A wardrobe where everything goes with everything
Not very long ago I had a wardrobe that included orangey reds and bluey reds, soft greyish pinks and bright pinks, greeny aqua and pea soup green, cream shirts and white shirts. I had more than enough clothes because I was continually buying “outfits” – yes that shade of blue will go with that particular skirt, or I need a find a top to go with that particular shade of brown trousers. With so many colour schemes and outfits I managed a coordinated look but it was hard work, expensive and required alot of storage space. And I wasn’t really sure which colours looked best on me.
Since I have discovered my own primary colour direction is Cool – I have taken 70 per cent of my wardrobe to the Oxfam shop. This means that every item I have now has a cool (blue) undertone. As a consequence every item co-ordinates with every other item. I have created the holy grail – the capsule wardrobe.
None of us really want a wardrobe that it is bulging with clothes, colours and styles. How much easier to have fewer clothes where each element is useful and works well with several, if not all, of the other items. This seems to be a challenging project for many of us, and there are many articles telling you to go out and buy more stuff so you can create a capsule wardrobe eg the leather jacket, the white shirt, the LBD and so on.
Full disclosure. You are about to see the inside of my wardrobe. I have far too many clothes. There are 18 dresses, 11 shorter skirts and two longer ones. I have approximately ten jackets. It may appear that I am short of tops but I have another lot folded up. There are four pairs of trousers – blue, grey and brown jeans and a pink pair I made. Having said that there is nothing here that I do not wear regularly. There are some very summery items that I will put away once it gets cold again, and there are four coats that were put away in about May. The summer dresses will hibernate while the coats will come in from the vaults. But on the whole this is an all-season wardrobe. Its arranged by tops/bottoms/dresses; within those groups it is broadly colour coded as that is how I think about what I wear.
Despite the fact that there is no shortage of items there are a few things that I would like to replace. I have three Jil Sander Uniqlo suits (c. 2010) One is navy, one is dark brown and one is bottle green. Plus a blue-grey suit I had made when I was in Hong Kong. These are my work staples, and they are getting somewhat shabby. My task over the next year is to gradually replace them with three or four new suits that I will make in the same colours. In addition I would like a yellow jacket but I have yet to find some suitable fabric. I will make other things but these are the items I, sort of, need.
Rather than telling you to buy x, y or z to form your capsule I would suggest a simple approach, which doesn’t have to cost anything at all. Your local charity shop, or Ebay, will be pleased to take your excess baggage. You may find yourself letting go of garments which are unsuitable and unflattering, but what will be left will be useful and look nice.
- decide on which colour palette suits you best. This will be deep, light, cool, warm, bright or muted colours. Each palette includes all the colours. We are talking about the best shades of each colour. Best to get a professional opinion on this as it can be hard to tell. Or read my posts on colour which can help give you some clues.
- get a supply of bin bags – one is labelled Rubbish, one (or more) Charity Shop, one small one for Refashioning/Repair, one to Give Away or Sell.
- pull everything out of your wardrobe and Hoover it. Keep the wooden hangers and put wire or plastic ones in the Rubbish bag.
- discard any items which are too small, big, tatty, the wrong length etc.
- anything which doesn’t fit colour wise gets excluded. If you suit warm colours everything with a blue undertone has to go, etc. If you have a lot of one item that you know suits you (eg grey tops in my case) keep the nicest ones, but the rest go to Charity Shop or Give Away.
- hang, or fold and stack neatly, the neutrals together eg white, beiges, greys, blues, browns.
- hang, or fold and stack neatly, each colour together eg red, orange, pinks, purple, blue, green, yellow.
- later, when you have taken all the bags to the correct place repeat the process with your shoes, accessories, underwear, jewellery etc.
I promise that if you stick to one colour direction, and especially if this is the one that tones best with your natural colouring, then everything will work well with everything else.
Buttons and making button holes
Have you ever decided against purchasing an item because the buttons are horrid? I have bought cheap garments (a £25 cashmere jumper from Primark comes to mind) and changed the tacky “faux” diamonds for dark grey ones. And sometimes a great jacket is ruined (for me) by having gold buttons when I don’t like wearing gold. So, for many dressmakers, the button choice is very important. As is the button-hole treatment.
There are really three approaches to making holes in your clothes through which a button will pass, many times, as you get dressed and undressed, although the earliest button holes were just a slash in the fabric.
