Last week I wrote about the sixties shift dress. This was stimulated by hearing that Mary Quant had become a Dame in the New Year Honours. Something else she is credited with designing and naming is the Mini-skirt, which she said she named after the car which was also fashionable at the time. But she also said she didn’t invent it – it was invented by girls on the streets of London. Which is probably true. However the Mini sums up the sixties even more forcibly than the shift.
A mini-skirt is just a short skirt, ending somewhere around the mid-thigh. Unfortunately it often meant you had you place a hand strategically on the thigh when being photographed to avoid showing your underwear. Witness2Fashion has recently written about how the mini skirt changed how women sat.
Models in mini dresses
The mini-skirt was at heart a garment that revealed and celebrated the leg. On the beautiful models of the day (whose legs were slimmer than the average woman’s arm), they looked superb. Bare legs with sandals, or with pale tights (making a change from suspenders and stockings), flat girlish shoes, and few accessories; these simple items made the strongest statement. Notice the props – a scooter, and a London front door, complete with milk bottles.
Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy
Initially the skirts were not that short – ending maybe four inches above the knee, a length that would be regarded as unremarkable today. Here are some designs by Mary Quant, which merely reveal the knees. Nevertheless the outfits have a youthful feel with the coordinating woollen fabrics, Peter Pan collars, black polo neck jerseys and cheeky hats, worn with what an old boyfriend used to call “contraceptive tights” due to the shade rather than effect I think. The neat, flattish shoes work really well with the shape of the garments.
Minis by Mary
Of course many young women were naturally slim and looked good in a mini, but soon shorter skirts became the norm and everyone started wearing them. They allowed women more freedom, especially paired with less constricting underwear and “pantyhose” which were originally pants with stockings attached.
Advert for tights
Wearing a mini today
While in the 1960s wearing a thigh length skirt was radical and challenging, today a short skirt will not generally turn heads. I would also argue that you do not need to be young, leggy and beautiful to wear a shorter skirt.
In my view many women are wearing skirts which are too long and do not flatter their legs. The most unflattering length for most women will be mid-calf, making them look shorter and fatter. Just above the knee, on the other hand, will suit most figures. Everything else depends on the leg
thick legs demand a skirt should that is A line or wider, as a pencil skirt will emphasise their girth. Wear opaque, darker tights and toning shoes or boots
very slim legs look great in a short, tulip type skirt with thick, textured or lighter coloured tights
relatively long legs, especially in the thigh, can carry off a short skirt.
cellulite or less than perfect skin means tights are essential with a short skin.
Trousers look best on tall, slim leggy women. However this body shape looks great in just about anything. Trousers have the effect of outlining the bottom, stomach, thighs and legs. A skirt on the other hand can be more easily designed to hide figure faults. So what can we do about choosing trousers if we are not tall, slim or long legged? What if we are curvy, overweight or have relatively short legs?
The rules are that we should follow when choosing trousers
vertical lines
plain, deeper colours
darted shapes rather than gathered type waists
However in addition there are other issues to consider
the length
the width
the style
I will go through the main body types and suggest trouser shapes that will flatter
Straight body line
If your body shape is very straight, without a defined waist, trousers will generally look good because straightness goes with trousers. Here a bootcut leg balances out the broader shoulders. In order to minimise width at the shoulders consider what to wear on top. A sleeveless blouse will often work quite well. To create a waist wear a contrasting top and a belt. But overall this is the body shape that looks good in trousers.
Straight body line
If you are very slim, or petit, you will look better in trousers that are to scale. The model is wearing skinny jeans which look good on anyone who is smaller than average. Even if your legs are not so slim a slim fitting trouser leg will make them look slimmer. On this straight body waist definition is created by a curved jacket shape, horizontal lines to make the bust look more shaped and a toning colour palette and high heels to make the figure look longer. The relatively wide shoulders on this model are disguised by the lines of the collarless lapels.
Straight body line (petit)
Shaped body line
If your top half is petit but your hips and thighs are heavier, with a defined waist, you will probably suit tapered leg trousers. If you wear wider legged trousers you will look like an inverted triangle. As this model has a relatively long torso a higher waisted pair could be worn to elongate the leg. The model is wearing relatively short trouers which seems “wrong” but here the overall colour palette elongates the whole body (with high heels too). Showing a bit of ankle makes the eye think the legs are long, and a long line jacket disguises the thighs.
