Not Just Neutral

It has been quite a while since I have needed to buy some fashionable clothes. I admire from afar but since I have been spending my work time either inspecting roofs or writing construction estimates, a skirt has not been a "regular staple".  However, I have lately been considering reentering the office world--the world where fashion can matter.  Everything I have is from a number of seasons ago and I will need to update.  The big question is with what?

This is a SS14 MiuMiu look--it is young without being silly.  I guess I do need to face that I may not be as young as the clothes are targeted to anymore but that doesn't mean I need to look boring or dowdy.  This blouse with this jacket and an statement necklace are perfect for someone my age to look professional.  No cleavage.  Color of the season.  Emphasizes fashion without being objectified.  I love the diamond jaquard weave and the way red pops next to it!

I love this outfit and normally I dislike poofy sleeves.  I love the colors, the gentleness, the timelessness of this ensamble.  I want to wear this. it is a SS14 look by Maki Oh.  This line is based in Nigeria by Amaka Osakwe that has been showing and winning praise in New York.  The polka dots appear to be woven into the skirt and it hits the knee perfectly. Now, if only I can figure out where to buy this!

photos from style.com

Off Target

When I whine about fashion being disappointing and conciously not promoting ideas that move humanity forward, I am talking about dresses like this.  This is Hussein Chalayan for Vionnet.  I love both this designer and this fashion house.  Chalayan normally has ideas that are exciting and push bounderies and expand what we think about fashion.  Yet, this dress is "same old" with a teenager with an ombre target on her crotch.  In his statement about the line, that's supposed to represent a spiral staircase.  No matter.  Target on a teen's sexuality or a spiral staircase to her lady bits, it reduces her to what is between her legs.  The dress doesn't let your eye focus on the model herself for something interesting about the dress.  It focuses you on her crotch.  

The over-sexualization of teenage girls and women does nothing for the wearer of the dress or the society she lives in.  It brings us back to accepting girls as objects of sexual fantasy.  This is not ok.  I demand something more than a dress that tells those around me that my most important feature is to invite them to consider me for their sexual pleasure. 

We need to do better.  Sexual fantasies about children should not be sales ploys or high-fashion.  Fashion, you disappoint.

photo from style.com

Fashion, Revised

Lately when I've rummaged in most things Fashion, I've felt sorely disappointed.  Nothing pretty or interesting or thoughtful.  Just the making of people into consumer objects without a past or a future.  I look at ensambles and I visualize the person wearing it going no where positive.  So sad.  And, then I browsed the Maison Martin Margiela 2014 collection.  The collection reworks famous textiles into new creations.  Scraps from Fortuny and forgotten decor prints by FLW all incorporated into memorable works of art

I wish I knew what textile this pattern originally came from.  I want to see this dress up close--from this view, Iit could be a Showa kimono print.  Or a mural.  The only thing I know is that I want to know more!

I love this dress and would wear I

it--that makes me love it even more!  I can't decide if it is a 60's Marimekko print or some vintage wax fabric.  It is interesting and beautiful.

Showing the selvages--some of the fabrics by high-end designers are BEAUTIFUL (I'm thinking of Nani Iro).  They're the touches of the fabric that we normally don't see, they tell you what colors are in the fabric and who drew the design.  Seeing the pantone dots makes me smile and think of holding the fabric and trying to decide what to make.  Such a wonderful feeling!

i love this collection; the fabrics are so interesting that I wish I knew the minutia about them.  The garments themselves are simple and while not body-con, they do look comfortable and like reasonable garments.  The mini dress is not for everyone but nothing ever is.  I guess I like this collection so much because it takes the beautiful history of fashion and reuses it to make something new.  Interesting textiles plus interesting designs!

photos from style.com

Where Does The Fox Hide?

