Petit Poix

All Cotton Dye it Yourself Scarf for Sale on Etsy

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:29:42 PST

I am finishing up a crochet scarf, all cotton. If you follow my blog you know all the wonderful ways you can dye cotton. Or maybe you would just use it in winter white like I would. Get it now at my shop on Etsy. When the scarf is finished - approximately three days from now - the price will go up. Look at the beautiful flower motif. Shop Etsy for handmade items or open your own shop to sell your designs.

Holiday Party Hair

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:00:25 PST

What ever will you do with you hair for the holiday festivities? From sleek, straight Asian to thick, natural African hair and anything in between the following dos will work. Add length if you choose with extensions or a homemade ¾ wig! The final look will look very different on each head depending on your hair's texture and thickness. Use styling gel, mousse or hairspray. Maybe even your usual hairdo will work for as a party hairstyle. Just add a few sparkles and you are ready to go! (Click on the YouTube logo beneath each video to make it larger.)

French Fishtail: Zipper: Sculpt-Your-Own:

Bouffant: Under-a-Minute styles: Short Hair Updo:

Make and install your own wig if you want length:

Elizabeth Taylor Auction at Christies through Friday

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:52:28 PST

Gingham is in for Spring 2012!

Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry grossed an incredible $115,000,000 yesterday at Christie's Auction House - and the sale is not over yet! Although the necklace known as "La Peregrina" given to her by twice husband Richard Burton sold for 11.8 million - setting a world record - you will find that some of the items at the online only auction are quite reasonable. Taylor's 1970s gingham skirt by Valentino for example is only 300 dollars at the time of this post. Until Friday you have a chance to obtain items once owned by Elizabeth Taylor either by attending the live auctions at Christies or by bidding on items through the online auction. Don't delay; view her designer jewelry, clothing, accessories, interior decor and memorabilia. Perhaps you will venture to make a bid to own a piece of American movie star history, or at least some of Liz' belongings that didn't quite make it to the big tag sale. A portion of the proceeds from the Auction will be donated to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.

Liz' style was hit or miss.

Spring already?

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 06:32:38 PST

Well, if you live in the Southern hemisphere this article is actually past due. It is almost summer there. For the rest of you here is what you have to look forward to in a few months. Good news though. It looks like we don't have to be slaves to fashion anymore.
Read the article:
Womens Office Wear Tendencies for Spring 2012

Menswear Design

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 08:10:25 PST

Emil Fusaro, Candadian tailor most generously shares his suit design process with us on YouTube. This is a series of 10 videos. If you watch from this blog the videos will run one after the other in order without you having to do anything. Otherwise you can see the video playlist by clicking on the link.

Suit Design with Emil

Cashmere Gifts for Men One Day Sale on Rue La La

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 09:27:19 PST

Cashmere Raglan V-Neck
variety of colors US$99.90

Cashmere Scarf in a variety of colors US$49.90
Cashmere Sweater in a variety of colors US$129.90

Cashmere Gloves US$39.90

Cashmere Socks US$49.90
In Black, Red, Grey and Navy

Cashmere Skull cap US$39.90

Black Friday Macy's Event

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 09:03:32 PST

Eating Disorders: Responsibility in the Fashion Industry

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 06:30:56 PST

Milan Fashion week. This is a reminder that there is an ethical obligation by professionals in the fashion industry to foster healthy messages, especially to young girls, on the issue of body image.

While research has shown that the fashion industry is not the sole cause there is nonetheless a strong contributing factor when so many young people look to the industry for images of what is considered beautiful. In January 2007 the Council of Fashion Designers of America - chaired by Diane von Furstenberg - developed the Health Initiative . According to the initiative "Members of the fashion industry – modeling agents, designers, magazine editors, stylists, and models themselves – are on the front line with regard to early recognition of eating disorders in our community."

"Organized opposition to the fashion industry’s ultrathin ideal dates back over several decades, when studies began to show that super-thin female images adversely impact girls’ body attitudes and eating behaviors. Four years ago, when several international models died from complications of anorexia nervosa, criticism—and concern—intensified." Read more: Op-Ed by Diane von Furstenberg .

Other supporters of the health initiative - which bans the hiring of models under the age of 16 and requires a healthy body mass index (minimum of 18.5) - are fashion designer Michael Kors and Vogue magazine's editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.