Shaped body line
If you shaped but larger than average, carrying extra weight, then look for more width and length in the trouser leg. The wider leg balances out the wider hips. Also wearing a similar toned top will lengthen the body. Here the model has chosen larger accessories such as the bag, the high, chunky heels and the trim on her cardigan is showy, getting the scale right.
I have an absolutely super Personal Assistant, Sarah Martin, who comes from Melbourne, Australia. She is great at her job, a nice friendly person, and completely normal. So I was slightly surprised when I asked her what she had been doing last weekend. She laughed and explained that her English boyfriend, John, loves dressing up as a Viking and fighting with poles and swords. He spends several weekends a year demonstrating how the Vikings lived – at English Heritage historic sites around the UK. Sarah soon found the truth of the adage “if you can’t beat them, join them” and she has been getting into Viking reenactment in a big way. I love this picture of Sarah with her sister in law Jenni who cradles her dear little boy, Ayden Jennings. He looks happy in his snug woollen jacket and mustard hat.
Sarah Martin (right)
The organisation that Sarah and John (and his entire family from the sounds of it) are part of is called Vikingsonline. If you want to see them in action there are lots of activities suitable for all the family. I have met “Romans” and “Tudors” who work at museums, castles and stately homes – it is a good way to for children and adults to learn about history (which is how I came to understand a bit more about the codpiece, as it is happens), but not a Viking before. So I was able to quiz Sarah specifically about the clothes and she offered to bring in a bagful. Would you like to have a look?
First she showed me John’s outfits, which make a wide use of gussets. The T shaped tunic has gussets at the side to allow freedom of movement. The woollen trousers also have a gusses at the crotch and are tied with a hand-made braid. The arm protectors were rather beautiful with decoration and real fur inside for warmth and protection. Living a life largely outside and with no heating except for open fires, the Vikings kept warm with thick woollen clothes, fur and leather.
Here is Sarah in my office showing one of the hand-made woollen tunics, made with a simple slit neck, a facing, and edged with a homemade braid. The tunic is worn over a plain linen blouse (seen in the top picture) and trousers. I was surprised to hear that women wore trousers in the Viking age, but again Sarah laughed. “Oh no I dress as a man. It’s alot warmer and more comfortable.” So not only a Viking re-enacter, but also a cross-dressing one.
Red tunic
She showed me some of her accessories. Modern Vikings are committed to getting the details right and the standards are carefully set to ensure that people watching their shows really do get a sense of how the Vikings dressed. There are a number of craft skills being practiced today in term of leather and metal work as well as textiles, stitching and weaving. The handmade shoes really appealed to me with their soft, foot shaped upper and robust leather sole. Sarah told me drinking from a horn takes some getting used to.
Here is one of the group demonstrating how wool braids would have been woven on a simple loom. These belts and trimmings, along with the metal jewellery give the simple T shaped garments some individuality and colour.
Narrow loom weving
For people who find weaving and leather work a bit tame there is always fighting. “The weapons are authentic, although obviously they are blunted. So the main attraction for many people is the fighting – the audience likes to watch and we enjoy the combat,” says Sarah. She explains that the rough leather trimming on the shields is made from raw hide (which is also used to make dog chews if you are interested).
FIghting men (including women dressed as fighting men)
My trouser experiments continue. My daughter took a fancy to the trousers I have been making, and asked for a pattern so she could start to make her own trousers.
Fitting notes
I used the same Burda pattern I had downloaded for myself (I am getting good value out of this pattern!) but I cut out the smallest size.
On the pattern draw a set of parallel lines at the hip, thigh, knee, calf and check the width of the trousers at all these points as well as the waist and hem. You should check all these against your own body measurements and style preferences. I allowed between half an inch and one inch of ease. I altered Esme’s the pattern to fit by removing a further 1cms from the front and 2cms from the back (cut along the grain line and overlap). This has had the effect on making the trousers much closer fitting which is what she wanted. Then I removed a further 0.5 cm from the waist at CB and 0.5 cm from the side seams at the waist.
Here are the fitting pictures before the waist band is attached. The side and inside leg seams are machine basted and they are not pressed. They are a bit too tight (her waist has increased by an inch since the last baby), but generally I was really pleased with the fit, given this was my first attempt at trousers for someone else. The pocket bags show but when the trousers are let out a little on each seam and pressed this should be fine (in future I may go back to using thin silk for the pocket lining rather than the wool fabric). We played around with the length and agreed a position.
