Sonia Delaunay at Tate Modern

I went to see the  Sonia Delaunay exhibition. It was super, and if you are in London do go. Delaunay (1885-1979) was an amazing abstract painter who worked with colour in a new and very exciting way. She also applied her ideas and designs to textiles – curtaining, carpets, and fashion. Here is a brilliant write-up of her work by designer Kate Davies (who of course is not me, although we share the same name. If you hire the audio tape you will hear Kate speaking in her gentle Yorkshire tones).

Here is one of Delaunay’s triptychs – you are probably already familiar with her work.

Sonia Delaunay (1885-1979). "Rythme couleur". Huile sur toile. 1964.
Sonia Delaunay (1885-1979). “Rythme couleur”. Huile sur toile. 1964.

The bold colours, the juxtaposition of colours which amplify each other, the geometric shapes are so full of life and compelling. I especially like when she puts two very close versions of one shade next to each other – look at the reds and greens in the painting above for example. And then, how lovely, she makes a cot quilt for her little boy, Charles. There are two shades of red next to each other in that too. The painting was partly inspired by this sort of Russian peasant quilt she had seen as a young child. Looking closely you see the tiny, but not very even stitches she put in herself.

Sonia Delaunay quilt
Baby Quilt (1911)

She also made clothes for her husband and herself to wear out, using the same patchwork technique. Her dress is made mainly in velvets and silks.

Also available to have a close look at were some amazing textiles, created for Dutch company Metz and Co.

And finally there was a gorgeous 1930s film featuring dresses made in Delaunay’s specially commissioned fabrics. There are also rugs, embroidered dresses, weaving, book cases, Vogue covers, books, enormous pictures. Lots of gorgeous colour. I just loved how she went from avant garde painting to making a frock, a carpet or an embroidered poem. What an amazing woman!

 

There was a lovely book about Delaunay’s fashions and fabrics, but it was £25. Half that on Amazon.

It’s uncanny, innit?

Have you ever noticed how you sometimes buy (or make) the same garment again and again? One man I know has something like 45 white shirts. My husband has about 12 pairs of Church’s brogues. I used to have quite a collection of grey long-sleeved T-shirts and jumpers.

When something works for you, you like wearing it. I feel nice in a grey T. So when shopping, consciously or unconsciously, I buy what I like. Items I know will suit me and will go with my wardrobe. The problem, of course, is that I really don’t need another grey T. And, if I am honest I look just as good, maybe even better in white, red, pink, bright blue, turquoise, emerald, purple, or even a pattern. But a grey T is safe, quiet, easy. But lady, just how many grey Ts do you need? I had about 15, but now (post Kondo) pruned them down to five – one long-sleeved, one short-sleeved, a cashmere tank, jumper and cardigan.

Now something funny happened when I showed my daughter the silk dress I have just finished.

EXHIBIT ONE Hand painted silk dress

This item has been painted by me and I have used a fairly rare pattern in a unique way. I will not walk into a room and find someone else in the same dress. There is nothing like it on the planet. It is something (as they used to say on Monty Python) “completely different”. It’s nothing like a grey T shirt, is it?

Flowers
Flowers

Esme started laughing. “It’s just like the one in your portrait, isn’t it?” She ran and fetched a portrait Baltimore artist Erin Fitzpatrick did of me back in the summer of  2010.

EXHIBIT TWO Joules sleeveless cotton summer dress

I really liked this dress. It had pink and yellow flowers on a turquoise background and was great in hot weather. I found the waist a bit high and the colours were somewhat warm for my complexion.

Now EXHIBIT THREE – Sleeveless summer dress from Wallis

I got married to Nick in 2002. Look at what I am wearing. This was a slightly tacky dress in polyester, from the sale at Wallis. I think it was £55 reduced to £25. I made the veil myself from a cheap joke tiara and a piece of pink nylon netting. It was only lined to knee, and I didn’t like the elasticated neckline. But of course I loved the print which included the colours I adore – pinks, turquoise, reds, blues. I felt nice in this dress but I don’t think I ever found an occasion to wear it again.

I have to ask myself why I chose the colour scheme for the new silk dress? I didn’t plan it out at all consciously beyond deciding on flowers. I wanted something that would somehow go with my 2015 SWAP so I determined to use fuschia, jade, white and charcoal. I had planned to use fuchsia and jade for the flowers and then dye the fabric with dark grey dye. I had the dark grey dye ready. But when I was doing the flowers I reached for the blue silk paint. And I sort of tried it as a background. It wasn’t turquoise that I chose – it really looked like blue. It is blue really, but I seem to have created – entirely unconsciously – the same colour scheme I already loved. Three sleeveless floral dresses with the same colour scheme.

