A Dress A Day

Last Week, On Vogue Pattern Theatre ...

2008-09-05T09:27:00.000-05:00

I think the eBay auction for this is over, but Rachel sent it to me as another fauxlero example. Isn't it magnificent? (The original seller was Cinderella's Ball.)

Can't you just hear the narrator's voiceover? "Last week, Victoria found out that Geoffrey wasn't just a striving young businessman ... he's the missing heir to the throne of Graustark! He's come to beg her forgiveness ... but will he love the spoiled society belle as much as he loved the glove-counter clerk she was pretending to be? Let's find out this week on Vogue Pattern Theatre!"

Frankly, clerk/belle or businessman/prince, I don't care, I just think I *need* that skirt treatment ... even if I will always be getting it caught in the car door. And I need it in that sensational teal color.

(But Victoria better take that hat off before he kisses her, or someone is gonna lose an eye!)

Meet Our Advertisers #7: Specialist Auctions

2008-09-04T10:20:00.000-05:00

How long have you been in business?
Specialist Auctions Vintage section opened in June of 2006 but the site itself opened late in 2005.

What motivated you to go into the vintage and pattern auction business? We had a request from Margaret Bolger of Artizania to open a vintage and antique clothing section. In December of 2006 our current moderator, Margaret Leyden, joined us as a seller and co-moderator of the Vintage and Antique Clothing Section and is the moderator at this time and a member of the Vintage Fashion Guild.

Where are you based? Specialist Auctions is based in the UK but we are truly an international site with more than 50% of our sellers based in the U.S. We have vintage clothing, vintage textiles and vintage pattern sellers from Lapland, the UK, Peru and the US.

what's the weirdest/best/craziest/most beautiful thing you've ever found?
There are so many beautiful things at Specialist Auctions Vintage it would be a sin to pick just one so I'll give you four:
this zebra hostess gown from Wyoming Vintage
this 1936 home sewing magazine from Memories Past
this champagne satin party dress from Alley Cats Vintage
this popover duster dress pattern from Henrietta's Pearl Button
and, from our newest vintage pattern store, this adorable vintage jacket pattern from RetroMonde Vintage Patterns

What do you wish someone would ask you about your site?
How did we have the nerve to set the site up in the first place ?

It's a good day at work when ...
We have new sellers come on board and watch them have success with selling their items. It's also great to see buyers come on board and be pleased with their purchases and the service they receive.

The pattern at the top of this post is also from RetroMonde ...

If this wasn't enough Specialist Auction Action for you, check out Marge's blog, where she's been profiling SA sellers all week, in slideshows.

The Last Duro Jr of Summer 2008

2008-09-03T10:28:00.002-05:00

So this is the last iteration of Simplicity 3875, at least for Summer 2008. This is (if you don't recognize it) some of the fabric I bought at Tomato in Japan.

Here's the bodice, close-up:

There's a little white speck at the vee of the neck where I need to either clip the threads better, or color over the thread with a marker (I'm not fussy!). I used white thread for this, because I didn't really have any red or orange that looked right.

Here's the back:

I altered the pattern to add a back waist seam for ease of construction, but (as you can see) I put it in the wrong place! It's right for my Actual Waist, but wrong for the waist of the dress. I'll raise it next time, if I remember.

Here's the back, close-up:

I actually forgot that the entire back was two pieces, and not one on the fold (and so I cut it on the fold). I didn't want to have a center back seam in the skirt, though, so I left that part on the fold, and just eased it into the bodice. Worked fine. (I didn't want to leave the back bodice on the fold, because that would have screwed up the neck facing, possibly.)

I do this sort of stuff ALL THE TIME (especially if I'm in a hurry) and it's almost always recoverable. A slightly smaller or bigger seam allowance here, a few unplanned gathers there, and everything works out okay. You can do a lot of "fixing" if you just think about it for a few minutes before you give up. (Of course, I wouldn't have to do so much "fixing" if I spent those few minutes thinking before I cut out the pattern pieces, but I suppose that's why they're called "mistakes", and not "happy fun time jitterbug sparkles".)

Despite the mistakes, though, I was really happy with this dress. The fabric is beautiful; smooth and light, and I love the colors. I got a lot of compliments on this dress ... I wish we still had another month of summer for me to wear it in!

But anyway, speaking of "happy fun time jitterbug sparkles", Penny at Antique Dollhouse of Patterns is offering this pattern free to whoever clicks on it first. Go!

And Ingrid is giving away patterns here -- but you have tell her what you like most about Spring (guess what hemisphere Ingrid is in)?

Now this is more like it ...

2008-09-02T07:37:00.001-05:00

So this is from the new Garnet Hill catalog, from which I buy something once every three or so years, and from whom I receive a catalog roughly every three weeks. (I really, really need to get off some mailing lists.)

But it's also the kind of thing I'm thinking about for fall (more on that anon, if by "anon" you mean "in a few days, or maybe next week"). A deep-toned floral print, able to be worn alone or with a cardigan into early October, and then right on through November with tights (although I don't like the black tights they show with this; I'd want maroon or a deep rose, or maybe even camel, except that every time I wear camel-colored tights I think that someone, somewhere, is going to think I have a very, very odd tan).