One of the biggest popular motifs in pop culture lately has been the fox.  I'm not really sure why!  Foxes are native to most of the world so nearly every corner of the globe knows the fox.  Interestingly, they are almost universally associated with cunning.  In Finnish folktales, the fox outsmarts his predators.  In Japan, foxes are shape-shifters and if you watch their weddings, time forgets you and you wake up years after they catch you.  

In Pre-Fall 2014, foxes were still going strong as a motif.  My favorite so far is by Tsumori Chisato.  Beautiful black and white dress covered by embroidery and embellishment but still looks classic enough where it should be able to be worn for years.  It reminds me of Victorian-era embroidery.  But, if you look closely...there's a fox sneaking in the meadow.  Can you find it?

I know, it is silly, like a "where's Waldo?" on a dress, yet i find it oddly clever--when was thelast time you had a dress where you saw something new if you looked closer and paid attention?  This way you can have your fox now but won't look passe' in a few years when we've moved on to something else.

photo from style.com

Wiksten's "Tova" And A New Path In Fashion

One of the most interesting things in fashion that the Great Recession seems to have spawned are designers with new visions of what their company should be.  With a combination of social media and good taste, they've created businesses that are a hybrid of a traditional small-scale designer and a dressmaker.  My favorite one of these is Wiksten by Jenny Gordy.  She's managed to turn a blog and her social media accounts into a viable way to sell her designs and vision.  Mind you, unlike traditional fashion designers, she doesn't just sell you her dress.  She will also sell you the pattern so you can make it yourself and fabric to use to make it!  Let's face it, that's a great idea.  In the world of blogs and pinterest, there are legions of women who want to try their hands at making it themselves and capturing that market can help reduce start-up costs.  This seems to work in Gordy's favor--it lessens the strain of trying to have enough stock on hand and manage the sales since a certain percentage will just download a pattern, but she also can give classes on how to make her designs!  This is such an interesting turn in the fashion world--a designer has a chance to sell her ideas in an accessible way and to capture a higher percentage of the customer's spend.

This model allows for designers to get a start and put their ideas out directly to consumers with far lower start up costs and lower barriers of entry.  In social media, if you do some level of self-promotion and your ideas catch on, they spread themselves.  You would not need to worry about the risk of a large factory production order of your line.  The most interesting part is seeing how far this catches on and to what extent this method of start up leads to "hitting it big" and turning into a household name.  Only time will tell, but given the popularity of Wiksten, it may in fact be possible.  

In the spirit of this new design company model, I bought the "Tova" pattern and decided to give a whirl.  I am in no way an expert, just an average home hobbyist. Fabric is from nani iro by Naomi Ito

I like to render the pattern in Swedish tracing paper since I can create a pattern with the modifications I want without ruining the origional--this time I shortened the length to 17.5 inches to the hem from the armhole.

This seems to be the photo missing from the directions of how to assemble the front.  Pin liberally.

Iron the folds of the seams on the placket, collar and cuffs ahead of time instead of as you pin.  Much less frustrating!

Finished product!  Took me about 4 hours and fits nicely.  I put interfacing in the collar and placket.  

I used vintage ceramic buttons with iridescent glaze, looks great with the fabric.  Yes, they are vintage repurposed ones!

Simple pattern that is easy to follow and actually makes a great product that doesn't look like a craft project.  If supplying consumers great home-use patterns is part of the future of fashion, I can't wait!

The Changing Landscape of American Organic Cotton

I live in a cotton producing area.  In October I drive past miles and miles cotton fields.  Bits of white fluff line the road like frost.  Yet, I've repeatedly heard "there are almost no cotton fabric mills in the US, much less one that makes organic fabric."  Really?  We grow mountains of cotton, I drive past them regularly.  Do we really ship it all to be processed overseas?

