Top 5 Gowns at the 2012 Oscars

Yipee more frocks! Here are my top 5 gowns at todays Academy Awards. What are yours?

Milla Jovovich wears an Elie Saab dress, Jacob & Co jewelry and an Edie Parker clutch.
Source: hollywoodreporter.com via Suellen on Pinterest

Rose Byrne wears a black sequined Vivienne Westwood gown with Chanel Fine Jewelry and Jimmy Choo shoes.
Source: hollywoodreporter.com via Suellen on Pinterest

Emma Stone hits the Oscar carpet in Giambattista Valli gown, complete with a large bow and Louis Vuitton jewels.
Source: hollywoodreporter.com via Suellen on Pinterest

Jessica Chastain wears a hand-embroidered black-and-gold gown from Alexander McQueen. 
Source: hollywoodreporter.com via Suellen on Pinterest

The Descendants star Judy Greer, wearing a Monique Lhuillier gown
Source: hollywoodreporter.com via Suellen on Pinterest

And Honourable Mention...for the dress (not the hair)..

Kelly Osbourne wears a Georges Hobeika gown and Montblanc jewellerySource: hollywoodreporter.com via Suellen on Pinterest

Inspiration Board: Cowl neck cocktail dress

You may remember my post about inspiration boards on some of my vintage patterns. I started this because...well...Polyvore is just plain fun and often it helps to see the potential in a pattern, especially a vintage one where we would prefer a contemporary look.

Cowl neck cocktail dress by sewindigo featuring a silk dress

What I like about this pattern is it looks comfortable, elegant and effortless to wear. Depending on fabric and accessories it can be dressed up or dressed down. It's also flexible - waist tie, neck tie or no tie. It can be worn short or long with a side slit.

In a pretty floral print it could be a sweet summer dress, gorgeous in a vivid silk or perhaps a show stopper in sequins.

Costumes - Games of Thrones

One of my favourite programs at the moment is Game of Thrones. It's based on a series of novels called "A Song of Ice and Fire" by George RR Martin. Set in the the mythical Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros, it chronicles the violent struggles of the kingdom's noble families to gain control over the Iron Throne. Its brutal, complex and fascinating. You can read and see more about it here.

What I think is fascinating from a costume point of view, is that although the series has a medieval flavour to it, it also has a key fantasy element which allows the clothing to be less about period costume and more about the story and the characters. It's a blend of styles from many countries and period making it a fantastic looking series.

Costume Designer: Michele Clapton

Here's a fabulous video with Michele discussing the costume design detail for the series including the though process behind the colours, textiles and styles selected for the characters.

I really enjoyed it, I hope you do to.

Grace Kelly was fashion thrifty

Grace Kelly was thrifty with her approach to her clothes - apparently. She's also a huge movie style icon of mine. I have written about her previously here and her modern influence here.

In a recent newspaper article, her wardrobe mistress from Monaco, Maryel Giraden speaks of her as beautiful and stylish but frugal with her fashion. She would often re-wear favourites, get them altered or get a Ms Giraden to whip up a Vogue pattern she fancied. On the day she tragically plunged off the cliff on the Cote D'Azur, she was taking clothes to be altered and reworked for the next season's wardrobe.

One piece of Kelly fashion history that has captured my imagination was the dress she wore to her first meeting with her future husband, the Prince. It was 1955, Kelly was in the middle of a hectic trip to the Cannes Film Festival and the hotel electricity had gone out. With no way to iron an outfit, she pulled out the least crushed dress, a long sleeved floral silk taffeta dress inspired by a "easy to sew" McCall pattern from a pattern book. The fabric featured splashes of pink, yellow and white flowers on a black background.

Excerpt from "Grace Kelly Style"

Her hair was pulled back (no blow dry possible) and finished with a  floral headpiece. The effect was stunning and and the rest (as they say) is history....

Do you have any style or fashion icons? What do you think of the dress?

10 Tips for collecting vintage patterns Part 2 (10 of 10)

Collecting or want to collect vintage patterns? Here's the second part of my 10 tips for collecting vintage patterns. You'll find the first part here.