Construction notes (part one covering pockets and lapped fly zipper)
These notes are to guide Esme when she comes to make up the next pair of trousers for herself (and as an aide memoire for me when I make my SWAP pants). But if you are trying to make “the perfect pair of tailored trousers” they might be handy.
Ensure your pattern fits you by testing it first until you are entirely happy with it.
Lay the trouser pattern on the fabric. If there are no SAs on your pattern use chalk to create 5/8th of an inch all round. Cut out very carefully leaving the waist band for now.
Tailor tack the stitching line at the knee, the hem, and the pocket stitching line. You will also need to mark the pocket placement line on the side trouser pieces, the CF seam (indicating where the zip end is) and the waist seam.tailors tacks and overlocked edges
Overlock all edges except the top waist edge being careful not to cut off any width, just the stray fibres and slight uneveness. Trim off the overlocking threads.
Overlocker trimmings
On each front piece apply iron-on interfacing on the fabric covering the front area from about 2″ in from the CF seam line, right to the edge of the fabric so that the whole area is stabilised. The weight should be light but firm. This is to enable a good zip insertion.
Accurately stitch pocket lining to the front of the trousers. Press the seams upwards. Stay stitch close to the original stitching line, on the inside of the pocket. This is to anchor the lining on the inside of the pocket and to stop it gaping. For less bulk use lining fabric, but the pocket will be crisper with the fashion fabric.
pocket lining attatched to trouser front
Fold the pocket back into place. Press carefully. Don’t move the iron. Just set the pockets very nice and flat. Allow them to cool. Remeasure them to ensure that both pockets are exactly the same length, and ensure the tailors tacks at both end of the pocket opening are visible and even.
Now place the trouser fronts on the side pieces, exactly lining up the stitched pocket edge, checking both sides to ensure that the pocket placement is exactly symetrical by placing both fronts next to each other and measuring carefully.
lay front trouser piece with pocket lining attached to side piece
Baste the trouser pockets closed along the line you would put your hand in
Make up the pocket bag, by sewing the pocket lining to the the side piece of the trousers. You will not be sewing edge to edge as the pocket lining is smaller than the side piece of the pocket. The extension is there to help hold the pocket in place across the abdomen. Trim and press.
Stitch the CF seam with a long basting stitch to where the end of the zip will go, and permanently from there down to the end. Clip at the base of the curve, and press the zip fly extensions very flat. This is the key to a good zip finish.
Now we will put in a lapped front zip. I used an 8″ zip which is at least 2″ longer than the zip you need, but it allows better insertion as the zip pull is out of the way when you are sewing. You need a “regular” (non-invisible) zip in about the right shade
Placing the zip
You are going to attatch the zip to the extension so choose which side you prefer for the decorative top stitching. Put the zip face down to one side of the basted CF seam, and turn everything but the extension to the side so that you are working on one thickness of fabric only. Pin the zip in place, lining it up so that it finishes exactly on the CF line.
pin zip to one side of CF
Starting at the bottom of the zip and using a regular zipper foot stitch upwards to the waist line of the trousers. The stitching line on the photograph above is on the left of the zip with the right edge of the zip being along the basted CF seam (tailor tacked). Remember you are stitching just one layer of fabric.
Now fold the interfaced extension back so that you are looking at the zip from the right side and stitch it down again from the front, getting close to the teeth and producing a nice flat finish, holding the zip in place. You are still on one side of the flap, but now you are sewing through two layers of fabric.
Attaching the zip to the extension for a lapped front fly
The next stage is to attach the zip to the other side of the trousers. Bring it back under the other extension and let it fall where it will. Again with only one layer of fabric being involved pin it and attatch the zip to the extension from the other side of the trouser fronts. The zip does not need to line up with anything. It just needs to fall where it falls. Stich on the back side of the zip, close to the teeth.
Turn the trousers to look at them from the front. The zip is attached but looking at the trousers you cannot see it. The CF is nice and straight, and stable. At this point we add the decorative top stitching which also holds the zip in place.
Mark where the metal end of the zip is so that you will not take the sewing machine needle over it. Now draw a line in chalk one and a quarter inches away from the CF line, curving nicely into the CF seam.
