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May 29, 2020
As most metropolitan areas go, my little metro city has it's fair share of very wealthy people. I'm not talking about wealth that only last a generation or two. I'm talking about truly generational, wealthy people that the wealth last from generation to generation. When you see these people out and about, they don't look all that wealthy, but they are.
And they purchase the items for their life unlike the rest of us. As a matter of fact it's so totally different that it's worth noting. Why? Because it can teach us a lot about how to look really great, but also it can teach us a lot about how they are able to hold on to all that generational wealth.
A few years ago, one of those grande dames of our city died. I was in her home once, and it was beyond spectacular. She was a delightful lady and her family is equally delightful. Her home is going for sale this weekend, and there was a tour of her home, and gee, what's a tour for if you can't see how the truly wealthy live?!!!
It's a really large home, on a really large lot, in a really expensive neighborhood, but it doesn't have any neon signs that say, "Hey A Very Wealthy Person Lives Here!" As a matter of fact, it's so hidden that it's really hard to see just how many square feet it really is. Suffice it to say it's a lot.
The tour was fun, until......
we got to the garage, and that space above the garage (I've highlighted it here) was the studio from which the lady's seamstress/designer worked. Yep, you guessed it. The lady had ALL HER CLOTHES MADE.
I can tell you from experience from seeing her at parties in person, she always looked fabulous - and I mean immaculately tailored. And to be honest, I don't think I ever remembered seeing her in anything frayed, torn, ill-fitting or even hipster yoga pants! So where on earth did she get her clothes. Because the truth is that for the last 30 years, that is all that has been available. So even if the lady purchased something and had it altered by
her seamstress/designer, she would have had to have worn these sorts of Grunge look, but she never did.
Now her clothes never looked out of place.
 
These are classic styles as you can see above. There's nothing gargantuan or otherwise garish about any detail or any style of this jacket, and that's key here. One thing the truly wealthy do is wear classic and they wear it over and over and over.
 
Not only can you see that she did not have the figure of a runway model, she most likely had the figure most of us have. She enjoyed her fine eating and good wines, so she didn't have the thinnest figure in the world.
And as many wealthy ladies will tell you: a little extra weight in your older years, is not only healthier but it makes your face look better.
Now, I'm not saying that gaining an extra 50 pounds is a goal. But what I am saying is that if you do have some extra pounds on you, later in life, it's not all a bad thing. Look at the queen of facelifts:
OK - back to my story of the local grande dame. It is fun to look in on the truly wealthy every so often, but again, the shocking part of this look-in for me was the space that was put aside for this lady's seamstress/designer. The lady had all her clothes made. Why? Because she wasn't bone thin (like the runway models), she didn't like the Grunge style (hear, hear - I get that), and she loved classic garments that made her look
professional, well-groomed and complete.
Let me repeat that again.....she had all her clothes made!
And I can testify personally that this lady never looked bad when she went out of her home - if I saw her out shopping for art, or at a local gallery for a meeting, or at a high-performance cocktail party, no matter what - she looked spectacular. You can't get that if you purchase your clothes, and this lady knew that. Other wealthy people know that too, and wealthy movie stars know that. The ones who always look fabulous, are the ones who most likely always have
their clothes made for them. The Queen of England always has her clothes made for her. Camilla almost always has her clothes made for her. That's why they always look so great.
So if there's any reason on the world to either start sewing, or pick up sewing again, or keep sewing, I've just given you one of the most spectacular examples possible. The wealthy do it, so it's most likely good enough for us!
As a side note. This lady was a stellar example of what wealthy people should do in a city, and she was always there for any fundraising or to lend her name and financial weight to almost any problem. She was giving personified. She was also a delightful person to chat with and never looked down on anyone. As long as you were pleasant with her, she was the same with you.
She was married several times and although I tried to find photos of her in her earlier years, they are really grainy, but I remember her at parties and events I attended, and always, without fail, I remember her being dressed appropriately. She wasn't fuddy-duddy or looked old-fashioned at all. She was very stylish, but she knew what she looked good in and she wore that often. It might be blue one day and yellow another and purple another day. But she stayed
mainly to one style and that's what made her style so grand and lovely. It was a reflection of who she was - not trendy or a flash in the pan or wearing the latest look just cause it was the latest look. She stayed with classic, and although her closet was gigantic, her clothes were just as beautiful. Gorgeously tailored, finished and beautifully kept so that she could wear her garments again and again.
THIS is the same look that's available to we sewists. And THIS more than any other reason is why I started sewing for myself, and it turned into a passion when the Grunge movement came in because I didn't like looking ill-fitting, torn, shredded and frayed. And guess what? I didn't have to cause I could do my own thing. And I still do my own thing. Just today while Walt and I were getting a state fishing license (we're going to do some
trout fishing this week - wish me luck -- actually wish Walt luck, cause it doesn't matter who catches the fish, just as long as we get enough to make a dinner)! I was standing in line waiting for the gal to print out our license and a gal came up to me as told me she loved my little "dress". OK, it's a tunic. You'll be glad to know I do NOT wear dresses above my knees at my age - I wear leggings under my "short dresses" (aka tunics)!
I'm trying to do my part to reduce the visual pollution that's out there!
So I encourage you to keep sewing, if you haven't sewn in a while, start up again - start with something basic and classic, and if you haven't sewn, pick it up. It's a real skill that can make you look like the grande dame we all are!
Erratum Corrigendum
I will be the very first to admit that not only am I not a good proofer, but that most of the time, I get so passionate writing these little weekly emails, that mistakes pass me by more often than I would like, and sometimes they are of the most basic kind. From last week's email, the verbiage was incorrect.
 
It is the photo on the left that belongs to American Giant
while the photo on the right belongs to Old Navy.
This is particularly important to make the point that the Old Navy jacket runs $20 while the American Giant runs about $112. My point being that even though the American Giant runs almost 5 times more, it lasts, conservatively, 30 times, but more probably 60 times longer than the cheap model. So don't let my mistaken verbiage confuse you. Definitely it's the more expensive, well-made version that is really the bargain!
So we've been working really hard and things are shaping up nicely on the site. Fortunately we've accomplished all this without major disruption. IOW, I didn't crash the site! - It still works - only better. The easiest way to get around is with the menu logo in the upper right. Plus there's a search on the blog post page and a search box on the Resource Library.
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