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We moved to Eugene, Oregon, and found a wonderful place with actual water, so first about Eugene -- the town has a terrific ratio of sewing people to normal people, if you know what I mean.
Everyone it seems has a stash of fabric plus older relatives with even more. Amazing. In Springfield just across the river (also wonderful, BTW) on Main Street, there are several sewing businesses including Ina Mounir's upscale L'Etoffe Fabrics and Econo Sales which has affordable interior fabrics including the normally pricey ones like linen velvet. One can recover in the Brewery right there too. What perfect positioning!
Also in town is B&H Upholstery with hundreds of sample books and then the cherry on the cake, the Eugene Textile Center (ETC). Going in there is old home week! They even have a huge AVL jacquard computer loom and all the tools for spinning, weaving, knitting and dyeing AND they let you rent the dye kitchen and the looms. I spoke to them about teaching Virginia West's books, which we print, Designer Diagonals and A Cut Above. Virginia is a pioneer in using
handwovens on the bias.
Next, having arrived with at least 4-5 racks of vintage clothes, I stopped by Nobody's Baby to see if they took consignment. I saw at least two jackets I would have paid $60 for and the price was -- nervous fingers flipping the tag over -- $16!!!
Then I went to the Eugene Library -- several stories of everything with a lot of foreign magazines that libraries often don't have, with people to match -- a great place.
The University of Oregon is here so the diversity is great with lots of eager learners on bicycles. Sweet. And right in the lIbrary is a coffee shop and the coffee is $1! Egad!
Thank you for it all, Eugene! And a Big Big Thank You to our super shipper here who has managed to keep shipping orders between two states and mountains of boxes, while standing up -- his chair was shipped too.
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Meanwhile . . .
A wonderful aside from Elaine Y. about our online classes on the CFPD website: "I notice that you
have online lessons. I have watched the first two videos. I learned so much and found it incredibly informative. Are there going to be more in this series? I so enjoyed it. Watched it several times and it was beautifully explained." Big thanks to her! We were wondering if there should be any more? Have any preferences on topics? Let me know.
And lo, it's fall, think coats -- especially if you live in the East, Another One is coming -- but no matter, you'll never be this young again so wear a statement coat, cut on the bias. Coating fabrics, with their thickness and volume, look so much better on the bias because the fabric moves with your body instead looking boxy -- and we have three patterns that are just great for surviving the Polar Vortex with class, the Bias Tier Coat, the Spiral Coat and the Measure Coat -- not to mention the straight grain CB Top Coat to go over all.
Then, Threads Magazine will review our Palazzo PantDress pattern in an upcoming issue so look for that. It has only two pattern pieces, top and pant, all on the bias with flaring spiral legs and magic seaming, inspired by Mrs. Clooney who wore them on her wedding day. You step in, pull it up over your shoulders and you're done -- dressed ready to go, sexy elegance on the hoof!
My studio is not set up yet so new patterns will have to wait a bit but I'm itching to work again, so "more soon".
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What Else?
There's The Cutting Class -- I always dig into this website and of late the prize was a bit on Pattern Shaping at Balenciaga. Rarely do web authors really tie grain into design but this one did -- you'll love it.
Alaia is one of the few left who actually 'stand true', that is, his work comes from him. Shingo Sato was inspired by Alaia when he worked in his shop at the beginning of his own career. Shingo is now unique in his own right (and the world!) with his Transformational Reconstruction patterning concepts -- check his inventive two volumes in our lineup: TR, Vol. 1 and TR, Vol.2. Shingo is now working on a third volume -- can't wait to see what's next! The man has a mind!
Luxury and Schools -- It's back to school time so a word about the state of luxury fashion (which is in trouble again right now -- China, you know). Just in case you're sitting in a classroom thinking you want to be a "Designer", pass on it. There are only 17,000+ jobs that identify as "fashion designer" in the US and schools are turning out an oversupply (see next paragraph about why), so instead, learn to actually construct something and be the best at it -- take it all the way.
Where does luxury come into this? Luxury is primarily a selling concept; it is a perception, dependent on artificially controlling supply and demand. It has become mainly a marketing effort based upon creating difference. Learn to make something skillfully that an intelligent person will want to wear for a long time, 'branded' or not, something that fits, something that he or she will love and need because it makes them interesting and attractive. It is the toughest order. You'll be well paid.
As if to back this point, note Business of Fashion's issue of Monday, 8/24 -- all about fashion schools and the often asked question: Are they selling a false dream? Of course, dreams always command a higher price than reality and the schools need the money. Duh. Around the early 80's when retaining enrollment ruled, many resorted to delivering fantasies to young people, not to mention the lure of student loan money. Note the following lists from the Business of Fashion and the schools that are not on the list:
in, including garters! Just think how you would feel if
you knew all that work and finishing was part of your life -- invincible.
And lastly, Jacqueline de Ribes, a tribal queen if ever there was one -- queen of that late 20th C. tribe that understood that daily life is always performance art. The Costume Institute Met in NYC is giving her a great farewell with Jacqueline de Ribes, the Art of Style, and she is giving us her last lesson. Attention, class!
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LIfe Re-imagined . . . And a closer here with a few words about changing, moving, beginning again. There can be as many agains as you wish -- we all should re-imagine every once in awhile and then follow through! You don't have to belong somewhere in order to fit in and fitting in is all about what you give it.
Sandy
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