Thepleasure that I felt as a young adult when I’d shop for clothes at the mall has been replaced by the pleasure of selecting a pattern, choosing my fabric, and sewing a garment that fits perfectly. And the best thing about this process is that the pleasure is prolonged. I’m not engaging in a quick transaction. Rather, I’m spending days creating my clothing, enjoying the process as much as I enjoy wearing the finished garment.
Jen Hewett, Fabric designer and author of the book, The Long Thread: Women of Color on Craft Community and Connection.
This quote is from the book, Make Mend Thrift by Katrina Rudabaugh.
I completely agree with Ms. Hewett. I take great satisfaction from creating my own clothing and accessories. Every step from choosing the fabric to sewing on the last button is a pleasure. I take my time with every project (sewing only on the weekends as a special treat) and I enjoy looking forward to when and how I’ll wear my new skirt, dress, or what I’m working on now – summer handbag.
Fashion is having a moment. After years of binging on fast fashion the party is over and it’s time to find balance for the sake of our planet. For the sake of our future.
Katrina Rodabaugh’s book, Make Thrift Mend: Stitch, Patch, Darn, Plant-Dye, & Love Your Wardrobe (Abrams) speaks to this moment, offering guidance on how to make, mend, and care for the clothing we already own. She takes the reader step by step from pausing and really considering our clothing to sorting our closets and making choices on what to keep and what to pass along (and how).
Then the fun really begins with different chapters on: Sewing and altering clothes to reshape them into something new; Finding “new” clothing in thrift stores and personalizing them with a bit of natural dye; Mending! Ms. Rodabaugh (a Mills College alum) shows how to mend and this is not Grandma’s way. We learn how to turn a hole in a pair of jeans into an attractive embellishment. A rip in a woven shirt becomes an interesting patch. A beloved knit sweater will live again with colorful repairs.
Each chapter includes photos and an introduction to the concepts as well as commentary from various artists, designers, and authors who are part of the mending movement.
Making, thrifting, mending are the new trends in fashion. Pass it on.
If we are going to create a Slow Fashion future, it’s not going to look like any fashion trend of the past. It will embrace circularity and invention. Yet it will heed the limits of nonrenewable resources and recognize when we’ve used enough. Or too much. It will look to upcycle, recycle, reuse whenever possible. It will be low-waste and zero-waste. It will prioritize carbon-neutral to carbon-beneficial. Circularity will become the new norm – designers and makers will conceive of garments with the intention of using materials again.
Katrina Rodabaugh – artist and author.
This quote is from the introduction of Ms. Rodabaugh’s recent book, Make Thrift Mend: Stitch, Patch, Darn, Plant-Dye & Love Your Wardrobe (Abrams).
Book review tomorrow – come back to ODFL and read all about Make Thrift Mend.
Just walking through a museum, I’ll catch a glimpse of a gown or lace or ruffle that just takes my breath away, and I absolutely have to make it. I was always attracted to the French embroidered court suits of the late-eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries — that almost painting-like aspect of mixing threads and colors was so incredibly beautiful to me.
Christine Millar, doctor by day and seamstress by night.
In this quote, from Victoria magazine, Dr. Millar is speaking about what inspires her interest in making historical clothing.
In addition to her busy job, Dr. Millar uses her other enviable skills to re-create 18th century court gowns. Layers of undergarments, corsets, and embroidered silks and satins make up her creations, which she wears to various historical themed events.
Photo: John O’Hagan for Victoria magazine.
To go with her lovely gowns, Dr. Millar has collected all the necessary accessories, including historically accurate shoes created by Anacronicos.
I think if she ever wants a second career, there’s always making costumes for historical films.
Tatter, a Brooklyn based shop and education center for all things sewing and textiles, has put together a unique opportunity for us to help the people of Ukraine.
Join Tatter on Thursday March 17th, 11-12 (EST) for a virtual sewing circle with Ukrainian embroidery artist, Hanna Rohatynska. Attendees will learn to embroider a star, which is a traditional Ukrainian symbol of protection.
