Peter's New Book For Better Sewing or "The Dert on Gert"

Readers, I own many sewing books.  Probably too many.  I try not to think about it.

But there is one sewing book I've wanted for a long time now, a rare old sewing book, around which something of a cult has formed.  Can you guess which book this is?

Yes, that book!

Blogging buddy Gertie and I have so much in common.  We both love vintage sewing, small, furry pets, and deep red lipsticks with blue undertones. 

I know it reflects poorly on my character, but I often ask myself, What does Gertie have that I don't have, other than translucent skin (I've started exfoliating), a book deal (be patient), and youth?  Some say I have borrowed too liberally from Gertie since launching MPB.  But isn't imitation the highest form of flattery?

Anyway, friends, I decided I simply had to get my greedy mitts on Vogue's New Book For Better Sewing to see what all the fuss was about and perhaps to figure out Gertie's next move.  So last week, when I saw a copy available on eBay for the bargain price of -- let's just say half what a used copy currently costs on Amazon, I jumped at the chance.  At first I was resistant to spending so much money on another sewing book, but Michael convinced me that if I didn't like it, I could always resell it.  I have even discovered that Gertie herself is looking for another copy, so I could sell my copy to her, with a minor mark-up, of course.

Long story short, I bought the book and it has arrived! 



So what's it like?

Readers, VNBFBS is a lovely book.  Does it include sewing techniques I wouldn't find in other vintage sewing books?  Probably not.  But the concept -- unusual in its day -- of moving the reader through progressively more challenging sewing projects, is a brilliant one.  And unlike many of today's sewing books, it doesn't have you starting off with a pencil case, a sewing machine cover, or a tote bag (people didn't tote in 1952, they threw their packages in the back of their Chrysler Town & Country Convertible).

No, you jump right into a chic chemise dress, and the book assumes you have the skills to handle it -- though sewing techniques are outlined at the beginning of the book, along with a glossary of sewing terms.



One of the things about most other sewing books -- back then as well as today -- is that they are organized by specific technique.  This makes them excellent reference books, but they are much less likely to be read from cover to cover.  Nobody sits down and thinks, I'm going to spend today inserting zippers.  You're more likely to be working on a project that needs a zipper, and after inserting it, move on. 

VNBFBS focuses on projects, and walks you through each one in great detail.  As you probably already know, the projects themselves are Vogue patterns the reader would have had to purchase separately.  Thanks to the Internet, these patterns can now be collected (I believe Gertie has found all of them), but the process is time-consuming and potentially very costly.  But there are zillions of vintage patterns out there that are similar to the ones in the book.  In fact, only two days ago, for about $5, I picked up this vintage Vogue pattern on eBay that resembles both the "background dress" project and the coat project in the book.  Lovely, no?



I think the bolero chapter, for example, would be helpful for any vintage bolero, not just the one discussed.





I think I'll be keeping VNBFBS for right now.  It's charmingly written -- "Under the sun or under the stars, the portrait-neckline blouse has a way of making you your prettiest and most feminine." -- and beautifully art-directed, with excellent illustrations and period photography.  I think any vintage fashion home sewer would appreciate it.  I'll admit, though, the constant focus on tailor tacks to mark every dart line seems archaic to me, but it's obviously a couture technique others find valuable.  I'll stick to pencil or chalk.

You can see more photos of Vogue's New Book For Better Sewing here.

Moving on, to be filed under "Solutions in Search of a Problem" I  must share this cutting-edge June Tailor notion I recently stumbled upon.



Friends, how often are you in the middle of a complicated sewing project when you find yourself in need of a pin.  You reach over to your pin cushion, only to discover dozens of protruding possibilities.  Which to choose -- the glass head pin, the flower head pin, the blue, the red, or the black?  Seconds pass, which over the course of one's sewing career could add up to countless minutes of precious life you won't get back.

