OK. This may not look like a lot of progress has been made, but it’s taken time nonetheless.
Firstly, the shot silk taffeta petticoat has been hemmed, by hand…
And the lining of the petticoat has been hemmed, by machine…
Then, since blogging about sewing machines and stuff recently I made time today to service my sewing machine …. (no picture, boring technical stuff)
Have cut out the lining of the overskirt, fitted it to myself, basted together…
And made two lining versions of the corset top, using Simplicity 9775, also fitted to me.
Doesn’t look very exciting I admit, but once I start adding the fashion fabric to the lining it will start to look like it’s on the home stretch.
Oh, the fashion parade last night? With my usual lack of loquaciousness…. wow.
No, just kidding, I was overwhelmed by the excitingness and interestingness of it all but I’ll try to remember enough to give a bit of an overview… Of course now I feel like my wardrobe is oh-so boring and I now want to concentrate on making more interesting stuff to complement it…
I wish I could have taken pictures, but I’ve located some of the garments we saw last night on www.style.com
My favourite portion was the Comme des Garcons garments; all khaki and air force blue, and interesting shapes like… Hmm imagine a sort of de-structured, military nun, and you’re getting some idea. Jackets like frankensteined trench coats, with mismatched fabric sleeves and random asymmetrical capelets, BIG midcalf pleated skirts; I laughed with my friend R that my old school uniform skirt was a big pleated navy blue skirt just like the ones we saw and we teenage girls refused to wear it, but instead opted for the tight pencil skirt a la Grease. Well, (shamefaced) it was the 80’s… If only I’d known I would have hung on to my old school skirt, it would be tres chic for this season!!
There were also some interesting light grey wool dresses with overlays of apricot pink chiffon, like the lining was on the outside of the dress. Formfitting, straight skirts below the knee; quite dreamy and pretty and so interesting (at right, Comme des Garcons, Fall 2009, from www.style.com).
There were also some “boyfriend” jackets in charcoal grey flannel that looked cosy and very wearable, slimline pants in khaki, air force blue and “greige”. I secretly congratulated myself I already have some greige gabardine sitting in my stash that I’m planning some winter pants for…
For spring Isabel Marant offered some lovely formfitting short lacy dresses, with navy and white striped nipped-in blazers; a look I’m planning to file away for spring…
The Marc Jacobs look I liked the best was the trench coat (woah!! I’m halfway there) belted over tartan/check chiffon dresses; the dresses were a little froufrou for my taste but I liked the tartan idea…
The Alexander McQueen dresses were very lovely. The parade I’d viewed on style.com had big stiffly structured dresses from vaguely skeletal aquatic reptilian printed fabrics that I thought were interesting but not particularly wearable; the versions that we saw last night used the same prints on soft jersey fabric, made up into very simply constructed short T-shirt dresses. Really lovely; unfussy beach-chic and perfect for the Australian lifestyle.
I noticed a simply stunning necklace that I may have a go at a DIY at some stage; a multi-stranded pearl and diamante necklace with a BIG diamante pendant…
Some of the colour combinations I liked; obviously the khaki and air force blue was my favourite and one I’ll be using for sure, but this winter I also will be experimenting with hot pink paired with charcoal grey; and mustard yellow with charcoal and light grey; forest green and teal blue; and light grey paired with big gold jewellery…
Photos below, left from Marc Jacobs spring/summer 09, centre from Alexander McQueen spring/summer 10. Imagine this McQueen print in a simple little T-shirt dress with cap sleeves, and that is what we saw…, and at right from Comme des Garcons fall 09, interesting details and mix of fabrics in this coat
My ensemble today is inspired by the minimalist pared back look of this Chloe outfit (below)I spied and coveted in my Vogue magazine. I assumed at first it was from the spring/summer Celine collection that I have raved about in a previous post; an uncluttered simple look that suits me to a T… but no, it is Chloe, Fall 2010. Obviously the designer Hannah MacGibbon was just as “inspired” by Phoebe Philo’s collection as everyone else. I won’t say “copied”, these are supposed to be paid creative professionals, after all…!, but you just head over to style.com and have a quick squiz at these two collections side by side and you might raise your eyebrows a little too…
