Archive for 2011

« Sewingplums home page
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Modern personal styles ?

September 3, 2011

I receive many mail order clothes catalogues. Fascinating šŸ˜€ they reflect what people actually choose to wear. Each company has their own ā€˜market nicheā€™. Realise I unconsciously put them in my own categories. Which donā€™t match up easily to the ā€˜personal styleā€™ schemes in many style books.

Some initial thoughts :

Of course there are the classic tailored classics. Tailored blazer, straight or pleated skirt, tailored fly front pants, band collar shirt or notched collar blouse, twinset knits. Chanel jacket and bow collar blouse, shirt dress or sheath dress for a softer look. Court shoes. Perfect hair, make-up and nails. Several variants of this style – elegant, uniform, glamourous – depending on details of cut and fabric. Worn with slight changes in detail for over 60 years. No wonder theyā€™re called classics. Many people feel their happiest in this style. Many more people wear classics for work or when they want to look responsible.

Here are some of the other style possibilities offered this season, based on catalogues and local people watching (my category names, this doesn’t come from a fashion industry expert :D) :

– relaxed business : softer suits with flowing blouses and interesting knit tops.

– country tweeds.

– classic casuals : tees, polos, fleeces, hoodies, shirts, jeans, chinos, denim, plaid, loafers, blazers, padded jackets.

– dresses and leggings : sassy : thigh length dresses, short skirts with high hip knit tops or sweaters, tunics and leggings, bold prints, softer blazers, pea coats.

– dresses : soft : similar but longer and drapey, florals.

– layered : multiple tops worn together, unstructured vests, texture or ethnic prints, thigh length chunky (knit) jackets, pants, parkas.

some subgroups of the layered look :

    eco : chunky tops in natural colours, with slim jeans and big boots.
    soft : floaty tops, ā€˜romanticā€™ or ā€˜peasantā€™ trims, with loose pants or long flared skirts, ballet flats.
    active practical : sweats and drill/ camo, active sports clothes worn for everyday, sports shoes or Doc Martens.

– trendy : sassy or layered but with ā€˜this seasonā€™ details (polka dots is the easy one this year), crisper shapes, and care with styling and accessories.

– edgy : angular and black, includes ‘rock chick’.

– arty : square oversized pieces.

– prestige : expensive ‘look at me’ pieces.

There are other ā€˜streetā€™ styles, which I donā€™t get sent catalogues for ! such as : hip-hop, goth, lolita, grunge. And styles for fashionable areas with trendy bars and partying : vintage glamour, disco bling, military/ safari. These are all ā€œbig cityā€ styles which arenā€™t seen round here.

Some companies aim to cover many current styles, instead of focussing on one. Look at the Next site for the styles they offer this season :
Smart Casual : Hoxton Girl [a trendy area in east London], Desert Dream, Colour Pop, Polka Dots.
Tailored Looks : Future Brights, Graphic Style, Formal Style, Tailoring.
Casual Wear : Downtown Casual, Urban Casuals, Pretty Tough, Modern Native.
Denim.
Signature [drapey]

– – –

Like most people, I buy from several companies. And I keep seeing people wearing different combinations. There must be many variations.

The key point is that these days ā€˜casualā€™ doesnā€™t mean only interested in comfort and otherwise not interested in clothes. There are many stylish ways of looking relaxed.

Three very different specialist clothing shops survive in this university suburb. (Actually most of the clothes for sale here are pre-used in charity shops !) They focus on the classic casuals and layered (standard, soft, active) styles. Many students wear the ‘eco’ look, but not enough to support a local shop. That and the other styles are available two miles away in the city centre (population 150,000, and said not to be good for shopping).

These are just one personā€™s observations of the current season in a specific English suburb. I suspect there are strong regional variations, with different emphases in France, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, or different areas in the US and Canada, for example.