Turns out that since all of the stories that the American textile company was on its last legs, much has changed.  While thousands of factories closed in the last 20 years, they have also consolidated, improved technology and benefitted from being close to the major world markets.  In the last 3 years, the industry has expanded by almost 40% according to the New York Times.  No, it did not bring back the thousands of jobs that they once provided--much of the production is automated--but the ones they brought have decent pay and safe working conditions.  Imagine that!  Many of these revived factories have started oroducing organic cotton fabrics.  In 2010 all of the news stories seem to indicate there was only 1 organic cotton fabric mill in the US.  Now, I can find evidence of at least 4 on this site, not to mention the many others I was able to find through product references.  For instance, there is a mill that now produces organic cotton sheets here.  And another makes custom t-shirts--I bought one from TS Designs  and will write about it after it comes.

Be skeptical if you hear that the US doesn't produce organic cotton fabric--we have factories churning it out by the ton!

Photo from New York Times article linked to above

Cambodia Has Trouble With Their Cash Cow

The fashion industry is one of the largest industries in the world.  Our choices about what we like to wear effect millions of people and drive the economy.  That choice about what shirt you like seems slightly less insignificant, yes?

Currently in Cambodia the garment workers are on strike for a doubling of their pay to $160 a month.  That means they currently make $80 a month, about the UN's standard for poverty.  Do you know that virtually all of the garment workers in Cambodia are women?  And, only about 5% of the factories they work in are owned by Cambodians?  Sure, Cambodia is far away and not seen by the West as anything to think about other than a possible cheap vacation destination.  So, why should it matter to you that there is a country far away that makes 80% of its exports from women working in factories owned by foreign investors?  And that their government is now shooting them in the streets for asking to live in less abject poverty?

This matters.  You are part of the swirling system in this world that gets your shirt to you that also thinks that women need not be paid enough to be able to buy adequate food.  Think about it, the government there values the opinions of the foreign companies over the well-being of their citizens to the point that they are literally willing to simply kill them.  Treating those who work in legitimate trades in this manner does not bode well for economic progress, stability and development.  And, if the workers aren't in the factories, how do you think you will get your new shirt?

References:  http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/01/cambodia-garment-workers-strike-turns-deadly-2014134464180721.html

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Cambodia

Photo from
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/05/world/asia/cambodia.html?_r=0

2014, I Hope You Improve

So, I wanted to do a Happy New Year post that was all cheery and bright and then I came across the photo below.  It is a look from Anne Valerie Hash's 2014 Spring/Summer show.  It looks like a bad ice skater ensemble.   I look at it and worry.  One cannot be cheery and bright while worrying that the fashion gods want you to wear that.

Yes, celebrating the Olympics is great.  Go team!  Just because they are coming up does not mean that we need to look like the ice skater trying to impress the fashion-challenged Russian judge.  There is no good time or place to wear this outfit other than Halloween.  It is just bad all around from the gulaboi blue to the placement of the color panels to the stripes on the leg portion.  Are those pants?  Sigh. 

I hope that 2014 improves to the point that the models start to look happy and the fashion gods find us something flattering to wear!

Photo from style.com

Off With Their Legs!

There are somhttp://blog.denimtherapy.com/denimnews/score-the-perfect-pair-of-cut-off-shorts-for-august-from-coal-n-terry-vintage/ttp://blog.denimtherapy.com/denimnews/score-the-perfect-pair-of-cut-off-shorts-for-august-from-coal-n-terry-vintage/ trends that should never be embraced by anyone other than drunk college students--they get a pass because they can look back and say "I was drunk".  One such trend is cut off shorts.  No, not the ones most of us had when we were kids and got a hole in the knee and mom cut them into shorts reasonable to wear in public.  No, I am talking about the mom jeans cut into booty shorts and then everything in the Hobby Lobby discount bin affixed to them as "embellishment".  These, folks, are not suitable clothes for adults or persons in general.

Yes, it is winter in places.  However, there is a large area of the country experiencing a season called "not summer" where such garments can be gotten away with without dying so I feel that such a post is still relevant.  Sure, it is nice that people are reusing discarded garments to make these but sometimes we need to ask ourselves "maybe they need to be discarded for a reason" and "where can I donate this that recycles textiles?"  Industrial rags would be a better use for them.  Just because you "decorated it yourself" does not mean you did a great job or that you should wear your art.  Slathering t-shirt paint on your shorts does not make you a creative genius.