Marking the fly stitching line
Now, starting at the bottom, and continuing to use the zipper foot, stitch carefully and slowly on the line you have made. It is unlikely that you will catch the zip but that doesn’t matter as the zip is already attatched. When you eventually remove the CF basting thread (don’t do this yet) you will find that the zip works perfectly. At present the zip puller is above the top of the trousers. Later you will deal with this, but don’t worry at the moment.
Stitching the fly
Now turning to the back trouser pieces stitch the back darts from the top to the tip. Press towards the CB seam and allow to dry.
Stitch the CB seam, clipping at the curve. Set the stitching and then press the seam open, allowing to cool.
Sew along the CB seam
Pin the first side seam together, starting at the knee level tailors tack, pining down to the hem, and up to the waist, paying particular attention to where the seam will be created that cuts across the pocket. Check the length from the top of the trousers to make sure both pockets are the same length exactly before sewing. Clip the pocket so that it can be held back with a large pin, as you do not want to attach the bag to the side seam.
clip pocket to allow a straight seam at the side
Then sew a long straight seam, from waist to hem.
Press the seam open along the full length of your ironing board, taking care to get it as flat as possible around the pocket area, trimming a little of SA allowance away if necessary to reduce bulk. Allow to cool before repeating the process with the other leg.
Now it is possible to seam the inside leg seam. Before doing so match the front and back together at the crotch with a pin along the seam to ensure the join is perfect. If you wish you can machine baste this for about one inch in order to ensure it is accurate. Starting at one ankle seam the whole seam in one straight seam. Now the pressing is more challenging. I use a point presser which I insert into the trousers from the waist, pushing it down the leg to the hem of one leg and pressing, clapping, and allowing to cool, before moving the point presser along the length of the seam. This means all the seams will be pressed without the trousers legs being distorted or creased.
Pressing the Inside leg seam
(to be continued in Part Two – waist band, hook and hems)
This week I started on my recyling project. Do you remember the nasty, long, beggar-woman skirt?
Long skirt
Hours later…..I tell you, those Indian textile workers sure know how to over-engineer a garment. This tiered skirt had five sections and an encased, elasticated waist band, tight gathering stitches, seams, plus overlocking, lining, elastic, satin ribbon hangers and yards and yards of thread. I tried every way of unpicking it, including tearing and cutting, but as the strips were so narrow I wanted to preserve as much of the cloth as possible. I did create a few rips as the fabric itself is quite fine – I think a cotton lawn.
Deconstructed skirt
Neatly ironed and tidied up, it appears to be a pitifully small haul. But I got intimate with the bird which is rather lovely, isn’t it? I like the colourway and quality of the cloth. I need enough for one sleeveless blouse. Shall I join the fabric and then cut it as a piece, or should I try to work more the sensitively with the pieces (which are very long, but not very deep)? If there is not enough fabric for the top should I add some white lawn or try to print something to go with it? Having spoken to Morley college about their advanced Pattern Cutting classes I have concluded they are too advanced for me, and I shall go back to the Mary Ward Centre textile printing class.
My haul, including elastic and lining
Also this week my new pin board arrived, which should give me somewhere to hang my rulers and other sewing equipment. Nick has ordered some extra strong Velcro to attach it to the wall.
New pin board
And finally I said goodbye this weekend to my friend Galina who is returning to Latvia on Wednesday. It has been so nice to have a real life sewing friend, and I will miss her very much.
This post, following a review of the style choices of one of Britain’s biggest politicians Eric Pickles, looks at one of its slimmest.
Jim Murphy started out as a student politician and is now responsible for Labour in Scotland, where he hopes to ensure that Labour retains as many seats as possible in the election later this year. He is energetic and determined, witty and willing to lead from the front. As a senior politician he is most often seen in a sober dark suit. This one appears to be dark brown, worn with a dark blue tie which doesn’t complement it at all. Diagonal stripes elongate the figure; horizontal stripes would work much better. The suit seems a little bit too big for him all round. Certainly the sleeves covering half his hand, and the trouser legs are pooling a little at ground level. The jacket is too long. The shoes are strange with their square, greying toes. If nothing else they look like they need some polish. A pair of tan shoes would make all the difference to a suit like this. Having said all that it is a lot better than the outfit on the man from the HSE (behind him).
Jim Murphy MP
Jim Murphy is very slim, but he is also athletic. He is not just keen on football (required) but also he plays the game quite seriously. And he runs marathons. And he is a vegetarian and teetotal, with an affection for an unpleasant Scottish fizzy drink known as Irn Bru. He stands on the crates as he addresses the crowds in the recent referendum.
