FIT exhibit

The current exhibit at the Museum at FIT, is one that I would just LOVE to go see.  Highlights from the collections showcases some of the museums greatest pieces.  The museum has over 50,000 garments, so how in the world they managed to decided which ones they wanted, I can't even imagine.  

For those of you who don't know me, I used to live in NYC; in fact I graduated from FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology).  I think I saw every exhibit FIT ever showcased in the 8 years I was in New York.  For many of my classes, we went to the museum to look at pieces in the archives; a fashion students heaven.  I miss seeing those exhibits, so for those of you living in the Big Apple, stop by 27th & 7th and check out the exhibit.  

Valentino, evening dress, red silk, spring 2008, Italy, gift of Valentino.

Rick Owens, bat wing jacket and skirt, black denim, wool felt,

 distressed leather, grey silk crepe, fall 2008, France, gift of Rick Owens.

Sheath dress obsession

I have this mild obsession with sheath dresses.  Not only are they flattering, but they are incredibly sexy.  They form a fabulous partnership with my late 1950's/early 1960's obsession.  It's one of those styles that you can repeat, but by changing the fabric, collar, or sleeve, you have a totally new look.  My sheath dress collection is growing and two more are in the works for this winter!

This dress was sewn using New Look's 6910, view C.  I made a couple of changes; added the fold over collar, and omitted the belt.  I love this pattern because it whips together in no time.  The only downside is I had to make changes to have it fit better. The back was way too wide and there was extra fabric in the shoulders.  I also make the neckline lower; high necklines make me feel like I don't have boobs.   Although I do want this Joanie dress.

I used a brown linen for the dress, and a giraffe print poly for the lining.  I believe linings should be fun and can add a lot of character to a piece; the inside should look just as great as the outside! The applique on the bottom came off a Lance Karesh dress that had been in my closet for at least a decade.  Lance is a New York designer that I worked with briefly.  The company I used to do production for backed him for a couple of seasons and I helped with his production.

Chipping away at the fabric stash

Digging through the fabric stash the other day, I pulled out the sweet striped fabric I have had forever.  I think I originally bought it to make a dress, and that didn't happen.  So I whipped up this shirt from McCalls 4514.  The pattern is super easy, although every time I have made it in the past the bust darts never look right.  So this time, I canned the darts.  

Why I love consignment shopping

While millions of Americans stood in line for hours to get into the malls and stores early this past Friday, I slept in and went consignment shopping with a friend.  I have shopped at consignment shopping for years; doing so helps me live up to my philosophy of reducing and reusing when you can. Consignment shopping is also great because you can get some good quality items for a great price and it's not what everyone else is wearing.   Last year I decided not to buy any new clothes from a store and only sewed or bought second hand.  And while it was great and cut down the money I spent on clothes, by the end of the year, I really needed new clothes.  I love t-shirts and cardigans and I have a hard time finding good quality ones second hand.   Now, I buy a mix of new, handmade, and second hand and that's doing me just fine!

My friend took me to a store I hadn't been to yet, and it's my new fav! I walked out with three new blazers for under $45! Two Ann Taylor Loft and one Banana Republic and I just can't decide which one I love the most.

One of the Ann Taylor Loft blazers.  Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! 

I love the olive tweed and the covered buttons.  

My new Banana Republic blazer.  I wish you could feel how soft this wool is. I'm not a fan of the boob pockets, but you can hardly see them.  

My other new Ann Taylor Loft jacket.  You can hardly see the whales, but this is a corduroy.   

Trying to get back

I have seriously neglected this blog over the past couple of months and today I made an intention to get back into it.  Have I said that before? OK, well this time I mean it!

So, the weather got a bit cloudy and I decided to get a bit of sewing done and worked on this dress today.
The pattern is from New Look 6936. I love this patter, it's such a cute simple dress to whip out. I used a poly stretch knit and sewed it on my serger.  The pattern says 2 hour pattern, but I think it only took my like 45 minutes to knock this bad boy out.   The only thing I don't like about the pattern is the elastic waist,  I'm not a fan of sewing elastic. 

T-shirt refashion fun

When going through my endless drawers of clothes the other day I came across this tee, I  bought from the thrif shop with of course the intention to refashion it.  It's a great fabric and the tee is from J Crew, so I didn't want to get rid of it. As you can see it's a little big for me, so I needed to chop it up.

 

The first order of business was to make it smaller. To do this, I just laid a shirt that fits over the top and cut around it, and sewed up the sides. 

I removed the pocket, very carefully so I didn't rip a hole in it. Not that I'm prone to doing that on knit fabric or anything.  I cut the sleeves and excess from the bottom into 3" strips and used that for the ruffles on the front and neckline.  After playing around with ruffle placement and picking the best layout, I sewed the ruffles down and hemmed the bottom of the shirt.  And that was it! 

Chipping away at the tubs

A couple of months ago I decided I was not going to buy anymore fabric or clothes to refashion until I used up at least half of my stash that never seems to get smaller.  With the exception of  a vintage sheet that I can't wait to make into a dress, I have not bought anything else and I am super proud of my self.  My stash takes up five 18 gallon tubs plus some bags.  That a lot of space in my closet that could be used for cothes I am wearing!

Here are some summer tops I refashioned that turned out pretty darn cute!

I made the first two last month, but I don't think I posted them.  If I did, I apologize.  Both of these were refashioned from a mans dress shirt.

Before

After

Before (I already cut the sleeves off when I remember to take a picture)

After 

Before (this is a horrible shot, but I couldn't get it right.  Still have a broken camera!)

After. I used fabric from another shirt for the strap.

This shirt is made from scraps.  The stripe was from a mans shirt, and the floral is from a vintage sheet. I love the little flower on the side.  I covered a button with some of the stripe fabric.  