– – –

Supplement :

If youā€™d like some eye candy, or are not sure what Iā€™m talking about, here are typical sources for some of the styles :

Classics : country tweeds : House of Bruar

Classics : minimalism : Pure

Relaxed business : CC

Classic casuals : Lands End

Dresses and leggings : Sassy : Boden, Whistles

Dresses : Soft : East

Layered : Eco : Celtic Sheepskin

Layered : Soft : Poetry

Layered : Active practical : the running/ cycling shop and the football club supporters shop both round the corner. North Face, Adidas Stella McCartney

Trendy : Miss Selfridge, Topshop

Edgy : Zara

Boho chic : Peruvian Connection

Arty : Oska, Wall

Prestige : Madeleine (yes, this catalogue includes a real mink jacket :D)

– – –

To get to main blog, click on red header.

Behind the scenes : hopefully, images and longer discussions will be back in two weeks time. . .

– – –

Links available September 2011

= = =

Categories: current fashion, personal style

Comments: 4 Comments

Nancy Nix-Rice’s minimum wardrobe : Accessories

August 27, 2011

Nancy Nix-Rice has been writing about a basic wardrobe over the last few weeks. (I’m planning posts on possible patterns).

Unusually, Nancy also makes suggestions for accessories.
And using accessory colours to integrate the colours of the clothes.

Colours :

  • dark neutral
  • light neutral
  • accent colour
  • accent colour 2 (optional)
  • mid neutral (optional)

    • Easier but not essential if the neutrals are related colours, such as dark brown/ camel, plum/ dusty rose, black/ grey.
    If you don’t look good in strong contrasts, use darker and lighter rather than dark and light.

    – – –

    Nancy’s accessory suggestions are :

    Belt : dark neutral [reversible to light neutral]

    Shoes : dark neutral
    Shoes 2 (optional) : light neutral

    Bag/ purse : dark neutral with light neutral trim
    Big bag/ tote : dark neutral

    Scarf 1 : dark neutral + light neutral (+ a touch of black if you have it in your wardrobe)
    Scarf 2 : dark neutral + light neutral + accent colour (+ mid neutral optional)
    Scarf 3 (if adding 2nd accent colour) : both neutrals + both accent colours.

    Pashmina shawl (optional) : both neutrals + accent colour

    Necklace 1 : dark neutral + light neutral
    Necklace 2 (optional) : mainly dark neutral
    Necklace 3 (if adding 2nd accent colour) : both accent colours

    P.S. Nancy now has posts on belts and bags to flatter your body shape.

    – – –

    Socks / stockings/ tights/ pantyhose need to co-ordinate in colour as well.

    For a current look, how about adding some leggings or opaque tights (don’t know what they’re called in the US) in one of your 3 key colours. Or in another accent colour if you’ve got the legs for it šŸ˜€

    This season you can wear ankle length leggings even under a calf length skirt.

    – – –

    For a current casual look : big scarves are a good way of adding character to a simple outfit. In flattering colours they draw attention to your face. There’s several marvellous scarf tying videos at Eileen Fisher.

    And there’s a fun YouTube video on scarf tying.

    (P.S. Nancy now has a lesson on scarf tying. And here is YouLookFab on scarf styles that don’t shorten your neck. And a website on 37 ways to tie a scarf.)

    The colour, pattern and texture of scarves usually make them the focal point of an outfit.
    3.1 Phillip Lim has a different approach this season. He uses scarves made from the same fabric as the garment they’re worn with. Good idea for using fabric scraps ?

    For a current business look : instead of neutral accessories wear strong colours to brighten up classic neutral outfits. Big bags and shoes in red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple. See my post on classics for work. Though make sure there’s something else about your outfit that draws attention to you, not to your bag and shoes šŸ˜€

    – – –

    UK Vogue says the accessory styles for winter 2011/12 are :

  • Knee-high boots
  • ‘Hug and hold’ bags (basically this is a way of holding a large bag at the base rather than hung from the handle)
  • Mini bags (any style of ornate bag just big enough for a phone and lipstick – more considered as jewellery)
  • Choker necklaces
  • Hats

    • Add touches of sequins or fur as current trims.

    Changing from big tote to one of these Mini bags could be an easy way of going from work to dressy.

    Hats are usually in a dark neutral or an accent colour. Choose an accent colour that makes your skin look good. I find a light neutral more flattering – reflects more light on your face.

    – – –

    Accessories are a good way of introducing your own style when wearing basics.
    What are your personal favourite accessories ? see brief thoughts in my post on a personal wardrobe plan (about 2/3 of the way through).

