Wearable Wednesday Roberto Cavalli

Ahh…she should look happier than this. Is it because everyone assumes she’s the lost Fanning sister?

ooh…its the shoes. They are hurting their feelings. They are giving this depressed girl the oddest stance- like she’s having balance issues. For the record, I would like to state that this may be too much animal print. I said, MAY BE…..

hmm…this is no longer working for me.

Ok, it’s taken me 3 pictures to realize that I was just sucked in by animal prints and am not really inspired by the shapes at all. Lets lose the color and see how we feel. Usually the cut and line of a designers work is my favorite part. Oh, that and the obviously suffering of the models.

Ok, its all about the fabrics for me. There are some wonderful textural layers and such happening here, but the shapes are kind of basic. The white pairings sort of reminded me of Spiegel catalog in the 1980’s.

Anyone for a little boho-age? This styling is quite limp.

The details are lovely- I want to touch these, but not the shoes- they look othopaedically torturous!

The above skirt is like that Project Runway Dylans Candy Bar challenge- is it licorice? I hope so. I think I’d love to have some of these pieces to throw on with jeans and feel quite fancy- they’d definitely get some admiring stares, but all together, I feel like a bunch of quilts and doilies mated behind Grandmas back. Please people, spay and neuter your linens!!!

photo credits: Vogue UK, all photos remain the property of their original owners.

Wearable Wednesday Zambesi

Sydney this week gang-

This goes all over the map for- I like this blouse quite a bit-

hmm. She seems worried about that mole. I am too.

Gee, I suppose if it were lined, we’d get even less detail in this picture. She looks like Hilary Swank, doesn’t she?

I think this is the Bride of Frankenstein Summer frock-

Backward?

Forward!

You know you like it….

photo credits: style.com. All images remain the property of their original owners

Wearable Wednesday….Ostwald Helgason

Inca Sock Monkey apron. It never goes out of style.

Is she saying, ‘No, really, I’ll just take a check instead of keeping my overskirt’?

Ostwald sure can do edging! The seaming on this intrigues me.

More monkey! It’s like ‘more cowbell’ for fashionistas!

How many pieces do you think this is? I’m not digging the collar tips- it gives the illusion of a silly bowtie. It really brings down the obvious sophistication of ones monkey tunic.

I think we can all agree that this shorts length is awkward on any leg.

Here’s my favorite, but not by much.

Please share your monkey related feelings with me.

photo credits: Vogue UK, all photos remain the property of their original owners.

Simplicity 1652- Ikat Prettiness!

When you say ‘ikat’ I really have no idea what that means. I hate to break my streak of providing readers with nothing redeeming, but I went ahead and looked up what ikat means. Hmm. Ok, that was kind of boring. We’ll skip it. Phew! My streak survives!

Ikat always makes me think of  EKG strips when I look at it. Healthy EKG readings, very nice. I’m going to try to distract you from looking at the 400 mosquito bites I got in this park by focusing on Bruderlein my  date.

This is view B. I love these patterns with all the sizing adjustments and whatnot that make it so easy to fit. I made very view changes- I did not make the skirt back in 4 panels, I really didn’t see why I should cut up the lovely  EKG print that much. Also, this is a pretty fraying fabric- the less seams the better! I went thru 5 bobbins on this dress and alot of it was my ‘pink it, then zigzag over it twice fiesta edge finish’ that I used on those skirt panels. On the bodice back I edged it with bias tape- mostly to really keep that open back from drooping and showing off my lovely foundation garments.

After all of my fitting tries, I realized that a zipper was kind of unnecessary. It’s goes over my head with no trouble, so why toil in zipper land if I don’t have to? I know it could be a bit more fitted, but I’m good with this- it doesn’t need to be tight for work. The waist seems a bit higher on me than on the cover model, but thats no shock!

Speaking of unnecessary: these pockets. The placement is again in the marsupial zone, but that’s not my issue. They really don’t have much ‘bag’ to them. So for any practical storage they are pointless. Mother didn’t raise me to stand about with my hands in my pockets like a street urchin- so if I can’t even safely keep a twinkie in them, what is the point? Don’t act like you haven’t stored Hostess products in your dress pockets! It’s very common!

The husband likes this dress- especially the back- he thought back cleavage was highly out of character for me. I’m worried that the front is a little bland. I’d better brooch up!

