Buying leather for dressmaking projects (and shop review)
This is a big topic, and one that I am fairly new to. This week, accompanied by three interesting dressmakers, I went to a leather wholesaler – Storm in Hackney. Run by Charlie and George, originally from Cyprus, with Nigerian Peter taking the money and bringing out a freshly cooked lunch for the three gents while we were there. They have fish three times a week from the local market, with meat twice, accompanied by a big Cypriot salad.
First about the shop. It is amazing. Every type of leather that you may want to use is here. Very soft, high quality suede, nubuck, goat, pig and calf, leather with hair on it, leather embossed to look like crocodile, soft furry leather, shearlings, sheepskin; in every shade and finish you could imagine. I went in search of silver to create a silver edging on one of my SWAP outfits. Nana wanted a dark bluish, purple-black for a handbag, and Tope bought dark brown and tan leather for trousers and a tunic. Marianna was mainly there to learn, like me.
Here a few tips on what to buy for what jobs (according to Storm Leather)
- Basically any mammalian skin can be turned into leather (and obviously also reptiles like snakes and crocodiles, and fish like salmon). Small animals are not much use for obvious reasons, although baby lambs (including ones that die when they are new born) skins are both small and rather soft. Most leather is a by product of the meat producing industry and can be turned into clothes or accessories (mainly bags and shoes), giving durability and significant weather resistance. Generally, unlike fabric which is sold by the metre or yard (and occasionally by weight) leather is usually sold by the square footage (or meterage). Funnily enough the thickness of the leather is usually quoted in the UK in millimetres. Eg 0.4-5mm. 0.8mm, 1.5mm, etc.The main types of leather available are cow, calf, sheep, lamb, goat, kid and pig skin. Rabbit skin is normally sold as fur.
- Cow skins are generally both large and thick (tough) although skins are often “split”. This means the upper part (grain side) is separated horizontally from the flesh side. The grain side is the leathery side and the underside is a suede effect. The lower piece is suede on both sides and is considerably softer and more flexible. This would be sold as suede. In addition, with thicker skins a third layer can be split off and this is called the under-split. This is also a suede. Some skins are sold with the hair on. Sometimes these are used as mats or floor coverings in their natural state. Other times these are dyed and overprinted. You can get “antiqued” leathers that may work well for historic costume making or for interesting designs. Generally cow skins are used for shoes and handbags. Arizona pull up can be distinguished by stretching it a little and the colour will appear to fade. This springs back when released – normally this is sold in thicknesses of around 0.8mm and is good for more solid leather jackets.
Calf with hair-on, dyed blue - Calf skins are smaller and come from the veal market. Known as box calf these are from animals of less than six months old. They are rolled in two directions to create a ‘box’ shape. These leathers are The price of good quality whole calf skin would be around £200 (at £7-8 a square foot).Ideal for shoes and bags. Nubuck is another finish, ideal for footwear.
- Sheepskin is often sold with the hair (wool) still attached to provide a warm fabric ideal for heavier weight coats. The type of wool will affect the look of the leather – varying from tight curls, long twists or even some wool that looks like fur – from the Toscana sheep. The latter has been used as a substitute for fur by some designers. Lamb skin is similar to sheep, except it is thinner and lighter. Sheerling is generally lambskin, but it may be sheep. Most of the variation in the length of hair, its natural colour and softness is due to the breed of sheep it has come from. The best quality is Spanish Entrafino lamb, even at .4mm is very strong as well as soft, and will not tear. Many other breeds are cross breeds Marino is a good quality produce. Most of the sheep skins you see have been dyed – sometimes the colour is added and then the wool is cropped to reveal a softer more varied colour.
- Pig skins are easy to spot as they have follicles on the underside where the hairs were (pigs are a lot smoother than most of the leathers). They are nice and soft and ideal leathers for making skirts and other items as they are easily cut with shears and sewn on a domestic machine. They are smaller than cow and calf leathers, but usually take colour beautifully. Goat and kid are also smaller and finer leathers – generally coming in a good range of colours and with hair on.