Hand-stitched button hole
The oldest type is the hand-stitched button hole, and this still exists today in tailor-made clothes. It is almost always shaped so that while one end is flat, the end where the button rests has a little round hole, with the stitching being curved. I have a set of books from the Women’s Institute in the 1940s and one of them Principles of Tailoring includes a good set of diagrams and a whole chapter on how to make button holes.
It is really hard to make these well and it needs lots and lots of practice. They have their own special thread – button hole twist which is thicker and glossier than normal. Used with beeswax it is strong and fun to use. Buttonholes also have their own special “buttonhole” stitch, which is based on the blanket stitch but is really a type of embroidery. Some people make button holes by hand for a living and they become very expert at it. Their work is very even and beautiful. But a good tailor should be able to produce really nice button holes. (And there are industrial machines that make a reasonable copy of this style, so do not be deceived).
Here is one of my handstitched button holes, on my Chanel-style jacket. I am not proud of it. I hadn’t done one since I was at school. I think they are very hard to get right. When making tailored garments I prefer to work a bound buttonhole.
Machine-stitched button hole
Most sewing machines with a zig-zag stitch will produce an acceptable button hole. The basic idea is that a zig zag stitch is used with a short stitch length to produce a satin stitch along the two edges of the button hole. The top and bottom edges are finished with a stitch that is twice as wide so that it finishes both ends of the button hole. You can organise this yourself, which is how I learned but today even the cheapest machines have an automatic setting that does this for you. This gives more reliable results and saves you having to measure (and count stitches) quite so carefully. Here is a straight button hole on one of my blouses. My machine is semi-automatic and it annoys me that it always creates longer button holes than I want, so I have to trick it.
The other main variation is a button hole, created on a domestic machine, that tries to mimic the hand-stitched, tailor-made button hole. I haven’t used this to date but might do on a tailored jacket if bound button holes were not suitable.
Bound Buttonholes
I really like the look of a bound button hole, and I enjoy making them too. The long version involves making a “letter box” hole, finishing this carefully, creating separate lips, basting, and sewing them in by machine. But I have a cheat’s method that involves just pinching the patch into the “lips” and sewing it all down by hand. It is fast, very neat and hasn’t failed me yet. I daren’t describe how I do it here as it is not achieved in the regulation way. But here is a photograph of the finished buttonhole (and the back).
Loops and similar
Sometimes a design calls for rouleaux loops or similar as a design feature, say at the back of a wedding gown. Here three are used in a Diane Von Furstenberg pattern. These were made simply with a folded piece of cloth, stitched on the long end, turned, pressed, divided into three and inserted between garment and facing. A nice feature.
Style and contruction advice
Buttons are suitable for all. But here are a few rules.
- keep your buttons to scale. If you are large, choose larger well-spaced buttons, and sweet little buttons if you are petite
- the scale of the garment matters too. Bigger buttons on outwear, tiny buttons on underwear, small on shirts, and medium on jackets.
- really marvellous buttons can inspire the creation of an entire garment
- use buttons to create horizontal or vertical details on your body, for example buttons across the shoulder if your shoulders are small
- if you want a classic look use leather, bone or shell buttons
- if you want individuality, vintage buttons are lovely and generally much better quality than modern ones. Old shops often have old stock
- if you want to lift an garment metal buttons can work like jewellry so stick to your best metal (gold for warm and silver for cool)
- buttons in a contrasting colour can look nice but will limit what you can wear with your garment
- consider where you put buttons on a front fastening garment especially if you lengthen or shorten the pattern. A button at the waist is good for control but not if you wear a belt. A button at the collar should sit comfortably on the CF line. Make sure button placement prevents gaping. And be prepared to include additional (or fewer) buttons than the pattern specifies. An odd number is the norm, with even spacing, but you can have even numbers and uneven spacing (say to accommodate a belt).
- consider using contrasting thread for the button holes and attaching buttons, for a very subtle “twist” to a classic garment
- if you don’t have much experience make several button holes on a spare piece of your garment fabric first
1956 Jaques Griffe dress – Vogue Paris Original 1327
I recently realised I didn’t have any purple in my wardrobe. I had been looking for a dress, but when a colour is not a seasonal fashion favourite you will not find it in the shops. This is a great reason for making your own clothes. If this year’s “Radiant Orchid” or “Sahara Sand”, or whatever, is not your colour you will struggle to find what you want. Having said that the fabric shops don’t always have the right colour either. I suppose this makes the case for buying large quantities of fabric in the colours you like, when you see them. Ahem.
