Farewell, Pfaff 30, etc.

Friends, if you've been reading MPB for more than a year, you probably know that my vintage Pfaff 30, which I found at the end of 2010 on Craigslist and bought from a Broadway actress (whose mother had purchased it new) was one of my most treasured sewing machine finds.

It hadn't been sewn with for decades and the motor burned off many layers of smoky dust at first.  But once I had this machine cranking, it was a fabulous workhorse and I thought we'd be together forever.  But life doesn't always turn out the way we expect.

How could I have predicted that between then and now I would acquire two Singer Featherweights, a Kenmore 158.141 in a table, a Kenmore 158.1040 (the 3/4 portable with the rose-embossed case), and a Singer 201 gifted from Rain?  Suddenly, my Pfaff, which I'd sewn on constantly throughout the early part of 2010, felt redundant and, once I found my Featherweight table at Christmastime last year, it took up precious space I no longer had.

I decided to sell it, but due to my ambivalence, I didn't do much to make that happen.  As it does so often, however, fate intervened.  Two MPB readers, Kimberly and Amanda, came to see me in Noah's Very Unusual Insight last Friday, and while I was chatting with them after the show, I offhandedly mentioned that if either one of them was interested in a vintage Pfaff straight stitcher, they should let me know (ha ha).  Lo and behold, the following day I received an email from Kimberly saying that she was interested in the machine!

A picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll let it do the talking.  Below are Amanda (left) and Kimberly (right) last night.



Here's Amanda carrying the table (without the machine in it, of course) out of my apartment and out of my life (sob).



I'm still in shock, but Kimberly assures me that I can come visit my-I mean her Pfaff in the East Village whenever I want (That IS what you said, isn't it, Kimberly?).  That made me feel a little better.  I gave Kimberly a detailed tutorial on how the machine works -- how to oil it, thread it, wind the bobbin, etc.  I wasn't sure if I was being overly parental but, hey, I could be Kimberly's father (alas).  I feel responsible.

Thankfully, this painful goodbye has been somewhat offset by a few exciting hellos.

My O'Mast video arrived yesterday!  This is the documentary about Neopolitan tailoring by Gianluca Migliarotti I mentioned over the weekend, which has also been featured on the blog Made by Hand -- The Great Sartorial Debate.  Should we have a home screening/pot luck sometime this Spring perhaps?  Look at the cute packaging!







I also just received Lynda Maynard's book, The Dressmaker's Handbook of Couture Sewing Techniques.  I'll talk more about this one in the future, but here's a peek.









On Sunday, I promised you a pic of Michael's sister Sara's Prada pumps, picked up at a NYC consignment store at a great -- albeit still high in my book, but what do I know? -- price on her visit here last weekend.  I must say they're lovely and (Sara assures me) practical!



Big news!  We now have RCN cable Internet service instead of crummy Verizon DSL.  Uploads are practically instantaneous.  I called for installation on Monday and Monday evening we were already using it -- how often does that happen in life?  Normally I hate dealing with phone/Internet/cable companies, but it felt SO good to cancel my Verizon service, I can't tell you.

Friends, that's it.  A few questions:

1) Have you ever sold a vintage sewing machine and later regretted it?

2) Have you ever bought/sold shoes on consignment? 

3) Can anyone recommend a good HD video camera (or a still camera that has HD video capability) for less than $500?  (Ideally much less)  Now that I have cable Internet I'd like to produce some higher quality video but my Canon S90 doesn't do HD.

4) Anybody up for a spring potluck/screening (maybe we can throw in another video and make it a double feature.  The Singing Nun perhaps?)

Have a great day, everybody!

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Vogue Pattern Winner + Recent Acquisitions!

First, friends, we have our winner of V2787, the glamorous 1948 Vogue repro pattern!

She's a lover of savory vegetable pot pie made with barley and red lentils who uses butter in her pastry, put your hands together for SONDRA!



