On the Soapbox

January 17, 2025

Soapbox is an interesting word, and fortunately pretty much describes what it is.  The historical background is just as fascinating.  

The decades immediately preceding World War I have been called the "Golden Age of Soapbox Oratory".[1] Working people had little money to spend and public speakers pushing their social or political agendas provided a form of mass entertainment.[1] Radical political parties, intent on bringing what they perceived as an emancipatory message to the working class, were particularly intent upon making use of "street meetings", with their speeches and leaflets, to advance their specific message. From Wikipedia

Probably my favorite version of a hawkster or the old soapbox orator that I can think of .... and with rhythm!
 

So here I am as if in Hyde Park with my latest rant.  

I saw this on a recent ad or scrolling through Instagram - not sure, and I thought - what a great idea, so clicked on it, and the number one problem:  All these ladies eat ricecakes twice a week and have no life other than looking thinner than a rail.

Even on my best day, I can't even manage this few wrinkles, unless there's been some help from a surgeon.

Of course I'm not 65 anymore, and I don't have all the supped-up lighting and makeup, but the model on the right isn't even close to what most of us look like at this age.  

So that's my first beef.  

The next one is the shape of these models.  

Who wouldn't look good at this shape.  Most of the "regular" people I know have a little pooch here and there and some of us are overly-endowed with pooches here and there and everywhere!

So what's the point?  It's that, sure it's easy to make these models who are thinner than a stream of water look good. So what's offered to those who don't have these figures?  BTW, I did click the arrow to the right and everything they were wearing looked like it came from a model's closet.  Beautiful and nice, but not practical for the other 97% of the population.  
 

Even though the versions on the right are perceived as being OK.  I'm not really in favor of any of these styles.  This is the same pattern being shown as "okay" for all these shapes.

They are only OK if you want to hide everything, and that's a cop-out on fitting.  Sure, it's easy to fit this with shoulders that aren't on the shoulder, with gobs of fabric under the arm, no waist or even the illusion of a waist, and poorly hanging pants.  All of these aren't options that a good fitter can throw away.  It's as Karl Lagerfeld says, "When you wear warm-ups, it's like you've given up!"  These aren't warm-ups, but pretty close.  

And yes, they are comfortable and easy to make, but this fabric looks delicious and wouldn't it be better, if it fit?  What a concept.

Which one would you wear?  Even though the left is easier to make and fits - if you call wearing a bag fitting -- the one on the right is obviously the better version, even though it takes a little longer to lay out THE FIRST TIME!  Once you get the FIRST TIME, you do your variations and bingo!  You have a top - this could even be a blouse.  

The one on the left adds 10 pounds, while the one on the right looks like an incredibly slimmer person - not rail thin, but slimmer and just as comfortable.  The wrinkles hanging off the shoulder and under the arm kill any decent silhouette.  And it's so easy to fix this if you know how.  (The Front Bust Dart, if you need a hint!)
 

But aside from the ill-fitting epidemic going on in not only RTW but also in patterns, there's the workmanship.  There's another scandal out there that the Italian makers (the finer houses) are (horrors!!!!!) having their goods made by slave labor.  It was very common that as the examination of slave labor became more exact, the Italians (who are the closest in Europe to China (think the Far East Trail and the first outlet for silk into Europe), the Italian houses were importing the Chinese workers at their low cost so that the houses could say that the garment or accessory was "Made in Italy" which had much more cache than "Made in China."  Now that's been revealed, those Italian houses, and some of the European houses, are suffering from the stigma of supporting slave labor.  

The truth is that the economics are not in favor of these exclusive stores, as much as they aren't in favor of the fast/cheap fashion giants like Zara and Forever 21.  The whole industry is infected with this economic trap and can't escape.  And it's been slowly creeping up to the higher end clothes, because who wants to pay $100 when you can get same thing that looks the same for $10.  And that's what Neiman's, Bergdorf's, and all the other fine old department stores have to compete against - the Zara and Forever 21 stores.    

If you don't have your clothes made for you—whether at a couture house in the world's major metropolitan cities or in your own home—you don't have good clothes or clothes made by a dressmaker.   

So, who cares, and why should we care?  We sewists are lucky enough to create clothes far above what the regular consumer can afford or even find.  For my clients, I charge a lot for my services, but my clientele can not find any clothes that are as well made as what they bought 30 years ago.  So I remade those clothes, and they are perfectly fine with paying that high price.  My students are elated to find someone who teaches style, size, and comfort.  Those three things have been so estranged in clothing that many feel you can't have them together.  

My Walt and I had to go to an important meeting, and he put on his jacket, which was like a huge bag on him.  

That may be stylish in some circles, but not for us.  So he says he will buy another jacket, cause he doesn't look good in this one.  I probably should have taken him up on it, but the truth is that his jacket from the 80s is beautifully made,  with a thick fabric, and will only take a couple of days to taper down.  I will try to video this whole transformation because he will be so elated, but at the same time, I know he will never find anything this nice in the marketplace.  

Walt is one of those people who picks up clothes just as he needs them.  He retired from a job where he had to wear a suit daily and now couldn't care less.  He's interested in tee shirts, jeans, and jackets from Academy Sports.  This is not a fashion hound.  At the same time, he's experienced some of my sand-washed silk camp shirts and some other great things that he wears that I make for him, and he's the first one to admit that these items are not only his favorites, but they are special.  I'm sure he loves me, which is part of the factor, but the other side is that he loves the beautiful things I make for him.  

This suit will be a treat for him and for my eyes!  

The SewingArtistry Resource Library is designed to contain information to not only make your sewing better, but to aid in you fitting and flattering your shape, size and style.  Check it out. 

Look for future classes coming in 2024
The Core Pattern Shirt, (one of my favorites for woven core pattern that you can make into a myriad of different garments), 
Basic Knit Top (core pattern class for knit basic tops, shells, tees, dresses, and tunics)
 

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