The girls were happy to get back to Paris, where, frankly, there’s a little something for everyone!
Biker BabesBiker shorts are back with a bang! (Were they ever out of style?) What's new this time around is pairing them with a tailored jacket.
To better conform to the original jacket, I could have used a flat textured wool. But having just found some very chunky (and hard to sew) "Chanel" type fabric, Anna insisted I make her 1/6 scale version out of my latest find. The jacket itself really isn't anything special. It's really all about the look--big Chanel jacket with the stretchy bike shorts.
Basic InstinctThe little black dress. The little white dress.... Getting dolly dressed for summer is as easy as making her a basic sheath. What makes these special are the tiny little details--a hint of lace peeking out from under a hem, peek-a-boo shoulders or a bias trim to an asymmetrical skirt.
Cool ShouldersA trend that has been quite popular over the last few seasons, rocks on with all types of garments from easy, breezy caftans to an amazing strapless pantsuit frothing with an overabundance of ruffles! But the girls' eyes went directly to the caftans. What other garment do you get jewelry built into the dress!
We could not resist the challenge of making this caftan with the dropped shoulders. Unfortunately I had some time constraints and took many shortcuts to produce this version for Sophiya (aka Modernist Eugenia), the newest model to arrive in the house. I liked the idea of jewelry incorporated into the dress (or is it the other way around). And since I didn't have time to make (and embroider) a separate collar, I decided to bead the collar of the dress then attach pieces of old earrings I found in my own jewelry box. What is lovely about this look is that, depending on the time of day and the occasion, this dress can be cut in cotton for late day or silk for evening wear. In any case, this look deserves to be further explored in a future post!
Elements of the EarthThis is clearly a surface treatments project. A photo print of an earthly landmark---Sahara Dessert, the Grand Canyon, perhaps--is cut up by the princess seams of a top or skirt and teamed with a neutral accessory. Our eyes also zeroed in on the "waterfall" top and dress that appears to have been constructed with layers of cellophane fringe.
Me and the girls were rather intrigued by what appears to be cellophane dresses and tops in this collection. Kimora’s outfit is, technically, a paper dress. I located a roll of lightweight acetate (transparent film florists use to wrap bouquets of flowers). The base shift dress along with the rows of fringe are all cellophane held together with tape! (You cannot hand sew cellophane because it tears easily, as I discovered.) I’m going to work on this a little more to find a way to make this dress more “permanent.” In the meantime, Kimora is having a really good time!
OrganicWith all of its twists and turns, this story is once again, all about surface treatments...this time around a nod to strange and exotic foliage. A throwback to the 1980's Issey Miyake "Pleats Please" collection, there is lots of creative draping, permanent pleating and at times....old fashioned bows!
A while back, we did a dolly textile post, "
Twist and Shout," a surface treatment imitating permanent pleating ushered in the early 1990's by designer, Issey Miyake. So for me, (even though the namesake designer is no longer designing for his company) it is really nice to see this very organic look back into the spotlight. This is a cotton plaid that I wet and twisted. When dried, I draped it around Nichelle's body in similar fashion to the original garment. Then I pinched it in certain areas, stitched those "bunches" down and ironed those areas as flat as possible. I left out the straps which, for me, added nothing to the design. The result came out even better than I anticipated.
In ContrastBlack and white...this is a favorite reoccurring theme for spring and summer collections. What we loved best about this time around is how bold the graphic look is achieved through color blocking or Chinese calligraphy style prints.
My girls first spotted this dress, by Alexandre Vauthier during the Haute Couture collections. I never had time to make it, so they were delighted to see the designer make a very similar version for his ready to wear line. Again, we were taken in by the big sweep of black and white in this garment. This version features little shorts. But the girls preferred the couture version where the base was a dress. The two-tiered train of the dress goes from center front to center back.
Her "A" GameGlamour as simple as a 1950's inspired prom dress! The classic A-line dress is part of a gorgeous lineup of evening wear cut in lace, satin or chiffon. The easiest way to get the look...is with our
basic dress patterns made in two parts where the fitted bodice is joined with an A-line skirt.
Arsenic & New LaceSpeaking of lace.... a new take on an old fabric....we love the look of heavy "crochet" laces that drip over the body. Also..what could be sexier than dresses where the body peaks through sumptuously artisanal lace. And finally...a simple cotton lace dress made from three different laces gets all glammed up for the hottest of summer days.
I have a thing for these 3-D laces...This one employs the art of ribbon embroidery. Admittedly I did not have much time as I would have liked. But with a little bit of 3mm ribbon, a few silk flowers and a few lace medallions, I was able to create a similar effect over a tulle sheath dress. Very simple. Very sexy.
Glamour GirlAnd finally....what would a summer ball be without a statement dress! It can be as big (like Russian born Valentin Yudashkin or the French house Talbot Runhof) or as subtle as the dresses put out by Rochas and Maticevski. What they all have in common...approachable glamour with a hint of high drama!
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