in the meantime...

things are crazy, but then they are always crazy, aren't they? i am still waiting for my fabric samples to arrive from mood. did irene flood their warehouses or something? if thats the case then i understand. i'm just getting a bit twitchy about this slow progression of sewing. i'm also waiting on the mail in order to finish the, uh, rather large project i've been working on for the past - hum, month and a half. and to make matters worse, my sewing hours the past two weeks have been pretty few and far between. but such is life, no?

so while we're waiting, lets do a bit of planning? isn't there some saying about "good planning makes...well thought out... plans...?" or something to that effect? well whatever, thats what we're going for here.

Clover by Colette Patterns

remember these? in this post i talked about the reasons i am drawn to this pattern, the most important reason being that this pattern looks perfectly adaptable to whatever my dreams pants may be. when i shop for patterns i usually look for things that i can use as a base. something that i can tailor to fit my proportions, and then use almost like a pattern block (a simple set of patterns drafted using your own measurements) for future projects. now i could just make my own pattern block - but why do that when colette patterns does it for me?

my inspiration for the pants i would like to make for my fall palette challenge come from this little pair that is available from madewell.

Chimney jeans from Madewell

now i could buy these jeans for a pretty $110.00 big ones. but i say "why buy what you can turn into a major pain-in-the-ass project that sucks up way more than $110 worth of your time?" see my logic? no. well i don't either. all i know is that $110 outright hurts me a lot more than $110 in materials spaced out over the course of a month. did i lose you? my apologies. lets get back to brass tacks....

looking at the details of these pants, there are some pretty notable differences. lets start with the big one... the fly - or as the case may be - lack of fly!

you will note that the madewell jeans on the left sport a rather typical center front zip fly, with a not-as-typical tab closure at the waistband. our colette's on the right, however, simply have a center front seam, with an invisible zipper sewn into the side seam. this makes for more of a dressy 'trouser' look, and also makes them easier to sew. for anyone who has ever tried sewing a zip fly you know they can kind of be jerks until you figure out whats going on. so why am i opting for the jerky option? because i'm a glutton for punishment i take every opportunity i can to perfect new techniques. see what i did there?

to draft the zip fly i plan on frankensteining my patterns. taking the fly from one pattern and basically grafting it to the colette pattern. that should work, right?

now lets look at these pockets. the madewell jeans have more of a trouser pocket. i'm not really sure what its called, but for our purposes we'll call it "the side slash pocket". that makes it sound pretty cool. you will note in the photo above of the colette pattern that they have placed the pockets rather discreetly underneath the waistband. i think this is a really pretty touch, and something i will probably do on a future pair of pants, but for these i'd like to go for more of that masculine/feminine look that madewell does so well. to achieve this look i'll re-draw the side seam of the front pant from about hip height up to the waistband, and then create a separate pocket piece that will be sewn into the side seam. that last sentence may not make sense to you, but don't worry, it made sense to me, and thats whats really important here.

now lets have a look at the tush...

hellooo ladies...
once again, the colette pattern is pocket free, while our madewell friends are sporting some welt pockets back there. welt pockets are easy enough to add to any pattern, and while they take some time to get all the measurements in there, they really aren't too difficult. what is key, to any pocket on the rear, is placement. as we all know pocket placement can make your butt look bigger, smaller, more shapely, etc. etc. etc. notice how the madewell pockets are placed higher on the rear, right where the darts end. did you notice? good. me too. on the first pair of pants i ever made the welt pockets accidentally ended up somewhere on my thighs. it looked like little mouths were on my legs. lesson. learned.

and one final thing to note:

the folks over at madewell.com very kindly made this little "fit" guide for me. all the better for me to copy their design! thanks madewell! you can bet your panties i've made a note of that little "11 1/2" leg opening". noted aaaaaand noted. if there's one thing i will not abide it is a 11 3/4" leg opening. i will not abide it!

now that that little scheming session is done, i guess its back to waiting on the old mail system, eh? come ooonnnn mood fabrics! you're killing me here!!!

