Vogue's Awesome Fall 2018 Collection

I absolutely love when the pattern companies release their new collections for the upcoming sewing season.  Over the past several weeks, I've checked out the Fall 2018 offerings from Simplicity, Butterick and McCall and even identified a few patterns that I'm considering adding to my inventory, but I've been eagerly waiting to see Vogue's Fall collection.  So, when I woke up yesterday morning at 4:00 a.m. and couldn't go back to sleep, I decided to grab the iPad and check their website instead of staring at my ceiling...and I'm glad I did because the collection had just dropped!

As I clicked through the pattern thumbnails on the new collection's home page, I was struck by the frequency of hearing my inner voice say "Hmm...interesting."  In years past, I've been disappointed with new seasonal offerings from many of the companies, but that's not the case with this collection.  In fact, I was surprised at the number of pattern style that I either liked or loved and felt inspired to share this post on the ones which really stood out for me.

Vogue 1597
What caught my eye with this pattern was the jacket lapel, which transformed an otherwise basic jacket into a stand-out piece.

Monday Musing: Upscaled McCall Pattern Videos

Did you know McCall Pattern Co. has a YouTube channel?  Have you checked it out lately?  They produced and published videos promoting the latest release of sewing patterns with "experts" talking about them and showing sample garments.

Now, the videos are made with models out on the street wearing the sewn garments with an upbeat musical track.  I find the new format far more engaging.

Here are links to the 2015 Fall and Winter season videos respectively.  Good job, McCall's!!

Be blessed!

Aisha

BLC Day 14: Have You Met Christopher?

The internet can be a wonderful space to learn new techniques and encounter new people.  One such person is Christopher Nejman.  I recall searching for information and videos on leather handbag construction when I found this You Tube video...

I was so impressed by the beauty of these bags that I set out to learn more about their creator.

BLC Day 7: Wool & Leather Coat Refash - The Plan

I can't tell you why, but I have a fondness for white wool coats.  Not white-white, but more winter-white. Something about them looks sophisticated and classic to me, almost regardless of style.  I shared with you yesterday my observation regarding the sudden trendiness of shopping at thrift stores, and that I, too, have shopped them to see what treasures I could scoop up.  Last week while traveling in Grand Rapids, MI for work, I stopped by the Goodwill store located on Kraft Ave. to see what they had.

I found this winter-white wool coat.  It was in very good condition, but it didn't fit me well, especially around the biceps which is always a fitting challenge for me.  But, I thought there was enough fabric to do "something" with it.

BLC Day 5: Accidental Icon

When I made the decision to begin blogging, it was after being inspired by so many talented women in the blogosphere who were willing to share their time and talent online.  The first blog I started following was Sharon Sews, where Sharon shared not only her sewing talent but also life challenges she encountered and overcame.  I then happened upon Sew Many Ways, and to say I was blown away with Karen's ability to recycle and re-purpose everyday items in her sewing and craft room is an understatement.  In fact, I'm unashamed to admit that I've adopted several of her organization ideas in my own domain, like the use of pipe stripes found in your local hardware store as handles on recycled storage boxes.

BLC Day 3: I Could Be Wrong, But...

Welcome to Day 3 of my Blog Like Crazy challenge, and as promised, here's a post about an observation I made.  When it comes to design elements in women's clothing, my favorites are asymmetry, double-breasted and wrap styles.  I recently did a quick scan of the patterns in my collection and counted no fewer than 10 wrap-style tops and dress patterns.  I think it's safe to say I don't need to purchase more.

So, when I saw this image last night while scanning through my Pinterest feed, I had to ask...

"Am I missing something?  Where's the asymmetry?"

I won't even address the price for this top and the fact that it probably is a poorly made and poor-quality garment and wouldn't look this good in the reality... IJS.

Be blessed!

Aisha

Patchwork Design Elements - IDK?

The fashion design influences of the 1970s have certainly been making its mark in the ateliers of current design houses.  Everything from wide-leg pants, a-line skirts, gauchos (aka culottes), maxi-dresses, ponchos, peasant-style, etc. can been seen on the runways and in clothing stores.

Stella MCartney, $1,220

Breakfast with Omar, Donna and Jen

In May 2013, I shared with you all my "discovery" of InStyle magazine the prior year, and my appreciate for its goal of covering fashion.  I've since subscribed to the magazine but I find my normal "life" schedule doesn't always afford the opportunity to sit down and flip through each issue - whether by paper or digital.  As a result, I sometimes have to "catch up" on multiple back issues.  This was the case when February arrived last week and I realized I had not yet looked at December and January.

So, this morning while eating my Honey Nut Cheerios (nod to Omar Little), I caught up on all three, marking those pages I wanted to keep for inspiration.

