Hi there, and thanks for the opportunity!

I'd love to win this book because I adore old-school vintage clothes. I also need to wear them - I've been blessed/cursed with such an old movie style 'look' that anything else looks out of place on me. The reason this is so important to me NOW is that after a very long recovery from an accident, I'm finally well and out in the world again. I've been working out, have lost 20lbs and finally got my old-fashioned bod back (although NOTHING fits!) I finally feel like a woman again and am dating for the first time in 15(!) years. I suppose that it's been so long that I just want to feel sexy in a way that suits me. Vintage lingerie would be exactly the ticket.

Please, please let me win this book. I simply can't afford to buy this stuff, and it would go a long way to making me feel pretty.

Thanks so much!

Hiya! Very inspiring article. Thanks so much.

I think, perhaps, that there is a text mistake in the box containing the self-covered belt pic. (3rd yellow textbox from the bottom) The text seems to have been copied from the bow belt, above.

I noticed this because I was looking to see if you had any information on how to cover a buckle with fabric, as the sample has been.

Do you have, or know of, any info on how to do this?

Thanks again!

Oh, I've wanted this book for ages! I love the Colette patterns unique style and approach to patterns. Wouldn't it be great if we could magically ALL win one? Cheers, and thanks for the opportunity!

- Genny

I'd love to win this book! I love juxtaposing textures, colours and shapes. I love the way they play off and support each other. My FAVE thing is taking a very classic silhouette or style and embellishing it in a new way to create something expressive and unique. It takes otherwise predictable garments to whole new levels of style.

The other day I picked up a slightly moth eaten thrifted cashmere sweater. I darned/patched it as needed then added very subtle embroidery and beadwork in a pattern that effectively covered the mending. It was a wonderful project, it saved the sweater from the landfill, and it produced a beautiful garment that I'm sure will be loved by someone else one day. It would be amazing to work with other inspiring projects!

Thank you so much for the generous offer. :)

BEAUTIFUL! Thank you so much for sharing. IF I may ask, what is the fabric, please? It's drop dead gorgeous too! :)

I'm completely and utterly in awe! You deserve a medal, My Dear. Thank you so much for sharing your gorgeous, inspiring and astonishing creation!

Thank you for taking the time to post this. It's wonderful to hear ideas like this because even if we don't use them exactly as is, they stimulate related creative ideas. To me that's the real gift of your posts.

Cheers, and thanks again!


(To NoraBora: Just because we CAN insult someone doesn't give us license to do so. Besides, it seems mean-spirited to do it to someone who has offered something that others might find useful. Please be courteous.)

What a great idea for a book!

Naturally this book would make gorgeous viewing, but for me the real interest is in comparing their design statements (they call it manifestos, I see) in context of the times in which they lived.

Schiaparelli worked through some very turbulent times: Post WWI, the depression and then the dark, serious times of WW2. It was not a feminist time in history, even if it was a time of dramatic (even radical) changes in both artistic values and women's roles in society.

Prada, on the other hand, worked in a post-feminist world, a world where women felt entitled (and rightly so) to levels of empowerment never before seen in Western History. In terms of design and body consciousness, we'd eradicated many taboos, and the opportunities for radicalism seemed limitless. Additionally, changes in technology meant that whole new materials were available and style influences could travel around the world in a New York minute.

So given their markedly different environments and constraints, what similar design values resonated with both these talented and socially conscious designers? What did they see as important?

I have always loved looking at fashion design in context of the social climate that it developed in. For example, how does a particular style reflect the ease and affluence (or lack thereof) of society at any given moment? How do social climates translate into designer's choices of shape, line, colour and material? This book, given it's premise, could be fascinating, and (I have to confess) it would also be just plain eye-popping for a girl who loves fashion! (grins)

Thanks for this opportunity, btw. You guys rock!

Excellent tip, and an easy vid to boot. It's also nice when readers add useful comments, as it makes you think about the pros and cons of different approaches. My take on the sequence of events is that an initial fold might be faster, but an edge folded over a line of stitching would be more accurate, more stable and generally more polished. So when the choice is to be made, I would consider the type of item, what it was made of an how it will be used.

As for sergers, I don't own one, so that point is moot. I realize they're popular, but it's a cost priority thing, and call me old school, but I'm really not keen on the look of it, either. If I had the $$ to buy another machine, it would likely be an embroidery one. I dream of adding finishing touches with simple, same colour embroidery. For example one could add a small, tasteful border or a corner motif to the cuff edges (and/or collar) of a simple crisp shirt. Initials or images inside linings would be great, too. Perhaps a small geometric near the beginning of a featured godet?

Ooops, off topic. (laughs) But you see how it could be a no-brainer choice?

You get two thumbs up from me! I'm so impressed I can't even describe it. One question, please: You said the scales were metal? I note you say you put them on grid paper first. How did you cut them out of metal after that, and what kind of metal did you use?

Thanks!

Errr.. Spam anyone?

Great idea! Thanks. A few comments, please:

1) In connection with an earlier comment, it seems to me you could make it stiffer by using a more concentrated gelatin solution.

2) As mentioned previously, metric measurements would certainly help a LOT for those of us not in the U.S.

Thanks! :)

In any design field, be it fashion design, architecture or furniture, I think that designs that really 'work' owe more than a nod to the designs of Mother Nature. Their balanced lines and textures etc work seamlessly (pardon the pun) with the inherent properties of the materials they are made from. Designs that don't always look awkward somehow.

To me, draping is how this plays out in fashion design, and it cannot be over-emphasized. Draping allows fabric to move naturally and ensures the design makes use of it's particular properties. Well draped garments have an unmatchable elegance and harmony about them.

As a home sewer who used to work in the fashion industry, I often don't start with a pattern. As I currently live in a smaller town than I'd like, and since we don't have a world class selection of fabrics, I start with what's available and see how it moves before I finalize a design for it. Sometimes a fabric will make me completely rethink a project, all in the name of making the best of it.

I'd LOVE this book, as it would allow me to learn more about this. It hope it would also give me the language I need to talk about it more effectively. I often get consulted on wardrobe selection and special outfits, and sometimes drape is just the hardest thing to explain.

Thank you SO much for this generous opportunity. <3