This would be cute with loafers, and also with grannyish ankle boots, and even with lace-up oxfords, and flamboyantly gorgeous with a brown suede three-quarter-length coat tossed over it. (A coat WHICH I just happen to have, incidentally. And which I do not wear nearly as often as I should because it has no pockets, alas.)

Click on the image to visit the Garnet Hill site; I think this is about $138, plus shipping. It's available in up to an 18 (or up to a 14 petite).

A few housekeeping things: I'm thinking about redesigning the blog and perhaps -- perhaps, I say -- moving to WordPress. Does anyone have any suggestions? I think this would be a loooong-term project, so don't expect to see a new design next week.

I also missed doing anything for Sept 1, which I think we had tentatively decided would be International Dress Day (that is, a day for dresses around the world, not "International Dress" whatever that is). So I think perhaps we should declare September 15 "International Wear a Dress Day (observed)". What do you all think? (I did wear a dress yesterday, and I'll show you the picture of it tomorrow.)

I Wish This Were Endangered

2008-08-29T07:33:00.002-05:00

Theresa sent this in as an example of a fauxlero, which it might be, but it's also an example of the kind of dress that makes me wince. It's Cavalli, of course, who is the King of Wince as far as I'm concerned, but I'm sure I would be just as flinchy if it were Calvin Klein.

I know a lot of people love them and that they're sometimes considered kicky and retro and cool, but I just Don't Get animal prints. I feel like they are altogether too much like work; either you have to BE the leopard-print-wearing sexpot implied by your dress, or you have to be constantly elbowing everyone in the metaphorical ribs, saying "Get it? Get it? I'm playing with notions of sexuality (or class, or whatever). Grrr."

Of course, there are scores of things that I don't especially like that many other people enjoy immensely: bananas, Larry David, and the "music" of Rush come immediately to mind. And the number of things that I like that other people can't stand are also legion: the color orange, smelling like a box of Good & Plentys, extremely vulgar and palindromic hip-hop, liverwurst. De gustibus, and all that.

So every time I feel the urge to issue some kind of sartorial fiat, declaring animal prints (or sweatpants with "Juicy" written across the butt, or that godawful David Yurman jewelry) non grata, I think -- "Wait a minute, what if someone out there loves lycra tiger stripes as much -- or more -- than I love liverwurst? Who am I to begrudge them their happiness?" So I don't.

I still wish Cavalli would retire, though. Hasn't the man done enough? (Although, come to think of it, this isn't bad ...)

Meet Our Advertisers #6: Anna at BootyVintage

2008-08-28T13:13:00.001-05:00

Today we talk with Anna at BootyVintage ...

How long have you been in business?

I started selling vintage sewing patterns, vintage clothing, and doing custom costuming in the 90's. I think I sold my first item on ebay (a silk turn of the century day dress) in 1997. I used a 60 Mb pink plastic Barbie digital camera to take the photos and a dial up modem connection to upload. Thankfully my equipment is a little more sophisticated now.

What motivated you to go into the vintage business?

There are only so many clothes I can wear at one time, and I wanted to share what I found but didn't fit. I'm less interested in collecting than in creating and wearing.

What did you do before this?

In addition to my vintage business, I have always had a day job in software engineering in the Silicon Valley. I also play French horn in a community orchestra.

Where are you based?

I live on the San Francisco Peninsula in California.

What's the weirdest/best/craziest/most beautiful thing you've ever found?

Several years ago I found 10 pair of Levi's big E jeans (super collectible, especially in Japan) at a $1.00/bag Rotary rummage sale. I felt like I was on Antiques Road Show! Another great find was a complete set of 1930's Shirley Temple doll clothes patterns I discovered hidden inside a manila envelope for another doll pattern. Once I found a real Hermés scarf at an Idaho thrift shop for $5.99. And then there are the other six thousand hours of digging through estate sales and flea markets to find nothing. C'est la vie!

What do you have in stock that you can't believe hasn't sold?

I think this pattern rocks, including the artwork, but it hasn't found its destined owner yet.

What do you dream about finding?

Someday there will be a big bold Lanvin necklace just waiting for me in a junk jewelry pile....

What do you enjoy most about working with vintage patterns?

I am crazy about the artwork on the envelopes. (I even like the way the early envelopes feel!) I love scanning and making thumbnails for Etsy. And of course I love sewing up items too. I just finished a 50's floor length summer bathrobe with a full skirt and fitted bodice. I feel so glamorous now that I am out of my shapeless winter fleece.

What do you wish someone would ask you about your site?

I'm always interested to know what people are hungry for. Is it wrap skirts or more shirtdresses, or ... ?

It's a good day at work when ...

I get off early from my day job and have time to sew before dinner.

The blogs I read (other than ADAD) are ...

The Sartorialist
A Year in Exile
My Favorite Intermissions
Belle Dia

You'd laugh if you knew this about me ...