Sondra, please shoot me an email (peterlappinnyc at gmail dot com) and I'll get your pattern off to you ASAP.  Congratulations!

Meanwhile, readers, you may be wondering what else has been going on in my life.  I've been a little distracted preparing for our upcoming show this Friday and Saturday, so I haven't been doing any sewing to speak of, and yes, I know it's been nearly a month now.  One must recharge one's batteries, though, and I think I may need a complete new set.

So far this year I have been very good about shopping on eBay, or rather not shopping on eBay.  In fact, only last night I decided that of all the things I need right now, a Dritz needle board is not one of them.  Even second hand those things are expensive!

I did buy a DVD the other day, however.  I've been anxious to see O'Mast, the documentary about Neapolitan tailors and tailoring, for nearly a year now.  Have you seen this short clip from the film?  It looks marvelous. 


O'MAST from Kid Dandy on Vimeo.

Anyway, there have been a few screenings in NYC, but I've missed them all, so I decided to treat myself to my own copy.  It should arrive shortly and I'll let you know what it's like.

You may also be wondering about my new Claire Shaeffer Couture Sewing Techniques Workshop DVD.  I received it last week and will have more to say about it in a future post.  In brief: I loved it and who knew there were so many kinds of hand sewing needles?

Readers, do you remember this sparkly fabric I bought last summer?



I finally found the pattern for it, which I picked up for just a few dollars on Etsy the other day.  It's very Diane Von Furstenberg meets Halston with a twist of Liza, don't you think?  (I'll be making the pants version.)



Of course, I could have cobbled this look together using patterns I already own, but since I'm giving away a pattern today, I figured I could make room for one more.  Does that make sense?

Finally, I bought a book (I know, I know...), Lynda Mayard's The Dressmaker's Handbook of Couture Sewing Techniques.



I am hoping this will be a sort of intermediate-level book for those who want to do more hand sewing, but aren't entirely ready to give up their serger.  It's spiral bound, so that's exciting.  We'll see what it's like...

Readers, that's it!

Are you familiar with the Maynard book?  How would you compare it to Claire Shaeffer?  I'll have more to say about why I'm buying all these couture books...as soon as I figure it out myself. 

Anybody out there thread tracing their seam lines?

Happy Wednesday, everybody!

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Peter's Fashion Forecast for 2012!

Readers, imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon the book Fashion Trends: Analysis and Forecasting by Eundeok Kim, Ann Marie Fiore, and Hyejeong Kim at my local library yesterday.  Talk about synchronicity! 



I eagerly paged through it and discovered it to be about as dry as a fashion-related book can be, though, granted, it's a textbook.  If this doesn't turn students off fashion trend analysis nothing will. 





There's a dirty little secret buried at the end of this book (p. 153) and it's quite the eyebrow raiser: "...most U.S. retailers experience large errors in their sales forecasts, resulting in dramatic financial losses. According to the U.S. Census Bureau and National Retail Federation, U.S. retailers are losing more than $200 billion a year due to forecast errors (Kumar & Patel, 2008).

Yes, folks, $200 billion.  What does that tell you about the success of fashion forecasting?

My hunch is that if I told you to dig around the Internet and come up with ten likely fashion trends for Fall 2012, you could do it by tomorrow morning.  You don't need a Ph.D. and you can skip Fashion Trends: Analysis and Forecasting.  You need to be creative, observant, confident in your choices, and able to justify them.



Let's face it, nobody knows for sure what's going to happen tomorrow, whether it's in economics, politics, or fashion.  But decisions need to be made today and forecasting gives us the confidence and -- when necessary (like when sales suck) -- provides a justification, so we don't lose our jobs.

It's not our fault -- Pantone predicted Tangerine Tango!

The truth is that people who need clothes are largely going to be limited to what's in the stores.  They'll have to buy something, so if they're told that the big color is orange and that's what they see, they're going to buy orange.  They may prefer red, but if there's no red to be had, they won't be buying red.  Which helps to justify our choice of orange.  If orange doesn't meet expectations, though, we can always blame it on the economy, the weather, or bloggers.