Nobody is Perfect, but Really?

I spent time Sunday looking at designer garments from various 2015 Spring runway shows.  I know I'm a little late given most of these shows ran between September and October 2014, but better late than never, right?

I would imagine most designers try their hardest to ensure each design is flawless in its appearance before going down the runway - i.e. hanging properly on the models, no wrinkles, no missing or dangling closures, etc.  After all, the runway is where their potential customers first see their designs, and retail buyers are identifying those items they feel will sell within their stores.  So, imagine my surprise when I saw the following runway mishaps.

First, there was the hanging threads on the shoe of Donna Karan's Look #5.  From the runway itself, this would not be noticeable, but you can't help but see it when Style.com publishes a close-up picture.

 

Now, big picture, this really is not a big deal.  The shoe is cute, and at least the model's feet have been properly pedicured and toes painted.  But then, my further navigation yielded more questionable results.

Have We Met Before?

I "discovered" In Style magazine about a year ago while in a hospital waiting room and really appreciated it's goal - to simply cover fashion.  Period.  The issue I perused didn't have articles on revving up my sex life, or adding the latest home decorating trend to my living room, or new recipes to encourage my family to ditch eating New York strip steak in favor of tofu, or a perceived overabundance of advertising - just some of the problems I've had with other so-called fashion magazines.  So, I recently started my subscription and have been eagerly waiting for my inaugural issue to arrive in the mail.  While thumbing through and adding page markers with Post-It notes (I dislike folded "dog-ear" pages), look what I found on page 78...

This dress looks so familiar.  Where have I seen this?

The Suno Floral

Recently, while surfing the internet, I saw a video clip where Lindsey Lohan made an appearance on "The David Letterman Show".  What prompted me to watch the clip was the caption, quoting her saying, "I thought you were going to be nice."

"Hmmm...what did he say?"  So, I watched part of the interview, and while in my opinion it was rather dull and no earth-shattering news shared, I did take notice of the dress she wore on the show.

Everthing Old...

I recently purchased the January 2012 copy of Vogue (really nice article on Meryl Streep - check it out when you get a chance)...

...and according to them, peplums on jackets and tops will be big this spring.

While these pages illustrated some very dramatic peplum designs, I couldn't help but be reminded of the 1980s styling which featured this design element.  So, I scanned through my inventory of patterns, and here are a few examples I found...

This is a recent Vogue pattern, but it still employs the peplum design element.

So clearly fashion does repeats itself and, with some modification, these patterns could be used to duplicate the dramatic peplums shown by Vogue.  However, there is always a twist that gives a fresh take on the current fashion craze when compared to that of its predecessors.

Be blessed!!

Aisha


P.S. I'm still waiting to receive Vogue 8305 in the mail.

UPDATE: Party (dress) Animal

OMG...you will NOT believe this!!  Baby Girl came home and showed me a picture of her girlfriend's dress...is this wild or what?  I'm sure everyone will think this was planned, but it was pure happenstance!!

Nicole Miller's "Tidal Wave"

In case you didn't know, I am a fan of "The Wendy Williams Show."  I DVR new episodes each day, and try to view them later that evening, not so much because I just HAFTA watch it that day, but because I need to be diligent about viewing and deleting my recordings.  Don't judge me...I have quite a few programs set up as series recordings and I'm trying to prevent maxing out the hard drive storage.

Anyway, one of my favorite aspects about Wendy's show is seeing what she's going to wear each day, and I was quite taken with the Nicole Miller purple jersey dress she wore yesterday.  So much so, that I went on a search to find a pattern which could easily be adapted to look like this dress.  While I found many pattern options, there didn't seem to be anything out there with quite the same "tidal wave" detail of this dress.  "Hmm...come to think of it, I can't really see the design detail on this picture.  Maybe I should go check out Nicole Miller's site and find this dress so I can get a better view."  (Side note:  who else loves the Internet?)

So, I went to NicoleMiller.com and while I didn't find the exact dress Wendy wore Monday, I did find a dress with the same design detail.  It appears the dress front is cut a little longer than the back, allowing for the asymmetrical pleating detail on either side of the dress.  The only "trick" is to figure out how to achieve the "wave" effect.

This will be something I'll have to play with, and I think I'll be able to use any basic knit-dress pattern to copy this style.  But, I think I will need to first focus on completing the linen top and skirt I cut out last weekend.  I sometimes get too enthusiastic about beginning a new project before completing an existing one.  Besides, it would be nice to be able to wear these linen garments this spring and summer, instead of five spring/summers from now.  I'm sure other sewing enthusiasts can relate.