Weekend Review: Taylor Swift Style

 

Taylor Swift Style / Sarah Chapelle
NY: St Martins Griffin, c2024.
352 p.

This book came in to my library recently and I thought I would check it out. I'm not a Swiftie - I don't know much about her songs or persona other than the general stuff everyone knows. So I thought it might be interesting to see how her style works for her. 

This book was written by Sarah Chapelle, a blogger who has been writing the blog Taylor Swift Style for over a decade. There is a note at the beginning that this book is not officially endorsed by Taylor Swift or her team, it's put together by this blogger and it is her perspective. 

I found it quite fascinating, as I was not familiar with Taylor Swift's varied looks or 'eras' by album. This book does a good job of laying things out chronologically and explaining each album and its matching style, along with Taylor's life circumstances around each one. I feel a lot more knowledgeable about Swift's work and career now, so I don't sound so out of it when talking to music fans ;) 

Chapelle also talks about the haircuts and makeup choices that follow the fashion, and how it all works together. There is discussion of  'easter eggs' even in Swift's fashion that will lead superfans to speculate on what's coming next. It's clear that Chapelle is one of those superfans and sometimes the text here gets a bit fangirly for my tastes, but overall it is very informative and knowledgeable and really interesting. 

I did enjoy most of this book, and the 200 photos included really make it. I would have liked to hear a little more about the fashion houses that Swift works with and find out more about that aspect, but I guess that would have to come from Swift's team in another book. I liked seeing the evolution of her style and the many examples of how she creates personas for each album, and how the fashion is a big part of her messaging. Also I found a couple of dresses that I'd love to recreate for myself!  

A fun read if you're into celebrity fashion and the way that clothes can tell a story. I was reminded of Dolly Parton's book Behind the Seams, and think these two are both engaging fashion stories. 

Weekend Review: Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones

 

Dolly Parton Behind the Seams / Dolly Parton
New York : Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed, 2023
336 p.

If you love costume and how people use clothing as self-expression, you'll want to read this fantastic, lushly illustrated, and lengthy book on Dolly Parton's clothing over her career. It starts when she's just a young woman starting out locally, and moves toward the present, with stories told by Dolly, as well as a large number of the people who were involved in her wardrobes at different stages. 

The cowriters/compilers of the book are Holly George-Warren and Rebecca Seaver (the second is Dolly's niece, who is now in charge of the costume archive). They have drawn together excellent documentation on varied pieces from different stages of Dolly's career, as well as stunning and clear detail photos of many garments. 

Sewists and fashion fans alike will be absorbed by this book. Dolly talks about the two local women who sewed for her early on, and started her off on her own style. She's worked with Tony Chase, Bob Mackie, and many more, and each designer gets some airtime in this book alongside examples of their work.

I enjoyed the context given for many of the pieces, and how Dolly states early on that her style was integral to her performance and her personal integrity over the years. When she started to hit it big, executives wanted her to tone it down and move into a more mainstream look, but she refused and stuck to her own sparkly style. It's such a personal brand by now, we can't imagine her another way, but this was long before going your own way was an everyday thing. 

Along with all the clothing descriptions and images, there are discussions of her hair - she owns over 200 wigs, and there's an entry from her hairdresser/wig master. And discussions of her work beyond music as well -- so much to learn and such amazing images to peruse. This one gave me hours of entertainment as I looked through the pictures to focus in on some of the details, as well as read all of the truly fascinating documentation from so many voices. 

What a fabulous read! It's a bit expensive (I read it via the library) but well worth it if you can afford it. It would make a great gift for any fashion obsessed sewist, I think. If you want to be inspired by a woman who forged her own path, stayed true to herself, and worked with many other women along the way, this is a great pick. So fun! 

When I Put My Red Skirt On...

I recently made a bright red pencil skirt, inspired by the first week of the Pattern Review Sewing Bee. I didn't have a pencil skirt on the sewing list for fall, and wasn't planning on sewing along for the Sewing Bee -- I don't do so well with time limits -- plus I have a sewalong of my own on the go right now ;)

But the challenge was to make a pencil skirt inspired by music, and as I read the rules, a song by a group I've recently been listening to a lot popped into my head. Rosie & the Riveters are a vintage-folk band from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (close to my hometown) who are both fun and socially aware, not shying away from stating their feminism in their songs.

The particular song that jumped to mind when I saw this challenge is called "Red Dress". It's a peppy song about the confidence that comes from wearing the perfect red dress, in this case, a gem found at 'the Sally Ann'. Since I do most of my clothes shopping either in the fabric store or the thrift store, this one really speaks to me. And the tune is great too! Listen to it in this music video the group made -- you can find many more on their website.





Anyhow, I spent a full day going through my pattern and fabric stash, trying to decide what I should make for this contest. I finally decided on the wardrobe pattern Simplicity 1919 because of the skirt's cute ruffle at the back which acts as a walking pleat. Then I matched it up with some heavy red stretch fabric in the stash which I had originally bought with Jalie's Eleonore jeans in mind... but I so rarely wear pants I thought I would use it for this pattern instead.

side view of the substantive ruffle!

It worked, but the fabric is quite stretchy -- more than I'd anticipated. I had to take the waist in even more than I'd originally decided. It's still a bit loose but wearable, so no big deal. I think the rest fits well, and smooths over most of my lumps and bumps, even if the heft of the fabric gave me a little trouble with getting clean seams (it's not easy to press this). I'm going to show you two unflattering pictures just so you can get a better idea of how this turned out.... oh, the sacrifices sewists make.

Not sure why the zip is bumpy in this pic, it is smooth while I wear it. Despite the flaws, I love this deep red and find it really fun and comfy to wear. I think it will go with many neutral tops and be something I can wear nearly year round, with the addition of tights.

So although I had no plans to make a skirt, this has now started me off on all sorts of ideas for other patterns I'd like to make -- after all, I think I looked at every skirt pattern in my stash before picking this one!

Coming up soon, I'll have a great pull-on stretch knit skirt in this year's velvety fabric ready to share; I'll be refashioning a velour maxi tank dress from the 90s that I found at -- yes -- the Sally Ann! Have you made any great thrift store discoveries lately?