Short Sweet May, 2012

This month it's a mini-newsletter since I'm going to Vancouver next week; we're getting a new website (with blog!) in mid-June; we are up to our knees in new patterns at various stages; a new book is in the works and we're preparing to host Sabine David next month -- so in June, more of MORE!
CLASSES
Art of the Cut in Canada

Can't wait to dive into Vionnet again -- it's been a 40 year odyssey and I still cannot get enough -- discovering more all the time -- this month alone, new archives and photographs which fill in the details of her design decisions.  So I'll bring samples, half scales, and lots of draping and cutting info to Kwantlen Polytechnic University -- a seriously wonderful place --- on May 26 and 27 for 2 days of Vionnet-concentrate, draping the black crepe-backed satin gown from the book, Draping,The Art and Craftsmanship of Fashion Design.  It has some key lessons for Vionnet scholars!

Details and registration.

 

Perfect Pants
June 22, 23, 24 in San Francisco.  Only one spot left in this class with Sabine David, ambassador and translator for the German Rundschau method of pattern cutting -- think used for centuries in Europe -- who will not only take everyone through the system but also through the fitting process the way it should be done with TWO muslins.  The pants WILL be perfect.  Registration.


Draping Le Smoking Pantsuit
July 28 & 29 in San Francisco.  Ahhhh . . . let me count the ways this class fills in the mysteries of the YSL jacket -- those practiced behind the scenes in Paris -- the pli de souplesse at the armsyces, the set of the shoulder, the collar/lapel shaping and, most of all, the "d�contract�" concept which gave the mannish suit a feminine quality, making it an icon in fashion history and still hot now -- you absolutely cannot miss with this suit, anywhere, anytime, with anyone.  We begin with a visual presentation of details for "eye training" and move on to make it happen.  Prediction:  Tailored pieces, the core of any intelligent wardrobe, will be strong in the Fall as we get real about making meaningful choices at the polls -- be ready for the season.   Registration.


And then, a week at the Textile Center in Minneapolis, September 24 through 28, draping Vionnet in depth and then some!  Details coming soon in the June or July letter.
NEXT NEW PATTERN
The CB Bolero Jacket



This one was irresistible, a favorite inspiration from the Balenciaga show last year, with a notable
pedigree in the annuals of American pattern companies.  However, it was always done short or sleeveless, good but just not enough jacket. It has the marvelous visual illusion of looking like a folded circle but actually the front just keeps going, folding over all the way to the shoulder seam of the cape collar.  It would look great in a reversible fabric like the model or in a sheer to show the layers or could be lined with a different color or texture to dramatize the circle effect. It has only 4 pieces, sized 8 - 18. To Order.

Big congratulations to my former CCSF student, Timothy Ryan (this is his photo of Peonies), who just graduated this month from Columbia University in Creative Writing -- a wonderful milestone for a great guy!

Next Month:  All the summer news out there  . . . working on some odd origami concepts . . . an essay on the difference between costume and clothing (inspired by the theatrical Gaultier show) . . . a new website as the designers wrap up . . . more patterns . . . and a new reprint book out this summer, Advanced Pattern Grading Simplified by Jack Kirschner -- THE secret method of grading multiple sizes simultaneously, on the table no less.

Enjoy every minute of summer!  Make something beautiful, grow something delicious, read something important, help someone make it.
 
Sandy