Have you bought or made the same dress many times, and sometimes by accident?

Making a skirt for Esme

My daughter has asked for me to make her a skirt. The photograph she has supplied, by way of inspiration, is this.

Pink neoprene circle skirt
Neoprene circle skirt

It’s said to be Neoprene, it is a full circle skirt with an invisible zip and it appears to be hemmed rather than cut. I hesitate to call it Neoprene as NeuCarole has written a number of useful blog posts on this question. I am guessing this dress is made from Scuba knit instead – the notes on aqaq.com say that the fabric is 95% Polyester, 5% Elastane. As I prefer natural fabrics this is not a subject I know much about. I did get Leo at Simply Fabrics to show me real neoprene (with a rubber layer sandwiched in between two jersey layers), and the scuba knit they have in the shop. I would say Neoprene is too stiff and heavy for daily wear outfit, and would probably be good for bags (and scuba diving). Scuba knit is easy to sew and is available in bright, shiny colourways. To my eye they are garish and clammy, but I am told it sells well, especially as it can give structure to skirts and evening dresses.

Esme wants a colourful skirt with a loud pattern – including turquoise, red and blue purples, bright blue, pinks and reds, white and navy. I am not sure I will find a scuba knit in a colourway to suit her. Something like this from the undercover lingerista.

colourful undies
Cleo Panache bra

So I am thinking about making a skirt

  • made from silk if I cannot find scuba knit in the right colour
  • in satin or habotai silk so Esme can paint a design in the colours she loves
  • that is mounted on a firmer underlining
  • that is a full circle skirt with a concealed zip and fairly deep waist band
  • with a net underskirt to give it poof

What do you think?

Kondo 0.2 A busy, untidy person in search of serenity

posted in: Organisation | 5

My last post on the Marie Kondo approach to tidying garnered some strong feelings, and I am not surprised. This is an issue where everyone has a different approach and attitude and I completely respect everyone’s viewpoint.

We are partly what we own – a house, our furniture, clothes, books, pictures, possessions. Our life can to some extent be summed up by how we dress ourselves, the music we have bought, books read. Our possessions And allow us to make our space beautiful and personal. However at some point we may start to experience a sense of unease – feeling perhaps that we have too much (similar to when we eat too much). The we have to move the stuff somewhere else – putting it into suitcases, placing it in the attic or under the stairs, pushing items to the back of the wardrobe or just ignoring them for years on end. To my mind we reach a tipping point and instead of enjoying what we have we find our possessions a burden. For me this feeling is summed up by not knowing where everything is. I have so much that I cannot possibly enjoy it. I know I will be happier with less.

There is some cynicism about the Japanese mysticism – bowing to the house, thanking the socks – associated with the book. Both Jenny and Stephanie, who had read the book, felt this was the oddest part. But for me there is something in this, which I will come to at the end.  Let me first elaborate what I did; then I will tell you how it made me feel.

Does this item “spark joy”?

I have made a start. I have emptied out my underwear drawers and tried the Marie Kondo method of tidying.

  • If you are having difficulty deciding if something brings you joy (pair of navy tights) you can ask yourself if you would be embarrassed lending them to someone else? Of if you went on a date would you be happy to be seen in the item? Or, the old chestnut, if you were knocked down and a nurse was underdressing you would your knickers or bra pass muster?
  • I found having a rough idea of how many of an item was “reasonable” was helpful. I thought maybe with knickers and tights two weeks worth, and with bras I think I have seven.

Knickers

I am down to a small number – maybe 15 pairs, most of them black. The black ones I have kept as they are nice soft pants, rather plain and well fitting. The coloured ones are retained because I am attracted to colour and will choose to wear them most often. But many of my pants are old, and I rarely invest in them. I generally buy them when they are reduced at M&S. They never spark joy even when brand new.

Kondo folded underwear
Sparse knicker and sock drawer – Kondoed

Socks

I am left with very few pairs of socks, but then I usually only wear them with trousers at weekends. I threw out all my white sports socks because they all looked grubby. Like my sales rack knickers I buy cheap socks – usually by the 5 or 10 pack at Primark. They do not last well and they are not the best sports socks for comfort.