- The main finishes are leather, patent leather (polished to a very high shine), suede, nubuck, coated and hair on. In addition I was shown stretch leather which is leather backed with cotton-elastane, and synthetic and vegan leathers which are very convincing. I bought a piece which I will tell you about soon.
Inspired by Courreges – a good looking coat and suit – Mc Calls 7938
I love vintage patterns that include a jacket, skirt, blouse and coat. Not only are they great value for money, these patterns ensure that everything you make from the pattern works with the other items. As they say on Pattern Review (sometimes) “a great wardrobe builder”. I had a coat-suit-blouse my 2015 and, believe me, that Vogue 1650 by Nina Ricci pattern (below left) kept on giving. And I still haven’t made the coat. For my Sewing with a Plan 2016 collection I wanted to include the Cardin suit below right, Vogue 1636. And then I had second thoughts.
Although determined to include a suit in my collection I wasn’t sure about the Cardin. I love the special detail on the jacket but felt it wasn’t quite right with my fabric. So for a few weeks I searched for another pattern. I looked amongst the Vogue Paris Originals, and Vogue Couturier patterns – providing the right level of sixties style with a challenging construction approach. Nothing really grabbed me enough to sustain me during the long hours of cutting out, interfacing, underlining, pad stitching, fitting, zipping, pressing etc.
Then I read a fascinating blog from Pattern Vault, covering the “after Courreges” licenced copies of his designs, produced in America for McCalls patterns in the mid 1960s. Sarah helpfully lists all the patterns (from 7902 to 7940 [not consecutive]) and even sells some in her Etsy shop. The one that grabbed me (from her photographs rather than the envelope art) was McCalls 7938 which includes a nice dress, coat, skirt and blouse. I casually searched the internet and unbelievably I found one in Wales, in my size, for £5 plus postage. Bingo!I
Below (left) is my new pattern. it looks a bit dreary – I think it is the colours and the flat looking drawings – but now I have examined the pattern and instructions it is definitely up there with the Vogue couture patterns in terms of faithfulness to the designer’s original piece, detail and construction methods. What attracted me to this pattern specifically was the trim (I am going trim-crazy this year). It also has a nice skirt and blouse to match, with the option of doing the jacket for this SWAP or just for later.
I found this beautiful photograph of Mia Farrow (below right) wearing a similar coat and it just spoke to me. It’s very wearable, but also special. It reminds me of those classic kiddie coats with a velvet collar but French, rather than English. And aren’t the boots adorable? You may be able to see that the McCalls coat has an interesting flap extending from a half belt at the back, dropped waist. I like this too, with the curved princess seams – adding extra interest.
Andre Courreges 1923-2016
Andre Courreges died last month at the ripe old age of 92. Although he kept designing throughout the 70s and 80s, he never again achieved the same sense of having spoken, in clothes, for the moment. This image, I think from 1963, of men, women and children dressed head to toe in Courreges showed he had a sense of a whole new lifestyle that was definitely futuristic. If your designs are for the future it is difficult to keep reinventing them when the future arrives. Also, of course, when the 1970s actually came along there was a reaction to the shapes, fabrics and ideas that Courreges had so brilliantly expressed. Instead of becoming more futuristic, shine,ier whiter, more synthetic, shorter, slimmer, the look became browner, more natural, softer, drapier and longer.
Dresses
For me he summed up the 1960s with his mini-skirt, very young, skinny undeveloped models, his futuristic colours (white, silver) and his radical new aesthetic. The deceptively simple dresses here are mini-length shift dresses cut across the mid-thigh or a little lower. The “shapeless” look is infantile, with bonnets and booties to match. Often in white, or with white geometric shapes, they frequently appear in bright primary or secondary colours – yellow, red, blue, orange and green. purple . They flatter the tall, slim models with skinny legs emphasised by “go-go” boots or little socks and flat shoes. These images are all from the mid-60s – too early and you will find Courreges doing something rather traditional with a twist – too late and fashion has passed on to the next fad leaving him behind.
