seven

A certain someone turned seven the other day.

Seven seems so big to me, and this milestone hits me on so many levels that it's a good thing we took the week off (S's birthday always fall on a school vacation week) because it gave me a little time to contemplate all the implications, including the fact that I started this blog six and a half years ago, and this blog was the start of my company, which is truly a family business. I never could have imagined we would be where we are now when we decided to have a child. Or to start a little company.

Or the fact that S fits into this dress my mom made me back in first grade. My sisters all wore it, too. It's in really good shape considering that it's already been worn by at least five girls.

Anyway, this photo is mostly for my Mom. To thank her for all that sewing she did for me. And for handling all my special sewing requests. She sewed everything: school dresses, church dresses, prom dresses, blue jeans, quilts, doll clothes, and knock-offs of the Esprit dresses I wanted so desperately and couldn't afford. The list is really endless. She is an excellent sewist and a gentle, generous, and loving mom.

And she also knew when to say no to my sewing requests. Like the day before high school graduation, when I decided I needed a new outfit and came home from the store, fabric and pattern in hand. Saying no helped me to appreciate all the time and effort that goes into sewing. And it gave me the little push I needed to start sewing, myself.

All the dresses my mom made and saved are so precious to me. I just boxed up a whole bunch of them and shipped them back to her because I don't have space for them. But I photographed them, and I know they'll be waiting for my sisters when they have kids(?). Plus, I added a bunch of my own sewing to the box. Nothing like adding to the tradition, right?

Thanks, Mom. And happy birthday, S!

in miniature

When Todd is doing preparation for a tour for the Whitney Museum he soaks up all sorts of details and lets the information marinate for a while. Occasionally a few juicy bits spill out, which inevitably makes me curious to see the show and to hear what he'll say about it. In the end, the most incredible tours usually emerge from the oven that is his brain.


This time, however, Todd couldn't wait to share the show. He knew Tsia and I would love it, and I think you will, too. (Unfortunately, the Whitney doesn't allow photography in the galleries, so I'll just have to tell you about it and show you some photos from the website. But you need to know up front that photos don't do this work justice.

Charles LeDray makes tiny things. I'm not going to attempt a proper art review because other people are much better at it and more erudite than I will ever be. But I can tell you that, from the perspective of someone who sews and who knows garment construction and pattern making really well, his work is incredible.

LeDray makes miniature clothing. Perfectly. And apparently he doesn't really talk about it. Todd recounted the curator walk-through he attended last week, and apparently when the curator asked the artist about his work the only real answer she got was "What do you think?" For example, the curator asked whether a tiny drawer in a tiny cobbler bench opens. The artist's reply: "What do you think?" Curator: "Are the laundry bags [I'll explain shortly] filled with clothing or just stuffing?" LeDray: "What do you think?"

This has, of course, become a running joke at our house. Here is a typical morning conversation:

Me: Tsia, did you brush your teeth?
Tsia: Hmmm, what do you think?
Todd: Tsia, where are your shoes?
Tsia: Hmmm, what do you think?

You get the picture.

So I really can't tell you much about the artist's process. Nor, I imagine, can many people. But I'm guessing that LeDray procures clothing and then takes it apart, paying particular attention to the construction of the garment. Then he probably makes a pattern from the disassembled garment, reduces the scale considerably (he says each item is "exactly the size it needs to be," and the pieces are each a different size but all seem to be smaller than 50% of the original garment), recuts the pattern, and assembles the garment exactly as the original was constructed. No kidding. I closely examined a miniature trench coat hanging from a miniature coat rack and could see that the edges of the inside facings were finished with Hong Kong binding, and the free-hanging lining was hemmed to exactly the right length.

Each piece also appears to be worn. I've got no idea how he does this. It's possible to "age" clothing artificially, like putting "whiskers" on bluejeans--you know, the white lines that result from wearing a pair of jeans for a long time? The aging on LeDray's miniature clothing is much more subtle and gives the appearance that a body actually occupied the garment and gave it a shape that contours the body.

Some of the miniature garments even have miniature garments attached to them. My favorite is a small wooden hanger with pants, shirt, jacket and tie. From each garment holes have been cut. If you look closely, you can see the hole in the front of the shirt that is a perfect extra-miniature shirt sleeve. An even smaller pants, shirt, jacket and tie, have been constructed from the missing pieces, and this extra-miniature clothing hangs from the first miniature. Both are impeccably detailed.

