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Especially for Subscribers

These images are for the July-August 2013 newsletter.

Here are a couple of Chanel inspiration jackets for using denim to "casualize" our jackets. All are from 1991 and just as relevant and interesting today. The traditional jean jacket was layered over a coordinating fitted jacket. Yes, that's THE Twiggy on the cover of the short-lived Lear's magazine. (The magazine was targeted at mature women and named for its founder, Norman Lear's ex-wife, Frances. At the time it closed it had run from 1988-1994 and the median reader's
age was 45+)

July-August 2013

I had saved this cover from WWD featuring a photo of Karl Lagerfeld and two outfits from Chanel's 1991 couture collection, which would have been 22 years ago this month. The jacket on the left uses a similar banding embellishment. The ready-to-wear collection from that year featured a jacket I copied and wore in Paris that same year. It was when I met fashion illustrator Steven Stipelman who drew me in my jacket that I've since used several times including the cover of my first book, Do You Love What You Sew. He's the artist that illustrated my pattern envelopes. At the time he had just left WWD and is now the head of the art department at F.I.T.

Here I've used similar band embellishment but lengthened the jacket to the original 1945 pattern's. This French Classic fabric is outstanding for this project since it requires no underlining and no matching.

Here is the original Chanel jacket with it's detailed banding.

Because the Chanel front panel is a bit wider, it places the back bands a little farther apart than our jacket that keeps the eye more toward the center of the back than the sides.

and the interior. Use your newsletter pages 6 & 7 for more details of these photos.

Here's the process photos to use along with the instructions on pages 9 and 10. The pin placement is just to show a stitching line--I place pins perpendicular to the stitching line when I sew. In the third photo, the band and seam edges match. I just rolled the top portion back slightly to show you the underneath portion of the seam.

In this final step, the 5/8" seam will finish the remaining edge. Depending on your fabric choice, you may wish to trim the bands' seam allowances. I like them left full width for body with the denim, but with a thicker or tweedier fabric, you may want to trim them. A sample will help you make your decision.

Here is the silk houndstooth, black modern denim and the grayscale plaid. I didn't adjust my shell correctly for the picture at the neckline so it appears here as though the plaid is off center when it's actually centered on the lowest point of it actually, so you'll place the fold of the top at the center of the plaid or you could use one of the black vertical lines for the CF. I used a black ribbing
for the neckline and armholes.

This is An Elegant Denim in the silk to the right with the navy modern
denim in the center and the navy squiggles jacquard to the left--you
could use it either side for more matte or more sheen to its surface.

and the pretty denim print to update your jeans or jean jacket and the
coordinating light olive stretch poplin you can use with it that
matches the leaves in the print. Designers have been using floral printed denim for blazers too.

For the Luxe Group: remember any subscriber may order these after July 20...email me for the widths, price, and content if they interest you.These are the Perfect Paisleys in Indigo or Apricot...they have a very luxurious hand, drape very well and would be ideal for a top with the 1960 conversion for a woven or as coordinates for denim or navy wool crepe. They're great to work into fall and wear on summer's hottest days as those transition into fall. We've put a cotton t-shirt knit with them to bring out the blue, but they would be equally nice with brown, olive or black.

The Luxe Group also got a white on white knit jacquard that I bought because it reminded me so much of Prada's motif that was used throughout their Spring 2013 collection on not only this tote but their clothing as well. My grand daughter was so taken with the fabric that I made her a little t-shirt that she then colored in with fabric markers. Wherever she goes, she's stopped for conversation about it. If you have grandchildren that may enjoy a joint project with you, here's your chance for that too: a Prada inspiration or a great project by a six year old?

Here are the lambskins as described on page 16 of the newsletter. The
color cards are labeled so you can choose a color (it helps to enlarge
the image to read the color names or if you can't, then just email me
with "row three, fourth swatch" and we can take it from there. If you
want me to match something that's been in a newsletter, let me know
what issue and swatch number and I'll help select a match. This is
for subscribers only and is a special offering for you at about a 30%
savings--all are first quality and ordered directly from the tanner.
Lambskins are $7.00/square foot, pearlized lamb is $7.50, printed lamb
is $13.00 (and washable since they are put in water during the dye
process) and the stretch lamb which is a much smaller hide of 3-5
square feet is $16.00/sq. ft. If you have any questions, just email
me. I'll have instructions in the September issue and show you what
I've done with these. Here's a black and the navy lambskin so you can
see how supple they are......and the stretch leather stretched from
19" to 23". Orders must be placed by August 15th.

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