The suit
The dress and skirt were very much of the period – but when Courrege addressed the suit he did even more radical work. The mismatching skirt and jacket – stripes and plain, or the introduction of shorts, slim trousers with stripes and interesting linings are all very radical and exciting. We see how he is incorporating lots of ideas from sportswear here – his girls skip and jump and wear clothes that don’t constrict. The chunky details – hats, belts, sunglasses, and boots – make the wearer appear smaller and slimmer – again more childlike.
Coats
Mia Farrow (by David Bailey) in the first photograph is the ideal model for Courreges – she looks like a young boy with bony legs and cropped hair. I love this coat, and the adjoining double-breasted white coat with black trim. I want to make something like this for my SWAP. In terms of forward-looking fashion the hooded fur coat is amazing with its geometric structural carapace, emphasised by slim sleeves and the fur ruffle round the neck.
Pattern-Vault has a couple of very interesting posts on Courreges. Also this article from the V&A iintroduces their small collection.
Sewing with a Plan 2016 0.16
I was determined to crack on with my Pucci pant suit.
The pants
I had already toiled the pants so making them up was a quick job. I decided to reduce the high waist by 2″, which means they nestle down on the low waist rather than coming up very high. I think maybe I should have only shortened them by 1″. The fit is nice, and I think the shape and style is true to the 1960s. The Pucci pattern, Vogue 2333, has a wide legged trouser, but I tapered the leg to look more like the Pucci pattern that I don’t own.
I really enjoyed working with the faux dupion. I rarely work with polyester but this one looked indistinguishable from the real thing. It frayed a little more, but I dealt with this by overlocking before I started. The pants are just two pieces – each back and front leg section has a front dart, a back dart and a side seam dart. They feature a CB zip (I used an invisible one). The simple construction and the pliable but firm cloth meant these trousers went together in a matter of minutes. The pattern (V 2333) was a bargain because the trouser facings were missing. I had intended to make fresh facings, but due to the low cut of the pants I just used a piece of yellow bias binding. I machine stitched the hem as these will be covered by the trimmings. I have to admit that I was influenced in the shape and colour of these trousers by a pair of pink silk Schiaparelli trousers I saw at the Women, Fashion, Power exhibition this time last year. I wish I had her sunglasses and their lovely Parisian case.
The tunic
I took some of the flare and fullness out of the tunic, but not too much. I added a couple of back darts as it was a bit too full. I considered changing the neckline but in the end went with the high round neck as the Galatzine outfit that I covet has a high round neck, with the trimming creating the depth. I kept the side splits but won’t decorate them as I prefer a plainer look. I omitted the collar and sleeves, and made facings instead. I used an invisible zip.
The trimming
I actually like all the trimming ideas. The sweet peas are just being held against the pink, but they might look lovely if I separated them and mixed up the colours. I like the bright blue with big pink flowers although it’s not really right on this occasion. The silver trims are all nice and with a few beads I think I could put a good look together. But I am afraid the vintage sari trim wins hands down. Even though the mitering is a bit wonky I just love it.
The blog
I am going to change my schedule, just a little. I will now be posting on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
What is the difference between how people dress in the UK and the US?
I read lots of fashion and dressmaking blogs and I have noticed that the styles that are worn in the UK, US and Australasia seem different. I am not sure what it is, but when you look at a photograph you almost always know if the wearer is “local”. In fact when I was organising a shopping trip to Hackney in East London I started scanning through Instagram looking for photos of people who were in England, preferably London so I could invite them. What was I looking for? Sometimes clues like countryside or background, but there are other tell tale clues.
What are the essential differences between nations or cultures in terms of how they dress? Obviously weather is important. Every part of the US is to the South of Britain, and in most parts of the US and Australia the longer days and sunny weather creates many more opportunities to wear shorts, dresses and casual sporty clothes. The UK with its generally dull, damp and often chilly climate tends to require coats, jackets, long trousers and thick tights and shoes. But of course there is something else too.
