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February 17, 2023
Sewing is about fashion. It has always been that way for me. The two are inextricably connected and I can not separate the one from the other.Â
Within that fashion, however, is our own style; our own stamp on the expression of who we are through out clothes. And make no mistake, we express ourselves continually with our clothes.
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I love this picture of these homesteading sisters. These dresses had to be functional above all else, but they also reflect the style of each sister. Some are frilly, some or down-to-Earth business, some are a little more formal, some are a little fuller, but each one is different.
That's how our clothes can function today, and believe me simply because fashion designers may not tell us this regularly (by their abysmally horrid styles), the function of clothing has not changed. We wear clothing to protect us from the elements. In the case of the homesteading sisters, they had to be totally covered to protect them from the sun and the weather. Clothing today does the same thing. It's 30° F (-1°C) and if I'm not wearing a few
layers and a coat, I'm going to suffer some damage over time to my skin.Â
But simply because it's functional doesn't mean we abandon all style or expression of who we are.Â
Some of these women look more accessible than others, some look deadly serious (don't mess around with them), some look committed, some look scary great and some are masquerading their "un-perfect" figure beautifully.Â
The point is that you can tell the D.A. from the financial advisor, from the child advocate, from the fashion editor, from the princess in these photos - just as much from the expression on their faces as their clothes. And notice how the expression on their faces reflect in their clothing.
This is what style is all about. But because most fashion designers that are publicized, don't really have anything to offer most professional (or responsible) looking people, it can be hard to find basic fashion that is very inspiring.
From (which is from a Google search on "fashion")
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To (from a search on Pinterest)...
And this...
...can give us tons of ideas to tweak these styles and make them our own (yeah, I don't like the jeans either, but the top has some potential).
I'm finding most of these ideas on Pinterest, because it has an algorithm, that determines what you like and shows you more of that. If you want to change it, then simply bring up a pic of the topic you want to change and it will change almost instantly. But when I do a search for Carlisle clothing or Doncaster clothing, I get some pretty great ideas for professional/responsible clothing styles, that I can tweak here and there. Whatever I do for a search, Pinterest is
good about finding copies or other pics within the same genre, and that helps a lot. Besides, my Ideas board is on Pinterest where I keep all my ideas organized:
Using simple variations like piping, binding, buttons (I have a collection of military-esque buttons all the same size and use them all different on blouses for a very unique look - the "theme" is military, so it's not a hodge-podge, it's really thought out), details of longer or wider or smaller or tailored or frilly details can all spell out your style, your character and your personality.Â
The big thing I like to remember is that each fashion period has some parameters. For example, during the 50's, the waist was king - the smaller your waist, the better. That meant that if your hips were wider than the Pacific Ocean, it made your waist look smaller and therefore was considered an asset. Marilyn Monroe wore a size 14 and Jane Russell wore a size 16. Today they would be considered fat.Â
During the 60's it was all about a more up and down, straight look and the hips - hip-huggers were in and that low-waisted or low-rise pant was the cat's meow. You could do a lot with that look - belted hip-huggers, bell-bottomed, which became a huge trend toward the end of the 60's.
Then the 70's with the Bohemian, hippie, long dress look was fashionable.  The 80's with it's opulence, and finally the 90's, 00's, 10's and now 20's with the more androgynous look, although I'm see more accentuation on the waist, and it's just a little above the waist.
With each trend, once you stay within the "look" of that fashion trend, you can do some pretty awesome designs. Not only that you can change them out enough so that the style flatters you. We're not dependent upon whatever comes down the runway - only for some ideas and that's it.Â
Some of the "looks" that you have to stay true to right now are:
- That waist can be nipped in slightly - about 1" or so above the waist. This makes for a gentler profile down the side of your body to avoid the cursed "muffin top" look, which is still totally despised right now.Â
- The narrowing of the pant leg from the mid-thigh to just below the knee - this changes "grandma" pants to va-va-va-voom instantly.
- I'm seeing a crisper shoulder - not a wider one, but just slightly higher - maybe 1/4" higher.
- Less emphasis on the hip and more on that upper waist.
- Ever so slightly flared skirt or tunic bottom - if you're an Apple or Rectangle, this is very slight, but you Hourglasses and Pears, have at it!
- I like my pants and skirts at the waist now (above the belly button, between the lowest rib and the highest point of your hip bone on the side - I know that's not what you've seen for 30 years, but that is where your waist is). As a matter of fact, I really like them on the waist and above the waist to accentuate that upper waist line.
So see how many variations you can make keeping these simple guidelines - hem length, widths, collars - good grief you can go nuts with the collar and neckline types, sleeve styles, but I don't like to get too full or messy. Most professional looks like a tailored and fairly straight-forward styled sleeve. Then there's tops with a double-breasted closure or single-breasted, cut-a-way, or
asymmetrical styled closures. And details like pockets, epaulets, or button flaps on rolled up sleeves, binding, piping, top-stitching, trims, or edgings can add so much to a garment.
The point here is that a very, cinched-in waist, on the waist, with the hips popping out right under the waist, would be fab for the 50s but not now. A huge, wide shoulder, wouldn't be good. A lot of frilly-frills around the neckline is questionable, but a little frill right now is good - cause that's where we're moving, slooooooowly, but we're moving that direction.
As long as you stay within the style we are in now, you're safe. Moving away from the hips accentuation to that upper waist is safe as well. Of course classic is always in, no matter how old it is. A classic Claire McCardell or Jean Patou look from the early 50s would still be "in" today, although I might be tempted to hold it over for another five or eight years!
So have fun with working out your variations, and stay within our style today, and you can't go wrong.Â
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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.Â
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