Pattern and Alterations
I bought a Vogue Paris Original by Jacques Griffe pattern that is as old as I am. Those were the days when patterns just had dots and dashes on them so they can be a bit more challenging. The One-piece dress is described on the (very tatty) envelope thus: “Fitted dress with flared skirt has diamond insets at sides. Simulated front buttoned closing and welt pockets.”
Griffe was a great French designer who trained as a tailor before going to work for Vionnet, where he became a master of draping. He opened his own Paris house after the Second World War. According to fashionencyclopedia.com:
“he was the first to introduce the boxy jacket, tunic, and cone-shaped coat of the 1950s. Aesthetically pleasing lines were imposed by his cut-into darts, and seams used for fitting between the waist and shoulders. Decorative curved welt seams ending in an arrow were often used. His day and afternoon dresses were softer than his suits. Sleeves were often kimono cut; bodices often blouson. Asymmetrical clothing ended in drapes, scarves, or bows at neck or hips.”
My dress is beautifully fitted into the waist. As my photographs (below) are not very clear here is the technical drawing of the dress.
I added around an inch to the length of the body but otherwise the fit was pretty good. I made it significantly shorter, and left the sleeves the regulation length, which is longer on me than in the picture.
Fabric and making up
The insertion of the diamonds was challenging but otherwise it was not hard to make this dress. I bought the purple crepe fabric from Simply Fabrics. I love the deep royal purple colour on me. I also got the lining fabric there too. This was a gorgeous piece of deep purple stretch silk lining, really suitable for evening wear. Whereas the dress fabric was £6 a metre the lining was £8. Here worn in my Mother’s garden, by a beautiful purple plant, and with my Grandmother’s brooch on.
How to look younger
Little girls want to look older – that’s me in my Mum’s Nylon nightdress, feather trimmed bed jacket, gold slippers and sunglasses. Then once we are older we want to look younger. Perhaps we all just want to be 19 forever.
Beautiful young people are fit, straight-backed with good muscle tone. They have fresh complexions, bright, glossy hair and strong white teeth. They are energetic and curious and open to what the world has to offer. And when they get their A level result they leap into the air. Yea!
If we can retain these qualities, and hopefully marry them with wisdom and compassion, then we will look youthful into old age. I realise I am covering a sensitive topic. If your life is hard and your health is compromised some of this may seem glib. It is not meant to be – just some ideas that may be worth considering, and perhaps make you smile.
- Body shape: We find slimness gorgeous because it is a youthful body shape, and one that is hard to achieve and maintain as we age. Putting on weight is not inevitable but staying trim requires an active life and healthy diet. If you are overweight a well-chosen wardrobe will enhance you, but good muscle tone and a lower BMI will make you look even better. This 72-year-old man works out. I am not recommending an extreme look, just indicating that you can develop good muscle tone at any age. This is not a health and fitness blog.
72 year old body builder Jeff Lite - Posture: A youthful body posture is lithe, flexible and straight. A physically strong body combined with yoga or Pilates will help preserve good posture and prevent bone and muscle wastage.
Posture changes with age - Hair colour: Greying hair is a sign of ageing, so it is no surprise that many women, and increasing numbers of men, resort to hair dye. Personally I think dyed hair, unless it is very subtle (ie slightly lighter and the same tone as your natural colour), is ageing. Ultra-blonde, extensions, and the Zebra stripes are allpasse, and will age you. So avoid all peculiar hair colours such as maroon or orange. Grey hair is very fashionable at the moment, so maybe give natural a try.
David Tennant has dyed - Hair cut: Long hair is great for young women but unless it is very well-tended can drag down an older woman. Long hair on older men is ridiculous; if you arereceeding too it looks like your hair piece has slipped. A huge fringe to cover your wrinkles doesn’t really work either.Following trends is important, otherwise you get caught in the past – go for a modern hair cut and visit your hairdresser at least four to six times a year. Men need to go every 6-8 weeks. A hairdresser you trust will help you to choose a cut that makes the most of your face shape.
Jamie Lee Curtis (56) Apart from a nice cut Jamie has full eyebrows (which may be subtly made up). Eyebrows frame your eyes and unfortunately often lose their colour and density with age. They don’t need plucking and could use a little extra definition instead. Don’t use a hard pencil on them. Men may experience the opposite problem – their eyebrows get bushier and bushier (like Denis Healy). Ask your hair dresser to sort them out.
- Hair products If you use hair gel, setting lotions, Brylcream, mousse, hairspray or putty keep it imperceptible. Same goes for straighteners and blow drying. Hair is supposed to move and be soft to touch, not sticky, oily, crispy or stiff.