When, back in the 1970s, I had a couple of American “pen pals” or “pen friends” as we called them, they would send me a school or college photograph which was unlike anything I had ever seen. Taken by a professional photographer, their hair was impossibly glossy and apparently blow dried (at the time my hair was washed with some economy lemon product and dried in front of the fire), wearing a little pink lipstick, with pressed clothes, a smudgy blue or mauve background and amazing teeth. Our school pictures – wearing horrible uniforms, often spotty with gappy teeth and terrible haircuts, – would not cross the Atlantic.
I thought I would set a quiz. Can you tell me whether pictures A or B in each section are from the UK or the US. And what was the give away for you?
Firstly here are the students – bearing in mind that certainly in the UK (and I assume in the US too) we have very large numbers of overseas students, so this may not be fair. Which is taken in the UK and which is the US?
Let’s have a look at some working men and women. But first, listen to an American friend who now lives here to give me his opinion. He said
“British people like worn clothes, whereas Americans prefer new. Not just worn, but ideally a bit crumpled, not too sleek, and ideally mismatched. They do actually wear tweed, and pink shirts which I never saw in the US. Having a very nice suit that looks like you slept in it the night before is perfect, with bonus points if the tie and the shirt subtly clash.”
Now look at the picture and decide which is the City and which is Wall Street, A or B?
How about the mothers – Moms or Mums? Both groups are sitting in the park with their littlies. How do you know which country they come from they are from?
My friend continued.
“Of course different parts of the country have their own codes, and different classes and political views have their preferences. But there is a much stronger emphasis in the US on youth culture, college sports. warmer weather helps. We do like labels. Additionally the silicon valley look is that of an average electrical engineering student. I would say the UK is more formal with fewer jeans and less dress down Friday.You seldom will see a London in a coat that is brighter than black. Seriously, almost all overcoats are black. Several times I have walked into town wearing Khakis and have noticed that I am the only person wearing light-coloured trousers. Everyone else is wearing dark blue or black trousers – often denim, but never anything lighter than navy. “
Of course globalisation means we are all buying, eating and wearing the same products and the same global brands. My husband likes the Preppy Ralph Loren look, but toned down with an old Barbour. The now fashionable notion in the UK of buying local, and celebrating our own special products is a reaction to McDonalds on every corner. The One year One outfit project is really strong on the idea of only using what is local to you. Here is a great piece by English Girl at home on what UK products you can buy in the UK.
Finally can you tell the old folks/senior citizens apart? Although the clothes are very similar there is something detectable here. Is it the hair? You tell me.
Mad About the Boy – a free exhibition at the London College of Fashion
Remember Secret Santa? Well Megan who gifted me the nice grey wool suggested we meet up as we live very close to each other. She explained that since she missed the McQueen exhibition she had decided to go to every fashion exhibition in London. Starting with this one! So we met up on my day off and went to the exhibition space at the London College of Fashion. We invited my daughter and tried to sneak in her little boy (it was a boyswear exhibition) , but they weren’t having it. Babies are banned at the London College of Fashion exhibitions – so be warned. She went off to look at school shoes at John Lewis while we went round.
The premise of the exhibition is fashion’s fascination with youth – both in terms of the idealised slim and supple body shape to the rebellious and inventive instincts of adolescence. It makes sense therefore that the exhibition is set in a college mainly for the young – the London College of Fashion. This exhibition also focuses on the young male as a source of inspiration as well as a customer group to design for.
The exhibition shows how Club culture strongly influenced young men’s dress. The crop tops and wide legged trousers favoured by those who danced to Northern Soul music are referenced in Raf Simons trousers and patchworked jumper offering. It made me laugh a bit that I danced at the Hacienda and had lots of friends who loved Northern Soul and now these styles are appropriated again in modern menswear design. That’s fashion! I really like the use of different textures and colours in this outfit and in the jacket created by Martine Rose. Tim Banks (quoted in the guide supplied for the exhibition) says
“Marc, Raf, Hedi – all these grown men, given huge resources to flex their adolescent fascinations”.