There are several logical reasons to dislike this trend.  The pants themselves that are being used--high waisted pants and mom jeans--are not a good look, period.  Shorts so short I don't have to wonder what cheek your tattoo is on are not in keeping with our social contract where we have agreed that such things are to be seen only at private parties.  It is hard to take someone seriously when their crotch is coated in glitter, puff paint and metal spikes.

Sure, you can wear these shorts.  Just do so in private since the rest of us don't want to have to see your privates when we're just trying to buy dinner at the grocery store.


Photo is from http://blog.denimtherapy.com/denimnews/score-the-perfect-pair-of-cut-off-shorts-for-august-from-coal-n-terry-vintage/

Grandma's Jar of Buttons

One thing about sewing or craft projects is it seems you always need to go out and buy stuff and create more trash and waste more gas.  Sure, you know that the factory worker (you!) was not in unsafe conditions when the garment was made but just look at all of the waste!  Well, there are some clever, easy and cost effective ways to reduce your waste--one is to reuse old buttons. 

I swear, new buttons now cost over $1 a piece!  And for what?  A small piece of plastic.  Turns out there is no need to rush out and constantly go buy them.  You can reuse old ones.  Buttons far outlive whatever garment they're attached to--it isn't like the buttons have gone bad on something with a hole or stain.  Your grandmother used to have a jar of buttons she collected, did you ever wonder why?  Because if she reused the buttons, she didn't need to buy new ones!  Saves money and reduces waste. 

No, I don't have a jar of buttons I've pulled off my old clothes.  I tend to donate them instead of completely destroy them.  What I do instead is to buy bags of old buttons on ebay.  It usually costs about 1 penny (99% savings!!!) a piece and I wind up with all kinds of interesting ones that otherwise I'd never find.   My favorite was a big bag of buttons from men's pants that were stamped with the names of bespoke tailors all over America.  You would be surprised what is out there--antique inlaid buttons, ones of hand-carved bones, buttons from firms long-defunct. 

Below is a sweater I knitted for a relative, I finished it with vintage tailor buttons.  The variety of buttons available for reuse in the world is impressive--why waste your money on new ones when you can give ones we already have a new life?

In support of http://myplasticfreelife.com/ which kindly brings me much traffic

Pound of Flesh

There are somethings about the fashion industry that bother me deeply.  One is the issue of worker safety.  It has been over 100 years since the Triangle Shirtwaist Company disaster--seamstresses burned to death in their NYC factory with no escape route.  The sad part is that it still happens.  We like to think that whoever made our clothes got to go home from work and hug their kids.  Reality says likely not.

Just because you bought something with a "Made in Italy" stamp does not mean that whoever made it was exempt from exploitation.  Reuters reports that on Dec 1, 2013, 7 workers burned to death during a nightime fire in their factory/dorm.  They slept in an area made of cardboard walls.  No wonder they never had a chance.  The factory had illegal building occurring that was not up to standards.  The article hints at that fact that the workers were working in near "slave-like" conditions and were probably illegal.  Too bad it doesn't elaborate on what life was like for those workers or what company they were producing garments for.  No dress is worth such suffering.

The worst fact is that this is not an isolated incident.  Tragedies of this nature seem to be regular occurances world-wide, like in Bangladesh, by WalMart suppliers, in Pakistan, and even factories in the US burn down.  Workplace safety is important, no worker should burn to death in a garment fatory.  What should you and I as consumers do about this?  Quite farnkly, I don't know.  Post comments of any ideas!

