1960s Pierre Cardin via Forties Fifties Sixties Love

Loving these simple, geometric hats by Pierre Cardin.

early Valentine

Joan Crawford, c. 1920s, via vintagegal

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!  Thought I'd celebrate by showing you this most adorable hat.

not really about hats, but...

As I was heading to school today, I realized the void that exists without a fashion history class.  There was always something new to learn, a new way of seeing the evolution of fashion design, how it affected and was affected by what was happening in the world...

This semester I am fortunate to be in a class called "Couture Sewing Techniques," and I could not be happier.  Today, for example, our teacher brought in a vintage 1960s Chanel couture suit (jacket and skirt), as well as a Spring/Summer 1964 Christian Dior couture suit that consisted of a top that snapped down the back and a skirt that was actually attached to a full slip so it was almost like a dress underneath the top.  The handwork was incredible in both pieces, but what I'm finding the most beneficial in this class is how much I am learning about fabric, drape and fit.  The semi-fitted front of the Chanel jacket that led into a boxy back and how this was achieved WITHOUT the use of interfacing, shoulder pads, etc., but rather through the expert use of quilting and a chain at the hem.  (Don't get me started on how I don't believe in interfacing.)  The amazing cut of that Christian Dior top, with the back panels wrapping around the shoulders to the front to create a raglan seam, and shaping the sleeve with a couple unusually placed darts as well as an underarm gusset.  Yes, I am intensely feeling how my lack of construction knowledge/experience is a deciding factor in how I'm designing.  And I'm not happy about this.

I am one of those unfortunate souls that only learned how to sew about a year and a half ago, and anyone who sews will tell you the importance of practice and experience.  So, strictly on the basis of time, I am at a huge disadvantage.  But what is also a challenge at this point is understanding fabric - how it will drape on the body, and how an entire piece will look in a particular fabric as opposed to looking at a swatch of said fabric.  These subtleties of fit, drape, construction - I like to think of it as engineering because these garments are essentially soft architecture to me - are essential for a growing specificity in my designs, which is what another teacher told me I had to focus on last semester.  Needless to say, he was absolutely right.

Of course, there is nothing left to do but keep learning and keep doing the best I can do.  But with less than a year and a half left to go, I have no idea how ready I will be to go out into the real world.

Advanced Style Film

Words cannot express how excited I am for this.  The ladies featured in Advanced Style are some of the most inspiring and creative women I've ever seen, not to mention their choices for headpieces and other accessories are always show-stopping.

More paper hats

You can imagine my thrill when I came upon this fashion editorial in Vogue Italia.  Photographed by Greg Lotus and styled by Giovanna Battaglia, Codie Young looks out of this world in the creations of the Paper-Cut-Project.

 

Images from the December 2011 issue of Vogue Italia, via Fashion Gone Rogue

Swimming Cap Fashions from the 1950s

I could not resist sharing this piece of retro goodness.  My favorite is the multi-petal cap adorned with pearls.

it has been a while...

To say that a blog post here is overdue is an understatement, but the fall semester of a junior in the Parsons BFA Program in Fashion design is no picnic.  I do plan on uploading a bunch of goodies in a couple weeks when winter break finally arrives.  Until then, I thought I'd post this photo to welcome winter:

Model wearing fur hat, photographed by Henry Clarke, 1950s (courtesy of The Nifty Fifties)