Tights 

Kondo tights
pile of tights

I mainly wear thick tights all through the winter, autumn and spring. In summer I wear bare legs or skin coloured “nylons”. My thick tights hardly ever ladder so they last for years; some I threw out were more than 10 years old. I also had seven or eight unopened packs – having picked them up on special offer, or when I went to work without a pair  in my bag (I leave the house in gym wear). And, for reasons of “economy” I normally buy a five pack. So I had far too many tights. Maybe 50 pairs. The problem is compounded by having three “neutrals”. As I don’t wear black I use navy, dark brown and dark grey as my “black” tights. So I “need” three times as many as someone relying on black And then I like coloured tights so have a pair or two in every colour. I threw out the ones that were really worn. I threw out the ones that were not a very nice shade of brown or grey. I favoured the brand new ones. I know I still have too many, including some that are not truly loved. I feel I have not done this job properly because I compromised. I may have to revisit this issue with greater resolve when I am stronger.

I don’t like the look of clear tights in the drawer. They do not fill me with joy at all. I am slightly scared of them because when I wear them I often ladder them as I am pretty clumsy. I have whittled them down to just a few pairs. I took them out of the packaging, as proposed by Marie but they feel fragile and shapeless despite careful folding.

Bras

I am down to seven good quality (and expensive) bras in white (2), nude (2), navy blue, mid blue and  turquoise – all the same brand, size and style.

Folding

I got into the folding. The idea is to have the items folded into the right size of rectangle that will stand up vertically in your drawers, so you can see exactly what you have when choosing an outfit. This bit worked well and, as described in the book, will increase the life of my items. One reason my tights have got a bit ratty is because I used to make them into a twisted ball. And the socks got turned inside out to keep the pair together. I also had purchased Lakeland “dividers” in the drawers to put the socks and pants in – but I threw them out this week because they just took up space and didn’t allow me to organise properly.

Final reflection

I have my own version of “spark joy”. I include need, like and love. I also can now distinguish between an item I am proud of (would happily show or give to someone) and that which embarrasses me.

So how did I come to terms with letting go of items that have served their time? Did I “thank them” as advised.

What surprised me was how worn and grubby some things were. I had not really looked carefully at them before. Underwear, tights and socks get tossed in the laundry basket. The are washed and they dry. Unpressed they get shoved in the right drawer, then worn again. These low status items (25p for a pair of socks – it’s pretty disgraceful, isn’t it?), bought in sales and jumbo economy packs, are important in looking nice, and feeling good. But until this week I never really considered buying nice socks or underpants, or looking after the items so that they would last. I had a “buy cheap and chuck it out” mentality which resulted in me having lots of low grade, poor quality, sweatshop constructed underwear. Now I realise this is not me and I will rethink. When I replace my shabby sports socks I will consider their qualities, and once I own them I will look after them better. And I think this is all that is meant by Kondo in terms of treating inanimate objects with respect. Looking after your clothes just makes sense if we want to look good, and get reasonable wear from quality items.  And this is a big lesson for me.

Thinking about pictures for SWAP

posted in: Finished projects, SWAP | 5

I have made a plan for the photographs to show off my collection. I have now seen the rules which are:

You’ll probably need at least nine photographs, and you’re allowed to upload a total of 15 per SWAP.  Composite photos are allowed, but only if they show details of the SAME garment or outfit.

Because of the particular combinations I have chosen it will be difficult to demonstrate many of the possible combinations. Last year, when I included a coat, and only one dress, it was easier to show off more outfits.

Following your advice I have decided to include both the silk dresses (I dropped the RTW item). Photographing the collection is quite a task and my son Gus has agreed to take the pictures this year. Here is the list of looks I intend to put together – the first six are the outfits as constructed, leaving just two illustrations of the sets working with each other. In fact I do not intend to wear the three suits as matching costumes (all navy and all pink is not such a great look for me) so it is a shame I don’t have more chances to show them mixing happily with each other. Two additional pictures isn’t really enough!

Proposed photoshoot

  1. Pink skirt, White overblouse, Pink jacket
  2. Navy skirt, Green overblouse, Navy jacket
  3. Green skirt, White overblouse, Navy jacket
  4. Squiggle skirt and Squiggle waistcoat
  5. Light Silk dress
  6. Dark Silk dress
  7. Green skirt, Green overblouse
  8. Pink skirt, White overblouse, Navy jacket
  9. Pink skirt, Squiggle waistcoat
  10. Pink skirt, Green overblouse
  11. Pink skirt, White overblouse
  12. Navy skirt, Green overblouse
  13. If allowed I will have a composite of the 12 pictures

 Other possibilities

There are many other possible combinations (most of which I have already worn) before I add any existing wardrobe items. For example

  • Silk dress, white overblouse
  • silk dress, green overblouse
  • navy skirt, white overblouse, pink jacket
  • navy skirt, white overblouse, navy jacket, etc.