xx

summer forever

there is an inch and a half thick vogue sitting on my coffee table. most of it is full of ads for fall 2011 fashions. many blogs are featuring advice on 'transitional dressing'. my other life at the art gallery is gearing up for fall shows and art fairs. even i'm trying to strategically plan my sewing and future wardrobe for when the weather turns slightly cooler. i know its september. i know we've gone back to school, or entered the busy season, or whatever. i know labor day is long gone.

but on my little balcony i can hear seagulls. there is a cruise ship at the end of my street. i still have a tan, and the beach looked beautiful today. lets not rush this season for once. even if we're only in this place for one year, i'd like to be able to look back on it as the year of eternal summer.

this is one of the first dresses i ever made. when i made it i was so proud that i drafted the princess seams and i thought it fit beautifully. now my critical eye can see just how poorly its constructed, and how ill fitting it really is. but despite this, its still one of my favorite dresses. i love the 60's cotton print, the simple silhouette. it is, in my mind, the perfect summer dress.

xx

RR

reader request.

if you have a sister, you are among the lucky ones. if you have a big sister, you're really lucky. if your big sister is also beautiful and kind, if you could steal her much cooler clothes, learned all your makeup tricks from her, if she offered to braid your hair, and is generally your biggest fan, then you already know how lucky you are. if your big sister also happens to be the hardest working mother of four children under the age of 3 you know, and still finds time to ichat with you and visit your blog, then we should probably meet, because we might be the same person.

i'm not under any delusions that anyone reads this blog besides myself, my husband, my sister, and occasionally my mom, and so i feel perfectly at liberty to tailor a post directly to one reader in particular.

in an email response to my post introducing my fall palette, my sister, in all her wisdom, wondered at what makeup, accessories, and nail polish one would pair with these looks. i guess i hadn't really thought of it, because, well i live with myself and i know that my makeup, accessorizing, and nail polish routines are rudimentary at best, and completely lacking most often. i'm not going to pretend that i'm all cool and low maintenance and like, "who me? i just roll out of bed this way..." because that would be very far from the truth, and my other reader, my husband, could call me out on it, to my face!

so very briefly, i'll give you the reality. i've been way more into skincare than makeup lately. in an effort to normalize my misbehaving skin i've sort of laid off the makeup routine - and maybe its my beachy atmosphere, but i feel this is working for me. i typically stick to some concealer, a little blush and mascara. as for my nails, well i always feel that nail polish is one of those places that you can go a little crazy - especially on your toes.

but in my fantasy life, things are a bit more glamorous. of course i wouldn't constantly be at war with my skin, and it would just be perfect. all the time. like my fall palette, i would use bold colors to accent an otherwise natural look.

emily weiss of into the gloss

i like the power an orange-y red lip gives to a clean face - plus the fiery shade is a nice update on the classic red lip look. on days when i'm not feeling so.... lippy, i'd probably fall back on the always classic nude lip. since a lot of my look is sort of 60's inspired, the orange and nude lip are particularly fitting.

NARS Heat Wave
NARS Honolulu Honey

when it comes to nailpolish, i believe that matching and restraint are for people i hope to never meet. once again, in reality my hands don't get much attention - i just like to keep my nails a little longer, rounded, and clean. but my toes i try to change once a week or (we're talking reality here) once every two weeks. but the fantasy me? she'd be all about the manicure. and like i said, matching is not a priority here. i don't care how classic my wardrobe may be, in nail polish i am always drawn to the most complex colors out there. and for that, i think chanel does it best. not that i've ever actually owned chanel nail polish, but from what i can tell they make the most interesting colors.

Chanel

the real me is particularly lacking in the accessories department. i own one purse - and i'll only replace it once it starts to fall apart. i do, however, really like jewelry. unfortunately my tastes and my finances don't often agree - like, ever - so the real me only owns a few fun jewelry pieces that i keep on heavy rotation. until i get sick of them, and then they get no rotation. but the fantasy me would not have such silly problems like budgeting and could afford to spend surplus cash on fun accessories.

