Wardrobe Colour Palette & Planning

While I haven't been actually sewing as much lately I have been trying to nail down my wardrobe plans for the next season. That includes the colour palette I want to use. I don't have a lot of love for the trendy colours being predicted for the spring/summer (I don't really like a lot of pale colour) so I've been looking at my previous wardrobe plans and trying to recreate something current. 

I'm using the Design Your Wardrobe process from Seamwork which I used the first time I looked into this topic. I've found that much of what I did then still applies -- the silhouettes and fabrics and colours I identified in my original Bold, Playful Power Suit wardrobe are still appealing to me. But I am going to update it to my current season and desires, and come up with some Spring/Summer plans soon. 

I'm still a fan of jewel tones and black and white as neutrals. I've been trying to narrow things down a bit, and have concluded that cobalt, yellow, hot pink and a slightly subdued green are my key colours. With a deeper magenta and sometimes a red or purple thrown in as occasional additions.

On the weekend I popped out to the fabric store to take advantage of a thread sale, and when I got home I realized I'd unconsciously purchased threads in my colour palette. Quite a few blacks and whites and greys (useful for anything!) but the colours were all these ones. I wasn't even thinking about the plan, only about which fabrics I might be using soon. So I guess this planning is sinking in! 

It made me realize that I'm beginning to narrow my preferences a bit, which makes it easier to keep a wardrobe in which things can be combined. And it also means a stash cleanout should be next, to winnow out the colours and substrates I'm no longer likely to use. But that's a good thing -- and I hope it will make my sewing practice more regular, once I have less to sort through to get to a project. 

Weekend Review: Wear It Well

 

Wear It Well / Allison Bornstein
San Francisco, CA: Chronicle, c2023.
224 p.

After last week's great 80s wardrobe guide, I thought I'd try a brand new book on a similar theme. This one was from my library, so no risk! This was written by a young personal stylist, popular on Tiktok and other online locales. The book does feel a little like it is just a transcript of many videos, in a way. It's okay but nothing startling, especially if you've read anything else at all on the topic, or have looked into this kind of thing before. I imagine if you are a young person just starting out and addicted to fast fashion, it might be helpful. 

The book is divided into various sections; from the first one, about closet edits and feeling good about your wardrobe, to "expressing your best self " (this section includes her famous 3 Word method), and on to building a wardrobe, dressing, and the effect of style. Each of them also comes with a focus on "wellness", in the very modern Instagram meaning of the word. A little vague, and I'm a little leery of the topic "shopping for wellness". 

However, this book isn't about running out and getting a whole new wardrobe, rather it's about culling the wardrobe, styling the best pieces that are left, and coming to an understanding of one's style so that random unwanted pieces don't continue to be purchased. So far so good! But of course there is a section near the end on the "9 Universal Pieces" which I'm sure are meant to be found new. And like most Key Pieces, none of them applies to my style at all. Jeans, a white tee and a trench coat are not my jam. However, she does suggest a button-down (no specific colour) and blazers, so I'm with her there. 

The most interesting part of this book for me was her 3 Word Method, which is apparently trademarked and was a viral hit on Tiktok. I wouldn't know. But what I do know is that this is a very, very similar method to many other stylists from the past, and to many wardrobe building processes found in the sewing world -- especially the Design Your Wardrobe process by Seamwork, which uses a three word process to drill down to your own style. 

The particular strength of Bornstein's method lies in choosing three words with very specific parameters: the first is the Practical word (your regular style/outfits), the second is the Aspirational word, and the third is Emotional word (what you want to feel like in your clothes). Bornstein includes a word wheel on connected words to choose from to help a reader out, as well as lots and lots of examples. She's also made a youtube video on this process as part of her book promo. 

Anyhow, I found this part the most interesting element of the book. Otherwise, this one didn't quite do it for me -- it would be much more relevant to the young and new to this world. There are some solid ideas about working your closet and determining your own style, and feeling good in your clothes. That's what I took from this one!

Weekend Review: Clothes Sense

 

Clothes Sense: Dressing Your Best for your Figure & your Lifestyle / Jane Procter
Doubleday, c1985.
160 p.

This week it's another fun 80s style book for review! I picked this up at the thrift store shortly before Christmas - it was so appealing, I couldn't leave it there. This is a wardrobe focused book, which includes style, buying, and wardrobe care tips. But it also works for sewists, as it looks a lot at silhouettes and colour, and has some helpful tips on accessorizing. It's illustrated with many black and white photos, and a number of large colour ones, featuring celebrities of the day. 