There is a book by Wendy Mak that explains how you can get 1000 outfit from a wardrobe of 30 items. I haven’t read it – I just watched the video –  but I am intrigued by the idea.

 

My one year Blog Anniversary!

posted in: Uncategorized | 32

That came along quickly! It feels It It seems like only yesterday when I wrote my 7 month retrospective.

Woman, child and cake
Chocolate cake and candle

I have posted every single day since August, but pretty regularly before that.  I have written 335 posts on:

  • clothes I have made
  • style advice for men and women
  • colour
  • the history of fashion
  • textiles and fabric printing
  • inpiration, mainly reviews of exhibitions
  • pattern cutting and design
  • individuals – guest blogs or style analysis

I write because I love writing – I am surprised but grateful that anyone reads it. The fact so many lovely friends take the time to comment – invariably leaving a generous, kind, supportive message – thrills me to bits. Thank you.

Blog Birthday card
Creative graffitti

I have made around 40 garments this year – it’s a bit hard to count – some were made before the blog started. So three to four garments every month. Last year, after the SWAP, I took a break from sewing and I will do that again. I am determined to completely “Kondo” my home before I get cracking again. I have decided to mend/repair/alter a few garments first.

When I got home last night Esme asked me round to her flat. My dear children gave me a card, a cake and a poem.

Happy young family
My wonderful family

 

Here is the masterpiece:

 

There I sat, so frustrated

Thread chewed up and masticated

The skirt’s waistband elasticated

Perhaps someone miscalculated

It’s all a bit too complicated

But soon I will be vindicated

A vintage item replicated

The next best thing, from Fabrickated.

Planning the fabric for a new silk dress

I mentioned I was thinking of making a silk maxi dress, with hand painted fabric. I am thinking of a full length, drapey dress that feel pretty and cool for summer evenings and to take on holiday (we are going to Egypt soon).

I haven’t actually decided on the pattern yet.

I am going to do a floral scheme (as I often do). It is hard to show what I have in mind. When I was growing up my father was in the world of textiles. They produced many floral designs, mainly for curtains. I think those designs, with 12 or more colours in them, must have imprinted themselves in my brain as I am constantly, almost unconsciously attracted to them. I cannot find any images, but the Joules brand sometimes capture something of what I have in mind. They have a clear background colour, on which are set fairly large, billowy flowers. Many of the colour schemes are not exactly what I wanted, but this is the sort of overall effect I am trying to produce.

In fact when I went to their site to see if I could find some contemporary examples I found an image of one of their new designs, based on a water-colour. This is much closer to what I am able to achieve with my painting on silk, and I think it looks more modern than the more traditional chintz type look. Especially the top on the left – I love the looseness of the design and the comparatively large amount of background.

2015-04-15-UK-nurseryProgramPrintStory-09-v2

In the meantime I want to plan a colour scheme that will work for an all over pattern – and I am thinking mainly green (light jade, emerald, true green, forest), offset by some lighter and middling pinks and white, with some neutral elements – probably some dark brown, darker grey and light grey.

Another thought is to use a cobalt blue with reds and pinks and a little yellow and white, with a bit of forest or navy for depth. These are the sort of colours that Toya has put together so beautifully and artfully in this gorgeous Easter bonnet and patchwork bag for her little girl. She is such a talented crafter and very generous with sharing her patterns and ideas – go and look at her blog if you have a minute.

Then I saw a hanging basket in Mayfair with a whole range of hydrangeas in various shades of purple, with deep green leaves.

Finally I am thinking of a white background with many colours of flowers – pinks, yellows, blues, with green foliage – inspired by English country gardens.

 

I am very exited by these possibilities and I am going to try a few small panels to get the colour scheme I want.

Linda Fargo’s Personal style

posted in: Style advice | 6

I have done the odd post on women who “nail it” in terms of personal style – Mrs Simpson and Frida Khalo – so here is another (living) one.

