Giveaway Winner + Last BIG purchase of 2011, promise!

Good morning, Ann Margret fans and others!   Huh?  Keep reading.

First, I'd like to announce the winner of the Mae West paper doll giveaway.  Please put your hands together for...DAMO!

Damo, please email me your contact information (peterlappinnyc at gmail dot com) and I'll get Mae over to you ASAP.  Congratulations!

Moving right along, friends, there's something about the holidays that makes us want to buy stuff.  Actually, everything about the the holidays makes us want to buy stuff, and that's just the way Madison Avenue likes it.  I pride myself on being highly resistant to most impulse purchases (Who just snorted -- did that come from Australia?), but the other day I happened to pop into the Housing Works Thrift Store on 17th Street -- never a good idea at holiday time -- and I was overtaken with the spirit of giving.  To myself.

Readers, I don't consider myself a true doll collector.  OK, I own a dozen Ken dolls, but I consider them decor, like ashtrays or commemorative Elvis plates.  I don't obsess over them or try to collect all their outfits and I hardly ever play with them.  But when I saw this very unusual doll, I simply couldn't resist.

Meet Patti Playpal!  (Yes, she came with her original tag).



One thing you need to know right off the bat about Patti, is that she is big.  BIG.



Some might say grotesquely large.





Patti is so big, in fact, that you were instructed to sew real 3 year old-size clothes for her.  Friends, if I ever talk about doing that, please organize an intervention.  But honestly, isn't this vintage McCall's outfit cute?

I know some of you will find Patti -- and her outsized presence in my living room -- the stuff of nightmares, but I hope you'll come around eventually.   Michael did, or he will any day now.  He's still a little freaked out.



Now, if I told you Patti was only $15, surely you would understand why I couldn't resist her charms.  To be clear, Patti has a little crack on her upper thigh, but hey, she's nearly 50 years old!   I trust some of you doll aficionados will instruct me how to mend it (something having to do with acrylic nail powder, perhaps?).

And here's the Ann Margret bit.  Don't you think she resembles Ann Margret...just a little?

In closing, I hope I haven't set a bad example for those of you desperate for any excuse to indulge your most outrageous holiday shopping whims.   If you keep it under $20, I think it's OK.  I can't translate that into Euros, but we're basically talking the cost of lunch for two at McDonalds.

Readers, do any of you remember Patti Playpal?  Did any of you actually own one, or envy a childhood friend who did?  Would you display her 1) on the floor, 2) atop a credenza 3) in the back of a closet -- waaaay back.

You can watch the original Patti Playpal TV commercial here. 

Have a great day, everybody!

(More Patti pics here.)

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Mae West Style + GIVEAWAY!

She wasn't thin, she wasn't young (not at the height of her fame anyway), and she wasn't particularly beautiful, yet there's no denying that Mae West was a true sex symbol in her day.

What do you make of Brooklyn-born Mae West -- actress, playwright, singer, comedian, sexual trailblazer?

Many excellent biographies of Mae West have been written in the last decade and she wrote her own autobiography in the late Fifties, Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It.   Outspoken about female sexuality (and sexuality in general), she was a feminist before feminism had a name.  And yet, especially toward the end of her life, she seemed trapped in the campy caricature she herself had created -- the raunchy, ever-sexually-available woman.

Apart from her movies, the best of which were made in the Thirties for Paramount, she's best known for her endless witticisms, among them,  “Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere,"  “I used to be Snow White, but I drifted,""It's not the men in your life, it's the life in your men," and  “When I'm good, I'm very good, but when I'm bad, I'm better. ”

Mae started performing around 1900 and was still performing in the Nineteen-Seventies!  To see Mae West in her last film, Sextette, however, wig piled atop wig, is to watch someone who seems to have lost perspective on how they come across.   In her mind, she never changed -- which in one way (her taste) was true, but in another (her allure) was terribly false.  I guess you can argue that it's heroic that she never dropped the mask in public; I'm not so sure.

I love Mae West, and in her early films she seems more like a real person than the lip-smacking, hip-rolling stereotype she became.  Before the so-called Hays Code in 1934 forced her to censor her more explicit material (which she wrote herself) she was one-of-a-kind bawdy.  She was still one-of-a-kind after 1934, but tamed, she was much less fun.  She eventually stopped working in films to perform on stage in successes like Catherine Was Great (she played Catherine).  She also had a touring stage show with loincloth-clad musclemen and was an occasional guest star on TV (Mr. Ed), usually playing herself.  Her return to films in Myra Breckinridge in 1970 was a big comeback for her, and she was back in the limelight till the end, recording albums of rock music (The Doors!), giving interviews, and promoting new projects.