Basic Draping

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 03:10:23 PST

There is more than one way to make a dress. Until now through my free videos and how-to tutorials with diagrams you have been learning the basics of projective geometry through pattern drafting. Some designers however prefer to deal directly with the three dimensional. Draping is the sculpting of a design directly onto the body. The muslin is, in essence, a soft version of the drafting paper. In her videos Susan Elias introduces us to the basics of draping.

Kim Kardashian in a Burqa - Sociology of Fashion

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 06:50:46 PDT

Dress for modesty. One of the subjects learned in fashion theory. But now that Kim Kardashian was filmed and photographed wearing a Burqa on her recent trip to Dubai, who knows? A sociology teacher could give one heck of a lecture on this. Learn more about fashion theory read The Sociology of Fashion on Type F.

For original article see Kim Kardashian Wears a Burqa at Huffington Post.

Fashion Hunters - High Fashion...Again

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 05:56:41 PDT

The high fashion consignment shop, Second Time Around is the subject of a reality show which premiered last night on Bravo TV: Fashion Hunters. The show is based in the New York City store. Tara, Ambria and Katrina run the store and welcome "already been worns" to STA's racks, including a Thierry Mugler gown worn by Jennifer Lopez to the 2000 Latin Grammys. New sales associate Wilson comes on board and his first order of business is to revamp the men's section. Here Ambria must authenticate a Carolina Herrera dress and a labeless Oscar de la Renta before accepting them.

Pumped Up Kicks

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 07:15:49 PDT

Number one on the pop charts, "Pumped Up Kicks" is a slang term for cool sneakers. This hit song by the group Foster the People is causing controversy these days. Listen to the song. What do you think it means? I see the isolation of a kid who is in essence ostracized. He has developed a hatred for those who diminish and shun him. He is not able to lash out directly at his non-present parent. Perhaps he is bullied at school. Who are the kids he wants to harm? The ones with "Pumped Up Kicks". What does the Foster the People band say about it? The lead singer and songwriter Mark Foster states in an exclusive interview with KROQ, "When a 13 or 14-year-old kid brings a gun to school and does something, sure, you blame them for making that choice….. But at the end of the day, he or she is still just a kid and there’s a lot of other things that led up that moment that should have changed." Now I'll go see what everyone else is saying. Meanwhile see a one one one interview with Mark Foster.

Earning a Living with What you Love

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 04:38:05 PDT

A dilemma you will face as you start to sell your designs is pleasing yourself vs. pleasing your customers. When you began you delved into your work. Maybe you didn't consider the economics of your production process. You paid too much for fabric because you "just loved it" or spent hours intuitively sewing stuff together, creating and enjoying yourself. Maybe sometimes you even flubbed up bigtime, a yard or two of fabric wasted. With a sigh you chalked it up to experience and moved on. You didn't have to answer to anyone. Then maybe you decided to open a little online Etsy shop -- "Just to see what happens." You got a sale or two -- your confidence surged and why not? Someone thought your design was nice and was willing to pay for it! Some of us stop here. We sell something occasionally to supplement our incomes. But even at this level the dilemma starts. You still don't have to answer to anyone but yourself, you still only design when inspired. But as you turn what you love into a business you must start to consider your target market, what will sell, your marketing approach, analyze the response to your ads , customer service, customer complaints, etc... While the internet has certainly leveled the playing field in most industries earning a living with your art is hard work. At the point where a designer begins to consider the financial feasibility of his work artistic compromise is necessary and will be from now on until you reach the ranks of Jean Paul Gaultier, Alexander McQueen or Gianni Versace.

Maneuvering Fashion Week

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:38:11 PDT

Tory Burch Andres Pant
In which Fashion Week did these appear?

If you are one of those people left asking, "Didn't we just have a Fashion Week?" here is a hint: Four seasons. Hundreds of designers and heaps and heaps of clothes. Repeat that year round -- week after week in all the big cities around the world. Spring 2012 shows are now rolling. Meanwhile the quite wearable Fall/Winter 2010 is still available online and in outlet stores just as we are welcoming Fall 2011. Donna Karan has voiced her opinion more than once on this topic.