I love Linda Fargo. She is Senior VP and top buyer for Bergdorf Goodman in New York. She is a stylish, older woman, who smiles broadly, wears dramatic fashionable clothes, but always with a good awareness of what looks great on her. In these photographs, she wears barely any make up, so we can see her amazing naturally grey hair, her deep blue eyes and her clear, fresh complexion. A classic, simple to care for hair cut and a great smile. She is not a model – she has a normal figure, rather big teeth and she doesn’t appear to rely on surgical interventions to keep he fresh look. She just chooses great clothes to complement her dramatic wardrobe personality and to show case what her store is offering. Her a denim shirt and starry necklace work perfectly with her colouring and style. The beige Aran linen sweater with the white fur coat is also a simple but very effective pairing.

When it comes to dressing up for evening events or the camera she can also turn it on. She backcombs her hair, wears Ladybug by Mac lipstick and puts some eye liner on. Aren’t these colours fabulous on Linda? I love the combination of red trousers, a bright blue silk blouse and an animal print belt. The relatively simple lines of her clothes mean she always looks elegant and stylish even though these are colours that not everyone could get away with. Linda is individualistic but always classy. She knows what suits her, and although she clearly has the pick of the wares of fashion designers of the world she often chooses clothes that would be fairly easy to copy or make, at a much lower price point.

Linda makes the point herself

“Style requires confidence, the ability to not look back in the mirror, an ability to judge what suits who you are, and the vision to believe that beauty can be found anywhere. I know women who always look unique and have somehow developed a signature without visibly overspending.” (NYmag.com)

Clearly those in the fashion industry have a heavy burden, in that they are expected to look great all the time and showcase the work of designers. How we would shriek if we were ever exposed to Anna Wintour’s eyes or wrinkles. But I sense that Linda is authentic and not afraid to be herself. She laughs easily and gives the impression of being open and friendly with everyone.

Bergdorf’s employ personal shoppers to help the rich and famous look their best. These guys earn unbelievable amounts of money according to the fascinating documentary Scatter my ashes at Bergdorfs.The most famous of these is Betty Halbreich who wrote a book about it, I’ll drink to that. I would quite like to be her. On second thoughts I think I would rather be Linda.

Betty Halbreich
Betty and her book

 

The story of my SWAP

posted in: SWAP, WIP (work in progress) | 19

Introduction to the SWAP rules

I have just completed my Sewing with a Plan adventure. Eleven garments that work together. Here is the specification again (paraphrased) from Artisans’ Square, the site which generously hosts the competition.

All the tops should work with all the bottoms, and the wildcard garments should work with every other item.

5 tops
3 bottoms
3 “wildcard” items

At least one garment that is reversible, transformable, or upcycled from another garment. For instance: a dress that can be worn as a shirt, a pair of pants that can roll up to be worn as shorts, or a jacket that can also be a dress.  “Upcycling” includes remaking an older garment into something new, taking a vintage pattern and modernising it into a more current style, or recycling the fabrics or notions from another item to incorporate it into something new.

One garment may be previously sewn; another may be purchased.

I want to explain how my garments meet the rules, and the philosphy behind them. Once the photographs are submitted to Artisan’s Square they are simply numbered, with pattern and fabric details added. They do not have a story, or a philosophy or explanation alongside them. At one point we were encouraged to explain their purpose (eg work outfit) but this seems optional.

The history of my Sewing With a Plan

I started off with a couple of obvious choices – a reversible skirt, and a recycled top. I wasn’t overjoyed with my efforts, but I was glad to have had the experience.  It was only when I started investigating a 1966 vintage pattern I had always wanted to make (Vogue 1650) that I discovered the concept of a formal suit-type skirt that was made without a waistband. The skirt was designed to be attached to a silky camisole which meant it would hang beautifully underneath an overblouse. This style was fairly common in 1960s couture.

Vogue Paris Originals 1650
Vogue 1650

Nina Ricci Dynamic SWAP

I had the idea of making the camisole in silk, like a piece of underwear, but to paint on it with silk paints so that it could be worn as outerwear. I wanted something that looked like a skirt and sleeveless blouse, rather than a skirt and vest.

Vogue Nina Ricci camisole
Painted camisole

Then we get a little philosophical. What is the difference between under and outerwear? Indoor clothes and outdoor clothes? Summer clothes and winter clothes? Nightwear and Daywear? Morning suits and Evening dress? Menswear and Womenswear? I have argued before that a dress (bifurcated item) is only obviously women’s wear in cultures where men only wear trousers. It is social conditions and culture that determine these things. So, within the rules of the competition, I began to explore this idea. The dress that is also a blouse, or trousers that can be rolled up and transformed into shorts are mentioned in the rules.