Top: The Vamoose Bottom: Of a Kind

I like the idea of pairing jewelry with natural elements and indigenous designs with a more classic, buttoned up wardrobe. it keeps things feeling a bit looser and free and picks up on the more bohemian aspects of my dream self wardrobe.

and those, are my thoughts on makeup, nails, and accessories. well for now at least... trust me, i could go on. but i think instead i will focus my attention back to sewing.

xx

here's the lineup

its been pretty difficult for me to think about a fall wardrobe. post september 1st the internet exploded with autumn inspirations and lookbooks - and while so many of these are truly lovely to look at, it just can't change the fact that i plan on going to the beach well into october - november if i can push it. and no matter how you slice it - there is really only one appropriate attire at the beach (pssst! its a swimsuit!) and it has summer written all over its tiny little face.

lucky (?) for me i also have a job. and having a job in texas means you will be exposed to numbing air conditioning. the kind that turns your fingernails blue. true story. like, everyday of my life. and so i take layering my clothing, not just as a nifty fad, but as a daily necessity of climate survival. i call it bipolar dressing. it takes a crafty person to dress for 90+ degree heat outside, and 60- inside.

and this is where i found the holes in my wardrobe that i'm trying to fill - beginning with the fall palette challenge. i own two blazers. i won't tell you how many times i wear them - or how frequently they get washed. lets just say, the numbers are disproportionate. for me blazers are the perfect bipolar option. you can throw them over just about anything and immediately up the old internal temperature, yet still look put together in a work environment.

so it was really a no brainer for me to decide to make a blazer for the fall. since both of my other blazers are nice, normal, neutral colors i thought it would be good to make one that could carry some punch. like i said in my last post, i love bright, orangey reds. particularly up next to my face. this might sound like a difficult - or strong - color to wear, but it really works with my complexion and helps keep things interesting. for this blazer i decided to use burda's sweatshirt sportscoat. i really love the idea of this more structured silhouette made out of an ultra comfy wool jersey.

it was a bit serendipitous that colette patterns released this pants pattern, clover, just in time for fall. perhaps those lovely ladies over at colette know that most of us are walking around in ill fitting trous? anyway, i'm a pants lady. i like to wear pants. well i like to wear skirts too, but i find myself reaching for pants more often than not. but the crazy thing is - i really don't own that many pants. and those i do either never fit, or for whatever reason, don't fit now. so this project has been on my list for quite awhile. i'm excited about the clover pattern because it looks like a super basic pattern that i can really tailor to fit my figure, and i can use it as a base for other pants designs. i plan on making these in a dark denim.

this one i really debated over. i definitely wanted this challenge to focus more on separates that could be mixed and matched and integrated into my current wardrobe. but some days a good dress just makes so much sense. i thought colette's peony was just simply lovely, and like the clover pattern, so easily adaptable. i'm having a hard time focusing on a fabric for this dress. i think, given that so much of the year is warm here in texas, its wise for me to make this dress in something like a silk crepe de chine. but what to choose! i think a shift dress like this would look great in a graphic print, or a classic polka dot. i'm also tempted to make it out of a bold blue (also a great compliment for my complexion). but i could also see a version of this for colder months in a great jewel toned double knit... i have some decisions to make...

ever since i saw these looks on brook&lyn i've been totally taken with the ease of these draped tops. i can see them working over fitted trouser, as a dress, under a blazer, tucked into a skirt. its basically my dream shirt. i would make these out of a soft rayon jersey in pale beige's and pinks - colors that i really think go with everything. for this one i will most likely draft my own pattern.

this one is pretty basic. and pretty versatile. i already own a navy striped shirt - but it has seen better days. this is also a pattern that i could probably draft myself, but figure i'll go with the burdastyle striped top pattern because i was intrigued by the possibility of the stripe design making chevrons on the sleeves. i think it will add a bit of visual interest to an otherwise simple shirt (don't get me wrong. i loooooove me some stripes. at one point, i bought so many my wardrobe was bloated with them and i had to go on a stripe diet. but i think the time has come for stripes... again).

and finally, we have the midi skirt. i can't tell you how many days i stare discontentedly into the depths of my closet and think "if only i had a perfect skirt to wear..." these days "perfect skirt" would describe anything mid-calf length, blushy-beige in color and with a slight 70's romantic feel. you see, my skirt options are pretty pitiful. as i said, i'm more of a pants lady, and when the time does come for me to fem it up, i usually go the dress route. hence, no skirt buying/making and sadly, no skirt wearing. but no matter the indoor or outdoor climate, when i think of fall, i invariably have some mental image of a camel colored a-line skirt paired with tall boots. i haven't quite decided if i'll go the a-line route, or go for a more 60's pencil-skirt look, but regardless, i feel more than equip to draft up a pattern for this skirt.