I have never gotten a zipper in correctly on the first try in my life. Not once.

Oh, and in other news, it was frequent-commenter Eirlys's birthday yesterday, and her husband gave her a PRESERVING PAN. Which is all well and good (and I would, in fact, like to own one myself, not that I do any canning or preserving, it just seems like a fun thing to have in reserve against the coming apocalypse) but it's not very birthdayish. So in order to cheer her up a bit (and if you're on Facebook) I highly recommend joining The International Sewing Conspiracy.

APB on 4743

2008-08-25T14:22:00.004-05:00

I don't usually put out pattern calls (because otherwise that's all I'd do, and because putting out pattern calls often alerts folks that a particularly desirable pattern EXISTS, which usually leads to even more people looking for it, benefiting the original pattern-coveter not a whit) but I am making an exception in this case because 1) it's for a wedding, specifically Shannon's wedding, and 2) it is completely freaking gorgeous.

So, if you have a line on this pattern, will you let me know? Or if you know of a modern equivalent, or something that could be altered into a reasonable facsimile of this pattern ...

Oh, and on a completely unrelated note, I don't know how many of y'all Twitter, but I have decided that it would be a Very Funny Idea if I were to twitter as Fake Diana Vreeland, sending out "Why Don't You ..." tweets (both some of her original ones and new ones in her "style") at irregular intervals. If you are on Twitter and want to follow Fake Diana Vreeland, she is here. (I also tweet random words at this Twitter account.)

Also: to come later this week: the return of the Meet Our Advertisers feature!

Quick update -- check out my essay at Jugglezine!

2008-08-21T10:08:00.002-05:00

It's here.

Illustration by Kat MacLeod, who seems completely awesome ... I'm going to have to find more of her work!

The Penultimate Duro Jr

2008-08-20T06:29:00.005-05:00

As promised, the penultimate Duro ... this is Amy Butler Morning Glory Slate (yesterday I thought it was Lotus, but I think that's the name of the line, not the pattern). Anyway, as you can see, it marks a return to piping. I also piped the bottom of the midriff, which you really can't see here, but which lets me someday decide to wear the sash tied in the back (as if).

Here's the back, which has no piping:

As you can see, I made no effort whatsoever to match this pattern on the back.

Here's a slightly closer view of the bodice:

When I first saw this fabric I lurved it, couldn't wait for it to arrive, had all sorts of plans for it ... and then I waited. I had ordered it through ... well, I ordered it from some folks who were not very well organized, and so I waited. And I waited, and I sent some emails, and then I waited some more, until when it finally DID come, I was so over it that I didn't really want to look at it. I kept dragging it out and looking at it and then folding it up again and putting it back on the shelf. I'm glad I was so exasperated, though, because otherwise I would have used this up three times over and would not have had it available for the Duro Jr.

I made one more Duro Jr ... it's sitting upstairs in my suitcase and I haven't taken a picture of it yet. I'll try to do that soonish-like. (I'll give you one hint: it's made from one of the fabrics I just bought in Japan.)

Duro Junior, Again

2008-08-19T09:43:00.002-05:00

Whoa. That pic's a little out of focus, isn't it? Try this one:

Ah, well. This is another Duro Jr, made from Simplicity 3875.

This is fabric I bought ages ago, probably at Vogue Fabrics in Evanston. I actually made a skirt out of it first, and then didn't like the skirt (and perhaps sent it to my sister? Kate, you there?), but surprisingly, there was enough left to make this dress with even a smidgen to spare. (I think I might have to go through my "leftover fabric" laundry basket and see what else might be ready for the Duro Jr treament ...)

The fabric has a slight pucker to it, and is ridiculously comfortable. I think the print may be a bit too much of a good thing (if I'd had a red or a pink that matched, I think I would have made the bodice bands and midriff bands in a contrasting fabric) ... but again, ridiculously comfortable, and that's what I was going for. I made this (and another one, which I'll show you tomorrow) for my trip to Japan, because I had been told that the humidity in Tokyo was slightly greater than that found at the bottom of the Mariana Trench (and they were right).

Here's the back:

And the back waistband:

I have cut out one more of these (and may finish it tonight, if a particular eight-year-old cooperates in the matter of BEDTIME), but I think that may be it for the Duro Jr this summer. I had big plans to make seven or eight of these ... and then the September fashion magazines arrived, with all their wools and turtlenecks, and the thought of more summer sewing seemed a bit risible. It'll be October REALLY SOON, won't it? And this is not really something you can wear a sweater over. (Nor does it seem as if it would work in corduroy.)

But as summer dresses go, man, this one is nice. (Especially once I added good deep side-seam pockets.)

Tune in tomorrow for another Duro Jr ... this time in Amy Butler fabric!

The Age of Empire

2008-08-18T11:54:00.004-05:00

Linda sent me a great link to this dress:

It's not that the dress is so great, really; it's more about the description:

In which the writer posits that there is a part of the body called "the empire," which is right under the bust, above the natural waist.

