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January 20, 2023
While digging around for decent, normal professional women who wear pants, I found this great selection of photos of Angela Merkel.
This is the German PM in about 50 different colors and variations of the same look. But look carefully, some have notched collars, some have V collars, some have jewel-neck collars, some have lower necklines for evening looks, some have 3 buttons, some have 4 buttons some have higher necklines for more business looks. The variations here are many, yet the look is basically the same. Why?
Because this is the fashion she feels is most appropriate for her position in life. It's modern, probably comfortable, flatters the best part of her figure, while allowing her ease of movement, and becomes totally functional for her daily tasks.
And, these outfits are in almost in every color, although I'm not fond of her in orange or tan. She really sings in sapphire and cobalt blue. Don't worry if you can't see all of them, click the photo above for a larger look. This is the ultimate guide in variations. This is fun in that the variations are really incredible.
Now, do you think that the PM of Germany is shopping at one store or even a couple of stores for these jackets? No way! She's having them made, cause this is the normal way of clothing yourself in Europe.
This is a little hard to understand, but picture it this way: Since the beginning of time, clothes in Europe have been hand made - that is, there's no sewing machine. In the documentary of one season series, Signe Chanel (you can view it here -
the description is in French, but the video has subtitles), you will notice that there's not one sewing machine in the whole atelier.
Where are the sewing machines? This is because the "true" creation of couture in France is hand sewing, not anything with a machine. This is how seriously Europeans took sewing - it was more than a craft or hobby or job - it was an artistic endeavor.
Then came World War II and the refining of the assembly line and the whole idea of generating product after product by machine that were all almost exactly alike. The whole idea really took the fashion industry by storm after World War II when the US, that had not be devastated by bombings (which were all over Europe), had a middle class that had disposable income of such volume that the idea of going to the
store and purchasing a dress was so common place that the retail store, designers, and manufacturers could keep up that demand.
Even today in Europe, there are huge sales of RTW (ready-to-wear), that make up a good portion of clothing sales, but the really nice clothing is always custom made. Europeans never seemed to have lost the desire and knowledge of custom made clothing as the Americans did. I mostly attribute this to the fact that before World War II fashion was mostly functional. There was still a significant
population in manual labor of some kind - farming, ranching, putting products together and even when machinery was in the factory, the workers were required to have knowledge of how things worked and went together. So their clothes had to reflect that entirely functional task. They had to have ease, which we consider bagginess today, and comfort, and durability.
After World War II, the wealth was increased and because of the advances of WWII, the manual labor was replaced by machines, priced at such a level that most of the population could afford the labor-saving machines. Suddenly people could afford this new form of clothing. So we Americans don't have those long centuries of "hand sewing" and we went from entirely functional clothing to RTW in
the 1950s and it took off like a storm.
Combine that with the women's movement of the 1960s that preached sewing, cooking, cleaning were deemed as low-class work and therefore not to be done or taught. That culminated in the 1990s when we started having substandard clothing, and fast food!
The upshot is that Europe never lost their love nor appreciation for custom made clothing. But custom-made clothing doesn't have to look like this:
 
This is extravagant and totally impractical for 99.9% of the world. It's beautiful but still impractical. What does come out of it are techniques learned and materials used that can be implemented in more useful designs - so there is a purpose other than simple frivolity.
Part of what's learned is how durable, attractive and practical custom-made clothing can be. I really like these examples, although most of us don't need to dress up like this, the practicality, comfort and beauty in these clothes is probably more enjoyed as the styles are so classic that Ms. Merkel could wear these again and again. These designs are all based on her daily clothing designs.
It's the fabric that makes the difference. Except for the upper left, they are all the exact same design. The upper left is using the same proportions and metrics (the stance or the lowest part of the neckline, is the same, the silhouette - upper waist accentuated, close to the body but fitted, flared below the knee and all three-quarter sleeves).
One more part of that look: her bra and let me make this point as I did with the Queen of England. The Queen was in her 90s, so I forgave her for her drooping boobs. The PM of Germany is NOT - therefore someone needs to tell her this simple technique to make her look really special. Here's the difference.