so there you have it! i plan on making a grand total of ... 6 items! i feel this is pretty doable. especially since i haven't given myself a deadline! ha!

i'm currently waiting on a package from mood fabrics full of fabric swatches for me to pick from. one of the annoying things about this move for me has been the switch to relying on internet sources for my fabrics. whenever i think this though, a small voice pops up in my head and says "but sallie, you commute to houston everyday. surely you could just stop at the fabric store...?" and to that i say, "voice, you get to hide out in my head all day, me, i have to actually live my day. and at the end of it, i want to go home."

and so it is with great difficulty i have begun buying my fabrics primarily online. but luckily i can order swatches for 75 cents a pop from mood, and i can feel away before i buy.

fall palette challenge...among other things

so in this most recent stretch of my absence i've been experiencing some pretty incredible life changes. okay just two. but they're big ones. i got married, and then shortly thereafter my husband (its still new - i like to take every opportunity i get to call him "husband") and i moved to a new city. well maybe moving from houston to galveston isn't a huge move - seeing as they are about an hour away from each other. but in terms of atmosphere, and attitude and all those little things that make up a place, they couldn't be more different.
change has a funny way of affecting us. i can look back on our last big move from philadelphia to houston with a bit more clarity and firmly say - i did not handle it well. i suppose thats all relative, because, i mean, i didn't start, say, neglecting personal hygiene, or talking to myself (at least not anymore than usual), or in any other way display outward signs of cracking up. And I certainly didn't leave. But I was also not okay - for about a year.
all this is to say that i was facing these latest changes with a bit of apprehension. this time around i feel a bit more refreshed with the move. we unloaded quite a bit of our stuff - or at least packed it up in storage (out of sight out of mind am i right?) and i feel in a general mood of decluttering and simplifying. i feel this is never really a bad thing, but not something that comes completely naturally to me.
so get to the point already. i've decided i am going to participate in colette pattern's fall palette challenge. at least that is sort of my plan. this will be part of an effort to plan out my sewing, which after a bit of a budget overhaul is going to double as my clothes shopping. in the process of moving i got rid of a fair amount of my clothes, trying to only keep items that i wear constantly, or that i deem "precious" (a perfect vintage dress, an expensive indie designer piece, something impractical i made for myself...). in doing this i realized that my wardrobe has holes! and so i am going to fill those holes, but in the most strategic way possible. i think the palette challenge will really help my with this.
so. without further adieu, may i please introduce my fall palette:


i know. i know! its super exciting, right?! try to contain your excitement.
okay so i know its not particularly exciting - and i did have to put a grey box around it so you could see the (elegant and sophisticated ?) white. but here's what i did. i spent a few moments trolling around the internet going back in my mind to outfits and images that i found particularly compelling, and grabbing them. if i were a bit more organized i would be grabbing all these images with pinterest or something as i go and then i'd just have an inspiration file at the ready. but you know what - i don't. i'm just not that organized. so in true sallie-fashion, i pulled a last minute search. and you know what i found out? i really like red, white, and blue. particularly denim and cobalt blues, eye-wateringly bright cerise reds, and soft pastel whites.
and you know what else? those colors look good on me.

sources from images from top left to bottom right: facehunter (i think? this is the only old image of the bunch), the glamourai, styleclicker via calivintage, brook&lyn, and boutique by jaeger fall 2011 via calivintage

i have to tell you. it is incredibly difficult to come up with a restrained palette. i find myself so easily swayed every time i see a beautiful combination of colors! for this i really had to focus on the reality of my life and my wardrobe as it is (gah! that ghastly phrase...).

the next part of the challenge will involve planning out my sewing projects. the challenge's "rules" give an eight week deadline for all sewing, but listen. i don't do deadlines. they make me perspire. so i'll take that eight week time frame as a suggestion.

*in my next post, i'll introduce you to the garments i plan on sewing.