It would be easy to write this off as an error (which I guess it technically is, at this point) but it's more interesting to look at it as an example of lexical change. (Perhaps this belongs on my other blog?) There are lots of different ways that words can change, but I think this is an example of a folk-etymological change.

If you had never made the connection that "empire" in this context refers to an actual empire, it would be completely logical to assume that "empire" is a more genteel way to say "high-waisted" or "under bust," right? Folk etymologies come up with explanations that seem logical and that fit the facts. Which is a simpler explanation: that a silhouette is named after some long-dead French people, or that the name is based on the part of the body it emphasizes?

I'm not trying to say that this interpretation is right; I'm just trying to say that it's interesting ... but I also wouldn't argue that a word must slavishly adhere to its etymological origins. Words change, after all. That's just how things are. I don't know if this usage is going to catch on, but I'm going to keep watching for it. (If you hate it, never fear: Nobody's going to force you to start referring to your "empire.")

I also look forward to finding out that the part of my body where the knee meets the calf is called "the capri," and that a little further down I have a "clamdigger."

What? Is it Linktastic Friday Already?

2008-08-15T12:54:00.003-05:00

It surely is, and probably way overdue. First off, Holly at LuciteBox would really, really, really like your help in finding her this:

It was originally listed on eBay (by Red Buckaroo, but not in Holly's size. (You see the problem.) If you want to see a part of why Holly wants it so much, click through to her blog to see her adorable dog Oslo ...

Theresa sent a link to this slide show of First Ladies fashions, which is interesting not only for the pictures, but also for the evidence of the complete absence of copyediting ("shoulder-bearing" and "arm-bearing" where they should have "baring", sheesh).

Wink sent this rickrackalicious skirt ... with pockets! Nadia found us shoes to not-match, and Judy suggests these. And if that's not enough rickrack for you (and how could it be?) there's this rickrack fabric, sent by T.C.

Becca thinks the brown dress in this link may be a fauxlero. Opinions? [WARNING: link plays (bad) music]

Speaking of fauxleros, Wendy pointed out that the AMC Dress at BurdaStyle has a very nice one.

Robin sent a link (inspired by the discussion of one-yard patterns) to furoshiki, the cool Japanese practice of wrapping presents in fabric. I heartily endorse this idea.

Kathleen (at Little Hunting Creek) sent a link to this really interesting semi-Duro, up at Pattern Review. Check it out!

Leslie sent in this awesome typography poster. In a similar vein, Lorrwill sends us the link to the thesaurus t-shirt.

I can't believe it's the end of August already, but Jen at MOMsPatterns.com can and she's running a back-to-school sale on 1100-1300 new old stock children's patterns. You get a 15% discount with coupon code 'backtoschool' ...

Sorry it's such a short linktastic Friday ... but please keep those links coming!

Oh, Leola.

2008-08-13T09:36:00.003-05:00

You can't see it in this image, but if you click through to the eBay auction (where this is listed for a couple more days), the pattern envelope has "Leola" written on it in red ink.

I am consumed with curiosity about Leola. First of all, if this was her pattern, I know I would have liked her -- this is one excellent pattern. I wonder why she never made the dress? (The seller says it's "factory folded", but maybe Leola was just very, very tidy?) Maybe she had a bunch of sisters (or roommates) and that's why she felt she had to write her name on her pattern?

Maybe Leola got distracted by a life of hijinks and adventure, or maybe she was planning to wear this dress on a hot date and he broke her heart, leaving her too despondent to sew, or maybe she joined the WAC and started wearing uniforms, instead.

I think (basely solely on my onomastics-are-destiny reaction to the name Leola) that she was attracted to this pattern by the green print version. (Also, that's the one I like.) According to Nametrends.net, the name Leola's last popularity surge was in the 1910s, meaning that when this dress came out it's likely that she would have been about my age.

I would love to make this in bright primary colors (big surprise) with a black midriff band and black piping between the tiers. Too bad it's not my size.

Oh, Leola, why didn't you ever make this dress? I need to know!

[Oh, and thank you, everybody, for the kind birthday wishes of yesterday! You all rock!]

Thirty-Seven!

2008-08-12T12:01:00.004-05:00

"One absinthe drinker had a mania which made it impossible for him to see a blue silk dress without attempting to set it on fire. He was arrested on a national fête day for having put his lighted cigar to no fewer than thirty-seven dresses."

As some of you have winkled, it is indeed my birthday today, and I claim thirty-seven years on this fête day (although I do NOT countenance the torching of blue silk dresses today or any day, under the influence of absinthe or not). Hurrah!