Mae nearly always appeared in spangly Gay Nineties-inspired gowns or variations thereof -- many designed by Paramount costume designer Edith Head -- that showed off her hourglass figure.  Ostrich plumes, sequins, and huge hats were all part of the look that she stuck with throughout her career.   She wasn't a tall woman, and she wore shoes like these for extra height, hidden under her gown.  Can you imagine?

I have a wonderful Mae West giveaway today for all you Mae West fans out there, the Mae West Paper Doll book by Tom Tierney.  It's full of beautiful color illustrations (and detailed information) of many of her most famous costumes from stage and screen, as well as biographical information about Mae herself.









If you'd like to be considered for the Mae West giveaway, just leave a comment below before Wednesday at midnight, EST.  I'll announce the winner on Thursday, December 15, and will try to ship it out to you in time for Christmas.  (If you want to comment but don't want to be entered in the giveaway, just let me know.)

What are your thoughts about Mae West?  Do you find her inspirational and empowering, or embarrassing?  Role model or relic?

Do tell!

Here's Mae still going (semi) strong, somewhere in her mid Eighties, speak-singing Captain and Tennille as only she could.

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Peter's Thursday WIG-A-PALOOZA!

Readers, I believe when we've reached the point that we're sewing men's pants flies closed, it's time to take a break.  Of course, this means that I'm imposing my break on you.  So no pants today.

Instead, I want to talk about something altogether different -- wigs!  I've written about wigs before (most extensively here), and it's no secret that I'm a big fan.  To me, there's very little difference between a wig and, say, fur.  It's a luxurious, hairy accessory.

After jewelry, any woman who isn't a member of PETA would be delighted to receive a fur coat as a gift, don't you think?  (Or is this a woefully dated belief based on too many re-runs of I Love Lucy?)  And yet buy a woman a wig for a gift and you'll likely be scorned.  Buy a woman a used wig....well you can just imagine.  To me, on the other hand, there's nothing more fun than a used wig, and no better place to find them than eBay.  For some reason, there are many people selling used wigs -- perhaps due to the death of an elderly relative or neighbor -- and not many buyers.

Among my many weaknesses, one is an indisputable tendency to buy multiples of things.  I pick up a vintage Ken doll on a lark, and only a few months later I own a small vinyl army of them.





Remember the vintage Samsonite train case  I bought last winter?  Not one week after receiving it, I bought another -- the same identical case!  One I use for makeup and one I use for Ken doll clothes and how often do you think I'm reaching for a tiny suit and end up finding eyelash glue?





This unusual quirk is the same reason why I own three Chrissy dolls, two Singer Featherweights and, oh, I could go on and on.



Anyway, one recent evening I somehow stumbled into the wig category on eBay, and I simply couldn't resist picking up a few lots (yes, lots) at prices so low they were practically paying me to take them.  I'm sure each of these wigs has an interesting story to tell which I'd rather not know.  Think of them as miniature fur coats.  I bought the two groupings below.  I love how each wig style has a romantic name -- among my first group is Petite Secret (which is anything but), Brussels (no doubt modeled on the sprouts), and Sensational (uh...not quite).





The first lot is here, and the second should arrive today.  Exciting, no?

I thought it would be fun to model each wig alongside the celebrity the wig most immediately calls to mind, and ask you to identify him/her.  One wig, however, doesn't make me think of anyone (other than Michael's Aunt Mary) so I'm going to ask you to think of somebody.

Here goes:

Wig #1





Wig #2





Wig #3





Wig #4 -- Friends, this is the mystery wig.  Whom does this wig remind you of?  Valuable prizes await the lucky winner -- perhaps a fur coat of your very own!





Any ideas, folks?  I know I look like somebody famous, but I can't figure out who.  A singer on Lawrence Welk perhaps?

Please leave your ideas below, as well as the names of the first three celebrities.

In closing, how do you feel about wigs?  Why does the obviously wiggy wig often invite scorn -- unless it's being worn by, say, Tina Turner -- when nobody for a moment believes women actually have blue eyelids or crimson lips?

Wig out with me today!

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Jeans Sew-Along 10.5 -- Rivets FAIL + Gifts Galore!

Friends, contrary to popular opinion, I am just a person.  Like you, I have my highs and my lows, my successes and my failures.  In the latter camp must go jeans rivets.  Try as I might I simply cannot manage to attach them correctly.  I can poke the hole in the fabric all right, it's everything else.

So you can imagine how galling it is to read that in Eugenia's "(fabulous) world of fashion," her stunning new jeans have perfect rivets WHICH EUGENIA ATTACHED HERSELF!  My stomach is turning as I type.