*look at me, planning posts! but no. i really plan on sticking by this. just so you know its official - i've added a badge to my blog!

xx

Inspiration

maybe there is something in the air, but i have been seriously loving silky, diaphanous, simple,shapeless minimalist, clothing in geometric prints and bold colors. (oy! issa mouthful) i have been tinkering quite a bit with the sewing machines lately and have made some wonderfully wearable clothes (that i never seem to have a camera handy when i wear). but lately my "designs" can't really seem to get away from the rectangle, trapezoid, or triangle. i'm talking minimal people! i'm talking donald judd and agnes martin! With maybe a touch of something a bit otherworldly... maybe some james turrell... or maybe like if james turrell had a lovechild with space cat... (i gotta get out of texas)
I have in my possession at the moment some yardage of white and rusty brown silk that has been tie-dyed, or batik-ed or something wonderful that makes it look like the inside of a geode. I am practicing some restraint before I slice into it and instead am trying to gather some inspiration. So below are a few images I have stumbled across on the old internet that I just can't seem to shake.

these beauties are from shabd's s/s11 line of silks. tie-dye has never looked so good. i mean, seriously, how amazing are those long skirts? this may sound crazy, but the feeling of silk swishing against my legs in houston heat is basically like a personal air conditioner. so wonderful.

i'm pretty sure this is the same dress only in different colors/patterns. in any case, when i first saw these dresses from mociun i basically whined at my computer, "why are you so expensive?" or my other frequently whined, and probably more accurate, phrase, "why am i so poor?" so into the inspiration file they go (rather than into the virtual shopping cart). i'm particularly smitten with the blue ombre number (i'd call you venus cuz you're so purdy) and the piecing of the butterfly dress - though butterflies aren't really my thang.

this last set are from wikstenmade's s/s11 line and i am utterly in love with all three. i love the casual tie waists and the subtle curved hem. i also love that jenny of wikstenmade put so much love into her dyes, trying to get the perfect shade of cobalt and saffron. i think its those sort of details and labors of love that make me love handmade clothes so much.

one thing all three have in common - brooklyn, ny based. what gives?

when there's a fire (in your pants): drop, crotch, and roll...

well hello there bloggery.
long time. no see.
let me update you on what's been happening in my life.... since this past fall i've:

- passed some students in my community college classes
- failed some students in my community college classes
- worked. a lot.
- attended various holiday festivities involving lots of family, lots of food, and lots of drink!
- become a member of a one car household.
- bought bikes.
- had said bikes stolen.
- experienced about a week of winter.
- had pipes burst during that week of winter.
- worked. some more.
- gotta a serger for the big x-mas and have been loving it!
- had many emotional breakdowns.
- dressed in drab colored sweaters for a very long time (post traumatic emotional breakdowns. its kinda like therapy for me)

and thats it! now we're all caught up! i could catch you up on some other non interesting topics - like zits, buyers-remorse, and other such stuff, but i think my above list should be enough of a snooze-fest for now.

so lets talk about pants. these pants to be exact. i bought them at this amazing store here in houston called leap. that place is like the enema for my bank account. gross metaphor i know. but i can't think of a better one.

a little anecdote about pants to get you in the mood:
when i was just a young buck (what?) i worked for a past-his-prime bodybuilder named frank at a health food stand in a farmers market (they have all those things in pa. i promise you). frank was a colorful sort. and i really mean that how it sounds. he was known to wear hyper-color flourescent t-shirts, dyed his california mullet yellow, and could be described as a 'tanorexic'. i once made the mistake of complimenting frank on his zubaz pants, and being the generous sort he is, frank bought me an entire box of my very own zubaz for christmas. there were, like, 200 pairs of zubaz in all the eye-watering combinations of colors and prints you could think of. my 14 year old self was mortified. my three siblings, however, were not. they thought these pants were the funniest thing ever. so while i tried to stealthily throw out this giant stock of zubaz in our outdoor garbage can, my brothers and sister just as stealthily sneaked them back into the house, divvied them up amongst themselves and re-wrapped them. on christmas morning i was amazed at all the gifts for me! when i opened the first box of zubaz i was like, "oh haha. very funny". but after i kept opening up zubaz again and again, hidden underneath other presents, rolled into my stocking... well. i started to cry. those damn zubaz were that embarrasing.
bee-tee-dubs. this has since become one of my favorite stories. i'm no longer embarrassed. obviously. but this early trauma may help explain some of my ... ambivalence i suppose, about these here fancy pants. anyone sensing a bit of a zubaz vibe?