In 1943 Fashion Week was literally one week and in one city. Now
there are two to five Fashion Weeks in each big city a year. Due to their opposing seasons the northern hemisphere is now buying what is "in" for Fall 2011 while the Southern hemisphere is just leaving behind the styles from Fall/Winter 2010 and eagerly awaiting their turn for Spring 2011. Spring 2012 hasn't even hit the stores yet. Unless of course we are surprised at Rio de Janeiro or Santiago de Chile where a bold designer may decide to thwart the established albeit flexible trends of the "fashion system" and move ahead a year or a season at his own risk.
An interesting article was published in 2008 which may help you make heads and tails of Fashion Week. Another challenge to you readers and budding fashion designers alike: In which Fashion week did the garments you see on this page appear? See all the recent Fashion Week launches, search for the runway shows on youtube or even directly at the designers' personal websites.

Chloe Colorblock A-line Skirt

Marc Jacobs Metallic-finish hoodie

Fashion Shows
New York
Los Angeles
Miami
Montreal
Toronto
London
Paris
Milan
Tokyo
Rio De Janeiro
Sao Paulo
Buenos Aires

Capriole by Iris van Herpen

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 09:50:47 PDT

See the Paris Fashion Show Video

Permission obtained from the Iris van Herpen Company

to republish this photograph.

Let's face it, the fashion industry is saturated. We can't all be famous designers (although with some effort and some luck we could be working for them). A fashion designer may just need to find his niche market and create his signature style to stand out from the rest while scraping out a living. Trends can guide you but there is a dangerous line between creating a style each season and blind "carbon copying" of the latest trends. Part of creating a unique collection is knowing what is already out there. Get to know your colleagues/competitors. The other is to expose yourself outside your comfort zone. Be bold and experiment with something unfamiliar to you. If you are a left-brain person take a right brain class in something and vice-versa. Newly acquired knowledge will usually lend itself immediately through your design. It is then incorporated into the pool of knowledge that makes you....well...YOU. Remember, fabric is flat and virtually everything has been done in the Euclidean sense. Use some projective geometry. Textiles can and should be sculpted. Use pleats and folds for example. Try crumpling and topstitching or combining hard fabrics with soft. Iris van Herpen has some incredibly inspired designs. See Pleatfarm.com to immerse yourself in the art of folding in all industries.

Trade Off Your Designer Fashions

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 07:37:06 PDT

Dress by Elie Saab

What does a woman do when she is frantically trying to organize her overstuffed closet? She opens a consignment shop. That is what Dottie Cassler did in 1973 when she started her small business Second Time Around . Today STA has grown to 24 stores located in the northeastern United States from Philadelphia, PA to Burlington, VT and all the key cities in between. A crisis buster for Fashionistas giving them the chance to either earn cash on their designer label fashions or trade them in for credit towards other designer fashions in the store. You can set up an appointment online and then offer your new or almost new clothing, shoes and accessories either in person or by parcel post. Your wares must meet certain quality requirements and when accepted you will earn 40% on the price at which your items are sold. Petit Poix visited the Cambridge, MA store this week and gasped along with various returning Harvard coeds at the labels we discovered while browsing the racks on the first and second floors. "Gaultier!" squeaked one student.
"Vera Wang!" screeched her friend.
"Versace!"
"BCBG!"

Create a Personal Makeup Palette at Inglot

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 05:24:03 PDT

How does a company not only survive but thrive in the fashion industry during a crisis? Take a hint from Inglot Cosmetics: intensive customer service and personalization. At the suggestion of Alexandra, one of our teenage readers, Petit Poix discovered the Inglot Cosmetics Freedom System. Inglot is a Polish company which has been in business for 25 years but only recently has caught on in the rest of the world. Wojtek Inglot is the chemist turned entrepreneur who continues to develop new products, working with make up artists and color consultants to keep up with the latests trends. Just launched is the world's only breathable nail enamel. At Inglot the customer can freely experiment with mix and match bases, eyeshadows, blushes, mascaras, nail enamels, liners, lipsticks and more to develop her own personal makeup palette, placing her choices in unique magnetic trays. There is even a fake eyelash wall with dozens of different style eyelashes! With 280 retail locations worldwide - more than 160 of them in Inglot's native Poland - only five retail stores are located in the U.S.A., four in Canada and 17 in Australia. Others are sparsely scattered throughout Europe and the Middle East and one location in Capetown, South Africa. What is Inglot's secret marketing plan? Give the customer exactly what she wants.