It's like American presidential campaigns.  By the time elections happen, we're choosing between two people we can't stand, neither of whom will represent our interests.  But if we're going to vote, this is the choice we have, and invariably a vote in favor of candidate A or B will be interpreted as a mandate for his or her positions, though it's nothing of the kind.

Just as it's no surprise that relatively few people end up voting, it's shouldn't be a shock to discover that a growing number of people today are shopping in thrift stores, making their own clothes, and snubbing their noses at fashion forecasting.  They've dropped out of the "fashion system" and are doing their own thing or whatever their immediate peer group is doing.  Or the opposite of that.

Friends, here are my five fashion predictions for 2012.  I invite you to add some of your own, below.

1) Women and men will continue to wear tight jeans.  In fact, the big word for 2012 is denim.  Does this sound a lot like last year's prediction, and the year before that?  Surprise!

2) Men will increasingly adopt the late Nineteenth Century prospector look.  Plaid vests, tight pants, suspenders, long underwear, high laced boots, wire frame granny glasses, and shaggy beards.  Fashion forward types will blacken a few teeth.

3) Vintage-inspired fashion will continue to grow in popularity.   Mad Men-inspired dressing will wane, as young people rediscover Here's Lucy and The Mother's In-Law on DVD.  It's all about 1968!

.


4.  BIG colors for Fall 2012:  Dusty Rose (think Cathy's Forties coat) and Teal (because Michael says so).  If not Fall 2012, maybe Fall 2013.  Anyway, it will happen eventually so don't be caught behind the trend.







5.  Black is the new black.  Yes, black is back, and will replace navy, tan, and gray as the neutral du jour.  Expect to see black in men's swimsuits, men's and women's shoes, women's pants, and men's formal wear.   Plus all-things funeral-related.  A return to the classics!

Readers, I think that's enough forecasting for now -- I don't want to overwhelm you, or myself.

Please tell us about the trends you're seeing in your neck of the woods and what you predict for the coming year.  Should anyone be investing in day-glo at this point?  And after Tangerine Tango...what?

Of course, please (briefly) share why you believe your predictions are likely to come true.  Be creative!

Have a great day, everybody!

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On "Famous Frocks" and sewing books in general

Friends, I'm happy to report that I'm feeling much better and was able to make it to the library yesterday, where I happened upon a copy of the new sewing book Famous Frocks by Sara Alm and Hannah McDevitt.  Are you familiar with it?



I rarely find sewing books at the library, not that I look for them much.  I own a ton already and have leafed through even more, but I find that for my current level of sewing -- which I'd categorize as intermediate, whatever that really means -- there isn't much new; the masters remain the masters. And let's face it, 90% of what a sewist is ever going to need to know can be found in the highly untrendy Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing.  Am I wrong?

More experienced sewers are already committed to their craft and don't need a strong hook to lure them into a book purchase, or expect a book to come with patterns included.  And they probably already own too many (books and patterns).

But demographics change and a new generation of sewers demands its own sewing books, and why not?  But to judge from many of the new sewing books, the focus today is on making sewing fun.  I have a lot of thoughts about why this is the case, but I'll save that for another post.

So I borrowed Famous Frocks and had a look. 

It's much easier to criticize other people's work than to create your own, readers, and a lot of how a book ends up is beyond the author's control.  That said, as much as I wanted to love Famous Frocks, I was a little disappointed.  Here's why and I'll be specific.



The title and subheading of this book are a bit misleading.  The authors choose 10 celebrities with highly identifiable (some to the point of banality) signature looks (Jackie, Audrey, Marilyn, Twiggy: all present and accounted for).  The book includes a paper pattern reinterpreting (i.e. simplifying) each iconic look.  Included too is a slight variation for each look/dress.



