FASHION, FOOD AND FOOTWEAR!

I carved out some studio time over the last two weeks and worked on this;

I returned to V1510, Sandra Betzina's vest pattern from last fall. I have been holding on to this verrrrry interesting fabric from EOS which I got a long time ago. It's a medium weight black jersey with squares of faux leather glued on. It looks a little like an alligator, but with a lot more texture...and you know me, I'm all about texture!

..

I removed the extended shoulder, drafted a facing, and changed the pockets to folded patch pockets. The facing, collar and pocket lining were out of a lightweight faux leather, also from EOS.

Here are closeups of the collar and pockets:

The vagaries of the fabric made this a little hard to fit, but it's unusual and subtle and I really like it! The snuggly boots are my latest Stuart Weitzman find on eBay..."Humzozomay Shearling Studs Wedge Boots"

Dave came in the other afternoon with the first harvest of our "Moro" blood oranges...so we had these at cocktail hour...

 Blood Orange Margarita with Ginger  Beautiful AND Tasty!


Since I had the camera out yesterday, I also took pictures of an outfit I bought in Paris at Juliette Ozouf.I would characterize her clothing as high-end boho...simple shapes, exquisite fabrics, subtle textures.

These are mostly wool, but so lightweight that I can wear them in my climate at least half the year.

Dave and I celebrated our 41st anniversary last week...with a fantastic meal and a bottle of good wine.

To celebrate the arrival of my Rancho Gordo Bean Club quarterly box, I used

the RG Cassoulet beans to make one of my favorite recipes:

Here's the recipe: it's Caramelized Onion Cassoulet and has no meat or cheese in it. It's OUTSTANDING! And while I was at it, I made this: Bon Appetit's Best Chai Masala.

I'm drinking it as I write.

Books? I read "The Dry", a debut novel by Jane Harper set in Australia, which I quite liked. I'm listening to "The Mischling" by Affinity Komar...a very hard book,

but the writing is gorgeous. I listen to it in small segments. It's about a set of twins in Auschwitz. If you can handle the subject matter, it's well worth reading (or listening to).

And finally, sad news about our Teddy...he is deaf. He was not deaf when we picked him up from the breeder, but he is now, and is proving very hard to train.

But we love him dearly and will do everything we can to help him learn his manners.

That's it for now...I'll be heading over to Patti's Visible Monday to join up with the other Visible Women. Come on by!

TTYL

ODDS & ENDS

This is a catch up post...I was able to fix the pretty red suede obi belt I posted
about last week...

I glued purse interfacing to the back of the belt with leather/suede glue; I hope it lasts for a while!

and that gives me a chance to wear my new favorite summer sandals:

Pretty, aren't they!

While I'm waiting for a vintage pattern to arrive, to muslin my MOB jacket, I've sewn a few little pieces:

This vintage Butterick 3250 tie-in-front blouse, made in a cranberry and white Ikat from F&S Fabrics in Los Angeles. I think the pattern is from the 60's...sort of a fun "do you remember"...

and then I tried out V1355, Sandra Betzina's recent "harem pants"...

I made them from a very drapey rayon I got at Planet Fabric in Venice (Los Angeles) Fun for a summer night...

Off to the Post Office to see if my pattern has come!

TTYL

Playing with Proportion

Remember this?

Well, it's been bugging me! So after I took photos of my new tunic and leggings (at the end of the post), I decided to play with the various pieces of this "Anti- Suit"; I like the pieces separately, and I needed to justify the price I paid!

I think the blouse was everyone's favorite, including mine...here it is open, with narrow pants. Much better! The only problem I have with it is that the collar, cuffs and front band should have been interfaced with some of Pam Erny's Shirt Crisp Interfacing. I always use this in my shirts...you need some crispness to make the collar and cuffs stand up.

Here it is, belted...another good look, again, with the narrow pants.

Next, the jacket...(lightened to show details...)

over polka-dot narrow pants...and the fuller pants

 with the top tied in the back, so it's not so big.
I feel much better, now, knowing that all three pieces will have a place in my wardrobe!

I made another M6607 out of a wonderful French double knit from Emma One Sock

and I also made FIVE pair of leggings/narrow pants...I started out with Christine Jonson's BaseWear One, but I don't like to wear my leggings quite so form fitting, so I fooled with the pattern several times, and finally measured my very favorite RTW pants, Eileen Fisher's Washable Stretch Crepe Ankle Pants (I'm wearing them above with the tunic) every four inches from hem to crotch, and made my own "Frankenpattern". I can cut them out and sew them in under an hour...YAY!

From the left...gray with silver pin dots, black and white polka dots, both cotton/lycra from eBay, and Marcy Tilton's black and gray "Rocket Man" rayon/lycra. Numbers 1 and 2 didn't make the cut!
Off to make a test jacket for my fancy Shams-bought brocade...

Several people have asked about the scarf/necklace I'm wearing in a few pictures...

It's raw edged striped knit strips...very lightweight and soft...wonderful for travel, too!

Lagenlook, revisited...

There has been a lot of posting on Stitchers' Guild, lately, about Lagenlook, a European-style way of layering clothing and accessories. Until I decided to concentrate on more body-conscious clothing at the beginning of this year, I used to dress occasionally in a Lagenlook style; actually, I've been doing it for over twenty years. We have a special store in Santa Barbara, Tienda Ho, and in times past, I dropped a lot of clothing allowance there!

I recently bought the "Anti-Suit" designed by one of my favorite alternative designers, Kalyiana, to revisit the look and see what I thought.

I just got back from a party where I wore this, and these are my conclusions:

1. Big tops and big bottoms make me feel...BIG
2. The fabrics and construction of these items are very high quality...outstandingly comfortable
3. I look forward to wearing the tops over slim pants, and the pants with a closer fitting top
4. Proportion is CRITICAL

I  did have a chance to wear my favorite Trippen Geisha Boots

accessorized (secretly) with polka dot socks...

So, while I'm sure I'll wear these pieces often, it will be separately, with a view to keeping the
proportions attractive...