Haut Couture Runway Looks 2011-2012

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:25:43 PDT

Discover the best 2011-2012 Autumn/Winter clothes, makeup and hair straight from the runways of Paris! Get inspired for your own designs before the season blows in.

Les meilleurs beauty-looks des défilés Haute Couture 2011-2012 : Défilé Haute Couture AH 2011-2012 Alexis Mabille [aufeminin.com]

Yankee Doodle Style

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 02:52:04 PDT

The well-known song "Yankee Doodle" that Americans so much enjoy, was in fact a song composed by the British soldiers during the hostilities leading up to the American Revolutionary War. Having gotten to know each other as allies during the French-Indian war, the "Redcoats" were quick to point out the inferior style dress of the American colonists. Rather than feel humiliated, the colonists realized that the song was pretty catchy. Here is the most popular verse and it's meaning:
Yankee Doodle ("doodle"="fool") went to town, riding on a pony. (instead of on a horse, like an elegant person would)
Stuck a feather in his cap (trying to make his clothing more classy) and called it macaroni. (slang word at the time for something very stylish) .
Yankee Doodle keep it up, Yankee Doodle Dandy ("dandy" = pretentious "wannabe" who dressed the part)
Mind the music and the step and with the girls be handy. (In other words learn to dance like the Europeans do and maybe you will get lucky. It also put into question the chastity of the colonial women)
Tri-cornered hats off (feather in it or not) to some of our favorite American fashion designers! Marc Jacobs,Vera Wang, Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Anna Sui, Donna Karan, Bill Blass, Kevan Hall, Tracy Reese and all the independent designers of America. Happy Independence Day!

Photo Credit: http://www.istockphoto.com/keeweeboy
References:
http://www.cfda.com/
http://sociallady.wordpress.com/2011/01/09/yankee-doodle-dandy-a-history-on-fashion/
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/lyrical/songs/yankee_doodle.html
http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/yankee.html

Lenni Lenape Native American Dress

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 06:36:40 PDT

New Article on EHow: Facts on the Clothing of the Lenni-Lenape

The article touches briefly on the history and traditional dress of the Lenni-Lenape also known as the Delaware Indian. Their natural textiles, wampum, ornamentation and body decoration/modification.

http://www.ehow.com/info_8669152_clothing-lennilenape-tribe.html

Cool Hunting. Teens Decide Today's Trends

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:44:40 PDT


Trends "trickle-up" from the street.

Teens play a very big role in developing what will appear on next season's runways. "You really shouldn't talk down to teenagers. You should first educate yourself on what they like." This advice from Sharon Lee, professional "Cool Hunter". Field correspondents for the company she started with her partner Dee Dee Gordon communicate through the website and Facebook page with pictures, observations and opinions on what they are seeing every day. Teens also participate in surveys conducted by company and are at the forefront of developing new fashion trends each season as well as in the development of the new products for other companies. "We look for kids who are ahead of the pack, because they'll influence what all the other kids do. We look for the 20 percent, the trendsetters, who are going to influence the other 80 percent." The apparel design companies who use their services are in a never-ending race to be the first to launch the next new craze in fashion. On PBS Frontline: Hunting for Cool, Lee continues, explaining how trends spread:, "...it's a triangle. At the top of the triangle there's the innovator, which is like two to three percent of the population. Underneath them is the trend-setter, which we would say is about 17 percent. What they do is they pick up on ideas that the innovators are doing and they kind of claim them as their own. Underneath them is an early adopter, which is questionable exactly what their percentage is, but they kind of are the layer above mainstream, which is about 80 percent. And what they do is they take what the trend-setter is doing and they make it palatable for mass consumption. They take it, they tweak it, they make it more acceptable, and that's when the mass consumer picks up on it and runs with it and then it actually kills it." These days, by the time you get around to buying the "latest style", it's already on it's way out!
View yourself in various casual hairstyles at TheHairStyler.com!

Diana Dress Auction: Travolta Dress Commands Highest Bid

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:36:48 PST

Read How Diana developed her iconic style. According to CBC News "The dark blue dress Diana wore while dancing with John Travolta at a 1985 White House state dinner was the top-selling item at $800,000. Waddington's is donating a portion of its commission from the Toronto auction to Canada's National Ballet School in recognition of Diana's passion for both kids and ballet." The fourteen dresses sold for a total amount of US$3,170,000. See the breakdown for each dress in this article in The Toronto Star . Read more about the dress designers and the auction at Waddington's in Toronto Canada.