And this is where another odd coincidence comes in. I had just watched the Great British Sewing Bee holiday special, in which one of the contestants was Toyah Willcox, a British punk singer of some renown-- but who I had never heard of before the GBSB. And who do I see as a fashion exemplar at the very start of this book? I turned the page and there was young Toyah, all 80s edgy. So many funny bookish coincidences happening lately! 

I enjoyed this one a lot. I spent time actually reading it -- there is a lot of information in it, it's quite heavy on text even though there are also tons of images to help show what she's talking about. It contains dated content, of course, mostly about looking thin as the end goal for everything. But there is also good info on silhouettes and fabric and colour combos. There is a section on hair and makeup which I'm sure you can imagine if you went through the 80s ;) It was weirdly nostalgic and thoroughly entertaining to read something from the actual era, and not a retro revisiting. 

There was one section at the end that was uncomfortable, and is a reason to be glad we're past the era. It features 'ethnic' design, and Iman is the model for the example images. It's a bit cringey. But there are some parts that are still very relevant, like the recommendation for quality over quantity, buying less, caring for your wardrobe items, and making sure it all speaks to who you are. There is good advice on defining what you need in your wardrobe based on your lifestyle and how you wear clothes, and on creating a personal look. These parts can be useful when developing sewing plans, and allocating your sewing time and budget on specific projects. 

The book finishes out with instructions on how to care for your quality clothing. There's a guide to stain removal and laundry care, and ways to store your clothing to maintain its shape and usability. 

I was glad to have found this unexpected title, and spent some relaxing hours poring over it and remembering my own fashion faux pas of the 80s (although I was only a teenager in a small town for most of the 80s so didn't have too much ability to be fashionable!) Great fun to look this over now. And some inspirational outfits to get me thinking, too!

MeMadeMay 2023

 

I wasn't really thinking about joining MeMadeMay this year. I already have tons of me-mades, and wear something I've made myself just about every day. But then I saw some pledges out there that inspired me. 

Zoe, the founder of MMM, stresses that this isn't a photo challenge, or a making challenge -- it's supposed to be a chance to examine your wardrobe and sewing habits and figure out what's working, and help you create more sustainably. 

So my pledge, inspired by a number of people on IG, is to:

• Mend the items in my mending pile, which only keeps growing
• Wear as many different me-mades as possible this month so that I can evaluate what I like wearing, and figure out how to alter or refashion the things that I'm not wearing. 
• Evaluate my fabric stash to see if there are items there that I won't likely be using in future, and find new homes for those pieces. 

I think this pledge fits in with my focus in recent months, and I feel comfortable with it. If I do share some daily outfit photos on IG, it will be the ones that I have time for, and the ones that I find I really love wearing. And of course I'll keep watching the hashtag because it's great fun to see what everyone else is wearing this month!

September: Time for Fall Sewing plans!

I can barely believe it's already September again. I think many of us are feeling it this year - summer has sped by. Fall has felt so far away and suddenly I'm right in the midst of thinking about those projects that I had tentatively put on the list for "in the fall sometime". Well, the time is now, so here is my loose plan for my fall sewing so that I don't lose track of anything. 

First up are a couple of transitional pieces that are late summer/early fall wearable, both in busy cotton prints.

1. Simplicity 8014, View C but with the collar from View D added. The print has a pen for scale.

2. Merchant & Mills Factory Dress in this book print from Fabricville. I've been trying to decide what to make with this fabric, and I realized that I really like the Factory Dress and that it seems to work with prints. Also, I kind of work in a book factory, in a way ;)

Next up I want to return to my Fall 2021 sewing plans: some Bold and Playful Power Suit makes. 

I recently bought a cotton sateen floral on a white ground, and I really want to make a long blazer from it. I'm thinking either Burda 107 from April 2021, or an old McCalls pattern I thrifted. And I have a black floral cotton sateen that is also destined for some kind of jacket, I haven't decided which yet.

Then on to quite a few solids. There's hot pink silk noil and lawn green linen blend, plus three linens: acid yellow, cobalt and plain black, that I want to make a variety of simple fitted dresses from, to go under all those printed jackets! I'm sorting through my pattern stash to decide which dresses to choose for these fabrics; I have many choices.

I might come up with some more wintery projects a little later on in the fall once I see what fabrics are calling me - like a black and emerald knit I've had for a long while! But the key is really to use my stash and all the wonderful jewel tones I have there already. No autumnal tones for me, I'm all about the brights these days. Have you shifted to Fall sewing plans yet?