Jim Murphy on Irn Bru crates
These images demonstrate what a “slim Jim” Mr Murphy is. He looks like “a yard of pump water” as my Grandma used to say.
And although tall and slim is the most desirable look in modern culture, if your face is also rather long, like Jim’s, you can still look out of proportion. Also we expect our leaders to have stature – broad shoulders are seen as very desirable in male leaders.
In terms of his colouring Jim started out a typical Celtic kid. Although the colours are enhanced on this picture he was clearly red-haired and freckled as a child. This would put him as someone with warm colouring, probably at the lighter end.
Jim, aged 9
So in terms of business suits Jim will suit lighter shades, and colours with some yellow in them. You can immediately see how the lighter grey suit is better than the navy blue, and the orangey red tie is much more flattering than black. Also as his hair gets a bit greyer he should try wearing lighter shades, perhaps choosing a shirt that is more creamy, or perhaps a peachy pink or light warm green. The darkest colours also have a slimming effect – not something Mr Murphy really wants.
He instinctively knows he looks good in his shirt sleeves – this is because wearing a pastel shade or cream makes him look a bit broader. Also for this BBC interview he has combed his hair forward a little which stops his forehead looking quite so long, compared to when he brushes it back. Similarly the grey jumper over a shirt and tie (although not my favourite look) bulks him up in a positive way. The silvery grey is a nice light colour, but I would have prefered a brown or gingerish shade instead (with some warm yellow in it) to complement his hair and skin tone.
In the montage at the top of the post you can just see Jim in his casual clothes. By wearing two contrasting colours – navy and beige – with a bomber jacket and Converse shoes, Jim Murphy looks great.
So tips for a tall, slim man?
avoid vertical emphasis which accentuates height and slim build by drawing the eye up and down
with a jacket avoid narrow lapels
make sure the suit fits and all its elements are the right length
Cargo or combat type trousers can add a little bulk
turnups can look good
introduce horizontal designs where possible (such as that created by light top/dark trousers or vice versa), or different coloured shoes
In my wardrobe I have two reversible items. One is my Dutch skirt. I do want to copy this garment eventually but I am in search of a very long, chunky, open-ended zip. I have one that is 30″ long, but I would ideally like one twice that length.
Dutch skirt
The other is an Ikea bed cover made up of four squares of very lightweight cotton lawn. The fabric appears to be block printed but is probably not, but the colours work nicely together. Although not strictly a skirt I generally take it on holiday with me, where in each of its four combinations, it serves as a floor length reversible skirt. Because it is so light it easily fits into the luggage, and because it is so versatile it has been to many different places over the past 10 years – Christmas in Mumbai, Tibetan Monastery visits, Nepalese breakfast at sunrise, NYE on a boat near the equator, Port Douglas fish restaurant, Shanghai musical evening, visit to the market in Accra, Valley of the Kings excursion, sitting by the pool in Seville – for example.
The joy of this “garment” is its versatility and that with four or more T-shirts it makes up so many different looks. But the thing I like best about it is that one of the other sections always shows, ensuring two patterns are visible at any one time.
Back to front thinking
reversible ideas
I am not proud of these drawings, or should I say “doodles”. But I share with you the kind of thing that sometimes happens to me in a meeting. I am listening quite intently but my fingers start to itch and I draw little pictures of people. It’s mindless; the drawings are not very good; but sometimes I catch a likeness of someone.
Maybe Gus?
And it is a bit the same with my “design” ideas. My mind wanders a little so I draw something I want to make.
I had never really given reversible garments much consideration other than thinking I might do a reversible coat one day. I remember at college Mrs Tregelles explaining that one student had been allowed to do a reversible coat in our tailoring class (25 years ago), because she was already very experienced. This exhaulted student didn’t need to learn how to tailor, as she already knew it all. She had a different challenge – the reversible coat. I suppose in the back of my mind this reversible coat was the pinnacle of tailoring achievement, and I had not arrived there yet.