5. Do your homework.
Before you start collecting, it's worth having a good look around (particularly online) to familiarise yourself with the following:-
- language used by online sellers.
- how to identify or confirm the age of the patterns being sold.
- is the pattern genuine vintage or reproduction?
- how much you should pay for the pattern?
When starting your collection, make a couple of small purchases so you understanding what your buying. However if you buy what you like, you won't be disappointed.

6. Decide on outlets you like to buy from and check them regularly.
There's a wide range of online pattern sellers and growing. These range from Ebay, Etsy and a number of specialist sellers websites. The biggest challenge in just trolling through them all to find what you like. You can spend hours - I know I have. You may find there are sellers you prefer, book mark these to make them easier to find again.
You can be lucky and find them in garage sales, estate sales and local markets. The hunt is part of the fun!
Do you have a favourite place you buy from?

7. Check your (sewing) patterns. 
After purchasing, check your pattern for condition and completeness. You'll find patterns have pieces that are all cut, partially cut, pinned, taped, sized and pieces complete or incomplete. It's not unusual to find that the envelopes are often torn or damaged in someway.

8. Iron and refold
There's are different schools of thoughts on this. However sometimes the pieces can be so crumpled, they are difficult to use without ironing them flat. As vintage paper pattens are delicate, I will try to avoid ironing if possible but I will definitely remove any pins. Tape may come off easily but I'll leave it if it will damage the paper.  If I do have to iron, I'll use a dry iron and be as quick as possible.
Do you iron yours?

9. Store carefully
I think vintage patterns are precious items. I like the fact that they continue to get used and get passed on from sewer to sewer over time. They have a history. So store them carefully, in their own plastic envelope, in a dry area and preferable flat to minimise any further damage.

10. Enjoy....
Last but not least, enjoy your collection. Use them, sell them, swap them or loan them out - the great thing is they continue to get used and valued.

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10 Tips to collecting vintage patterns Part 1 (5 tips of 10)

When I started collecting vintage patterns, I had no idea what I was doing - none! I just discovered a world I didn't know existed, liked it and went from there. Here's what I've learned so far......

1. Collect what you like or what you like to wear. 
This is simple, individual and it's much more fun to you collect what you like. For me, I soon learned I leaned heavily towards the glamour of evening wear, so I tend to collect cocktail dresses, gowns and wedding dresses. Not something you use or sew everyday but so lovely to look at.

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For you, it could be lingerie, aprons, children's costumes, day dresses, separates, coats, jackets - you get the idea - the possibilities are endless.

2. Select a period that you like (if you have one)
This could be anywhere from the 1920s to 1980s. The older the pattern, the more difficult it can be to find and perhaps more expensive. Older pattern are sometimes in poorer condition, so be prepared.

1940s lingerie pattern 

1960s cocktail dress pattern

For me, it's mostly the fifties and early sixties but I do stray into other periods if I like the pattern or I happen upon a bargain.

1960s cocktail dress pattern

3. Decide on the size range you wish to collect
Are the patterns for you? If so, you need to understand your measurements and how they relate to vintage patterns. Vintage sizing is vastly different from today's commercial pattern sizing so you'll have to double check the measurements before a purchase.

4. Do you want the pattern new and unused? 

Does this matter to you? Many vintage patterns are already cut (some more carefully than others). They are often still very useable for sewing especially if they have been carefully folded and stored. Other patterns can be found as "factory folded" - these patterns have not been opened or pieces unfolded. Factory folded patterns often command a premium. 

5. How much do you want to spend?
This is a big one. It's very easy to get carried away and blow a budget. Trust me, I've done it. It's worthwhile deciding what your budget is and ultimately what you're prepared to pay for each pattern. More about pricing in a future post.  When purchasing, I generally have a ceiling price in mind. Sometime I will go crazy if I love the pattern but I usually try and keep it in perspective.
As a rule of thumb - be prepared to pay higher prices for older, factory folded patterns especially if they are designer patterns, beachwear (go figure) or evening wear.