lemme be clear. i love these pants. they are something i never thought i'd wear (like. never.) and yet once i tried them on it was a little like, "oh pantaloons... where have you been all my life?" so i bought them. and they hung out in my closet for awhile. i'd take them out and gently stroke the soft billowy fabric. and then i'd put them back. because i had no idea what to wear with them. i tried some sporty tank tops, but it looked like, well, fancy zubaz. i thought some pattern mixing might be interesting - but alas, no patterns in my wardrobe were doing the trick. some things were too billowy, others to form fitting. these were becoming the goldilocks of pants.

meanwhile... in another part of my life. i decided i needed more easy dresses. so i began sewing some really simple 60's inspired shift dresses. i bought this pistachio green silk georgette with such a dress in mind, but unfortunately my stinginess got the better of me and i did not buy enough material. so the dress turned into a tunic. no problem. it just so happened that this tunic matched my fancy pants. and was neither too billowy nor too form fitting nor too casual, and certainly not difficult. it was an easy pairing.

perhaps its too easy....
i'm still not sold on the pairing. i'd like to try some pattern mixing - or perhaps something a bit military inspired. you know. style them up.

top: self made, pants: megan park from leap, belt: jcrew, shoes, necklace: uo

p.s. sorry for the long post. its been awhile. also - sorry for the boring pictures. i'm working on this. i pinky swear.

cat. hat.

hi. my name is sallie forrer, and i am not a witch.

Well, maybe I am.
I thought I should introduce my face to this here bloggy blog. Hello blog. This is me. And despite my feverish gesticulations with twigs, stringing together some vaguely Latin inspired words, and poking and prodding at newts, I am, as of yet, not a witch. However, I have been inspired to dress like one lately.
Today I wore a blanket / shawl. The impetus for this being me moaning and groaning about the house (a witch, no - but perhaps a ghost?) this morning, not wanting to go to work, and finally I called out to the man of the house "why don't I own a poncho?!?"
To which he thoughtfully replied, "I don't know - why don't I own a poncho?" (Uh oh! I know what someones getting for Christmas! Twinzies...)
Anyway I instead decided to throw this blankety item I bought from UO to keep the chill of the A/C off of my shoulders while at work over me and added this bestial belt and some shoesies. And I was off. On my broom In my car.

Wearing: UO blankety shawl thing, Anthropologie wolfman belt, Levi's Mom-butt high-waist jeans, Jeffrey Campbell clogs

I usually end up throwing some sort of blanket/shawl over me while at work anyway - since I get very cold - so I figured I might as well style it into some sort of outfit.

So full disclosure here: I really am not a witch (yes I am) but maybe it is just this Autumn-y time of year (its still really freaking hot) that has me thinking of cloaking myself (no seriously, I'm sweating) in layers and adding voluminous elements (to hide all the tacos I eat) to create a different silhouette (taco belly). Regardless I like the slightly mysterious "how does that woman use her arms" sort of feeling it gives. Answer: I don't. I'm typing this with my nose (see: witch). Plus, yesterday while at the Walgreens picking up the necessities and in full on drapey mode some fine gentleman, who wasn't creepy at all, stopped me and said, "You look so familiar, are you Russian?"
I didn't know if I reminded him of his babushka wearing grandmother or his mail-order bride who used him as a ticket to the U.S. then ditched his creepster ass. My thigh-high stockings and smudgy red lipstick leads me to think it was probably the latter.
xo
s.
p.s. I really am planning on giving ya'll (note: non-ironic use of ya'll) a post on things I am making very soon - since that is really what I want this blog to be about - not whatever asshole outfit I put together or my latest gripes about the 90's fashion trends. Okay bye!

lets all drink the kool-aid

images from Hanneli and Mr. Newton

I am slightly mesmerized by the kool-aid hair I have seen cropping up on street-style blogs. I have spent more time than I would like to admit grappling with my emotions with some of these more strip-mall grunge fashion and beauty trends. On one hand, I think that hair the color of mold, chlorine, and crystallized fruit drinks should stay firmly planted in my tween years. On the other hand, these ladies do manage to make the 90's trend look sort of cool - even elegant?