Here is a sneak peak of some stuff I am working on now. I am not going to tell you what is will be just yet!

Most important support in your life: your bra

Bra. Brassiere. Over the shoulder boulder holder. Hemispheres of Paradise

Whatever name you give it, bras are the staple for most, women who live in the western world.  We  feel so adult when we go shopping for our first bra, and when our girlfriends get one first we do ridiculous exercises to increase our bust.  I actually don't remember my first bra, it just seems like I always had to wear one.

The bra was invented by an engineer of German extraction called Onto Titzling in 1912. He was living in a New York boarding house, and one of his neighbours, a voluptuous opera singer called Swanhilda Olafson, complained that she needed a garment to hoist her vast bosom aloft every evening – so Titzling obliged, using some cotton, elastic and metal struts. Unfortunately, he failed to patent the device and, in the early 1930s, a Frenchman named Philippe de Brassière began making a suspiciously similar object. Titzling took him to court, but the unscrupulous Frenchman won the day. And that's why the garment all the ladies are wearing is called a brassiere, not a titzling. 

I can't stand bra shopping.  I love great lingerie and have plenty of sexy bras, but I can't stand trying them on.  Most women are like me, they don't like bra shopping.  Finding a bra that offers the best coverage, no double breast a.k.a. spillage, prevents fat back rolls, offers the best support....it's frustrating.  So when I find a brand that fits I buy almost every bra they have in my size.  I love Wimsey bras by the way.  Fit perfectly, are sexy and come in a huge variety of sizes! 

I do believe that I think it's so important for women to wear the right bra, it can make or break your outfit ladies.  You have probably seen images of women from the 1950's whose boobs look perfect, granted they were wearing a lot of undergarments, but the boobs were perky and the outfit fabulous.  Check out the support these bras offer. 

Statistics show that over 80% of women wear incorrectly fitted bras!  Did you know that wearing the wrong size bra can contribute to saggy breasts?  Gravity will take care of that enough for me, I don't need my bra speeding things up. 

When I first moved to NYC, I was 18 and needed a new bra.  I was shopping on the lower east side and went into a lingerie shop that looked like it had been there for at least 80 years.  There was an older women who started to help me, did a fitting  the dressing room then gave me a bra to try on.  I waited a minute for her to leave the dressing room so I could try this bra on, but she just stayed there.  I asked her to leave and she said, "No honey, I am going to make sure you put this bra on right."    

What? Put it on right?! 

I assured her I had been wearing a bra since about 5th grade and I knew how to put one on right.  As I uncomfortably got undressed in front of this woman and started to put her bra on I thought she would have a heart attack.  "Oy Vey! You are doing it wrong!", she shouted.  

Apparently I had been putting bras on wrong for 10 years.  I did the hook the bra in front then twist it around, put my arms through, then adjust the cups.   As this woman instructed me, I needed to put my arms through the straps, boobs in cups, then hook it in the back. Adjusting again as needed.  This she said prevented the band from stretching out.   It makes so much sense now.

So here are some  tips for finding a good bra.  

 1.  Get a good bra fitting to find your size.  Please visit a department store to get a fitting, (most Victoria Secrets sales associates do not know what they are doing). Head over to Saks, Von Maur, Dillards, Nordstrom, or a specialty lingerie store.  You want to get a new fitting every year.  Your breast size will change as your body changes.  If you want to get an idea of where you might be in bra size this is how you do a fitting. 

• Band Size – is (by rule) displayed in even numbers. Grab a tape measure and place it at a level that’s just underneath your breast fold. Run it around your ribcage and make sure it’s horizontal and fits snugly. If the measurement that you obtain is an odd number, it should be rounded up to the next even one. If the measurement is even, your band size will likely be that number but it may need to be rounded up to the next even number (so as not to be too tight).
• Cup Size - you will need your new band size and one of your current bra sizes to come up with this measurement. As mentioned earlier, cups are sized relative to the band size. Compare your new band size with your old one; if the new one is lower, you’ll actually need to increase your cup size! Every size (that’s 2 inches) that your band size decreases will require a corresponding increase in cup size. Sizes are: AA, A, B, C, D, DD, E, F, FF, G and so on.

2. Invest in good bras.  You will wear  this bra several times a week, even if you pay $40 for it, you will get your money's worth. The more expensive bras will hold up better and look better after a couple of wears.

3. Buy a band that is a tad to tight over a tad too loose.  Bra bands stretch out, this is why there are usually three hooks.  Your bra should fit (without causing fat back), on the first hook. So the hook  closest to the end of the band.  As the bra stretches you can tighten it by using the inner hooks. 

4. For women with bigger busts, try on a bra and lift up your arms – if your breasts spill out the bottom of the cup, you’ll need a bigger one. 

5. You’ll know when the band is too big on you if it rides up your back, which will cause your cups to sag.  Most women solve this by tightening the straps which can cause back & should pain & poor posture.  

3. Unless you are wearing a cocktail dress with a low neckline  or wearing the lingerie for your sweetheart, opt for full coverage bras.  Demi bras are sexy, but they do not look good under a t-shirt.  You will need different bras for different tops.  

4. Bras with lace and bows are adorable, but think about what you will  wear the bra with.  Most bras with lace can't be worn under t-shirts, or button downs, because you can see the lace through the shirt. That look is not too sexy for most every day wear. 

5. Get a good strapless bra! The right fitting strapless bra will hold the girls up. You do not need clear plastic straps, besides they look tacky when worn with a strapless dress or shirt.  

6. Don't wear the same bra every day.  The oils from your skin will break down the lycra in the band faster.  

7. Hand wash your bras. Washing machine agitation and the dryer will ruin the lyrca quicker.  

 
Now that you have some tips on hand, go out and get a better fitting bra!