Suggested donation is $20 and all monies raised will go to selected organizations in Ukraine. Click here for more information.
What a soothing way to connect and learn and help, all at the same time. Count me in!
I always enjoy the exhibits at Lacis Museum for the subject matter, but also their unique presentation – charming in its simplicity. Worn to Dance: 1920s Fashion and Beading opened in November 2019 and I was looking forward to seeing it and then … Covid, lockdown, variants. I nearly missed it and that would have been a shame. Don’t let that happen to you! The clock is ticking – Worn to Dance closes March 12.
Lacis Museum is located on the second floor next door to the retail shop at 2982 Adeline St. in Berkeley. Docent Julie Ann ushered us up the stairs to be greeted at the top with two elegantly clad mannequins ready and waiting for us to travel back in time. With jazz tunes playing in the background, we toured the main gallery filled with original 1920s beaded dresses, gowns, handbags, coats, hats, jewelry, even wedding dresses. Each item comes from the Lacis extensive collection. Arranged by type of clothing, every section includes posted images and pictures from magazines and sheet music. What I really appreciate is that there’s plenty of room to get a close-up look at the extraordinary workmanship (every bead is sew on by hand). But no touching!
You’ll notice that most beaded dresses are sheer and require a slip underneath. A handy way to slightly change the look of the dress is to change the slip, perhaps a contrasting color.
Julie Ann led us around the exhibit and offered interesting facts, such as, women of the era could purchase from catalogues or department stores “panels” – precut fully beaded fabric ready to be sewn. That was a less expensive option for middle class women. (See image below.)
Some women beaded their own dresses and there were beaded handbag kits for the crafty types. (See image below.)
One thinks of beaded gowns for evening wear but beading was popular for day dresses, too. Beads for evening would be cut or faceted to reflect light, whereas day dress beads would be uncut.
This day dress is perfect for a summertime garden party.
I’m so pleased I didn’t miss Worn to Dance and I encourage local ODFL readers to make their way over to Lacis before we say goodbye to this wonderful exhibit. It’s a must for anyone interested in fashion history, the Art Deco period (that’s you, ADSC members), and lovers of beading and textiles. Admission is $3 and that includes a docent led tour. And then spend time in the Lacis shop where one can find all kinds of vintage and antique goodies, books on fashion and textiles, sewing notions, ribbon, cards, silk flowers, and much more.
Worn to Dance: 1920s Fashion and Beading on now through March 12th, 2022. Call Lacis to make a reservation 510-843-7290.
Side note: Also on at Lacis is The Bird in Textile Arts: The Extraordinary in Thread. Now through July 9, 2022.
Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana in the film, Spencer.
Last month I attended a virtual talk with FIDM Museum curator Kevin Jones and Ms. Jacqueline Durran, costumer for the film Spencer. She spoke about the challenges of costuming this production during the pandemic. They had one nine hour fitting with Ms. Stewart before she flew to Germany where the film was shot. Ms. Durran stayed in London and worked from there.
The story is set vaguely in the early 1990s over three days during Christmas. The decision was made by both Ms. Durran and the film’s director Pablo Larrain, that the costuming for Diana would not be anything precise, but instead an essence of her style. They didn’t want the story to be pinned to any particular time because ultimately it’s a work of imagination.
Ms. Durran looked over photographs of Diana at official visits from 1988-1992. Most of the costumes in the main story were built for the film, except for some loans from Chanel and costumes for the flashbacks were bought or rented. For the famous wedding dress, they didn’t try to recreate it, but simply bought an 80s dress and added sleeves and a neckline.
The film opens with Diana in a wool plaid jacket and for that Ms. Durran had a hard time finding the right bold plaid, but finally she found just three yards in Cyprus.
I love this jacket! Wouldn’t it be great to see more structured fashions hit the streets?
OverDressed for Life 