All posts filed under: What I wear

The ‘Sherbet Seersucker + Shoes’ 1934 frock

Well, I love bold stripes, but everything I’m making for the HSF ‘Stripes’ challenge has turned out to be quite subdued stripes; in this case, seersucker. This dress started out with this pattern, Anne Adams 2653: How cute is that! A lovely and kind friend owns the pattern, and let me take a copy in trade for a copy of one of my patterns. The pattern was perfect, but finding the right fabric for it turned in to an epic production. First I found what I thought was the perfect fabric: a geometric broderie anglaise that was both sweet and Art Deco-y. I bought four metres, rushed home, compared it to the pattern, and realised the broderie anglaise openwork would clash horribly with the pleats and neck yoke. Grrrrr! Next, I found the perfect blue and white striped cotton poplin in my stash but unfortunately I had less than half what the pattern said I would need in fabric – even if I did a contrast yoke, sleeves and pockets. Grrrrr! Then I realised …

A simple striped T

Published by The Dreamstress

The Historical Sew Fortnightly Stripes challenge has really gotten me in the mood for stripes, whether they are historical or not. I was even motivated to rummage around in my PhD (project half done – clearly a much more awesome name than UFO, because having multiple UFOs just makes you sound like a conspiracy theorist, while having multiple PhDs just makes you sound…awesome) pile and fish out a striped T shirt that I’d originally dubbed the ‘Unimpressed T’, because that’s how I felt about it. I was so unimpressed that I couldn’t even be bothered to blog about the original version here, though I did post it on the Sew Weekly (said post has now disappeared – very annoying). I didn’t like the original because the stripes seemed overwhelming, and the neckline a bit unresolved, though I’d loved the same cut in my Gay Red Shirt. Even Fiss was unimpressed by the shirt as it was: Still, with all this striped happiness happening, and with my Sewing with Knits class coming up, I felt bad …

Dressing Deco in modern clothes

Published by The Dreamstress

As you may expect, I sewed most of my Art Deco Weekend wardrobe, but one thing I really wanted to do this year was to show that it is possible to wear amazing outfits that really capture the spirit of the early ’30s even if you can’t sew, and don’t have the budget for real vintage pieces.* So I put together a quick little ’30s inspired outfit with items from my wardrobe and thrift shops. I looked at a number of ’30s images for reference, particularly those of backless 1930s outfits. The emphasis on the shoulders and back is such a characteristic of early-mid ’30s fashion, and it’s something you see both in beachwear and in evening wear (also, I rather like my shoulders). I was hoping my outfit would capture both the glamour of the evening dresses, and the effortless casual elegance of the daywear. I was also inspired by 1930’s colour: rich but muted dark pastels. The end result? I’m rather pleased! The parasols are both from an oriental shop, the hat is …