Custom denim jacket featuring and inspired by Frida Kahlo

I am thrilled to be participating in the Art West open studio weekend.  Around 50 artists, designers and makers in the vicinity will be opening their doors to the public for free, making a trip out west jolly worthwhile.

September 28 & 29 are the dates for your diary!

Ms Wanda asked me to keep a diary for a week so her readers could see my approach to keeping wardrobes healthy.  This is now on her blog in two parts as  Appointment with The Dress Doctor and Out with the Dress Doctor.

Illustration from “How to Dress for Success” by Edith Head.

Now before I launch in, please note that this has virtually nothing to do with style, which I will address later.  It is intended as a “how to” for those who have the urge to be fashionable, or who regard this subject with the same anthropological fascination as myself.

Over the last few years, it has been drummed into us that fashion moves fast and the only way to keep up is to literally buy into it, using your precious leisure time to pound pavements, peruse products and purchase as led by store layouts, product placements and paparazzi photos.  We are led to believe that to be fashionable you must be blessed with a connection to the zeitgeist and have the artistic sensibilities of Ms Chanel herself.  This really is not the case.

Now information has been democratized, us mere mortals can see the journalists, trend setters and stylists sources.  You know how every season has fashionable colours? Well, this is not something that magically happens.  A couple of years in advance forecasters work out which colours will be in.  These are then circulated at trade shows and via trend reports.  Cloth is woven and put on standby, waiting for the catwalk shows (which happen about 6 months in advance of the season) to reveal the trends.  Buyers and designers then spring into action, getting the clothes made that end up in the shops, allowing the consumers to buy into the “latest fashions” as the season commences.

As each season (in retail terms) now lasts about 6 weeks, many brands and designers struggle to come up with original ideas.  This means that names of previous colours and trends are changed and you are very likely to have a fashionable piece already in your wardrobe, you just need the right information to identify it.  And remember, healthy and confident are two looks which are flattering, free and for all.

Pantone colour bridge.  Each colour has a reference so artists, architects and designers can ensure accuracy.

Now for action…

1. Check out the Pantone colour forecast.  Published alongside input from designers, celebrity manicurists etc, this shows what colours are in at every price point.

2. Look at the trend reports on style.com

3. View the fashion shows of designers you like.  These are available at least 6 months in advance.

4. Look at movie releases and popular culture.  A spaghetti western by Tarantino or Baz Luhrmann’s Gatsby is bound to influence fashion.

5. Reference young people.  The designers and stylists spend ages trying to discern what’s hot with youth, and work out how to sell it on.  Decide which tribe your 15 year old self would have belonged to, and check out their blogs etc.  My young self would totally be into Rookie. (Ahem)

Spring 2013 deductions

So, now I’ve absorbed the info (especially 2. above), the following looks will emerge from the wardrobe. Alright, it’s not going to be F-A-S-H-I-O-N, but it will be fun, contempory and free.

- The Art of Contrast (aka black/white)  Various b/w houndstooth checked items to be worn together.  Checks are of varying scales.
- Collage Degree (aka clashing prints) Liberty prints to be worn with striped knitwear.  Tweed will be paired with geometric prints.
- Every Flounce Counts (aka ruffles) Previously rose pink (now faded to “linen”) Dries van Noten shirt to be layered over other frilly things.
- The strong red/ yellow/ blue colours can be combined for a”primary colour” combo. Blue jeans, yellow trainers and red Japanese blouse should do it, although these are technically indigo/ sunflower/ cherry rather than monaco blue/ lemon zest/ poppy red.  Oh well.

Alpha Females (power dressing), Veiled Looks (sheer) Asia Society (boxy) are not for me.  Although I may find a place for shoulderpads to reference this elsewhere, and exchange dressing gown for kimono when loafing.  Even having rejected half the colours and trends, I can still see a way to bring out a few neglected treasures from the wardrobe, and the whole exercise has taken less time than the bus to the High Street does.

What struck me about this piece is how Rebecca’s relationship with her existing clothes has made this a positive experience.  Her article at the beginning of the challenge is full of statistics and references to fashion.  A year on she speaks of links to her mother through stored clothes, how her friends have adopted a more mindful approach to their wardrobes and the pleasure taken in good clothes keeping practice, including mending and darning.

Also telling are the comments, seizing on the price of a pair of gifted boots, and bitterly reminding us how many people live this way through necessity.  When I speak to people about sewing and mending, those with basic skills in this area are often people who have been to boarding school or in the military.  The real challenge is to bring these practices into every household’s routine, and spread them beyond the well educated and hip craftsters.

