clients is that they simply want it to fit or to have a more modern line. That's fairly easy believe it or not. But I'm working with a specific client and she's looking for a top for an old Oscar de la Renta skirt. She immediately ordered in cashmere
sweater to see if it was the right color - it was, but it had a crew neck and she likes a high neck. She also likes long sleeves, and she wants it to be shorter. She'd also like for it to fit closely - skim her cute figure - not skin tight. She a long-time client so I'm familiar with what she wants and doesn't want. Here's the deal. Because I know what she likes, she going to get a better sweater than the cashmere one she ordered AND it's going
to look really great on her so that it will become a beloved garment in her closet. And it's not even cashmere - it's polyester. I'm having to instruct her on what all we can do with the garment because she doesn't know about sewing and about what all it takes to make it look better and be more individualized. That's a lot of what we sewists take for granted.
When I tell folks that most of my clothes come from 5 patterns, they are shocked and can't understand it. At the same time, since I've moved from my 3-level-stairmaster house to my 1-level-forever home, I've gained a few lbs, and no one notices, because I'm able to disguise it so well in what I wear because how I design to show off the good parts of my body and disguise the bad parts.
This was made very clear about 2 years ago, when one of our city's more prominent grande dames passed and her home went for sale. The tours included a tour of her "fitting room" above her three-car garage. This was where fittings would take place because all her clothes were made. And what I've done here is sketched out the basic style, and you can see how many of these represent a basic style.
 As she got older, she gained most of her weight around her middle - she was a classic rectangle. Here's a jacket in a beautiful boucle, and with the typical Chanel-type trime around the neck and the cuff. It may have had pockets - but doesn't look like it, but it
went with a top and skirt in which the top had an inset of nude lace to make it pretty sexy but not revealing at the neckline.
Here she is in a jacket and dress of the same fabric, with a trim on the jacket - just like a Chanel jacket. What gives this away as something made for her is the jewelry - the neckline of the dress and the jacket do not interfere with the jewelry at all. That only happens when you do fittings with the jewelry!
Again the trim gives this away. That trim was made exclusively for the curve of that neckline of this top. As if that wasn't obvious enough, the trim coming down the middle, leaves openings of trim for the buttons if she wants to button it. She hardly ever wore these buttoned, but if she wanted to it would match beautifully.
 This jacket is a real testiment to her dressmaker/designer - at this point I would call this person a designer to be able to place that trim around the collar and down the front in such a way as to not take away from the style of the jacket, and make it look natural. The
mitoring around the neckline is sublime!
 This is kind of a sad shot. This is at her granddaughter's engagement, which I did the wedding gown, and everyone knew that this lady was deep in the throws of cancer. She was taking drugs that really made her bloat up, but she still wanted to look nice and this
jacket was beautiful on her. In the paper the photo is a lot darker so you don't see the puff of her shape. But the jacket again, is a Chanel style, with the Chanel trim.
You could literally say that this "grande dame" of the city had a few patterns, and with that she was able to dress her whole wardrobe. She could have afforded designer gowns from any national or international designer, but she knew what she looked good in and that's what she wanted to wear. Many generationally wealthy people do that - wear clothes they know they look good in and that are comfortable to wear. They prefer this
instead of something that's designed by someone who is going to design for her and not really ask her too much about what she wants.
That is the problem with designers - they tell you what to wear, not the other way around. We sewists, get to tell ourselves what we want and then do it.
The problems lots of times is that the choices are so numerous, we're not sure what we want. This is the problem with my client who had me make her a top. When I asked her how tight she wants the bodice?...how long the sleeves (is she wearing bracelets or not)?...how high/thick/strong does she want the neckline?... what all else is she going to wear the top with? These are choices she's never had before, and her eyes opened up like -
WOW - you mean I get to chose!!!
Yep - that's what happens when we sew!
The SewingArtistry Resource Library is designed to contain information to not only make your sewing better, but to aid you in fit and flattery of your shape, size and style. Check it out.
On the Blog
|
|
|
This is the way fashion used to be - pretty, flattering and I can't wait to make some of ...
|
|
|
So no, you haven't dropped into another universe of the space-time continuum. This really is a sewing blog, but this... |
|
|
|
The other day I was doing the laundry and suddenly my machine wasn't spinning, thus wasn't washing. It was making...
|
To view in browser (so all images can be seen) or past emails or in your browser click here.
NOTE: Some email clients, software and web sites, do not allow pictures because they can contain nasty worms and viruses - ICK! So they will by default block you from seeing the pictures. This is a security measure from your email. I can't change that cause that means I would have to get inside your computer and mess with your security which you don't want! So you can do two things: 1.) you can disable your image blocker and that will
depend upon your software. You can Google it to see how to do that for your specific email. 2.) You can view it in your browser which is equipped to handle the nasties that might be in pictures. To do that you can click here to enjoy the full email with pictures!!
To talk about a sewing problem, a style quandary or size situation one on one with Claire, click here.
We respect your email privacy. |
|
|
|