Searching on "thirty-seven" got me (in addition to the marvelous excerpt above) some other real gems:

"There is nothing extraordinary in the existence of a beautiful, vivacious, attractive woman of thirty-seven, nothing strange in the fact that lovers should collect about her ... still the situation is unusual, to say the least ... thirty-seven is a very good age, a very good age indeed -- if Lady Matilda would only think so, and would only show that she thinks so. Why there are plenty of ladies who are quite passé by thirty or thirty-five -- they are full-grown women, they think sensibly and talk sensibly about their children and servants and domestic affairs -- those are the things that ought to interest women of Lady Matilda's time of life." (found here)

She was a woman of thirty-seven, rather tall and plump, without being fat; she was not pretty, but her face was pleasing, chiefly, perhaps, on account of her kind brown eyes. Her skin was rather sallow. Her dark hair was elaborately dressed. She was the only woman of the three whose face was free of make-up, and by contrast with the others she seemed simple and unaffected. (from here)

September, 1856, when she was thirty-seven years old, marked the beginning of her effort to become a writer of fiction. She had always desired to write a novel, but she believed herself "deficient in dramatic power both of construction and dialogue," although feeling that she would be at ease "in the descriptive parts of a novel." (about George Eliot)

A Lady about thirty-seven years of age, having an oval face, represented in nearly a front view. She has on a white cap, and wears a very large full ruff, edged with lace, and a black silk dress, and is adorned with a cluster of gold chains, suspended round the neck, and reaching down to the bodice. Dated 1633. (from here)

Oh, and in other birthday news, Rita celebrates her birthday this month, and is offering 15% off at her site, Cemetarian ... use the code "Birthday".

Hope you all have marvelous days today, whether it's your birthday or not. (But extra-marvelous if it's your birthday.)

Beyond Cruelty

2008-08-11T08:30:00.001-05:00

Do you know why the woman in this illustration looks as if someone is poking her with a red-hot iron? Do you see how she can barely bring herself to touch her skirt with her right hand? It's because the pockets on the skirt she is holding out so gingerly are FAKE.

Yep, that's right. FAKE. They're applied with transfers, like so:

Obviously, the woman in the background is sneering at the poor deluded woman in the foreground who thinks fake pockets are better than no pockets at all. If anything, fake pockets are worse ...

Thanks to wundermary for the images!

Great Dresses of Mediocre Literature, Meta-Discussion

2008-08-08T08:22:00.004-05:00

Reader Lynn is looking for fiction that describes twentieth-century older women and their clothes, which reminded me of the wonderful descriptions of clothes (on women of all ages) in the novels of Kathleen Norris, like this one:

Only the wearers and their dress-makers knew what hours had been spent upon these costumes, what discouraged debates attended their making, what muscular agonies their fitting. Only they could have estimated, and they never did estimate -- the time lost over pattern books, the nervous strain of placing this bit of spangled net or that square inch of lace, the hurried trips downtown for samples and linings, for fringes and embroideries and braids and ribbons. The gown that she wore to her own dinner, Mrs. White had fitted in the Maison Dernier Mot, in Paris; -- it was an enchanting frock of embroidered white illusion, over pink illusion, over black illusion, under a short heavy tunic of silver spangles and threads. The yoke was of wonderful old lace, and there was a girdle of heavy pink cords, and silver clasps, to match the aigrette that was held by pink and silver cords in Mrs. White's beautifully arranged hair.

Mrs. Burgoyne's gowns, or rather gown, for she wore exactly the same costume to ever dinner, could hardly have been more startling than Santa Paloma found it, had it gone to any unbecoming extreme. Yet it was the simplest of black summer silks, soft and full in the skirt, short-sleeved, and with a touch of lace at the square-cut neck. She arranged her hair in a becoming loose knot, and somehow managed to look noticeably lovely and distinguished, in the gay assemblies. To brighten the black gown she wore a rope of pearls, looped twice about her white throat, and hanging far below her waist; pearls, as Mrs. Adams remarked in discouragement later, that "just made you feel what's the use! She could wear a kitchen apron with those pearls if she wanted to, everyone would know she could afford cloth of gold and ermine!"

From The Rich Mrs. Burgoyne (review here; For a contemporary account of Kathleen Norris, look here).

Do you have a favorite author for descriptions of dress, especially descriptions of twentieth-century dress? (Georgette Heyer is great for Regency dress, at least to read -- I have no idea how accurate her depictions are, but I'm sure someone will tell me!) Please leave your recommendations in the comments ...

Those Crazy Kids!

2008-08-07T09:03:00.000-05:00

Cecelia sent this to me (because of the pockets, obviously) and isn't it just neato keen? It's a teen pattern, which makes me think that probably someone, somewhere, saw this dress made up and clucked over the ridiculous habits of "kids today," with their enormous pockets and their lack of respect for authority.

This illustration, all by itself, is the plot of a Hayley Mills movie, isn't it? About orphan teen bank robbers. They (both roles played by Ms. Mills) are on a two-girl crime spree (and hunted by the police and all the papers, who think that they are not teens, but master criminals, albeit of very short stature) until they are befriended by a kindly bank guard (played by Morgan Freeman) who inspires them to change their ways. Somebody make that for me, okay? Thanks.

Oh, and speaking of crazy kids, do y'all remember Rebecca (of course you do, she designed this) and Trish (of CraftyPlanet.com)? They're currently working on a book called "One Yard Wonders," and are looking for really cool projects that can be made with no more than a yard of fabric. More details are here.