- Balding This is a fact of life for a significant proportion of men. All the solutions are worse than the problem – hair transplants, comb-overs and wigs. The old monk or “egg in the nest” look is just sad. Cut it short and enjoy it – it does not undermine your sex appeal. And don’t feel you have to grow a beard to compensate.
Sean Connery – maybe just cut it off? - Make up Older women do benefit from wearing a little make up. Again keep the colours close to your natural shades. Avoid bronzers, contouring,sunbeds, false eye lashes. Good skin (rosy from fresh air and exercise), adequatelymoisturised, is far more attractive than thick foundation,blusher,claggymascara, obvious lip pencil, etc. Heavy make up emphasises wrinkles, and dark lipstick which bleeds into lines around your mouth is just scary. As ismascara on the lower eye lashes.
Lipstick bleeds - Clothes that fit Clothes that are too tight are ageing. If you are bigger than you want to be please don’t squash yourself into tight clothes. Your health and comfort will suffer. You don’t want too loose either. Get the right size, or make your own clothes to fit your shape. Nothing looks better.
- Stylish clothes
- Many women (less so men) find their skin looses its tone – in which case cover it up with sleeves, tights and reasonably high necklines.
- Don’t ignore fashion but choose what suits you from what is current.
- If you go into Topshop/Topman or Zara and try to find an outfit that will make you look young you may be disappointed. They are cut for young figures and manufacturers skimp on the fabric. The grain may be off, the skirt too short, the menswear is for immature frames, the tops won’t tuck in etc. So go to better quality shops and just get the odd item from the trendiest shops.
- If you stick with a look you had when you were young you will inevitably look dated and stuck in a time warp.
- If you adopt a look you think is suitable for your age that would be a disaster. The Mail has good advice on this, and here are their pictures of Linda Kelsey (age 60) wearing a shapeless bias dress and a comfy, unstructured brown cardigan. This mid calf length is particularly ageing and should be avoided. Same for the horrible shoes. In the second photograph Linda has a fitted dress which is considerably better. The colour is vibrant, the length just right and the neutral shoes are classic. Personally I don’t like the cut away shoulders which I think emphasises her rather large shoulders but overall the look is so much more youthful.
- Teeth. Your teeth are nearly as old as you are. They get damaged and stained as you age and it is important to see your dentist regularly. Personally I feel that the “perfect teeth” worn by Americans are so obviously “false” that they look like dentures. That’s cultural. So long as your teeth are in good shape, clean and healthy that is probably enough. But broken, stained teeth, unhealthy gums andbreath really need attention.
Older man with nice teeth - Footwear Dad trainers, orthopaedic sandals, trashy heels, librarian shoes, anything with Velcro – choose classic shoes, elegant heels and stylish boots.
Ageing footwear of uncertain sex - Facelifts and other surgery Wrinkles start in our 20s so get used to it. They are a sign of life and not worth worrying about. Keep out of the sun most of the time, and get enough sleep. There are more fun things to do in life than have unnecessary surgery – the best face lift is a smile. If you want to feel good about how you look search “face lift” images on the internet – it’s a truly horrible industry.
Can you tell the difference? - Attitude: Excitement and enthusiasm are attitudes of mind associated with youth, before life grinds you down. So a positive, outgoing approach where we see the fun in life rather than focusing on our difficulties can make older people appear younger. A youthful mentality implies a willingness to try something new, to play, to be effortlessly active.
Senior Executive Women – what do they wear?
This is what an Auditor looks like. Chris Wilson is our Internal Audit Partner from KPMG. Here, with his corporate backdrop, he wears Auditorwear – charcoal suit, white shirt, slightly patterned blue tie. It’s an effective formula that certainly looks professional and inspires confidence. KPMG provides a good service to Notting Hill and recently invited me to a Breakfast event (we are so busy and serious that we have to attend events that start at 7.30 and finish before 9.30am) for senior women. I was interested to see how the ladies dressed and took my camera with me.
I was also lured to such an early start, in Blackfriars, by the high-powered speaker Dame Alison Carnworth, Chairman of Land Securities Group PLC. She was great – very impressive and most interesting.
Melanie Richards, the KPMG Board member who sponsors and chairs these events, is a bundle of energy and a very compelling advocate for diverse boards and leadership teams. She is very petite with lots of long thick hair, and I felt this slim blue dress looked stunning. It’s a sober colour but not traditional navy, the shorter sleeves are pushed up, and the deep V elongates her look very nicely. Melanie wears a delicate necklace and a narrow black watch strap, all of which complement her slim build. The shoes are ultra-simple, in black and help create a streamlined look.