Thwarting The Felt Monster

So, I have this pair of work socks that are 100% wool and I have washed and dried them repeatedly.  The results?  Stiff tubes of felt that are so difficult to put on that it makes me want to cry.  I obviously did not follow the care instructions.   But, I have other pairs of wool socks that do great in the washer and dryer.  Turns out there is a reason. 

Sheep wool is a part of the skin of the sheep.  The fibers are covered with "scales"--little pieces of protein arranged over the fiber like the scales of a reptile.  All animal fibers have them and the softness of the fibers are directly correlated to how big the scales are.  Turns out that when you get a blob wool warm and wet and then agitate it, scales on the fibers all start to interlock with each other acoss the fiber strands.  Ever look at a piece of felt?  It is a clump of wool where the fibers have become all matted together and trying to pull it apart is an exercise in fulility.  It is like that because the scales on the fibers have become interlocked.  My socks have clearly turned to felt. 

What about my wool socks that are just fine?  Turns out there is an industrial process that can be used to treat the wool to prevent felting called Superwash.  This is a non-technical explanation--if you need a technical one, you will want to consult industry publications.  What Superwash treatment does is remove to scales off of the fibers or what amounts to gluing them down so they can't interlock with each other.  There are several different processes to accomplish scale removal--acid washes, polymer coatings and gas treatments.  All of these result in wool that is perfectly safe for humans to wear and use.  The processes themselves can be toxic to humans and can involve things like cholrine gas, ozone gas, or sulphuric acid.  Each process is subject to patent law and simply not something you can do yourself.  There actually is not a factory making Superwash wool in the US as the amount of wool needed to make such a facility economically viable is not available in the US.  If you purchase Superwash wool products they are probably from Germany, South Africa or China since that is where the Superwash facilites are located.  When wool felts it also shrinks, and since shrinkage can be undesirable the Superwash process was invented to combat this.  It seems be remarkably effective!

Some other factoids:
--not all washable wool is Superwash
--industry estimates say about 5% of Superwash uses acid methods and 95% use polymer coatings
--wool items made before the early 1970s are never Superwash
--while polymer-treated wool can go in the dryer, the heat from the appliance can cause the polymer to lose some of its effect so air-drying is the best way to dry Superwash items if you want them to maintain their Superwash traits.

Photos are of Madelinetosh DK in "Thunderstorm" and Malabrigo Rios in "Zarzamora", both are Superwash treated wool products

Hello My Pretties!

Wow, it has been a long time!  I have been neglecting this blog in a very bad way.  It is not intentional.  It just happens.  The problem has been badly compounded by the fact that for the past few years all I have worn to work is a corporate polo and the finest waterproof pants REI has to offer.  Sorta puts a cramp in how many designer dresses you need to be looking at.

I think I may start this up again.  Not completely talking about what just went down the runway, but also talking about what I've made lately.  See, I love to craft.  And, my cousin next to me in age passed away on June 30th, 2013 in a workplace accident with 18 of his coworkers.  You probably saw it on the news.  It has been a very difficult loss.  One thing that has made me feel better is making things myself.  He always believed in me far more than I ever have and he would be very proud of me for putting myself out there and trying.  So, for him I will share with you what I have been making lately.  Most of what I make is either for the friends & family of the people around me and then sometimes for the foster kids in Arizona.  Sometimes, it is for myself.  There's a certain satisfaction you get from knowing that you made your own armor that day.

So, while you can expect some fashion commentary, also expect to watch a hobbiest play with raw materials in their dining room.  I leave you with this, a sweater i knitted for the son of a childhood friend from "Sprintime Baby Cardi" pattern on Ravelry :

Higher Commodity Prices Hit Fashion

One of the things that makes the fashion industry so great is the fact that it is global.  Ideas and people swirl around the world and normally it equals better fashion.  Well, it also equals higher prices.  Commodity prices have soared lately.

Fashion is the "textile industry"--I think they give it that name so that men in suits don't feel like they're talking about "womens' concerns", but that discussion is for another day.  The cost of your favorite new dress directly correlates to the price of raw materials around the world.  In the last 12 months, prices have skyrocketed.