Please submit projects because I have a LOT of one-yard leftovers that I would really like to use up ...

Fabric Shopping in Japan: Liberty!

2008-08-05T10:16:00.002-05:00

I found this store completely by accident; I decided to walk down one side of the street rather than the other so as to stay in the shade, and, idly glancing through the shop windows, saw this:

Of course, agonizingly, the store wasn't open for another ten minutes. So I went and browsed through a children's clothes store across the street, afraid to roam further afield in case I lost my way and couldn't make it back. I did cleverly take this picture for directional reference (the shop is at the very corner of this street and the main Nippori drag):

When the shop finally did open (on the dot of 10 a.m., just as the sign said), I was the first one in the door -- to look at this:

and this:

and this:

The gentleman who was running the store when I was there was very helpful -- I asked permission to take these pictures, which was originally refused ... until I whipped out my handy Dress A Day business cards, after which everything was copacetic. I tried to explain "blog", but since I often have a hard time explaining "blog" in English, my hand gestures were not up to the task. So when he said "Magazine?" I said "Yes, computer magazine," and left it at that.

I ended up buying three meters of this:

Here's the selvage:

I am thinking that some of these patterns are Japan-only ... I haven't seen them anywhere else, not on Ebay.co.uk or on the new Liberty website. And it does say pretty clearly "Printed in Japan". Does anyone know for sure?

As Liberty goes, this wasn't hideously expensive -- I think it was about 2900 yen/meter, so about $29. Cheaper than Liberty in the U.S., that's for sure -- if you could even find it!

I accepted a business card but am unable to read it -- am posting it here for any scanlation help:

This store is the one closest to the top edge of the card, on this little map (you can get your orientation from the train station). Worst-case, you could always print this image and give it to the hotel concierge or cab driver -- that should get you to one of these stores!

Aside from Liberty, the store carried a lot of very high-end cottons -- including that red and yellow French-provincial stuff that handbags are made from, whose name I always forget -- and some wools and linens. I didn't spend a lot of time browsing other than among the Liberty, since I knew buying that piece of Liberty had already strained my fabric budget a bit ...

While I was paying for my fabric, the clerk even offered me a piece of chocolate. This is my kind of fabric store, I tell you.

Japanese Fabric Shopping: Tomato

2008-08-04T14:40:00.001-05:00

So, yes, I bought a little fabric in Japan. (I know you're all surprised by that.) Last Tuesday morning I went to Nippori Textile Town.

Small digression: I know it seems scary, the idea of running around a strange city, by yourself, not knowing a word of the language (okay, I can say "sugoy" which I *think* means "awesome!") -- but, really: it's okay. It's exhilarating, even. When you're traveling somewhere familiar you don't notice even a tenth of what's going on, because you don't have to. But when everything's strange, everything is important, and you notice every detail. The colors matter, and the expressions on people's faces, and even the flow of the air around you -- they're all clues as to where you are and what you should do. If traveling somewhere so different doesn't make you feel incredibly awake and alive, you're doing it wrong.

But: back to the fabric:

When you walk into Tomato in Nippori, the first thing you see is the half-wall of 100-yen fabrics, presided over by the winking Tomato. It's pretty crowded around that wall, as you might imagine. When I was there on a Tuesday morning, the crowd was split pretty evenly between younger, student-y looking women, and sweet-tiny-grandma-type women. (I was the only non-Japanese in the store that morning, as far as I could tell.)

There's a lot of other stuff on the first floor which I neglected to take pictures of; mostly linen-y things.

The second or third floor (I forget which) has silk:

Hilariously, each floor plays different music. The ground/first floor plays upbeat J-pop; the knits floor (which I also neglected to photograph) was playing some Justin Timberlake; but the silks floor was playing classic big-band jazz. Talk about setting the atmosphere!

I spent most of my time (and money) on the cotton-prints floor:

You have to pay for your purchases on each floor separately. It seemed to me as if they did take credit cards, but I had brought a lot of cash with me, so I used that, instead. (I like to leave a country with less than $20 of that country's currency on me. My bureau drawer is not an effective foreign-currency hedge.)

One nice touch was the display of completed projects and patterns that lined the stairwells and landings at each floor:

The store staff were very friendly, and, even though (as I said) I don't speak any Japanese, I managed to get by just fine with hand gestures and lots of smiling -- even when I was trying to express tricky things like "I want all that's left on this bolt, please." (However, if you need more than ten fingers to express how many meters you want, I'm not sure I can help you -- although I'm really impressed!)

So enough of the travelogue: what did I buy?

I finally found the elusive orange bandanna print; I think this was 300 yen/meter:

And some brown/red/teal heavier cotton, which will almost certainly become a skirt:

Some black floral/dot fabric, which is probably going to be a Duro Jr.:

And this orange leaf-and-stripe fabric, which is also going to be a Duro Jr. (Sorry, I'm obsessed.):

Lastly, I picked up about 8 meters of this stripey fabric for my friend Jilli, aka the "Lady of the Manners" at Gothic Charm School. Wondering why anyone would need 8 meters of black and white striped fabric? Go check out that site and not only will you know, you'll want some for yourself ...