Have you heard of “transformers?” I must admit I only know of this due to my grandson Ted’s intense interest in such things, one specifically he refers to as “Bunglebee”. This is a car which “transforms” into a robot – you can see how some of the car-elements – wheels, doors and windows.

Bumblebee Transformer
Bumblebee Transformer

 

So at heart my entry to the SWAP includes garments which have been transformed by me, in the process of making them (“taking a vintage pattern and modernising it into a more current style”) but also, where I can, I have preserved some options in terms of wearing them differently. The skirt on a vest can be worn with the overblouse, or with the jacket, so that the vest disappears as it was originally supposed to do. When I turned the skirt-on-a-vest into a dress by making the skirt from the same silk as the camisole I decided this collection is “dynamic”.

Hand painted silk dress
Hand painted silk dress (back view)

A wardrobe that works?

The other issue is to determine if everything “works with” everything else. To some extent this is a matter of opinion. Some people have strict rules about what does and doesn’t “work with” or “go with” something else. Others do wonderful but surprising things. Some people have no idea and create a look that can seem discordant to those of us with sensitivities about these issues. I think my “collection” is a collection of clothes that do work together. I asked myself the question – if my clothes were in a shop, could they be hung together to suggest outfits the shopper might choose to purchase (at this point I had not finished the dresses)?

Fabrickated Collection SWAP 2015
The Collection (SWAP 2015)

This is somewhat tricky. Due to my commitment to only buying or making clothes in my personal colour palette (cool-bright) everything in my wardrobe (IMO) works with everything else. The same is broadly true with the styling. I have a few basic shapes that work with my figure and combine effectively. For example I have two sort of skirts – A lines and pencils. My collection has both. I also have two types of jackets – a fairly straight cardigan type jacket with a Nehru type collar or none, or a more shaped longer length jacket. The three jackets in this collection conform to these archetypes. So, deliberately, I have chosen shapes which work together. The photographs on Artisan’s Square show a good range of mix and match options.  I will have to leave it to others to decide if the items work together or not.

Sewing with a Plan 2015 0.24 – the silk dress.

posted in: SWAP, WIP (work in progress) | 15

“The silk dress”

This sounds like an over-acted radio murder play. The twist of course is that there is not one, but two silk dresses.

The pattern was identical in every way – Vogue 1650 Nina Ricci’s elegant three piece suit and coat.

The whole point of the SWAP is to create items that work as something else – and the Ricci pattern lends itself to dynamic changes. The pattern is very clear; it includes

  • coat
  • jacket
  • skirt
  • overblouse

It does not include a dress pattern. But having made up the skirt (on a camisole), twice, I decided to make the skirt-on-a-vest (still searching for a better name) into a dress.  In order to make the skirt-on-a-vest into a dress I made some minor pattern alterations. I changed the dart positions and I dropped the waist line a little in order to make it work better as a dress.

Regular readers will realise I am torn between a light and airy summer day dress, and a more mysterious very slightly edgy dark evening dress. On the one hand colourful painted flowers; on the other precious dinosaur lace. I will show you both (though neither are quite finished), in the hope that you will help me chose which will (tacky talent show music)…

“Go through to the finals?!”

Remember Ladies and Gentlemen, your vote counts.

So here is a preview.

These items are not complete. They are not hemmed, lined or properly pressed. I can see some tacking threads too. I have not styled them with nice belts, shoes and jewellry. I am not showing them to you alongside my already-completed SWAP items. I am relying of Camilla to give them a bit of shape rather than putting them on my in-house model (ie me).

But I am asking you to help me choose.

Is it the joyful turquoise and pink, light, bright, sleeveless summer day dress? Or will it be the wintery cocktail dress – almost a LBD – drapey dark navy, lace sleeves with  scary reptiles on it (well the dinosaurs were a bit cute, but they are not peonies). Remember they are both 100 per cent silk dresses, and they are made from the same pattern – they are (in their souls) twins! And like twin babies I love them both equally. 

Picking just one of these babies for the SWAP will be very damaging for the one which isn’t chosen, which is why I am chickening out. In all honesty the eventual choice will be made when I am putting my photoshoot together and it will depend on what each silk dress looks like alongside the rest of the garments. I can tell you now that the navy jacket looks nice with the navy dress, whereas the fuchsia jacket is too heavy for the floral dress. On the other hand the white overblouse could set it off nicely. The dress is a “wildcard” with the requirement that it somehow works with the rest of the wardrobe.

So like Janus I am facing both ways at once right now. Can you vote by comment on the one you think should make the final cut?

Janus
Janus (at the Vatican)

Thank you!