I'd love to hear what you look for when buying patterns? Do you have particular type of patterns you collect?

Golden Globes gowns

I've had a blogging vacation - sidetracked by other things. While the sewing projects have slowed lately, I did want to catch up on the Golden Globes (yes I know it was a few days ago..). I did think many of the gowns were underwhelming and strangely familiar but there were 3 that caught my attention.

Firstly, the wonderful Helen Mirram in a navy Badgley Mischka gown with a jewel encrusted belt and plunging neckline. This women knows how to dress - age appropriate (something uncomfortable about that phrase) and elegant. I though she looked stunning.

Next, the incomparable Angelina Jolie. Equally stunning in a Atelier Versace gown that's very different from what she's usually worn on the red carpet. The ivory coloured satin structured gown and the folded flash of red complement by the red lipstick created a very dramatic look. A little icy and distant perhaps but dramatic nonetheless.

Lastly one I'm undecided on but I think I liked it for it's originality - the  Monique Lhuillier formal strapless ball gown with the contemporary digital splash print worn by Sarah Michelle Geller and reportedly selected by her daughter.

What do you think of these? Did you have a favourite on the night?

A Redingote?

Here's a fashion term that was new to me. I found it on one of my new vintage cocktail dress patterns - "One-piece dress with detachable overskirt and redingote".

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So I looked it up and found that a redingote originated from the 18th century when it was used for travel on horse back. Originally it was a bulky, heavy, utilitarian coat but overtime it developed into a more fitted fashion garment. 

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Apparently today's redingote is marked by a close fit at the chest and waist, a belt, and a flare toward the hem, as in the blue version in the vintage pattern. It's not a term I see often - did it have a revival in the 1960s I wonder?

Personally, it was the fringed version of the dress in the pattern that caught my attention...so swinging 60s!

Test garment complete and dress started

After completing the muslin for this dress, I got a bit side tracked a domestic project namely curtains, so progress has been a slow.

Here's what I learned from doing a muslin for the first time:-
- there's a great sense of freedom in cutting and making a muslin, knowing you won't make a mistake with  your precious fashion fabric
- as the dress is for someone else it give's you a great opportunity to try the garment and make any necessary adjustments
- as it's a vintage pattern, some aspects of the dressmaking is a little different, so the muslin gives you an opportunity to become familiar with the garment construction
- you don't have to bother with the time consuming finishing part of the dressmaking
- with this dress in particular, the waist is tiny and very nipped in, so some adjustment was required there
- the length was adjusted to around knee length

This is the selected fabric...it's 100% lightweight cotton.

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As the cotton is relatively sheer, there was some discussion about lining the dress, especially the skirt. However the wearer prefers not to have it lined making life easier for the sewer :).

I haven't posted a photograph of the muslin yet but might add one later - it's a little crumpled....

If you have expensive fabric and are a little uncertain about your pattern and fit, I'd certainly recommend a muslin (or test garment). It 's quicker than you think.Yes, it adds expense but I'd rather have problems with the cheaper muslin at $3/m. 

If you interested in more thoughts on this, the delightful Gertie has done a number of technical posts on her muslins - here's one.... 

Let me know what you think. Do you do one? Do you have a different approach?

Inspiration Board: Vintage Glamour 40s nightgown/evening gown

I've decided to create a series of inspiration boards for the vintage patterns

I feature on Esty. Firstly, I love inspiration boards - they give me a chance

to play with images and colour and I enjoy this. Secondly, I think it helps

visualise the look of the garment. It's not meant to be an actual representation

of the finished article but more a "look and feel. " For the source photographs

on the inspiration boards go to my Polyvore site.

Many of my vintage patterns are carefully selected for features that I like. 

At the moment I'm focussed on cocktail, evening wear and some lingerie. 

Key feature of this 1940s Advance pattern are:

- cross over or racer-style back

- cross over gathered bodice

- bias cut

While this is labelled as a nightgown pattern, it makes a wonderful option

for evening wear - something like this perhaps?

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