Choosing a pin the old-fashioned way also requires casting one's glance to the periphery of one's line of vision or even turning one's neck, risking vertigo, whiplash, or worse.  If only there were a solution to this potentially crippling problem!

Friends, look no further!  June Tailor's Pintastic makes your pin choice for you!  This battery-operated device automatically dispenses a pin -- as if by magic!  No twisting, no turning, and, best of all, no thinking!



How much would you expect to pay for this amazing space-age convenience?  $200?  $100?  How about just $59.99?  It's true!  But wait -- are you sitting down? -- you can now purchase Pintastic directly from June Tailor for the reduced price of only $29.99!!  But hurry, quantities are limited.  (4 AA alkaline batteries not included.)

And to think, Christmas is just around the corner!

Personally, I love the aerodynamic lines of June Tailor's Pintastic, which resembles nothing so much as a vintage 1950's toilet bowl -- in fact, my Aunt Florence had one exactly like it in the bathroom of her suburban ranch house in Clifton, New Jersey.

Aunt Florence's toilet

Friends, that's all for today.  I have much sewing to do as I'm sure you do too.  Right now, however, I need to pay a visit to my Pintastic, or the next closest thing (wink, wink).

Have a pintastic day, everybody!

Any owners of VNBFBS out there? What do you think?

Resurrecting Dead Couture Houses

Friends, when Pablo Picasso, the tremendously prolific painter who also made ceramics, sculptures, drawings, prints, and even rugs, died in 1973, that was the end; there would be no more Picassos.  There was no search for someone to take over the studio and paint Picasso-like paintings to sell to a public still hungry for more.

When legendary Broadway composer Richard Rodgers died in 1979, the estate didn't look for a new composer to create Sound of Music II: The Return of Rolf.  



Why then, are there so many fashion houses bearing the names of famous dead couturiers like Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, Dior, and more recently Alexander McQueen?

Obviously many fashion houses do indeed close up shop when the founder dies.   But in this era of the global brand, it seems it's simply too profitable to stay in business, find another designer who will create in the style of the original, and pump out new fashions every season.

(If you've been following what's been happening over at Halston, it all starts to feel like a joke.  Let Halston die already!)

A lot of this relates to the public's understanding of how contemporary fashion, as opposed to, say, paintings, is created.  We know that most fashion designers are not couturiers, and that fashion companies employ huge staffs that do most of the actual design work.  Nobody imagines that Ralph Lauren or Tommy Hilfiger sketch, or pin, or baste.  Most people don't care who did the actual designing and we'll probably never find out.   It's mass fashion, albeit "designer" mass fashion.

Even back in the golden age of couture, while the couturier might have had the original vision, it was the staff who would actually execute the garments, and many houses employed staffs of hundreds, from cutters, embroiderers, and seamstresses, to models and vendeuses.  Even at its highest level, fashion was always very much a group effort.

I'm reading a fascinating book about Spanish-born couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga by Lesley Ellis Miller, and it's the best-written book -- if not the most sumptuously produced -- about couture I have ever read.







After Balenciaga's death in 1972, the business, which by this time included perfume and accessories, passed on to family members, who subsequently sold it.  It has since changed hands multiple times and is now owned by the Gucci Group, part of the French conglomerate PPR.  The creative director is the highly acclaimed young(ish) designer Nicholas Guesquière, and today Balenciaga thrives once more, albeit as a ready-to-wear house.  Guesquière has access to the Balenciaga archives, and refers to them from time to time for inspiration.





But other than the name and occasional references to some iconic silhouettes, what does this really have to do with couturier Balenciaga, except a way to cash in on his legacy? Isn't that what this really comes down to -- cash?  It's cheaper to resurrect an old brand than start up a new one, presumably, and much more profitable.  

Balenciaga represented the pinnacle of couture in the Postwar period and into the late Sixties, when he formally retired.  He set the standard for quality workmanship and innovative design.  Other couturiers revered him.  Among his protégés were Ungaro, Courrèges, and Givenchy, who went on to become hugely successful in their own right  -- and under their own names.