Cotton prices are the highest they've been since the US Civil War.  In the 1860s, prices were so high due to war and blockade.  Now, it is a combination of ruined crops in Pakistan and Australia, coupled with growing demand around the world.  Higher demand plus lower supply equals higher prices.  That means your dress is going to be more costly.

Its not just cotton that is pricier.  Silk, leather, cashmere, fiber for synthetics, etc.... have all gotten more expensive.  Much of it is due to higher demand, transportation costs and in the case of vegetable fibers, failed crops.  One of the largest sources of the rising demand is China.  With the Chinese economy growing, the demand for garments and other textiles rises and so does the price of such things around the world.

What are designers doing about this?  Midlevel designers have been rethinking their collections so that they use less or cheaper materials, in order to not have to raise their prices.  For example, Luca Luca has been trying to order in bulk and use less fabric variety to keep the prices down.  But, they were far enough into their Spring 2011 collection to where they've had to eat much of the cost increases.  This is bad for fashion in the long term--when the designers become less profitable, it will be harder for them to survive changes in demand for their products and to invest in new talent and methods.  This means lower quality items with less innovation.  Hopefully next season Luca Luca will find a better way to deal with this than to eat the cost--it can only do that for so long before they'll have to fold, and then no more pretty dresses from them....

High-End designers are simply passing on the rise in costs to their consumers.  So, if you want high-grade silk to line your blazer, you better be prepared to pay.

Information from Wall Street Journal and Luca Luca runway photo from Style

Huge Congrats to Narciss & Alise Trautmane!

One of my favorite up-and-coming designers is Latvia-based Narciss led by Alise Trautmane.  She knows what women want, and melds that Baltic/Eastern Europe sensibility with a good story and consequently consistently puts out designs that are beautiful & wearable.  I think this company is one to watch!

Well, Narciss was named DESIGNER OF THE YEAR for Latvia by the Baltic Fashion Federation!  I think it is a well-deserved honor for a designer that consistently does a great job.

To the left is a beautiful dress in her online store--its classic while being flattering and practical.  Its something the average woman could actually wear and not feel ridiculous.  It doesn't scream any particular season, instead it says "classic black dress".  I love it!

I can't wait to see the new collection that Narciss is putting out in February 2011!

Picture from NARCISS

Kat Graham + Filhas de Gaia = Questionable Judgement

I haven't seen a lot of great things out and about in the fashion world as of late.  I don't know, maybe I'm looking in the wrong spots.  One of these wrong spots if Kat Graham.

Ugh, she stepped out in public to the ASCAP Grammy Brunch wearing this horrible oneise jumpsuit thing by Filhas de Gaia.  I'm sorry, but it looks like some sad saggy-crotch getup she stole from the reject wardrobe pile of DALLAS.  I can't figure out why this is supposed to make her "aspirational" or an "IT Girl".  It makes me wonder instead if she doesn't own a mirror.  I'm so sad--the print is great and this designer does lots of great looks.

Filhas de Gaia is a great Brazilian designer that shows in Rio de Janeiro.  The Spring 2011 collection was full of great looks--super cute cocktail dresses and wonderful clothes for a woman of Kat Graham's age.  That's what makes me wonder so much at how she ended up in such an unflattering thing--she certainly had plenty to choose from.  *SIGH*  The world may never know.

Picture from WENN

Inspired by Shoson Prints--Time to BE Spring!!!!!

I'm so sick of winter.  The cold, in particular.  I hate the cold, I hate the boring colors, I strongly dislike winter.  I'm so tired of being trapped inside!  I've found myself looking at Japanese Woodblocks and their beautiful images since a trip to a museum the other day and they make me look forward to spring like no other.  One of my favorites is this one by Shoson of cherry blossoms and birds, the ultimate image of spring.  I want everything to look like this right now!