The book is divided into 5 main chapters to help us reach an understanding of sustainable fashion:

1 Self and beauty / Culture and consumption
2 Desire and fashion/ Design and innovation
3 Craft and industry/ Transparency and livelihood
4 Speed and distance/ Ecology and waste
5 Techno eco/ New fashion paradigms

The book contains be best attempt I’ve seen at defining fashion, an emphasis on the garment’s life cycle from raw material production through use to disposal, information on the transport networks needed to keep the fashion coming and various ways people are beginning to try and break the unsustainable practices which are now commonplace.

The academic contributors have opened my mind, and led me to look at projects such as The Textile Toolbox and Local Wisdom.  Campaigns like the Asia Floor Wage are also represented, showing a way forward, as are new types of fabric and new production methods, e.g. spraying or growing textiles.

The contributions from heavyweight designers are enlightening, such as Vivienne Westwood “Buy less, choose well”,  Hussein Chalayan “Understanding nature, how we relate to it, and understanding our bodies…”, Issey Miyake ” I have endeavoured to experiment to make fundamental changes to the system of making clothes” and Yohji Yamamoto.  However, the amount of greenwash included by high street brands, some of whom have more integrity than others, does undermine the book at times.

Basically, the book is well worth the read, but at the size of a 1980s Yellow Pages this is not something to be undertaken lightly.  I suspect it will not age well as technology races ahead and the images are very NOW, but will endure to provide a snapshot of our times.

Hythe Road is not glamorous, but it is brilliant. It was the site of the Rolls Royce plant, and is hemmed in by railways and the Grand Union Canal. The motor trade is still strong here, and there are two huge recycling plants. As I walk past the clanging beast that turns car carcasses into something approximating baked bean tins, it reminds me of the waste we discard, and that each item contains valuable raw materials. You can also see all the tunnel segments laid out waiting to become Crossrail, paving the way to the future. All this along with the heritage of high quality craftsmanship and manufacturing from the site has focused my mind wonderfully on my impact on the world, and ability to work in harmony with it. The Brazilian café downstairs is also good for the soul.

A few notes:

- Cork topped cutting table to help with pinning patterns and to prevent fabric slipping.
- Machine and ironing board close for pressing.
- Well padded ironing board to reduce seam allowances being imprinted in garments.
- Piano stool instead of machining stool. It’s cheap, comfortable and the right height.
- Wooden drawers for frequent access items, cardboard archive boxes for occasionals.
- Visual labeling on fabric boxes.

The brief for this dress was “green or purple, sheer sleeves, backless, long and flattering”.  Before we  even went fabric shopping I took around 30 measurements and made a bespoke pattern and toile for the client, which we used to finalise the design before moving on to material choices.

The top fabric is beaded silk chiffon, which is draped over a heavily boned silk foundation and lined.  It all fastens with a zip at the back.  The silk chiffon sleeves are put in afterwards, as the fabric is delicate and they could be replaced in a few years to lengthen the life of the dress- well worth considering if dancing is likely.  Also, should the dress be worn as a guest rather than hostess, the train could be removed and the hem leveled to remove the Hollywood factor.

Please get in touch if you would like to commission one of these for a present.  I’m happy to work on any base garment.

Over the years I have revived several vintage wedding dresses, either belonging to ancestors or from markets.  This is the first in a line of hats which come from a bygone era, yet are comfortable and flattering to wear – steering well clear of fancy dress territory.

We all associate the cloche, i.e. bell shaped, hat with the 1920s.  Well, this is the bridal version.  A turned up brim was optional, as were the layers of frills and flounces, but they all fitted closely to the head and framed the face in a flattering way.  Floral decoration ear muff style was common, and the veil would descend symmetrically from these points.  Sometimes the headdress would be nothing more than a giant veil laid across the forehead and tamed at the ears.  A little blousey for modern tastes, if you ask me.

Using a disintegrating lace cap from a box of Edwardian oddments I made a pattern for this hat.  The main shape is from 2 pieces of vintage cotton lace hand sewn and blocked to form a good shape.  The brim is lightly wired for silhouette and a piece of more elaborate trim stitched where the brim turns up.  The floral decorations are made of cut motifs from the main lace stitched together so they have some texture, mounted on a rosette of trim.  They are pinned on so it is still possible to wear a veil in the period style.