Would YOU take a leopard to work?

The leopard dress, done. No pattern used. Actually, I turned to my La Mia Boutique simple dropped-sleeve sweater dress for the top (shortened to high hip level), and a simple pegged skirt pattern for the bottom section (widened for four 1" pleats front & back, and the top folded down to hip level).

Although the overall look is a bit loose and floppy, I did this on purpose, as this challis is very lightweight (a black cami will take care of the bit of show-through on top) and I didn't want to run the risk of damaging it with pulling and whatnot that's always a risk if a garment's too closely fitted. The skirt is lined with black bemberg to 3 cm above the knee.

The top seems to me a tad too long - viz. the puddling around the waist - and, if I decide it is after some wear, I'll make a horizontal tuck just at the belt attachment, and sew it off invisibly. No biggie. The fabric's very light, and doesn't take kindly to unpicked seams (ahem).



The hip band is long enough to tie into a bow, though I'm not a bow person, and will likely tie a half-bow at most. It's fully interfaced with pro-weft fusible (from Pam Erny, Off the Cuff), and attached only along the horizontal hip seam, leaving about 10 cm space for the knot - that way, I can really tighten it on my hip.

I have another length - 2.5 yds of wool challis, in a cheerful brown-tan-blue-grey pattern, a little heavier than the leopard, that I'd also like to turn into a spring dress, with sleeves. Any suggestions for a must-go-to great pattern?

Leopard spots: let's throw down the gauntlet!

In its March 2010 issue, Burda declared itself for the animals in all of us: leopard spots and zebra stripes. Though I'm in the nation's capital, I only get access to any month's BWOF issue in the second - at best - week, long after many other sewists elsewhere have already picked'n'chosen their faves to make, and, lucky them, actually made'em. [I ask you, how fair is that?!]

Back to March '10 Burda: hooray! the natural touch will never go out of style. Leopard spots will find their way to fashion's foremost, no matter what.

I have in mind a lightweight wool challis - a beautiful pure wool, with a dark animal leopard-spot print. I have two luscious yards of the stuff for a dress...from (ETA: sorry, not Gorgeous Fabrics but) Emma One Sock, if you need to know.

I'm thinking of a simple long sleeved dress with some pleating near the neck, and gathering below the waist, perhaps a dropped-waist tie band - and a simple pleated skirt - for a simple, hopefully timeless, garment.

Nature as inspiration

That's a ring-billed gull at upper left; three elegant terns, very stylish with their black mohawk hairdos and bright orange bills; a black skimmer in lovely dark brown plumage in the centre; and, rocking dark red stockings and bills, four laughing gulls.

What unifies these is the idea of various shades of black, brown, grey, and white, with yellow, orange, and red as accents. I totally could see dressing like a gull, skimmer, or tern: grey or brown jacket, a coordinating darker shade of grey, black or brown skirt/pants, black or dark red shoes/boots, a white blouse or dress with a bright flame-coloured accessory (scarf, hat, belt, gloves, purse, etc), or alternatively, a bright coloured blouse with a long brilliant white scarf and hat....



The range of possibilities these birds suggest is wonderful. And life - aka our fave fabric providers - offers us so many wonderful options for shades and textures of grey with which to begin the fun....

Stella McCartney and Givenchy must've been strolling the same beach when designing their collections - pairing exactly that concept of neutral and grey/black/white, with brilliant yellow-orange-red accents. Timeless.

Paris RTW Fall 2010

For something a little different, check out Pedro Lourenço - one doesn't see the leather ladder+beads and overlays on organza too often. I'm a fan of leather+fabric combinations anyway, and they've been appearing more frequently in recent years.




But it doesn't have to be organza - the concept lends itself to any other fabric combination, a jersey or even doubleknit, for example, so the garment has some give around all that leather.

Good colour-blocking shapes there. Check him out.


Lanvin did a great daywear collection this time. The one long/one short sleeve concept with diagonal draping is superb, and the collection shows several examples of it.



Loved Azzaro... and the unique leather shapes of Haider Ackermann....

Comic relief? Well, Junya Watanabe's hair-as-hat conceit is distracting as all heck, but despite that, his well seamed coats and jackets are beautiful and flattering. And Undercover did a great Farmer-In-The-Dell-Goes-Urban collection. My mind kept wandering to Colin Firth in Pride & Prejudice the whole time I was browsing this one; that's as pleasant a thought as any to end on.

My NY fabric haul

Sharing one's fabric addiction acquisitions is just the ticket when one is away from the sewing machine on an impromptu vacation business in Florida.



The V7975 jacket was so-so close to being finished before I had to fly off, what with bagging etc all done... so close and yet so far. Yeah, I'm an Olympics groupie. Especially the winter O's - I love winter, hey sue me. Above is a shot of the dark brown silk jacquard I chose for the outfit's lining. I also had a very nice dark blue jacquard, but it was just a bit too in-your-face contrasty with the FF - so low key brown it is, in keeping with the overall "low key classic" idea I've been holding onto in making this outfit. The already-completed top is lined with the same stuff, as is the skirt.

My silk jacquards are not from NY - I got them last year during FFC's silk blowout. I adore silk jacquard - the weaves that create the pattern also add body and make the fabrics totally wrinkle-resistant. And to think they cost less than bemberg lining!

On to NY Fashion District:

I found this very soft pinkish-red gabardine in the same menswear store where I got the brown/blue cashmere currently in progress.



My favourite store in NY Fashion district? It has to be NY Elegant Fabrics.




What I did NOT get at NY E ?

1: wool sateen. I fell in love with their selection of this amazing fabric, but couldn't figure out how I could use it - so decided to wait "till next time". Gentle Reader, advise me on how to use wool sateen, please!

Other stuff I did NOT get at NY Elegant?

2: linen knit - why? it was black, coarse, and felt scratchy. I was tempted but my experience is that black will cook you in summer no matter how nice the fabric. Even though I expect the fabric would've softened in the wash.

3: Missoni knit - why? the colourway was "everything but the kitchen sink", and it was strictly viscose. I'd rather work with a limited palette, and wool.

Moving on to other stores:

Kashi persuaded me to adopt a few lengths of silk, including a couple of new arrivals. He laughs that the stuff sells itself, and he's right. The solid brown is a silk jersey, and the rest "just" twills. Beautiful, dreamy twills.





At Mood Fabrics, I sought out this amazing heathered silver&blue linen jersey:



It was fine, it was soft, it'll make the greatest top for summer wear.

Last (BNL), I got this beautiful cream-brown-black wool tweed at Mood - it's my next-to-do spring outfit.