I got talking to fellow guest Elizabeth Holden, who is an NED on the Board of Great Portland Estates. She is also a Committee member of Circle Housing, a major housing association. I thought she might be an architect with her flared black dress and acid yellow jacket, teamed with chunky silver beads, and nice silver earrings. She told me she was actually a lawyer and made a strong the case for creative, strategic lawyers on Boards. She is wearing flat squared toed pumps, nearly black tights and quite a large black watch. Elizabeth’s accessories and distinctive glasses complement her face and body shape.
I also met Kathryn Britten, another KPMG Partner. She looked really nice in an orange dress from Hobbs. She had gone shopping, planning to buy yet another black dress, spotted the orange and bought that instead. A good decision. This colour is flattering on her warm colouring, it fits well and emphasises her shape. The length is conservative but shows off her nice legs and the shoes, with a little bit of shine, are just a touch special. She has chosen a gold watch which again suits her colouring. She clearly feels really confident in this dress.
In general I was struck that this audience of senior women has all thought about what they would wear and the image they created. Many of the other guests were wearing black suits so these three shone out. Each one had chosen an outfit which flattered their differing body shapes, in colours that suited them. All three had chosen dresses rather than the traditional suit and this makes sense if you want a pulled together, formal look which is also comfortable and smart. I was a little bit disappointed by their reliance on black for accessories, and I feel they could all have added a further item to their outfits, say a jacket, scarf, brooch, earrings or a belt to create a more distinctive, individual look. But KPMG – good on you for providing these excellent events and flying the flag for well dressed advisors!
Deep Purple or a Whiter shade?
I am a little bit in love with purple. It’s made from blue and red and is a good colour for most people. But the absence of yellow means it is not a great colour for people with warmer complexions as it may drain their colour. While the people with cool complexions and hair should avoid orange (unless they are deep), the same goes for warms – avoid purple unless you have deep colouring. I personally dislike it as a decorating colour, but I have got a marvellous velvet chaise longue.
It’s seen a creative, innovative and confident colour, and is associated with quality, authenticity and successes. However it is also has associations with ageing, and perhaps with nutty women with more than three cats.
What do you wear with purple? Firstly if it is deep then treat like navy – wear with white, red, light cool yellow, mid green, grey and silver. A muted purple will tone nicely with similar muted tones of purple and pink. Bright purple works well with the stronger bright greys, navys and black, one other bright shade plus a neutral, and looks sensational with red too. The recent purple outfit that most struck me was Carla Bruni’s purple Dior coat, here worn with a very nice grey trouser suit (is the jacket a little tight?) and flat shoes. She also wore the coat over black trousers, and a purple dress.
There is a purple for everyone. Just choose a purple which flatters your own natural colouring.
Deep or Light?
Cool or warm?
Bright or Deep?
I already featured Esme’s purple dress, made up in a nice bright purple that we also got in Simply Fabrics. I used my tried and tested pattern Butterick 4386, and this weekend she kindly modelled it in person. She was too tired to stand up!
Children’s clothes – is it time to go non-gender specific?
Just before Christmas giant retailer Marks and Spencer announced that its toys from now on would be gender neutral. As the company stated on Twitter, following a campaign by Labour MP Stella Creasy – “Hi Stella, we’ve listened to customer feedback and by spring next year all of our toys will be gender neutral. Thanks.” The branding has changed and it is now possible to buy a girl’s item for a boy or vice versa without it actually being labelled, but my hunch is that as most small children can’t read the labels this is more aimed at parents. The girly toys will still be bought for girls and the cars, trains, fire truck items will still be bought by boys. The “Tiara slides” or “Emily Button cross stitch set” don’t really need the word “girl” on them, do they?
But what about the clothes? Look at the M&S website (or any large apparel company) and you will see the merchendise is immediately divided into men and women’s wear, and boys and girls. Why? I personally feel that babies would look nicer in non-gender specific clothes. The colour coding of little babies strikes me as not just silly but also not very stylish. Everyone wants to know the sex of your baby – even the in-utero kid has its testicles identified – but is it really essential for babies to be dressed in blue or pink? And then, at around three months the boys go into dungarees or tiny jeans, and the girls get dresses.