    YouLookFab has questions about which shoes you like to wear.
    heels or flats
    heels – stiletto or stacked
    sandals or boots
    round toe or pointy toe

    And what is your personal style for jewellery ? I prefer bracelets and pins/ brooches to necklaces or earrings. But they’re not so effective for bringing attention to your face. I prefer collars for that. And there’s a huge variety of possible styles for each jewellery item – dainty or striking, angular or curved, modern or antique, in different materials. . .

    – – –

    There’s a good discussion strand on accessories at Stitcher’s Guild.

    All this has made me think. I realise I don’t usually consider accessories at all. I used to be a bag person, but not since I stopped working. I also used to wear a collection of brooches in different styles, to add a touch of ‘quirky’ to professional clothes.

    If we follow Nancy’s advice, it’s the scarves and jewellery in the right mix of colours that we need to keep an eye open for !

    – – –

    Other posts in this group on Nancy Nix-Rice’s wardrobe plan :
    Neutral Cores, colours, personalising
    Accent colour and print
    Adding extras
    More thoughts
    And related post :
    Two-piece dresses

    – – –

    Links available August 2011

    = = =

    Next week I’m planning to learn the latest Photoshop Elements. I’ve been using Version 2 and this is Version 9! Then hopefully there will begin to be images again šŸ˜€

    Categories: Nancy Nix-Rice, wardrobe planning

    Comments: 7 Comments

    Hooked flare

    August 20, 2011

    There are many patterns for tops with a hooked shape to the side seam. Here’s the latest, McCall’s 6398.

    ā€m6398ā€

    A type of flare which swirls marvellously as you walk. And plenty of room for larger hips. But Iā€™m not convinced it’s good for the large of hip, as it does draw attention to them !

    – – –

    My new iMac has a beautiful screen, and I’ve been happily watching webcasts and web videos.Ā  It took me some considerable battles with automated systems before I could get the update to the latest OS.Ā  But thankfully that now seems to have settled down.Ā  So I’ve calmed down and can explore the fancy new facilities.Ā  Next week for learning a bit about the new word processor. . .

    Categories: sundry messages

    Comments: 4 Comments

    Like RTW ?

    August 13, 2011

    Manufacturing clothes is very different from what we hobby sewers do.

    It’s not one of my goals to make clothes that look like RTW. Round here, RTW typically means black or grey, and badly made in cheap fabrics. Have you ever gone onto a department store fashion floor and seen a sea of black ? Definitely something I sew to get away from šŸ˜€

    Some mail order is good, some not. One of my favourite designers has lowered quality to keep prices down. Happily that’s obvious from their catalogue. They don’t photograph quality and then send dross.

    Here’s a series of recent posts from YouLookFab which make it clear how very different the whole RTW process is from what we do, as non-professionals making single garments.

    Design

    Making samples

    Cut and make

    Trim and dispatch

    Interview with the designer – Karen Kane

    And that’s for making RTW quality garments. The clothes in the big clothing store in this suburb must be made by robot to be possible at that price, which is a whole other world again. (Or by very poorly paid people living in appalling conditions.)

    If we want to compare ourselves with professionals (and we don’t need to !), we are most like professional dressmakers who make individual garments for individually shaped people. Or perhaps people who make short runs of clothes for small boutiques.

    P.S. 18 months later YouLookFab has another series, on a smaller clothing company. Here’s a fascinating piece on how the pattern maker fits into the process, and the skills involved.

    (P.P.S. 2018.
    Hereā€™s a post by Brooks Ann Camper, who makes custom wedding dresses, and has never learned either pattern making or clothes construction by the conventional routes. She teaches making personalised clothes directly, rather than by adapting an average pattern.
    Hereā€™s her list of on-line classes – with rich materials and much personal help.)

    = = = = = = = = = =

    My very beautiful new iMac arrived yesterday. My big step for this week is to get it connected to the internet. Then I’ll be able to see everyone’s Flickr photos šŸ˜€

    – – –

    Links available August 2011

    = = =

    Categories: sundry messages

    Comments: Be the first to comment

    « Older Entries
    Newer Entries »