Tomorrow: directions and photographs of the store in Nippori that sells LIBERTY.

Olympic-Class Fauxleros!

2008-07-30T14:01:00.004-05:00

Vireya sent this link to me, from the opening of the Olympic Village ... I really like the "fauxlero power!" hand gestures. Although I'm not exactly sure if these are fauxleros, or just extremely vestigial boleros. These may be the long-disputed missing link between the fauxlero and the bolero ...

Check out picture #5 in the series, too, to see the Olympic-rings hairstyles in closeup.

Also: Sheila (of Out of the Ashes Collectibles) is having a vacation sale: she's on vacation until late August (but with a quick trip home to mail orders about about August 7 or 8) and she is offering 15% off all orders. So if you don't mind waiting until 8/7 or 8/8 or after that the first of September it's a good savings!

And yes, I'm still in Japan, and yes, I bought a lot of fabric in Tokyo ... and if you want to know what brought me to Japan, it was giving this talk:

If Language Weren't a Commons ...

view presentation (tags: isummit08)

Yes, that first slide is blank. I should probably edit it to have my name or something on it, shouldn't I?

edited to add: Vireya found another photo, this one full-length:

Comic Con Dresses Are the Best Dresses

2008-07-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

Kristen is a very, very lucky person. First of all, she was lucky enough to find this fabric on eBay:

Then, she was lucky enough to go to Comic Con, which I have always wanted to do ... not just for the comics, but for the clothes. I mean costumes. Whatever.

And finally, she (naturally) decided that a trip to Comic Con needed a new dress, and made this one:

Hmm, perhaps now that I think about this, it might not be luck -- it's starting to look suspiciously like good planning and hard work ... which is even more impressive!

You should totally go check out Kristen's blog) to see the side and back views and the awesome red shoes she chose to go with the dress, too.

Pick-a-Pocket, Any Pocket

2008-07-27T06:10:00.002-05:00

Jim sent me this old fabric ad -- and can we just all agree that it's awesome? Leaving aside the weird fringe trim? And possibly the color beige?

I am thinking I really need one of these multipocket skirts -- especially the "hopscotch" version. I would like to make all the pockets close with contrasting bright plastic zippers (for just a tinch more security and a bit of extra wtf? sauce).

My favorite part of these old ads are the guarantees. This one states "GUARANTEE: 'If any article made principally of an Indian Head brand cotton fails to give proper service because of the fading or running of Indian Head colors, or if the fabric shrinks more than 1%, we will make good the total cost of the article.' Make sure the name INDIAN HEAD is on the selvage or hang tag."

I can't believe, though, that Indian Head cotton comes in 39 colors and BEIGE is the one they decided to feature. Beige. You know how they say the opposite of love is indifference? The opposite of color is not colorlessness, it's beige. I mean, I AM largely beige and I hate that color.

I should apologize for the spottiness of the "A Day" part of "Dress A Day" lately -- lots of travel. (I'm typing this at 6 a.m. in an airport departure lounge, actually ...) I'm on my way to Tokyo and Sapporo! Expect more Japanese fabric pictures and the concomitant Japanese fabric BUYING.

Seersucker Dress, As Promised

2008-07-24T09:21:00.004-05:00

Here's the seersucker dress (the Duro Junior pattern again) I promised to post when I got back (and I did get back, despite my flight being canceled; I got the next-to-last seat in the last row of the flight that left before my flight, and ended up arriving half an hour later than my flight was supposed to -- myriad and strange are the ways of airlines).

(The antepenultimate and ultimate seats on that flight -- i.e., the two seats next to me -- were occupied by Masters of The Universe who were swapping stories of the first-class seats they'd lost when their flights were canceled. Oh, woe!)

Anyway, I wasn't wearing this dress on the plane, although I did actually wash it during my trip so I could wear it twice! The weather was so horribly humid, and this dress is so cool, that it was a necessity. (Also, being seersucker, it dried in about twenty minutes after I hung it up.) I wished I had eleven of these so I could change into them twice a day.

At first I was a bit worried that this was too "swimsuit coverup," but after wearing it for a while that wore off.

There's a few more changes I want to make to this pattern: I want to make the pockets wider and deeper, and sew the top of them into the waistband for extra support. I need to lengthen the front bodice another half-inch; and alter the seam across the top of the shoulder so that it curves down a bit. (I like the sleeve to follow the arm, not stick straight out.) I lopped two inches off the skirt before I hemmed it, but it would be more efficient if I altered the pattern piece instead ... and maybe make the skirt a teeny bit fuller, too, if only to better accommodate the bigger pockets.

Right now I want to make it in lemon-yellow linen with brown linen banding, dark gray poplin with red, a pink-and-maroon floral fabric (better than it sounds) ... the list goes on. Maybe for my next trip I really will have eleven versions!