Raf (Simons) is also responsible for the full length “leavers shirt” in the show. My kids all came home with versions of these from their last day at school. Even my DIL Bianca had one in Brazil – although they wore cool polo shirts rather than the horrid polycotton workwear our English schools proscribe.
The other thing that was interesting about the exhibition (no babies and aimed at adolescence) was the rather purile sense of humour. There was a grubby studenty comfy chair with a short film showing on a cracked TV. And a defaced wash-basin. And a toilet.
Rainshore Update 0.4 – ground breaking adventures
Can you get excited by concrete?
Well Mrs Mole once wrote a whole post about it.
We have a completed ground floor slab. The first picture was taken when we had completed on buying the land in June 2015. The second was taken in January 2016. The three trees are the same, but have lost their leaves. The green plastic sheeting is still there between our site and the lake. Between June and January we agreed the design and got planning permission. We have been waiting for the contractor to complete the ground works and I am thrilled we have now completed the first package works of which includes piling, caps, beams, insulation and concrete slab.
We have still to agree the costing of the works – if the price is too high we may have to do some “value engineering” – this involves reducing the specification for specific items or eliminating them to bring the cost down to the budget. Once that is done the building work will start. The building is promised for Christmas, but things always take longer than expected. We shall see.
In the meantime we have been discussing the colour of the paints. The outside of the house includes some render so we were obliged to choose the exact colour we wanted this week – H 68.
We have decided to use Welsh slate for the worktops. We have slate in our flat at the moment and we love the colour and the wow factor it gives to the kitchen. In our flat it was a reclaimed billiard table top as our flat used to be a billiard hall. This time round we will have to have one made.
Inside the house we will be using Farrow & Ball paints and I think we managed to choose the colours we want to use for the walls. It is all rather subdued and calm; the stronger yellow – the Hound Lemon is for my sewing room. The floor will be oak, and we have bought some 1940s metal lamps for the kitchen which are a greyish blue.
That’s it for now. When my draping classes end (at Easter) I may sign up for a textiles class. I think some linen cushions in these sort of colours with some blue, turquoise or emerald printing might make the whole thing a bit more exciting.
Draping on the Stand 0.13 – term 3 Tops
I have already done two terms of draping – firstly dresses and secondly skirts. In the first term I only made the one item – the marvellous circle dress. But skirts were a bit easier, and I already knew the basics of draping by then. I draped and made a skirt every week during the summer term. This term we have moved on to tops.
The first meeting of the term is always a bit tedious for old hands. The induction video (where it appears all the senior management are bald, white, men); showing us the fire escapes, the library and refectory; and this term the emphasis on “safeguarding” and warning us to be on the look out for signs of terrorist radicalisation. Our group of young, fashionable women seem unlikely candidates to me but it is a government dictat that all educational insitutions must be part of preventing radicalisation.
Then we got on with draping a waist length bodice, creating waist and bust darts and learning all the correct techniques for draping and pinning.
Finally we got to our first project which is a torso length blouse or shirt. The purpose of this exercise is to drape the hip as well as waist and bust and to move the bust dart to a more interesting position. We are encouraged also to create a shoulder yoke through draping too.
I played around with a centre front dart as I have never made a garment with the suppression at the CF, but in the end as I manipulated the fabric I had an idea of a neck dart instead. But to distribute the fullness through a large number of pin tucks -say five each side, and a similar number at the back neck too. I also decided to use the same technique to create the waist darts, just making the tucks a little wider and more generously spaced. I pinned first and then later, having cut out the arm hole and neck, marking the waist line clearly onto the linen (with a washable felt tip), I used a tape measure to create even and symmetrical tucks.
You may remark that this looks like a dress rather than a blouse or top, but that is just a matter of the length. A blouse can have a back zip or other closure, although a CF button band is more traditional.
Since this photograph was taken I have cut in the armholes, finished the darts, bound the neck and armholes and hemmed the dress. Then it went in the washing machine to remove all the felt tip markings. It is not really suitable for the weather at the moment so I will show it to you modelled, as soon as it brightens up.