Now, I'm no more likely to have bought this stuff back then then I am now -- these were always clothes for the extremely well-to-do, just as they are today.  But the relentless marketing of these "luxury" brands today -- so well described in books like The End of Fashion by Teri Agins, and Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster by Dana Thomas -- can make a person cynical.

No matter how much money we do or do not have, there's something nice about knowing that someone out there is creating the best that money can buy, as opposed to the most profitable item, to be purchased by status-hungry trendsetters who don't know the difference.

At what point does the global branding of the old couture house-thing just become a big joke -- on us?



I'd be curious to know what you think about this.  Does it bother you that there's no longer a Balenciaga behind Balenciaga or do you not really care either way?  Is this, ultimately, an elitist argument against the democratization of luxury?

And now for today's Daily Ditch.

Friends, I've been hitting my closets and I'm starting small -- just some sweaters, tee shirts, running shorts: things I've owned for years and haven't worn in ages.   Time to say farewell.  

Not a Balenciaga label among them!



Have a great day, everybody!

Why I Won't Be Blogging Today

Readers with blogs, do you ever wake up in the morning and find the well has run dry -- you simply have nothing to blog about?

It rarely happens to me, but after more than a week's break, I'm finding it hard to get back into my morning habit.   It seems my blogging muscle has grown flabby, though after a week of hiking, my glutes are tauter than ever.

So I won't be blogging today and I hope you understand.

Plus, I barely did anything sewing-related yesterday.  We waited for Hurricane Irene to arrive, and when she didn't, proceeded to go on a long dog walk to see what damage she hadn't done: basically some clogged sewers (the waste-water type, not the garment-makers-suffering-constipation type), a few deep puddles, and scattered leaves.

Like I mentioned yesterday, Saturday was devoted primarily to straightening up, and I was caught by the decluttering bug once again.  There is still so much to declutter, friends!  One fortunate result is that, having cleaned off the top of my treadle table, which was buried under a pile of vintage patterns and dusty bills, I was able to reconnect with my Singer 66 (up top).  I hadn't been using her because the last time I tried, the summer heat had expanded her belt, and I wasn't in the mood to tighten it.

Yesterday I finally addressed this and it took all of ten minutes.  I opened up the staple that holds the belt closed, cut off roughly one quarter inch, created a new hole for the staple with a screw and, with a pair of pliers, refastened the staple, reattaching the two ends of the belt.  Easy!

She now sews as good as new -- or as good as old I should say.  I may use her to finish "Aunt Hilda,"  which really has to get done this week.



I had been using my Featherweight for this project, but as you may have noticed, the sewing machine table I was sewing atop (the one that came with my Kenmore 158.141), now supports The Big Purchase.



Good grief, I have a lot of sewing machines tables...and quite a few computers too.

The last week before Labor Day in the USA is a good one for finishing old projects and preparing for the new year.  I guess because I spent so many years in school, I still think of September as the start of the year.  Fall feels much more like a fresh beginning than the end of something.

Many of you are probably wondering how we could have taken our dogs out hiking where there were rattlesnakes.



This isn't the first time I have encountered snakes on a hike -- though they weren't actually on the trail this time, they were off canoodling somewhere at a safe distance and we'd never have noticed them if they hadn't been pointed out to us by some forest ranger types.

We do keep a look out for things like turkey vultures and other low-flying birds of prey that might be hungry for a late morning snack in the form of a bony chihuahua.  On the trails, we generally keep the dogs beside us and discourage them from running ahead too much.  I think Freddy could handle a rattlesnake; Willy, I'm not so sure about.  Anyway, luck was on our side and there were no unfortunate incidents.  Willy pooped on the living room rug once, but with a chihuahua, it's basically a pretzel nugget.