Or maybe jeans with pink ponies on them? This is not a post against girls wearing dresses, (or boys either, as it happens). What I am really saying is that there is no need for this to be taken to extremes. It would be nice to have a wide selection of clothes for the under twos (and maybe up to the teenage years) which would be just as suitable for either sex. I am sad that little boys are pushed into navy, dark green and grey when they look adorable in purple, pink and turquoise. I am irritated that little girl’s trousers are not simple and plain but covered is sickly logos. Why can’t the T-shirts and jumpers just be in a range of nice colours without a truck or little Kitty on the front?
The reasons why I object are
- Colour coded children are treated as a specific sex – oh isn’t she pretty? He’s big, isn’t he? (first few months)
- most children’s items are only in two colours (pink or blue)
- comfort in wear is sacrificed so the child looks cute (this goes for structured trousers such as jeans as much as it goes for frilly dresses)
- children soon learn to react strongly against the “wrong” clothes – (“eeerrrg – those are boys shoes”, etc)
- it encourages children to seek gender-specific items themselves as opposed to choosing clothes with appropriate functions eg waterproof, warm, clean, comfortable
- for parents with boys and girls it makes hand-me-downs more difficult and adds to the expense (pink potties for heaven’s sake!)
- in many cultures men wear full garments that are gendered but include “non-trousers”
As I had a daughter first and ended up with some pink items which I used on my boys until they were old enough to object (sorry for telling the world about this, George and Gus!). I tried hard to put my children in colourful clothes – searching out anything other than navy or pink in charity shops and jumble sales, and of course making up items in nice fabrics. I also encouraged the children to make their own decisions about clothes and one of my sons, aged around four or five, put on a dress. This item was the sort of dress a boy might choose. It was a grey sweatshirt dress with a Mickey Mouse design, somewhat like an elongated version of the picture below, flared to the knee. I don’t know if he particularly wanted to wear a dress, or if he was attracted to Mickey, or if he wanted to be more like his sister. But he had short hair and wore the dress with typical boys shoes. It looked fine to me, and I “allowed” him to go out in it. We got a fairly strong reaction and I overheard lots of comments like “Is that a boy in a dress?”.
If you look around you can find a few items other than boys versus girls clothes. Kit has quite a few sleep suits in coral, purple, turquoise, green and red which would are entirely suitable for either sex. Hurrah! It is neither possible nor desirable to prevent children taking an interest in dolls or trucks, but let’s dress them in what looks beautiful rather than simply labelling them as pink or blue.
What do you think? Time for a campaign, Stella?
Gold clothes?
Henry VIII was partial to wearing Cloth of Gold – this was fabric woven from thin strands of gold, and in this lovely portrait by the marvellous Hans Holbein, we see it encrusted with real jewels, fur, velvet, silk and amazing embroidery. As if he was not big enough already Henry, like Royalty in general, wished to show through his clothes not just his outrageous wealth, but also as the biggest and best man in his Kingdom. Gold, in reflecting light, and being the colour of the sun, was the most glorious shade for the head of the nation and the church. Also, gold was Henry’s colour. His red-gold hair and warm colouring were enhanced by wearing gold.
This association with greatness – in terms of superiority over all others was exploited by many others throughout history. Two that come to mind are Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe, both of who deserve to stand out, perhaps, as the most desirable pair of their generation. By draping themselves in gold cloth they managed to indicate their potency, wealth and talent to the world. In these garments the fabric used was not real gold thread, but a modern invention (from around 1920 I believe) known as gold lamé. This is a wrapped warp thread made from a very shiny, tinselly ribbon, woven into silk, wool or rayon. This fabric was mass produced during the fifties and has been fairly popular for evening wear since then.
Elvis’s suit was made by Nudie Cohn and worn for the first time in 1957. He found the trousers too heavy and said the fit was not too good. Also, as he liked dropping to his knees when performing, the fabric did not wear well. He prefered to wear the jacket with black trousers. In this photograph everything he is wearing is gold including his kid shoes, shirt, belt and bow tie. The outfit is encrusted with Rhinestones – rather than the real gemstones in Henry’s outfit. Nudie Cohn was famous for making the Rhinestone cowboys outfits, as well as Janis Joplin and many others, and this one was reputed to have cost $10,000 (although it actually cost $2,500).
This dress, worn by Marilyn in Gentlemen prefer Blondes was designed and made by William Travilla. It was cut from a single circle of gold lamé, pleated with sun-ray pleats. It is apparently strengthened with two flexible iron bas in a a V shape that start at the waist and radiate towards the bust, ensuring that the dress moulds to the body. Marilyn was sewn into it for the film and it appears just for a few moments. It doesn’t have a “zipper”.