Really what I'm having trouble with is this: am I only okay with throwback trends if they are trends that happened before I was alive? I mean, I think even my 12 year old self thought that the 90's were dark days indeed for fashion. Is it appropriate or even timely to revisit them? Does this mean - gasp - that we are secretly longing for the Clinton years? If you see trends in fashion, design and even art as part of some sort of cultural and social consciousness - then is kool-aid hair a political statement?

Since my feelings on this are fairly ambivalent - I will leave it at that. No. I lied - I have one more comment - so I'll admit that there is something pretty about the cotton candy colored hair. But green? Green never looks good in hair. It looks mossy and moldy and like you might be a bog lady.
Are you a bog lady? If so. Carry on.

catherine linton hearts heathcliffe

Since I have declared a self prescribed break from sewing - mainly due to the fact that the last two garments I tried to make turned out severely misshapen and riddled with mistakes - I thought I would share some of the images that keep circling my consciousness every time I imagine my ideal cold weather wardrobe. This is a bit of a joke since Texas never got the memo that its autumn, and if I even obtain my ideal cold-weather wardrobe I'll only be able to wear it for a short while before summer descends again. Sigh. Nevertheless, a girl can dream - and many of these things can be translated for our milder winters...

First - I know Velvet has been a lust fabric for awhile now - consider me slow on the uptake. But I'll be honest, as much as I love the luxury and decadence, and even regality that velvet somehow implies, its also a bit of a scary fabric, no? It reminds me of Christmas pageants and late 90's - early 00's (is that a thing yet? "00"?) goth wear from Hot Topic. However, I think the Victorian Gothic (as opposed to mall gothic) influence of velvet has won me over and I've been dreaming of making my own version of that little TBA dress. Which reminds me of another scary fact about velvet... sewing with it! Eek!

From top: Velutto Shift (www.jcrew.com), TBA dress from their A/W 2010 collection (www.ilovetba.com), TBA dress in Urban Outfitters, Dublin from Liebemarlene ( http://www.liebemarlene.com), Siren Song Dress from Family Affairs A/W 2010 (http://toujours-toi-family-affairs.com)

Okay, so this next obsession is a bit less practical given my geographical location, but ohhh how I would love to add furry accents to my daily wardrobe! I am equally taken with the spotted variety, the vintage and the faux - fur is just another one of those things that feels equally campy and glamorous. And while donning a full fur stole might be a bit much - I think I could get away with a collar added to my cardigans once the weather turns nippy. And a leopard print belt seems like it should be a wardrobe staple - like the new neutral.

From the top: JCrew calf-hair belt (www.jcrew.com), Feminine and Feline Cape (www.modcloth.com), Fox Fur collar, Zaama on Etsy (www.etsy.com), Style Spotted Scarf (www.modcloth.com), Mink Capelet, The Greedy Seagull on Etsy (www.etsy.com)

And finally, this one really isn't all that surprising or original ( were any of these, really?), but as soon as deep jewel tones start cropping up in stores and on street style blogs, and on the runways, its almost a given that I will start to reach for the richer colored fabrics in my wardrobe and to sew with (in fact - one of my most recent botched projects was in a lovely wine colored charmeuse). Lately I've been particularly taken with deep bourdeaux's and purples - a color that I can honestly say has never been a favorite. But I believe this Fendi look has completely won me over, and made me a plum-colored-convert. I've even started haunting the local Sephora and M.A.C stores for a deep - dare I say - gothic lipstick!

From the top: Fendi A/W11 (www.thesartorialist.blogspot.com), Mepris Tunic, Family Affairs (http://toujours-toi-family-affairs.com), Hair and Lips, Yves Saint Laurent A/W11, Street Style, London - all from The Sartorialist

And with that - I'll leave you. Hopefully soon I'll be back in action with some of my own creations to show.

xx