While Jackie's signature A-line is attributed to Oleg Cassini, Audrey's LBD to Givenchy, and Marilyn's Seven Year Itch dress to William Travilla, no designer is mentioned for Bette Davis, although Orry-Kelly and Edith Head played a huge role in creating her onscreen wardrobe.  Am I being too picky?  No designer is mentioned with regard to Twiggy either.   Shouldn't a book entitled Famous Frocks either mention all the frock's original designers, or the designers behind the icon's famous look?

Farrah Fawcett is shown in what is referred to as a wrap dress, "likely inspired by none other than Diane von Furstenberg."  Notice anything unusual about this wrap dress, eagle-eyed readers?





Whoops, it's a shirtdress.  Anyway, Farrah's hair was iconic, and the book includes a wrap dress pattern, which I think most people prefer to a shirtdress these days anyway.

The book contains no photographs of its patterns sewn up, just leggy illustrations, which may have had more to do with budget constraints than anything else, but I think the book really suffers for it.



You can see some versions of the finished dresses here, at a website whose URL is buried in the closing acknowledgments.  (I think some of them are cute, actually.)  Much is made about uploading your own versions to famousfrocks.com.   Obviously, something went wrong.





Like so many sewing books I've seen lately, Famous Frocks seems primarily targeted at the young female Project Runway fan who'd like to learn to sew her own clothes.  That's why there's a glossary with terms like baste and gather.  And why pretty much all the outfits lean toward the slim 'n' sexy.   



For someone like that this book could be inspiring and fun.  I know I'm not the target audience.  But would someone who wanted to dress like mid-Eighties Madonna also want to dress like Rita Hayworth or Twiggy?

One last pet peeve: I find some version of this in many contemporary sewing books with regard to using vintage patterns and it's here as well:

With vintage patterns, sizing and fit is always an issue...

ALWAYS?  Now as then, if your measurements match those of your pattern, the garment should fit.  If not -- which is more the rule than the exception -- you're going to have to make some alterations to the pattern.  Sometimes, true, patterns of yore (especially Fifties-era patterns) assumed you'd be wearing different undergarments than those popular today, which would enhance the final look and affect the fit of the garment, but there's a modern version available today of virtually everything grandma wore.  Or just adjust the fit.

You can see more pics of Famous Frocks here.

Finally, my dream sewing book, which isn't really a sewing book at all:

A highly experienced costumer, perhaps with the aid of a writer, deconstructs a series of actual dresses or gowns from Hollywood's Golden Age -- perhaps from a private collection; they don't have to be iconic, though ideally we would be able to track the costume to a specific film and performer -- and shows, in extreme detail, precisely what techniques were involved, specifically what materials, shortcuts, and so forth, maybe even how the design was intended to flatter or camouflage the person's body.  That is a book I'd buy.  

Any thoughts about favorite or not-so-favorite sewing books you wish to share?

Go for it!

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Peter's New Book For Better Sewing or "The Dert on Gert"

Readers, I own many sewing books.  Probably too many.  I try not to think about it.

But there is one sewing book I've wanted for a long time now, a rare old sewing book, around which something of a cult has formed.  Can you guess which book this is?

Yes, that book!

Blogging buddy Gertie and I have so much in common.  We both love vintage sewing, small, furry pets, and deep red lipsticks with blue undertones. 

I know it reflects poorly on my character, but I often ask myself, What does Gertie have that I don't have, other than translucent skin (I've started exfoliating), a book deal (be patient), and youth?  Some say I have borrowed too liberally from Gertie since launching MPB.  But isn't imitation the highest form of flattery?

Anyway, friends, I decided I simply had to get my greedy mitts on Vogue's New Book For Better Sewing to see what all the fuss was about and perhaps to figure out Gertie's next move.  So last week, when I saw a copy available on eBay for the bargain price of -- let's just say half what a used copy currently costs on Amazon, I jumped at the chance.  At first I was resistant to spending so much money on another sewing book, but Michael convinced me that if I didn't like it, I could always resell it.  I have even discovered that Gertie herself is looking for another copy, so I could sell my copy to her, with a minor mark-up, of course.