From Cab Driver to Perfume Designer - Christopher Brosius

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 07:26:35 PDT

Perfume is a non-visual form of dress. Much more than just mixing pretty scents, chemistry plays a major role in perfume design and - as in clothing design - excellent perfume design is inspired. Christopher Brosius was inspired in part to begin designing perfume and start his very unusual company from a rather unconventional sources. After receiving his degree in architecture from Columbia University, he worked many odd jobs; at one point as a taxi driver where he was often left nauseated for his entire shift from female passengers wearing perfumes that impregnated the interior of his cab. Ironically at that point in his life he decided that he "hated perfume." He was presented with the opportunity to start designing scents in 1988. He has been quoted to say: "Perfume is too often an ethereal corset trapping everyone in the same unnatural shape." One of his earliest commercially launched scents was inspired by a scent he loved ever since he was a child. He says, "I have always loved the smell of things – particularly growing things. I decided to try to capture some of these smells and my first real breakthrough was Dirt. One of my greatest pleasures was digging among the vegetables, herbs and flowers in my small garden on the farm. I loved the smell of the fresh clean earth and decided to bottle it. It was a far greater success than I’d ever dreamed. I suppose the rest is history." Get a first hand view inside Mr. Brosius' head as he works to get inspired, create and market his scents. His online journal is fascinating especially for those of you interested in pursuing a career in fashion design. Browse the website for an incredible experience: CB I Hate Perfume .

Diana Style

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 06:48:49 PDT

Diana´s most prolific dress designer, the late Catherine Walker, had absolutely no formal training in fashion design when, widowed with two small children, she began peddling clothes out of a basket in the Chelsea neighborhood of London. King´s Road, the main boulevard, is known for its atypical and pricy boutiques and is where Mary Quant´s mini-skirt first debutted in the 1960s. Catherine was to become "the" designer who launched Princess Diana from a shy, awkward, gangly girl to a 1980s and 90s fashion icon. On June 23, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.14 of Diana´s dresses will go to auction at Waddington´s in Toronto, Canada. Diana herself, at the suggestion of her son, Prince William, offered these same dresses among the 79 original dresses that were auctioned off at Christie´s New York exactly 14 years ago, raising over 3 million British pounds (approx. US$3.6 million) for various AIDS and cancer charities. You can see the 14 dresses in detail online. Be sure to click on the "View Details" application. Get a brief biography of the designers of the dresses.

Happier Times. L to R: Prince Harry, Diana

and future king of England, Prince William.

Diana. Imperfect and emotional. So very human. Arguably the most loved princess in the history of the British Royal family. A Cinderella story gone awry, stripped of her royal title after the inevitable divorce from Prince Charles. Her flaws and misfortunes only made us love her more. She was "one of us". She was "The People´s Princess" and as stated by her brother in 1997 after a tragic accident took her life on the streets of Paris, "...she needed no royal title to continue to generate her particular brand of magic."

Cornrows and Dreds: Black Hair History

fabianna@msn.com (Fettuccinetube) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 05:46:12 PST

Photo "African girl" by: istockphoto.com/poco_bw

"When the African people were torn from their cultures during the Atlantic slave trade, many forms of silent resistance arose. Some of these were in the ancient African tradition of cornrow braiding and locking hair." Read more: How to Make Cornrow Patterns. Continuing our series of blogs on the sociology of fashion we investigate the anthropological and sociological significance of traditional African hairstyles which have become popular in our western hip-hop culture. From the book: Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America, "White people remarked, “dreadful” to the unattended locks of slaves emerging from the ships after months of voyaging in unhygenic conditions. The “a” was later dropped to remove the negative connotation from the term dredlocks." (Page 125). Below are some interesting links to informational resources regarding African hairstyles, including an interesting talk given by ethno-mathematician Ron Eglash regarding the mathematics and fractal patterns seen throughout Africa which continue to be reflected in the cornrow hairstyles even today and the wonderful online educational software application "Cornrow Curves" for history, understanding and the making your own cornrow designs! View yourself in various casual hairstyles at TheHairStyler.com!

Hip-Hop and Krunk Artist Digidoo has his own twist.