I really enjoyed making this. Do you find comfort in the old basics of sewing? The making of darts, the gathering, the princess seams? It all felt so familiar and nurturing, like old friends.

I love feeling like I’ve stretched myself skill-wise with a pattern, but this just felt right. It was done in 1 day except for the hemming. I call it a win.

Bruderlein says its time to go home!

photo credits: pattern review, meadhawg, google images. All images remain the property of their original owners.

Wearable Wednesday Liverpool John Moores

Ok, I enjoyed last weeks student show so much, we are diving back in! Don’t miss the tattoo tribute to Bambi’s Father at the end!

Mmm

Psst- I think the vertical hold on your dress is messed up- just whack it, like you would an old tv set.

Is that fruit leather? If not, I’m kind of disappointed.

Hey! She’s wearing my flux capacitator!

I think I’d like it without the UV filter.

Lets go fly a kite! Up to the Highest height! Lets go fly a kite-

Cupcake Warrior. This fall on the Food Network.

The angriest daisy in the meadow.

‘Come on Estella, you don’t need to scratch your nose, jut don’t think about it, just focus on not itching! ARRRGHHH!!!!!’

Where does she keep the spare balls?

They tried to nail her train down, but she can’t be stopped! she’s a model on a mission!

Because you’ve earned it.

it would be so cool is a gerbil crossed over from one shoulder to the other…

Plaid Sith? The Little tartan sisters of suffering?

photo credits: Vogue UK, all photos remain the property of their original owners.

You thought I was just lazy…but I’m actually a superhero…sort of.

So between performing acts of derring-do and of course complaining, I have finished 2 tops and even wore them! One I have officially worn the heck out of and one I’m still on the fence about. Happy top first! 

I seem to constantly need new tops- I am a top loving gal. I also love some sheer material- so there you go.

This is a really easy make with simple details- the shoulders- they have this nifty drawstring gathery action. This is not a very structured top and so my only complaint is the gathering tends to make the shoulders fall forward and I have to periodically remind them that they have a PLACE TO BE!!! I also enjoy the vague tunnelishness of the arm holes- they go on forevvvver…..

I got frisky and used a braided cord instead of making self ties and I like my little detail. I initially passed over this pattern thinking it looked dated, but it woo’d me and you know I do woo easy- cheap thing that I am!  It’s a big old boxy top, but in South Carolina in the summer, cling is not king.  This one gets a victory lap and of course, a small doggie collage with Bruder, Liesl and Katze, respectively. 

Blouse 2? Well, I’m still sort of on the fence as I said. In theory it’s very entertaining. It has a cape. Yup. A cape. you can stitch it down in back at the hem, creating a place for your shy lemur, a loaf or bread, a jug of wine, the 1st 3 seasons of Downton Abbey on dvd or blue ray…..you get the point. I digress. 

See the gentle fluttering the model is trying to ignore? Paolo the photographers assistant had just turned off the fan in the studio, realizing that this thing in motion is really not sultry, it is more like a parachute that attacked you from behind. Or like when the cat tries to inspect a plastic bag and gets it’s head caught on it and runs around with it filling up and smacking it in the back and the cat thinks it’s being chased. Yup, I’m less super hero in this than tormented cat, now that I think about it.

Now I am cool with the cape, I actually like the way the collar is a drapey business that flows over one shoulder (for business casual archery day, as most offices have now made mandatory) and it has an odd 1930’s feel somehow. I am uncomfortable with the bare-armed-ness of it. I knew one side was material flapping when I walked, but the other was all me of course.

So I’m very torn on this one. I liked how I wore it to work- an outfit I have recreated for you here (see how devoted I am?) and of course my co-workers were very nice about it. I tried to leave the room and silently sneak back (yes, I am that paranoid) to see if they were all making mime flapping gestures or calling Goodwill to come and take my sewing machine away, but they are a subtle bunch. I will now rely on all of you to give this one  thumbs up or down. I am afraid I love the fabric more than the top. So sad when bad patterns happen to good fabric…..

Or is this the coolest off-sided capelet top you have ever seen? Are you rushing to your drafting tables to see if you too can have such fabness? Oh, do. I can actually think of several sewcials that would carry this off and look swell- but am I one of them?

photo credits: Pattern review, google images, meadhawg. All images remain the property of their owners