If you are a night-club singer, a ballroom dancer or rather eccentric you may already have something in gold lamé. It is a showy and rather uncomfortable fabric. If you suit bright and warm colours you could certainly get away with shiny gold T-shirt or cardigan if you wanted. Personally I prefer gold (and other metallic) for details instead – shoes, belts, glasses and jewellery. Here the material will be leather or metal and more comfortable and durable as a result. People with muted, deep or light colouring who are neither warm or cool can wear gold or silver as they choose, but probably not on a grand scale.
How many types of skirt do you know?
A skirt is basically a piece of cloth that surrounds the lower body. Because the hips are rather larger than the waist the garment has to be tapered to sit on the waist and not fall down, but has to have sufficient width in the hips to be big enough to wear. The basic idea with a skirt is how the fullness from the hip measurement is supressed to create the waist measurement.
How this is achieved really defines the type of skirt we have. Of course there are many other variations – how long the skirt is for example, and where it ends at the top – above, on or below the waist. But these are secondary details. Let’s have a look at the key styles we encounter when making our own clothes.
Straight skirt
The most basic skirt, and the skirt all skirts start off as, is a straight skirt. Here the skirt is a tube based on the hip measurement plus some “ease” (an inch or two so that you can move in your clothes so they are not skin tight). Then the difference in the measurement between the hip (plus ease) and the waist (plus ease) is divided into darts – usually two in the front and four in the back. A dart is a short triangular tuck that is stitched down.
This “one yard line” skirt is quite interesting as it is just one pattern piece (plus a waistband). There is no side seam. The side shaping is simply suppressed into another dart, giving the skirt ten darts overall (two slanted ones in the front). Often the deepest and most shaped dart – the side one – is extended to the hem so we have three pieces to make up – two backs (with a zip and closure at the centre back). Of course where the closure is, and the waist band treatment are also key variable in a skirt design. But this is a good example of a skirt block turned into a pattern. I used the exact style when I had a piece of nice leather. It was the most economical way to make up a skirt. I stitched one seam and zip to create a tube and then placed the darts at the waist in the most flattering places. It’s a good approach when you barely have enough fabric – or perhaps just the “one yard”. As this skirt ends at about knee or slightly below knee length it has a little feature at the back. This is split to allow ease of walking. It also creates a slight design feature on a very plain skirt.
Not everyone looks good in this type of skirt. It is most flattering on women with a fairly straight, or semi-straight bodyline, and a flat stomach, and slim legs. It is sometimes known as a pencil skirt. If it is not too tight in the hips, has the right shaping and if it is the right length however it can be worn by curvy types too, but it needs a few careful variations.
A-line skirt
The next skirt to consider is known as the A line. For obvious reasons. This skirt is the same as the straight skirt at the waist but the basic skirt has been divided into front and back and a few inches added to the width of the hem. This line is now connected up the bottom of the side dart to create a slight flare. Around two inches on each side seam at the hem would be ideal. The A line is another classic skirt, never really out of fashion. The length and degree of flare will make a difference to the look (most woven maxi skirts are this shape), but is a skirt that will suit more women than the straight skirt, especially if they are larger in the hips than the shoulders – with a more shaped bodyline. The other great advantage of the A-line is that the shape allows ease of movement and doesn’t need a split or pleat at the back. If you have very slim legs this is not a great look for you as it will make them look slimmer still.
Flared skirt
This is best illustrated with diagrams from Winifred Aldrich’s Metric Pattern Cutting. Here you can see how the basic skirt block is slashed to the base of each dart first. Then the darts are closed, creating flare at the hem. This creates a very nice flat shape across the front and back, with no fullness around the waist, with quite a lot of flare at the hem.
This skirt normally drapes really nicely when created in a softer fabric, and looks good on “bottom heavy” figures, especially where the upper body is somewhat petite, perhaps with a wide belt. Here is a photograph of Audrey Hepburn in what appears to be a flared skirt, but it maybe constructed differently in her version, for example a gored or circular skirt (see below).
Circular Skirt
Let’s just cover the circular skirt as it is an interesting concept. Imagine a large circle of fabric with the waist measurement (plus ease) as a smaller circle cut from the centre. This gives more flare than the flared skirt and is not a look for everyone. It is quite an extreme look that was popular in the 1950s, often with a loud print or embroidery or applique. Again a relatively small waist is essential. There are many tutorials on how to make a circular skirt on the internet.