Whenever I look at the Spring 2011 shows, I feel so annoyed.  Almost everything is black and white!  What's going on?!  Where's the color and celebration of being able to leave the house and wear something pretty without being swaddled in layers and layers of black coat?  Luckily, Dries van Noten had a few prints, and they remind me so much of Japanese woodblock prints.  The yellow is so nice, so warm!

The back of this dress is just delicious!!  I love it!  I want it both on a dress and a blouse!  The open back goes just low enough to be completely sexy and interesting but high enough to be able to find a bra to wear under it.  Dries van Noten is one of the few designers who is consistently unafraid of prints and this season, I'm so happy to see it.  I can just imagine wearing this on an early May day, out with friends.

This Spring 2011 Hanii Y dress just makes me sigh with relief!  Its not black or beige or white!  It looks like so much fun and thoroughly reminds me of the Shoson print.  Its got the same colors and captures that same spirit of warmth and beauty.  I love the shape, it isn't frumpy, and it looks like something that would be great to wear out on a Saturday when running errands.

I know I can always count on Tsumori Chisato for something colorful and happy!  This Spring 2011 get-up just looks so "spring-y"!  I love it!  All of the color and print just makes me smile.  The pink is that same pink in the Shoson print and just looks like candy.  What really makes this outfit are the shoes.  That little pop of yellow is the perfect finishing touch--like a warm vanilla sky sunset.

I'm so done with winter.  I want to wear a skirt and ballet flats and not regret doing so.  I want color and print and beauty.  I wish the world always looked like a Shoson print!

Runway pictures from Style and Shoson print from Ronin Gallery

Garden Party with Erdem!

Okay, so its no surprise.  I'm currently obsessed with antique-y looking floral prints on dresses.  I always have been.  Not everyone makes them look like something worth wearing, however.  One of the few who makes an awesome floral-print dress consistently beautiful is Erdem.

Erdem is a London-based design house led by Erdem Moralioglu.  He's of Turkish/English descent from Montreal, Canada and worked for a year under Diane von Furstenberg.  In 2005 he moved to London and started his own line.  Since then he won the British Vogue Fashion Award and is recognized as one of the top up-and-coming designers.  And, boy is he good!

 

One of the things he does so well is use print.  That's so rare!  His prints remind me of re-edited antique floral prints.  The yellow with the red and pink reminds me of this woodblock print by Kono Bairei from 1880.  To me, his dresses from Spring Summer 2011 look like he took prints like this, cut them up and made a collage and then painted over them with watercolors.  Lovely!

Another thing I like so much is the fact that the prints are strategically place to take your eye to the most flattering parts of the dress.  This dress is cut to slim the wearer and then the print leads the eye to the smallest part of the waist, the bust and then the hem to see the model's legs.  Its like a giant sign to "ignore my hips and admire the fact that I have a lovely shape!"  I love it!

Hands down, my favorite dress is the one.  It totally reminds me of antique Japanese woodblock prints of flowers, but in a modern, wearable way.  Love it!  Plus, you can wear this dress on your fattest day and never look like you've had too many cupcakes.  Its classic, its comfortable and its friggin pretty!  I don't know if you've ever played with these dresses in person, but the silk is to die for.  Erdem doesn't scrimp when it comes to materials.  Not at all.  Sure, his stuff is expensive but you get what you pay for!  In this case, its silk worth wearing for the rest of your life.  

Pictures from Erdem, woodblock print from A Private Collection

You may also be interested in my prior post about Peter Som

Chanel Spring/Summer 2011--Thug In A Cocktail Dress

Just because a designer is main-stream doesn't mean that they should be ignored.  Quite the opposite--they are the annointed taste-makers.  And, well, I happen to like Chanel.  Its classic, you really can go wrong with their suiting, so I'm usually excited to see their shows.  Spring/Summer 2011 is no exception!