Next week’s project is flares. I am thinking about a princess seamed top with a CF zip and a peplum. Here is one of my fellow students from the draping class, wearing a nice jacket that I may like to copy. I really like a peplum which can flatter ladies with a slim waist and wider hips. I am planning to make a fitted, princess line top with a short peplum like this – as I have a fairly long waist RTW peplums never really work for me, so this will be fun.
Incidentally I wore a 1940s style jacket with a peplum the first time I got married. I made it from a nice pink crepe wool and a Vogue pattern. The skirt was mid calf length. My bridesmaid/witness Jenny wore a more typically 1980s style outfit. We are in the main room at the register office, Wandsworth (South London) although, going by the maroon flocked wall paper, you might have thought we were at a local Indian restaurants.
Sewing with a Plan 2016 0.15 Making the Pucci Pant suit
Finally I bought some very appropriate material from the Tutu lady in Scotland. Very reasonably priced, with super, personal service Suzanne sent me three metres of lovely deep pink “faux” dupion, with lycra.
I won’t be able to use my vintage turquoise trim, but no worries. The world will provide suitable trim, or I shall make some. I have, at the suggestion of Demented Fairy, had a look at Indian Sari border trims. Also I like silvery, blingy sixties type trims, and am cosidering applique of wedding trimmings and lace excerpts, so I am assembling some useful ideas.
The only problem with this fabric is that the stretch goes down the fabric, rather than across, which isn’t really the point with pants. We need the stretch to go across the body so I will cut the trousers out with the grain going across the pattern pieces. It also looks better this way as the slubs go across the fabric too.
I have to decide on the trim fairly soon. And I have quite a few options.
- Go for silver trim. SIlver and strong pink is a great look. But I already have an example of this in my collection
- Try to introduce the softer pinks and mauves to pull the deep pink back into the sweet pea territory. I bought a piece of vintage sari border trim that might work.
- Use a more brightly coloured piece of lace. I think this is a bit big and dominant
- Create a border using silk sweet peas. I love this idea, again in order to bring the softer colours into the outfit.
This week has been hard – two family members in hospital and another off work long term. We have been visiting, supporting and driving around the country. It has been quite stressful and tiring and I haven’t yet cut out the trousers. But later this weekend I hope to cut into the pink dupion. Exciting.
In the meantime this is a nice pattern that I would love to own, Vogue 1394. In my draping class I may try to create the caped top. Wouldn’t that be fun?
Metallics – selling the silver?
Metallics were big last year, and metallic clothes, shoes and bags still continue to appear in the shops. I really like metallics, partly because I love the original 1960s versions so much. The Paco Rabanne dress is made from different sized pieces of aluminium, stitched together with wire, really challenging ideas of what clothes can be made from. The Cardin couple are dressed in clothes made from silver vinyl. And best of all is Twiggy in her John Bates shift, wearing beautiful silver lurex tights and square toed silver shoes. Even her make up shimmers.
They were known as “Space age” outfits, taking inspiration from the clothes of the moon explorers. This photograph from 1960 shows the first American astronauts who took on the Russians, in the space race. Their outfits are not so different to those worn by Pierre Cardin’s (admittedly flat capped) male model.
I am thinking hard about how to introduce some silvery beauty into my Sewing with a Plan (SWAP 2016) collection. So far I have a silver waistband on a light blue skirt, silver sequins on my shocking pink YSL dress and an idea about putting silver trim onto my purple suit. I also bought a pair of silver shoes. I admit I have become a bit obsessed with it. I am not sure if people with warm colouring feel the same about gold as I do about silver, but I wear it everyday, even if it is only my earings, necklace and belt buckle. But I think it goes so well with my cool-bright palette – somewho enhancing the brightness and coolness of my wardrobe.
This long T shirt evening dress by YSL is amazing isn’t it? So modern, simple and balanced. And the boots which are rather masculine and robust, but made of silver. The other two outfits – head to toe silver sequins or silver leather – are accessorised with silvery tights and silver footwear.
Are you a silver or gold lover? Or do you prefer to avoid these show off fabrics?
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