Gored skirt
The gored skirt is essentially one where the darts are extended to the hem to create a nicely shaped fit. We can eliminate or move the various darts and side seams to create a four, six or eight gore skirt. You probably don’t want more than eight as each seam will add bulk, but you can be quite creative with the gores (they are a bit like a princess line dress in that the vertical lines allow close fitting and create a vertical line which is flattering on most body shapes). Width can be added at each gore to create flare. On the other hand a slim skirt can also be created this way. The defining feature is panels and an absence of darts. This style was popular in the eighties, often with flare added below the knee for a dramatic effect. It is a style that, depending on the degree of flare, and length, will suit most figures.
Pleated skirt
A pleat is a fold in the fabric which takes some of the fullness away above the hips, allowing some width lower down. One of these 1940s versions (3) has a yoke which will be created like the flared skirt. This will make it slimmer across the stomach. Alternatively pleats can be stitched down here. This is an all round knife pleated skirt, but one or more box pleats (where the pleats join together to create a box shape) can be used in an otherwise fairly straight skirt to good effect. And a “kick pleat” at the back of a straight skirt can allow the all important room to walk.
Gathered skirt
A gathered skirt is simply one where the fullness at the waist is gathered up rather than being tailored with darts. It is a very basic design and probably the most “primitive” sytle as the fullness stays in the skirt and falls just where it happens to fall. This sort of skirt doesn’t need a pattern and is often the first skirt a beginner will make. Many “national” costumes feature one. The gathering can be into a waist band, or created by simply using elastic in a casing – many pyjamas use this basic idea. In my view the “dirndl” skirt doesn’t really suit anyone, except little girls and Bavarian beer sellers. The fullness just sits on the body and makes the lower half look huge. This may have been the idea with some of the 1950s patterns, but generally it is not a great shape for most women.
The pegged or tulip skirt
This is an unusual design in that the skirt is narrowed towards the hem, often with some exaggeration in the fullness over the hips. In extreme versions it will hobble the legs so is best made rather short, or with a deep split at the back. It is a skirt that suits women with slim legs. Less exaggerated versions can be attractive – just a loss of one inch at the hem can balance out fuller hips.
The puff ball (bubble hem/balloon)
This is a very full gathered or flared skirt pulled in at or below the knee to create an unusual look.
I hope this is useful when you are designing or choosing a skirt. The shapes you choose will enhance or disguise your shape so it makes sense to think about it. But maybe we might try a different style or shape for a change. What skirt styles do you like wearing and making?
What is cool?
“Individuality”
“Obama is cool”
“Oh no! Not with Dad jeans and trainers!”
“Individuality with confidence”.
Yes I think that is it. Individuality with confidence. Cool implies trend-setting, creating a style or view or product that others want to copy. But actually being cool involves not copying or taking something manufactured by others. So for me, making your own clothes, choosing what really suits you emotionally as well as physically, is the epitomey of cool. Just making up the latest pattern from an “Indie” (ie independent, but Indie sounds cooler) brand doesn’t strike me as a cool thing to do. Wearing vintage jewellry, or a your Granny’s coat, or making your own handbag strike me as cool. Customisation, being a bit different, chosing something because it has a story – that is cool.
Complete originality, stunningly novel, artistic groundbreaking like that demonstrated by Picasso or Chanel will not strike all of us, on a day to day basis. But slavishly copying a style or a fashion is not cool. I find it sad to see people trying to buy a “look”. Even if, in a million years, you would never think of making a shoe hat, or a bull’s head from bicycle handles, all of us can can find our own personality and style.
Women’s magazines and websites often do these “Get the Look” features, where a desirable style is analysed and suggestions are made how it can be aquired on the high street, so you too can dress exactly like a “celebrity”. Now I don’t know who Olivia Palermo is, but if I saw someone walking along with a brown jacket, red hat and a fluffy dog I would not think Wow! And even if I did it would not occur to me to go out and buy a pair of thigh boots, jeggings and maroon trilby and accessorise with a mobile phone, stuffed pockets and sunglasses (is it snowing?) No. It’s not a look that I would desire. And I wouldn’t call it cool either.
Good dancers are cool. Being a good cook without making too much fuss. Little kids. People who are self-deprecating, and funny with it. And while Mr Obama is physically attractive he is somehow uncool. Mrs O, on the other hand, is not as beautiful. But she combines confidence with originality. And she can dance! And finally here is someone else I think is very cool indeed.
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