There were some really cute dresses in the show.  Feminine, but tough, like someone in their 20s could wear them out for a fun night and not feel like they're robbed their grandmother or that they're looking like an Italian divorcee.  My favorite was this black & white number, looks totally Chanel but still young and fun.  I like the contrasting trim over the major seams, it gives the dress a nice shape and really makes the wearer look trim.  I hate the shoes, they look like clunky bricks.  Oh well.  Can't win them all.

Another look I really liked was the art deco-inspired A-Line dress with the front bib and the tulle.  I know, its a bit fussy, but its pretty! Its one of those dresses that you'd wear to a big event, but its interesting and it doesn't scream "I'm wearing Chanel!  Out of my way bitches!!"  Instead, the model looks very well dressed and doesn't fall prey to what Chanel sometimes does of just looking to...elderly.

Not everything in the show came up roses.  In fact, a large portion of the looks just...sucked.  Okay, so why is Karl Lagerfeld trying to dress Chanel-thugs?  What's with the open golashes, booty shorts and just ugly?  What's he thinking?  Tweedy booty shorts?  REALLY?!  Does he picture women who wear Chanel out trying to pick up men in alleys?  Girl looks like a thug.  Another look I particularly disliked is the floral dress that I'm sad to say came from the Chanel show.  Is it just me, or does it look like that horrible prairie dress that your aunt gives you when you're 7 and your mom makes you wear for the family portrait?  It's even got that silly pilgrim collar, awkward length and frumpy waist.  The way that the model is standing says it all--her pose makes me think that she's about ready to pull a HULK on it and rip it off.  Poor girl, having to wear something so embarrassing.

The Chanel spring-summer 2011 show started out so nicely, with lovely tweed and ended with beautiful cocktail dresses.  For some reason, the middle was filled with girls who looked like they were going to jump you for your hair clip.  So sad!  But, that doesn't take away from the fact that I needs to get me another tweedy jacket....

Pictures from Style

You may also be interested in a prior post about Chanel Accessories

Vicuna--A Sweater Fit For The Sapa Inca

There's more variety to protein fibers than just wool & cashmere.  There's all kinds of different animals woolens can be produced from!  One of these is Vicuna, the hair from the vicuna animal of Peru.  Traditionally, vicuna in Incan culture was so valuable that it was only for the royals to wear.  Vicuna or Vicugna, is considered to be the finest and softest wool in the world at 12 micrometers in diameter--the fibers are only 70% as wide as cashmere and even better at trapping warmth.  It is so fine that normally, it is left its natural color for fear that dyes will ruin it.

Vicuna is a threatened species of camelid (camel!) native to Peru, Chile, Bolivia and other parts of South America, previously endangered.  What has allowed this species to come back from the brink is its wool.  The Peruvian government made it its national animal and came up with a scheme to bring both jobs to the locals and save the animal.  Once a year, the locals hold a Chaccu, a traditional shearing ceremony where the vicuna are rounded up, shorn and then released.  A vicuna can only be shorn every 3 years and there are specific standards for how long the hair can be in order to be shorn.  This system of only allowing vicuna wool to be harvested in specific situations and the ending of vicuna hunting has allowed the species to bounce back and become a very valuable commodity to the community.  The practices that are currently being followed are considered sustainable and vicuna is an eco-friendly textile.

There are some things to beware of.  Despite the best efforts of the Peruvian officials and community, there is an illegal trade in vicuna.  Because of this, several countries have outright banned it and many require an official certificate that it was legally harvested.  Make sure that you purchase your vicuna from a legitimate source and try to stick to an established, reputable company like Loro Piano or Jacques Cartier yarns.  Also, if you really look closely at most of the items that come up when you search "vicuna"--you'll notice that they're not ACTUALLY made of vicuna, instead vicuna is just the name of the color.  Don't be fooled and get stuck with lamb's wool!  The high price of vicuna is worth it!

Pictures from Livanti Alpacas and The Guardian

You may also be interested in my prior posts about Qiviut and Ramie