Long story short, I bought the book and it has arrived! 



So what's it like?

Readers, VNBFBS is a lovely book.  Does it include sewing techniques I wouldn't find in other vintage sewing books?  Probably not.  But the concept -- unusual in its day -- of moving the reader through progressively more challenging sewing projects, is a brilliant one.  And unlike many of today's sewing books, it doesn't have you starting off with a pencil case, a sewing machine cover, or a tote bag (people didn't tote in 1952, they threw their packages in the back of their Chrysler Town & Country Convertible).

No, you jump right into a chic chemise dress, and the book assumes you have the skills to handle it -- though sewing techniques are outlined at the beginning of the book, along with a glossary of sewing terms.



One of the things about most other sewing books -- back then as well as today -- is that they are organized by specific technique.  This makes them excellent reference books, but they are much less likely to be read from cover to cover.  Nobody sits down and thinks, I'm going to spend today inserting zippers.  You're more likely to be working on a project that needs a zipper, and after inserting it, move on. 

VNBFBS focuses on projects, and walks you through each one in great detail.  As you probably already know, the projects themselves are Vogue patterns the reader would have had to purchase separately.  Thanks to the Internet, these patterns can now be collected (I believe Gertie has found all of them), but the process is time-consuming and potentially very costly.  But there are zillions of vintage patterns out there that are similar to the ones in the book.  In fact, only two days ago, for about $5, I picked up this vintage Vogue pattern on eBay that resembles both the "background dress" project and the coat project in the book.  Lovely, no?



I think the bolero chapter, for example, would be helpful for any vintage bolero, not just the one discussed.





I think I'll be keeping VNBFBS for right now.  It's charmingly written -- "Under the sun or under the stars, the portrait-neckline blouse has a way of making you your prettiest and most feminine." -- and beautifully art-directed, with excellent illustrations and period photography.  I think any vintage fashion home sewer would appreciate it.  I'll admit, though, the constant focus on tailor tacks to mark every dart line seems archaic to me, but it's obviously a couture technique others find valuable.  I'll stick to pencil or chalk.

You can see more photos of Vogue's New Book For Better Sewing here.

Moving on, to be filed under "Solutions in Search of a Problem" I  must share this cutting-edge June Tailor notion I recently stumbled upon.



Friends, how often are you in the middle of a complicated sewing project when you find yourself in need of a pin.  You reach over to your pin cushion, only to discover dozens of protruding possibilities.  Which to choose -- the glass head pin, the flower head pin, the blue, the red, or the black?  Seconds pass, which over the course of one's sewing career could add up to countless minutes of precious life you won't get back.

Choosing a pin the old-fashioned way also requires casting one's glance to the periphery of one's line of vision or even turning one's neck, risking vertigo, whiplash, or worse.  If only there were a solution to this potentially crippling problem!

Friends, look no further!  June Tailor's Pintastic makes your pin choice for you!  This battery-operated device automatically dispenses a pin -- as if by magic!  No twisting, no turning, and, best of all, no thinking!



How much would you expect to pay for this amazing space-age convenience?  $200?  $100?  How about just $59.99?  It's true!  But wait -- are you sitting down? -- you can now purchase Pintastic directly from June Tailor for the reduced price of only $29.99!!  But hurry, quantities are limited.  (4 AA alkaline batteries not included.)

And to think, Christmas is just around the corner!

Personally, I love the aerodynamic lines of June Tailor's Pintastic, which resembles nothing so much as a vintage 1950's toilet bowl -- in fact, my Aunt Florence had one exactly like it in the bathroom of her suburban ranch house in Clifton, New Jersey.

Aunt Florence's toilet

Friends, that's all for today.  I have much sewing to do as I'm sure you do too.  Right now, however, I need to pay a visit to my Pintastic, or the next closest thing (wink, wink).