When the children were small I did make several pairs of lined/reversible trousers in complementary colours, so when the legs were rolled up you got a flash of yellow print against blue trousers, for example. Once I worked out a quick construction technique doing two layers was just as quick as one. This photograph shows the sort of thing I mean.
reversible toddler pants
So this year’s SWAP challenge put the idea back into my brain and I rushed to make a reversible skirt. I haven’t included it in my 11 garment set, but I can’t stop thinking about the idea. You can see the skirt the other way around here. The facing shows, as does the waist band. At present I have only overlocked the hem. I don’t know if I should turn it up as per my drawing, bind it in black or navy, or just leave it.
reversible skirt
So what are these little drawings trying to communicate?
When I made my Simplicity 7305 shell blouse, on a whim, and again stimulated by the SWAP requirements, I made it a little longer.
In womenswear, the shell top died a death in about 1968, and has only come back very sporadically (although there are quite a lot of tops with zips at the back available at the moment). It was essentially a smooth, simple overblouse to be worn with a suit, in a complementary fabric. It was a quiet garment, that just provided a bit of wall paper for the suit. On the whole they have been superseded by T-shirt tops, often in luxurious fabrics. But I lengthened the shell top to create a tunic that works nicely over trousers. Then I imagined lengthening it to make a dress. A reversible dress is a less obvious item. This would require taking the back zip down to the hem and making it reversible. And rather than doing two plain fabrics (one outside and one inside) I considered making a feature of the facings; ditto the hem. So that on one side it would be plain, and on the other it would be two fabrics. In fact the facings could be a different shape. Obviously the traditional “all in one” facing that covers the neck and armholes while avoiding the darted areas. But a yoke would be an alternative, creating a sort of colour-block look. If the dress was plain on one side (and faced) and one the other it had decorative facings and hems, and had a zip at the back that reached the hem, then could we have a reversible shell dress?
The same of course goes for the wrap skirt where waist band and hem are from the underside of the cloth. This is the idea I was playing with when I made up the skirt above. Rather than disguising the fact that there is another skirt on the other side, this skirt shows its workings, and celebrates the fact that the cloth has an interesting underside. I am not sure it works, but I can’t let it go yet.
And then there is the shorts idea.
This is my most radical idea. Winter shorts with an elasticated waist band, where on one side they are plain and the other side they look like my diagram, with a contrasting waist band and hem, or turn ups if preferred. I really like this idea and intend to try it out at some point.
The origins of the 1960s shift dress lie in the 1920s when the short, usually sleeveless, shapeless and simplified dress allowed women to “shift” around, whether in terms of work, sports or dancing. This dress from about 1926 is attributed to Coco Chanel.
1926/7 shift dress
This simple shift features the key elements of the shift dress as we know it.
one piece dress without a waist seam
not fitted closely the body (relying on one underarm bust dart)
generally an A line shaped skirt
a pared-down, simplified silhouette
short (knee length or shorter)
most suitable for a youthful, slim hopped boyish figure
comfortable and unrestricting to wear
the shape lends itself to bold, geometric textile prints, or embellishment, as the design is not broken up by seams or darting.
The Shift as we know it came into its own in the 1960s.
Twiggy in Pink shift dress
The 1960s were a revolutionary decade when working class youth began to set new style standards, and an explosion of design and modernisation was afoot internationally. Paris fashion and couture, as mentioned in Mary Harvey’s post, was challenged by British innovation. The music scene was important and the link between the mod look and the music of groups like the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks and the Who, led to the introduction of geometric, bold and simplified shapes and designs into fashion. By the mid-sixties, the simple A line shift dress and the mini skirt came to dominate. These garments suited youthful figures – teenagers and students who looked sensational in slim fitting, vibrant garments sold relatively cheaply in the boutiques of ‘Swinging London’. Fashion started to become disposable and standards of workmanship fell in order to produce a much quicker turn around, and lower prices for young spenders. The Italian approach to tailoring, especially for men, was adopted by Mod culture and began to influence the way menswear developed too. New fabrics were used including PVC, synthetics and metal – even paper was used for disposable dresses and underwear.
Dior started experimenting with this shape in the late 1950s, and it was his protégé, Yves Saint Laurent, who introduced modern shapes such as the “trapeze”. Couture was slow to adapt, with its exclusive approach, but soon began (as ever) to appropriate street style. Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Cardin understood what was happening and developed it brilliantly. In turn the work of innovative couturiers wasdiffused and simplified to produce a simpler looks, and as they hit the high streets this classic A line dress became shorter, skimpier and cheaper. Mary Quant, who is now Dame Mary (since 1 January 2015), made a very significant contribution to the development of young women’s fashion with her Bazaar boutique in the Kings Road.