The one on the left is the original, while the one on the right is the updated version.
If you look very closely you can see the double wrinkles that I didn't work out, BUT you can also see how much younger and fresher she looks when her bra fits her correctly.
The real beauty in Angela Merkel's wardrobe is that even though she has the same design for her daily and formal wear, because of the variations, it works. She's not like Steve Jobs wearing that same outfit every day.
And this is fine for Jobs who had a completely different job than most of us. He was eccentric and didn't want to have to make a clothing decision, which is a look, but not for most folks.
We like diversity - like the sisters who started their own homestead where clothing MUST be practical, functional and protective - and yet each sister had her own look!
What Angel Merkel shows is that we can have our own look, but the variations are extensive on what we can do with that look. For me, what's key here is that I know what silhouette, shape, size, style is good for me. It's so good that even though I'm probably 10% overweight, I can hide it and make it look proportionally correct even though we still compare ourselves to what would amount to 20%
overweight.
In other words
  
VS
No one would even guess that I'm 20% overweight compared to the photo on the right, but I am. Now 20% less weight is way too thin for me. It's the comparison and perception that is key. I look like I weight 20% than I do, but I'm 10% really over my prime weight. When I'm too thin, my face look emaciated and I look like I've survived an apocalypse, and that's not my look either. But because of the
information stored in my core pattern, I don't have to go through the proportional, relational, hang and drape consternation with every garment I make.
What happens when you start using your core pattern is that you get the hang of what really does look good on you, and you can begin to do some marvelous variations. That dress on the left is "based" on my core pattern, and because I know my shape and size so well from my core pattern, I knew I could make it without too many problems. The raised waist, the darts (I put in the skirt darts and if you look closely there's my favorite
side bust dart), the collar, 3/4 sleeves and pockets were just easy to accomplish my look out of a stable knit, I knew this would work.
So bravo for Angela Merkel for not only showing the variations on a theme, but also for making it OK. There are no telling how many other women in business, or leadership positions who do the same thing, but simply aren't photographed as regularly or as much as Merkel. I loved that I found this, from two different articles and both of them, here and here
, were very complementary. And something interesting is the second link at the bottom of the article shows Merkel in what "experts" say she should wear
, and she looks positively depressed, frumpy and horrible. I won't put the picture here because I don't want to destroy the mood here, but it's here if you want to see it, just in case you think she doesn't have any figure problems.
We all have figure "problems" and I'm not sure they can be classified as problems. I'd classify them more as puzzles to be solved. They are an opportunity for us to address them and in working with them, understand what really works for us. Yes, there are times when I wish I had the hips and shoulders of an Apple. But I don't. I have other assets and problems....puzzles to work with, and like the Apple wants a waist and I
want her hips, that's not reality. It's important to know it, but it's also important to know that I can have my own look which is great for me.
That's what this is about - having the look that's the best (flattering, comfortable and practical) for you and your style.
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.
Good Grief, the Zoom call went ballistic Wednesday. I got a call that went right through my heart. I have a great client who called and was in emergency status - she's having a wedding this Saturday and thought she had everything handled, when the dress came in and yep, you guessed it - too small, not the right anything. I told her to go
home and dig out about 5 outfits that might work, and so she came back, crying, not knowing what to do.
First, this happens a lot because these folks know nothing about how clothing is made. There's no Scarlet looking at the drapes and seeing what can be done. She begged me to make her look wonderful, and not that I'm a magician, but only because I know the construction of clothes, I know what to do. I'll get photos of her and describe the problems - really they were pretty basic problems, and challenges with the workaround. She trusts me, cause she's
a long-time client, and she knows I will make her look great and tell her if something is wrong.
BTW, I made her take the dress back and get her money back - delivery late, size wrong and plainly not paying any attention to the client, which she did.
So we're rescheduling the Zoom for the 25th same time, same day of the week, only different date! January 25th 4pm CST - if you've already sent me an email - no worries, you're on the list. If you would like to join and haven't sent me an email - just reply to this email and LMK you want the Zoom link!
I'm such a sucker for tears and easy way to make my clients feel grand!
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