Spring 2022 Sewing Plans

I've reset my sewing from Fall plans to my Spring/Summer plans, using the latest round of the Seamwork Design Your Wardrobe process. This time the focus is on Silhouettes. 

I added my Fall planning to the mix and have just slightly updated it for summer sewing. Last Fall I chose the words Bold Playful Power Suit for my sewing theme, using bright jewel tones and geometric prints mixed with classic workwear looks. I'm shifting that in just a small way for the next few months, since I'm still feeling it. For Spring/Summer, I'd like to focus on dresses in bright colours or geometric prints as well -- the silhouettes being ones with clean lines and no fuss. 

My theme is Tailored Comfort & Colour, with a hint of the 80s. I'm still really feeling the lure of 80s colour and print so will be using some of my 80s sewing patterns for parts of my summer wardrobe. Not exactly sure which ones yet, but I have many to choose from! I am especially drawn to straight shift dresses and am hoping to use some of the linens and silk noil in my stash. 

I still have a couple of blazers to finish from my Fall sewing plans, after which I'll be prioritizing some dress patterns (including a couple from my Make Nine 2022 as well!) I think I'll be keeping busy. No problems there. 

September Sewing: New Plans and Projects

That August break just flew by in a rush -- feels like I was only away from this blog space for about a week! But it really was a break from my sewing room. I hardly did a thing in August, except read and laze about. It was pretty great :) 

I did finish up one dress that had been half done for ages; that review is coming soon. And I've been working on finishing up some summer sewing before I start in on my new fall wardrobe plans. That's basically a couple of more dresses, nearly done now and nearly ready to be shared here as well. 

What I'm most looking forward to, though, is my new fall sewing queue. I signed up for the Design Your Wardrobe project with Seamwork this year for the first time. It was just the right thing at the right time, I guess, since I don't usually plan ahead much in my sewing but this time it really excited me. I worked through the 3 week process, answering prompts and working out what I wanted in a fall wardrobe right now. I came up with the concept words "Bold Playful Power Suit". Here's the mood board that expresses that feeling. 

I'm not planning on exact replicas of the items on the mood board, but the idea of the skirt suit silhouette and the bright jewel tones and fun prints is what I'm going for. I have a couple of bright solids (unusual for me) that are going to be made into my first ever blazer attempts and a matching skirt or two. Then some fun prints for a couple of dresses that will match the colour scheme. And perhaps one or two blouses to coordinate as well. I don't have the exact patterns lined up yet but lots of ideas for what I want. The only problem is whittling it down to a reasonable amount for my timeframe! 

Something funny is that a friend just gave me a bunch of her old Burda magazines ranging from 1989 - 1993. I've really enjoyed sorting through them & viewing the fashion -- which is surprisingly current, especially the 1993 mags. Many of the pieces are things I have seen on runways this season, from jackets to colours. And there are tons of skirt suits in each issue...these 30 year old magazines fit in perfectly with my fall sewing plans! In fact I have bookmarked a couple of skirts and 3 different blazers that are all super modern looking and would be a great addition to my queue.

And of course I can't forget that the next Literary Sewing Circle will happen this fall -- not sure of the exact start date, but pretty soon :) Stay tuned. 

The Clothes Come Marching 3x3

I have been using the My Body Model croquis & methods in a basic way since I was fortunate to win a package from them at the end of February. I really enjoy it! I'm not usually a planner when it comes to my sewing; I generally have a list of potential makes and then follow my mood. So taking time to match things up & organize actual outfits by drawing is still quite new to me. 

Erica from MyBodyModel is currently running a 3x3 Spring Challenge-- to create a 6-9 piece capsule wardrobe for the upcoming season using your croquis. The due date for entries has been extended to May 2, just in time for MeMadeMay. You can check out the ideas others are sharing by searching IG for the hashtag #mybodymodel3x3

I was fiddling around with some sketches & some pattern ideas, trying to decide what went together, what could be made from stash fabrics, & what I was in the mood to make. I came up with this essentially black & white capsule, adding accents of green.

I ended up using the top & pants (green print, black) from Vogue 9364 and the top & skirt (black,  white) from Simplicity 9115, then added in a knit pencil skirt (black) from Patterns for Pirates plus the top view of Merchant & Mills' Factory Dress in green.

I'm not sure how many of these pieces I will actually get made up - but if was a fun exercise & got me looking more closely at the patterns & fabric I already own.

I enjoy the drawing process & think I might work out another wardrobe shortly!