Quant, cut by Vidal Sasson
The shift dress is probably seen as the iconic 20th century dress, thanks to it being worn by Audrey Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy and, to the Melbourne races, by Jean Shrimpton.
Who can wear a shift dress?
This simple dress is best on straight, slim figures. It will flatter women with nice arms and legs and looks good with few accessories and flat or low heeled shoes. Women with more shaped bodies, unless they are very slim, usually look better with waist emphasis. However the A line shape is good for women with larger hips as it will disguise them, and slim the legs. The shift is different from the sheath dress with has much more shaping around the waist and hips and may be better for a more curvy figure.
The Christmas tree (it’s a living tree) is about to have its lights taken away as it is 12th Night. Finally I am ready to start my 2015 sewing challenge!
Today’s guest blog is written by Caroline Harmsworth who commented that she liked my recycling challenge post, a subject “close to her heart”. I have never met Caroline in real life but I asked her to tell us more about her approach to recycling, which she has kindly done. Now her sons have left home she looks forward to doing more sewing and recycling, and some more challenging projects.
I have always enjoyed putting together outfits. The dressing up box at home was my first inspiration, but I was further encouraged by bags of cast offs from neighbours, my lovely sewing teacher at school, charity shop finds at university, the flea markets of Paris in my early twenties, and then the amazing fabrics and colours of West Africa a few years later.
I was born in 1962 and I think many children’s clothes were hand-made in those days. The shop bought stuff was dull and my mother was used to war-time thrift. She liked to sew simple styles and made full use of the 60s and 70s vibe with lots of interesting colour like these beach tunics my sister and I are wearing.
On the beach
Early on I started to adapt clothes. I was constantly growing and I had an ingenious idea to lengthen my dull brown trousers with some fringed braid, so that they would fit.
Cagoules and fringing
I was obviously not put off by the dubious fringing, and had another go in my early 40s, starting with a pair of men’s Charity shop cord trousers that I felt needed a makeover.
Caroline in Cords
Through my teens I raided my mother’s wardrobe and made items to wear from her cast offs. Two beautiful Thai silk scarves became tops. I hope I asked permission before chopping into that lovely fabric! I also engaged in more traditional sewing projects like this cotton puff sleeved blouse and denim skirt. I think I may have been in my Waltons phase at the time!
University was a time when Punk was dominant, and I often put an outfit together that day from various charity shop items. This involved dying, patchwork and refashioning different textiles. I’d dye material and patch stuff together that I had found in charity shops ready for that evening’s party. But sometimes the outfit was already perfect. I still wear this early Laura Ashley shift that was given to me by a neighbour in 1980. I wore it for student parties, without the belt.
Laura Ashley shift
When I had children, I bought their clothes from second-hand sales (Ebay didn’t yet exist) and altered them, or made outfits for them from scratch. The star fabric for Joe’s shorts came back with me from West Africa.
I live in Wiltshire now and still shop in charity shops, and have several items that I can just wear as found. Some finds need updating a little, such as this knitted waistcoat where I changed the buttons. The waistcoat is two sizes too big, but luckily I like the ‘gamin’ look. Some items need complete revamping. This velvet top started life as a cushion cover. The buttons came from a shop called ‘Lin et L’autre’ that I visited whilst on holiday in Normandy, and the facings were fat quarters from the V&A quilting exhibition. And, while I loved the fit of this simple evening dress, black isn’t really my colour – I made it more ‘me’ by adding the petrol blue silk band.
In terms of my ‘personal style’, it is probably ‘scruffy round the edges’! I think the picture of me in the waistcoat is a fair indication of my everyday ‘style’. I have never worked in London and never in an office, so formal work wear doesn’t feature in my wardrobe. I tend to layer pattern and texture and mix up luxury fabrics with workaday stuff. I hardly ever tuck things in, tend to wear flat boots or shoes and accessorise with loosely tied scarves rather than jewellery. My work demands that I wear clothes that are easy to move in and that can take a bit of battering. My hobbies are outdoors – gardening and walking, although I also like to cook and to paint or make. None of this makes it easy to wear feminine clothes, so I enjoy the opportunity to dress up ,and treat it as an excuse to indulge my theatrical side! At the top of this post you can see what I wore for an open air opera in the summer. I’d found the skirt in a charity shop that morning and the hair piece was made from various bits of silk and artificial flowers.
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