The biggest drama of the week was when I spilled red wine on the white -- white?! -- living room sofa.  We tried salt and Dawn and Fab, but finally went into town and bought some Tech stain remover at a local hardware store and, let me tell you readers, that stuff really works.  Another crisis averted but really, should a dog-friendly vacation cottage have white upholstery?  Fortunately, the cushion covers were removable.

Oh, before I forget -- we had cable, which is always a treat since we don't have TV here.  If I had regular access to that Turner Classic Movies channel, I'd do nothing but watch movies all day.  Am I the only one for whom a round-the-clock tribute to Conrad Veidt is something very exciting?

 

I also read a book, which I picked up at a local flea market:  Mervyn Leroy: Take One.  It's the 1974 autobiography (well, as told to...) of the famous director/producer whose films include The Wizard of Oz, Little Caesar, and Million Dollar Mermaid.  Absorbing if not particularly memorable.

Enough empty chatter!  I simply can't blog today.  I do intend to blog tomorrow, however, so please come back then.

In closing -- though we never really opened -- what do you do when the blogging muscle starts to go flabby?  Do you find that a low-carb diet helps or must one simply get back on the horse -- in looser boxers perhaps -- and write away?

All advice appreciated!

Happy Monday, everybody!

Tales for a Torrid Tuesday

Readers, it's hot in New York this week.  Very, very hot.  Here's what's going on:

I'm happy to report that my mother's hip surgery was successful and she's up and about once more.  She can walk (slowly) pain-free after only six weeks --a big improvement.

I picked up some snazzy vintage fabric at the flea market on Saturday -- three yards of this groovy cotton print that's going to become a shirt for Michael.  Sort of a tiger skin palette and slightly psychedelic.







I'm happy to be featured in this summer's American Sewing Guild magazine, Notions, in an article about sewing blogs entitled "The New Sewing Enablers."



The title was a bit of a shock as I don't consider myself an enabler, more of a pusher, but whatever.  It's always a thrill to see one's name in print and who cares if a few of the details are wrong.





My favorite is the sentence that reads "The bloggers are young...."  I suppose they're taking a statistical average.

Inspired by the many book recommendations I get from readers and my relative lack of shelf space, I've started putting more books on reserve at the library.  Usually after spending three weeks with a book, no matter how beautiful, I'm done with it.

Here are a few new arrivals:



I'm guessing that most of you are familiar with couturier Madeleine Vionnet, famous for her bias cut gowns.  This oversized book by author Betty Kirke is a stunning tribute to Vionnet's achievements.  Kirke befriended Vionnet toward the end of the designer's life, and was able to pick her brain about her life, her inspiration, and her techniques.  The book is lavishly illustrated and includes diagrams of the actual patterns used to make many of the designs.









Fans of Twenties and Thirties gowns will love it.





You know I enjoy vintage advertising, so 50s Fashion: Vintage Fashion and Beauty Ads, part of Taschen's Icons pocket-sized book series, is right up my alley.



While I prefer to see the ads in the original magazines, it's still fun to see these all together -- the emphasis here is men's and women's sportswear, underwear, and accessories.  What's not to like?











Good news for Cathy!  She tied for second place in the Pattern Review Vintage Pattern 2011 contest. Of course, competitive gal that she is, her first reaction was to berate me, but I think she'll come around and appreciate her achievement.  If you're one of the other 41 people who voted for her, we thank you. 



Meanwhile, on the film front, I've always been a big Alice Faye fan, and was thrilled to find Alice's 1943 hit Hello, Frisco, Hello at the library yesterday.  A lavish technicolor confection set at the turn of the 20th Century in San Francisco -- and weren't they all? -- this is fun, if not top-notch, entertainment.  I prefer Alice in her more casual Thirties black and white musicals, but she's always good company and is one of my favorite popular singers from this period.



Friends, that's it for today!  I hope to get some sewing done -- stranger things have happened, so who knows?

Any Alice Faye fans out there?

Have a great day, everybody!