Of course, Eugenia had the assistance of something called Prym Vario Pliers, which she claims cost only £9.50 -- EUGENIA, WILL YOU PLEASE TRANSLATE THAT INTO US DOLLARS FOR THE REST OF US?  The sun does set on the British Empire you know...

Eugenia has a very overzealous legal team or I'd post a photo of her here in her perfect-fitting purple jeans -- which she made following a Pattern Review course, mind you, not the MPB Jeans Sew-Along, but whatever.  So you'll just have to trot over to Euguenia's (fabulous) world to check them out.  Grrr....

Anyway, to be honest, I don't even like rivets in my jeans, and if that sounds like sour grapes, so be it.  I didn't even know jeans had rivets until someone pointed it out to me.  I thought those were some sort of anti-theft detection device.

Friends, I am confident that Taylor Tailor will come to the rescue shortly, and that we will learn how to attach our rivets correctly.  I can't do everything.

Anyway, since there's obviously no instruction for today -- though I did hem my white jeans, which I did by simply folding under twice and topstitching -- I thought I'd talk about other things.

I have some devoted followers who send me things -- a lot of things.  Sure, it's usually when they've just returned from their Hoarders Anonymous meeting, but still.  I'd like to acknowledge their collective generosity today.

In the last month alone, I have received wonderful books...





Awesome patterns...





Fabric and notions...





And -- are you sitting down? -- SIX vintage Ken dolls!



I'm speechless and truly grateful.

But readers, lest I end up at Hoarder's Anonymous myself, I must ask that you limit your gifts to sewing machines, Liberty of London prints, and (well-wrapped) cookies.  I'm simply running out of room.  Of course, dog treats are always appreciated, sometimes by the dogs themselves.

But enough -- there's much to do today, including a double white jeans fashion shoot!

Readers near and far, I hope you have something fun planned for the weekend, whether it's sewing jeans or digging through decades of accumulated detritus.  Remember: Less is more!

Have a great day, everybody!

UPDATE: Taylor comes to the rescue:  How to insert jeans rivets.

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New acquisitions + George W. Trippon

Readers, Sunday posts can tend to be idea dumps here at MPB.  Sometimes there are things I'd like to share but they don't warrant a post all their own -- or I lack the inspiration to create one.  Consider today's post an idea dump.  My mind has been unfocused of late.

As you can see above, the Vinyls have new clothes and, if you can believe it, there's more on the way.  People tend to sell Ken clothes on eBay in lots, and some lots are better than others.  Often they're poorly photographed and/or described by sellers, so you don't always know what you're getting.  I have been fortunate: so far I've gotten great stuff.  Of course, I don't care about a loose snap here (they can be tightened) or a frayed hem there (they can be trimmed).  I'm collecting these solely for our pleasure.

As you can see, the Mod boys (Brad, Grant, Brett, and Ben, though Ben's actually more contemporary) have new vintage outfits and the theme is denim.  Sadly, Ken and Allan will have to wait a bit longer for theirs but one of them is getting ice skates...or is it roller skates? 





 

I'm not a big fan of velvet jumpsuits but Ben looks pretty cute in his, don't you think?  As for Brett, he looks good in everything.



Meanwhile, at the flea market yesterday I picked up some vintage costume jewelry for Cathy.









Combined, I spent $8 and I know she's going to love all of it.  The locket is especially charming and won't it be sweet when she can put a photo of her special someone in it?  Let's visualize love in that girl's future; she has so much to offer the right person!

I know you're wondering how I can reconcile writing about decluttering on Saturday and new acquisitions on Sunday, but I figure that as long as the new things are smaller than the old things, I come out ahead.  And you'll be proud to know I passed over a gorgeous Singer 201 in a lovely Art Deco table being sold for less than I paid for my Featherweight.

Oh, good news!  The formerly-silent seller responded to me yesterday afternoon and assures me my machine should be delivered UPS tomorrow.  Here's hoping!

Finally, MPB reader Sam recently turned me on to sewing celebrity George W. Trippon.  Have you ever heard of him?  He was a professional dancer in the movies and then moved on to costume design and finally ended up with his own sewing show in the Seventies and early Eighties.  He died last December at a ripe old age and you can see video excerpts of some of his shows on You Tube.  He's quite campy but very entertaining and fun and he knows what he's talking about.  I'd watch him today, wouldn't you?







(Parenthetically, I just realized that my blog is much funnier if you read the whole thing in the voice of George W. Trippon.)

In closing, friends, whether you're decluttering or recluttering (let me guess which) I wish you all a happy and restful Sunday.

See you bright and early on the morrow, kids -- what are you sewing these days?

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