If you’re a home sewer you’d do well to check out Go Patterns. The company was started by two instructors at my school (who also graduated from the program). Their first pattern is a sleeveless dress with pockets. I’ve seen it sewn as a little black dress and it is cu-ute. I’m jealous of their website design. Buttons that are buttons? Come on.
Marimekko is a Finnish textile company famous for their bold prints. They have a sort-of retro, sort-of contemporary feel that’s timeless and enduring. They were made famous in the United States by Jacqueline Kennedy, who wore their prints during the 1960 presidential campaign.
These designs aren’t limited to runway shows and design stores. I made kitchen curtains from an orange Marimekko cactus design and my work table is skirted with a large version of the flower print shown above (on a dress from Oscar de la Renta). Rounding out my collection is a set of Lokki sheets in the bedroom. I once cut up a vintage Marimekko sheet to make a clown costume (and later learned the print was an imposter).
These prints are timeless but they are seasonal for dress. Summer is the perfect time for a giant-leaf sun dress or flower power shift. It’s time to get your bold on.
smock - A dress or top that has a shoulder yoke with gathering for a full sweep. Shown above from Top Shop.
Cut it out. Seriously. This supposed swimsuit doesn’t even look good on the model. This combination of porno Xanadu and weight lifter is not working. There is sexy and there is tacky and then there is wrong.
Norma Kamali, the woman who launched the massive 1980s sweatshirt trend, is back. She’s teamed with Everlast (the boxing gear people) for a line of resort/lounge/workout wear. It’s no secret I love resort wear and this is about the cutest thing I’ve seen all year.
Confession time. I bought a Ramones shirt from Delia’s. This could be the least punk thing of all time. So it goes.
The last Ramones shirt I owned was in high school and that was swiped by my teenage boyfriend. I tried to buy a Ramones shirt off eBay and got screwed. Unless I steal one or print it myself, there is no punk way to acquire such a shirt.
I’ve been thinking about getting a new Ramones shirt for a while (such a tough decision, I know). I ended up buying one from a cheesy teenybopper store that makes looking cool a hell of a lot easier than when I was fifteen. When I was fifteen I was pen pals with a copyeditor at Sassy magazine. He sent me a Polaroid of the Ramones he’d taken at a record signing and told me to keep on rockin’. So I am.
Couture school, day four.
This week I’m in couture school. I’ll be making a gown for myself. We’re learning how to work with lace, something I’ve never done. I completed the pattern and sewed it to muslin beforehand. I drafted a flat pattern for the bodice and draped the skirt. The dress will be a one-shoulder (a.k.a. Grecian neckline), floor-length gown with a bias skirt. The bodice will be covered in lace.
You can follow along here.
There’s a renaissance of sorts going on in sportswear. Classic brands have returned with their lean, mid-century tennis and leisure shirts. Bring it on, I say. Get served.
Old school brands are back in a big way. Long-dormant Penguin has returned with their close-cut sport shirts (pictured above). My dad wore these when I was a kid and Ted has one now. These aren’t too fussy and come in great colors.
Lacoste, which makes the Izod imprint, has been slimming down their clothes and modernizing their silhouette to great results. They have a new location off Union Square in San Francisco if you’re the sort who likes to try on clothes.
Fred Perry (not to be confused with Fred Berry) also makes a fine shirt. This U.K. brand honors the English tennis champion. Fred Perry has had many cycles in Brit youth subcultures and their time has come for the U.S. market.
Retro leisure shirts are plentiful on eBay, vintage stores and in off-brands as well. What’s important is a lean cut — not blousy or long. Because these are sport shirts, check for sweat stains or excessive wear. If you don’t like to wear a dead man’s clothes, retailers are copying these looks. Choose solids over stripes and consider pairing the shirt with a simple, retro short or pant. Think country club and plaid, vodka tonics and tennis whites. These shirts are casual and can’t stand in for a dress shirt under a sportcoat. If you must pair them with jeans do so with a classic indigo wash and not some trendy, muddy or whiskery finish.
Style note: Slim men can tuck these shirts in and wear a suitable belt. Those with bellies shouldn’t necessarily shy away form these lean shirts. They can be slimming. Try wearing them out with flat-front pants.
“You have a much better life if you wear impressive clothes.”
- Vivienne Westwood
If you haven’t been out to the DeYoung Museum to see the show, for the love of all — hurry and go. You have until June 10. Hit it.