Have a pintastic day, everybody!

Any owners of VNBFBS out there? What do you think?

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Resurrecting Dead Couture Houses

Friends, when Pablo Picasso, the tremendously prolific painter who also made ceramics, sculptures, drawings, prints, and even rugs, died in 1973, that was the end; there would be no more Picassos.  There was no search for someone to take over the studio and paint Picasso-like paintings to sell to a public still hungry for more.

When legendary Broadway composer Richard Rodgers died in 1979, the estate didn't look for a new composer to create Sound of Music II: The Return of Rolf.  



Why then, are there so many fashion houses bearing the names of famous dead couturiers like Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, Dior, and more recently Alexander McQueen?

Obviously many fashion houses do indeed close up shop when the founder dies.   But in this era of the global brand, it seems it's simply too profitable to stay in business, find another designer who will create in the style of the original, and pump out new fashions every season.

(If you've been following what's been happening over at Halston, it all starts to feel like a joke.  Let Halston die already!)

A lot of this relates to the public's understanding of how contemporary fashion, as opposed to, say, paintings, is created.  We know that most fashion designers are not couturiers, and that fashion companies employ huge staffs that do most of the actual design work.  Nobody imagines that Ralph Lauren or Tommy Hilfiger sketch, or pin, or baste.  Most people don't care who did the actual designing and we'll probably never find out.   It's mass fashion, albeit "designer" mass fashion.

Even back in the golden age of couture, while the couturier might have had the original vision, it was the staff who would actually execute the garments, and many houses employed staffs of hundreds, from cutters, embroiderers, and seamstresses, to models and vendeuses.  Even at its highest level, fashion was always very much a group effort.

I'm reading a fascinating book about Spanish-born couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga by Lesley Ellis Miller, and it's the best-written book -- if not the most sumptuously produced -- about couture I have ever read.







After Balenciaga's death in 1972, the business, which by this time included perfume and accessories, passed on to family members, who subsequently sold it.  It has since changed hands multiple times and is now owned by the Gucci Group, part of the French conglomerate PPR.  The creative director is the highly acclaimed young(ish) designer Nicholas Guesquière, and today Balenciaga thrives once more, albeit as a ready-to-wear house.  Guesquière has access to the Balenciaga archives, and refers to them from time to time for inspiration.





But other than the name and occasional references to some iconic silhouettes, what does this really have to do with couturier Balenciaga, except a way to cash in on his legacy? Isn't that what this really comes down to -- cash?  It's cheaper to resurrect an old brand than start up a new one, presumably, and much more profitable.  

Balenciaga represented the pinnacle of couture in the Postwar period and into the late Sixties, when he formally retired.  He set the standard for quality workmanship and innovative design.  Other couturiers revered him.  Among his protégés were Ungaro, Courrèges, and Givenchy, who went on to become hugely successful in their own right  -- and under their own names.

Now, I'm no more likely to have bought this stuff back then then I am now -- these were always clothes for the extremely well-to-do, just as they are today.  But the relentless marketing of these "luxury" brands today -- so well described in books like The End of Fashion by Teri Agins, and Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster by Dana Thomas -- can make a person cynical.

No matter how much money we do or do not have, there's something nice about knowing that someone out there is creating the best that money can buy, as opposed to the most profitable item, to be purchased by status-hungry trendsetters who don't know the difference.

At what point does the global branding of the old couture house-thing just become a big joke -- on us?



I'd be curious to know what you think about this.  Does it bother you that there's no longer a Balenciaga behind Balenciaga or do you not really care either way?  Is this, ultimately, an elitist argument against the democratization of luxury?

And now for today's Daily Ditch.

Friends, I've been hitting my closets and I'm starting small -- just some sweaters, tee shirts, running shorts: things I've owned for years and haven't worn in ages.   Time to say farewell.  

Not a Balenciaga label among them!



Have a great day, everybody!

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