Oh, and maybe next time I'll match the stripes. But probably not:

And quickly: Jen at MOMSPatterns has started using "fauxlero" as a key word, meaning you can search for fauxleros on her site. AND she's running a 20% off sale from right now thru Sunday night, midnight EST with coupon code 'fauxlero'. (And there's a nice history of the word fauxlero and list of fauxlero patterns on the Vintage Pattern Wiki ...)

Ridiculous(ly Expensive) Shoes

2008-07-21T16:34:00.002-05:00

I saw these shoes in a shop window a month or so ago, and they looked so cute. Then I saw them on the street, on a real person, and they were even cuter. So I went into the shop (Prada, a place where I don't remember ever going into before -- what would be the point?), took this surreptitious picture, and am now posting it. I would link to them but I can't find an online seller.

They caught my eye, of course, because they are RICK-RACK SANDALS, and as such, absolutely gorgeous. They're also $495, which puts them WAY out of my budget (that is, if my budget were at the Equator, this pair of shoes would be at Alpha Centauri) which is sad.

My hope is that I can outlast everyone else -- in six months, these shoes will be "so last-season," whereas my love for rick-rack knows no season. There will be pairs going begging, and I will snap them up, preferably on eBay. At least, that's my fantasy.

There's also a high-heel version, but I didn't bother taking a picture of those. (I was terrified of the salesladies, frankly.)

(If you look at the reflection in the chrome edging of the table, you can see my stripey seersucker dress. I'll try and post about that dress towards the end of the week.)

A Guest Rant on "Why Are Vintage Patterns So Expensive?"

2008-07-17T17:12:00.006-05:00

I got this great "guest rant" from a pattern seller (who will remain anonymous) and I thought it was worth posting.

[Although] I will note that no one's raised the issue of "How much did they pay people for the valuable vintage they are offering us" or "I bet they paid $5.00 for 20 patterns, how can they charge us $15.00 each for them??" (or significantly more, in some cases).

[It's] a very valid point and I don't want to ruin your comment section by addressing it ... I have a good answer for how and why I price my offerings:

Yes I often buy boxes of old patterns for very little cost for the box. But I got up at 4:00AM to be first in line at the estate sale that I thought might possibly have vintage patterns. I stood in line for 2 hours and tried to be first in the door. When I got in the door I started pushing past people and heading for the garage or shed where the patterns usually are and lo and behold there are 2 boxes, rat pellets, roach carcasses and all ...

I make my best deal and tote the smelly mess to my car. When I get them home I sit down and go through them to see if there are any beautiful finds that need my immediate attention. I sort by priority which goes first and which gets stored for another day. Then I start with the high priority ones and spread out and check to make sure all the pieces are there and cry when they aren't. I remove old pins (usually unless I miss one), I iron the envelope and the instructions so they are nice and readable.

Then I scan (or rather the DH scans) the envelope and sends it to me. I size it and clarify it a bit so it is readable. If I'm feeling creative I "clean" the front just for my files and cause I like 'em that way. Then it's time to write the listing. Gotta hold that pattern so I know the proper size and measurements ... 'cause they're mostly different through the years.

Then I package the little beauty in a plastic bag and file it away until it goes to its new owner ... by this time I've spent an average of 1-2 manhours, gasoline (at $4 a gallon) and we don't even count the time spent in line at the estate sale ...

Now it's listing time ... we all know that eBay doesn't do anything for free (and even website space costs) so I've got 1-2 hours time, a plastic bag, gas money, and then we add FEES. Take away everything else and the fees alone eat into the profit. If I manage to get $9.99 for a pattern and it better be a special one ... I get to put $8.00 of that in my pocket. Take away a few cents for packaging and equipment (scanner, computer, iron) maintenance and we're down to $7.50 ... O yeah, the 25 cents I paid for the pattern ... we're at $7.25. IF THE PATTERN SELLS! Considering the 1-2 manhours involved ... That's below minimum wage.

I thought this was worth posting because so many of us forget about the overhead and just plain TIME that's involved in running a small business, especially when you're doing everything yourself (or with the help of your spouse, who may or may not have another full-time job). Sure, I hear people say "I could buy that at the Salvation Army for a dollar," but I always want to ask them "Really? That exact pattern? You're sure it's there? When do they close, by the way?"

You're really paying for everything above, plus the luxury of choice -- being able to select from the range of patterns in the seller's web store. And (at least for my advertisers) reassurance that all the pieces are there, and a good chance of a refund if they're not (try that with the Salvation Army ...).

One last thing: if you do think vintage patterns are too expensive, you have a lot of options. You can not buy them, for one. Modern patterns are much, much cheaper (if you wait for the $1.99 pattern sales at the major fabric chains). You can set up a wait-for-it search on eBay and hope someone who doesn't know what they have will list it. And, of course, you can always draft your own.

That pattern up above? It's $75 (at The Blue Gardenia, sorry, there's not direct link to the pattern page). Unused, an in-demand bust size, a fancy pattern, and a great illustration. Is it worth $75? It is to somebody!