But the most mind-boggling part of the show is the last gallery, where he has constructed miniature scenes. Little clothing racks filled with shirts or jackets, tables stacked with old T-shirts or neckties on display, laundry bags and baskets overflowing (with perfectly made laundry, or did he give himself a break and stuff the bags with bunches of fabric? Please, Mr. LeDray, tell me it's just fabric or I'll faint from sheer exhaustion for you!). Each item was made by LeDray: the racks themselves, the stacks of clothing, the aged linoleum tiles, even the dropped ceilings with fluorescent lighting and the dust that lightly covers each item. Once you've seen the attention given to just one of these garments in the preceding galleries, the effect of all this together is simply overwhelming.

LeDray does all the work himself, and he is prolific. Not only does he meticulously construct all those tiny garments. He also makes hundreds of tiny ceramics and constructs miniature furniture out of human bones. I'll admit, the ceramics and the use of human bones left me a bit cold, but the garments more than made up for it. And the detail on the non-textile work is just as meticulous as the textile work, so the overall effect of the show is sublime. I don't use that word lightly.

Really. If you get a chance to see it, please do. I'm guessing you'll be stunned.


P.S. I was noting to Todd, as I was finishing this post, that most of LeDray's work features men's wear:

Todd: The men's clothing conceals smaller dresses and women's clothing.
Me: Is there a message in that?
Todd: What do you think?

And so it goes.

checking in

If you're wondering what's become of me, so am I. I walked into a meeting at S's new school (kindergarten, already) last week and was shocked to hear the Principal mention that it was the sixth week of school. Already? It felt like the third week to me. We're still adjusting to the schedule, our new commute, and a lot of projects and deadlines that keep popping up.

Just to get caught up and back into the swing of things, here's a list of random items:

Visiting: We took our bikes out to Governor's Island on the ferry a week or two ago and had a great time riding around. It's so odd to explore an island full of vacant buildings, so close to the city. Eerily beautiful, especially when it's threatening a storm.





Watching: I've been on a little kick, watching documentary and feature films about fashion designers: Valentino, Coco Before Chanel, and Yves Saint Laurent. Loved The September Issue. Have you seen it? Have I missed any? I'm anxiously awaiting Bill Cunningham New York, too.

Reading: I think I'll move on to something different than fashion once I've finished reading Coco Chanel. But in truth I'm just awaiting the final book in the Lytton family trilogy by Penny Vincenzi to arrive from the library. Good stuff.

Listening: Have you heard the most recent Radiolab yet? And here I thought we were being so environmental, living in New York. Turns out that's only part of the story.

Looking: The Abstract Expressionist New York show at MoMA is well worth a trip if you get a chance. The show draws from the museum's permanent collection, and it's both educational and fascinating.

Ok, back soon. I promise.

(Oh, and we're doing a giveaway at the Oliver + S blog to celebrate the release of our fabrics, fyi...)

inspiration: other designers

I always love to see other people's sources for creative inspiration. It's interesting how each of us finds inspiration from different places and things.


New York magazine asked 100 fashion designers to share their inspiration for their spring 2010 collections. You'll find a huge variety of sources, from abstract concepts and ideas to very concrete objects and things. I love the beetle above, and this little dress detail.



I talked about my inspiration for City Weekend, our first fabric collection, over on the Oliver + S blog today. The fabrics are now shipping and will be available for purchase soon.

taste test: ice cream for women

We had a lot of requests for the Ice Cream Dress in adults sizes after we released it last spring. I get it. It's a really cute pattern. And I think it could work in adult sizes, but I'm still on the fence about it.



Maybe I need to shorten it to a blouse length instead of a tunic. Maybe it's just a little too full yet. Maybe it's just a little too smock-y for women--especially women with curves (which I, admittedly, do not have, but I still don't like how it looks on me). I know it might help if I wasn't wearing it with a full skirt in these photos, too. It just doesn't seem like the most flattering cut for most women.

So I think it really does work better for children.

(I enlarged the pattern while we were in Vermont. I didn't enlarge it the way it should be done, or the way I would do it if I were going to professionally develop the pattern for women. I just sort of eyeballed the grading and we made muslins before cutting our real fabric. Again, it's ok. But I'm not sold on the idea. More on Vermont sewing here and here.)

inspiration: Bill Cunningham

Part of our weekly Saturday morning ritual includes logging onto the New York Times website to watch Bill Cunningham's weekly On The Street video post.


Mr. Cunningham is a New York institution, a fashion journalist who documents fashion trends and photographs society events for the Times. He's also a genuinely nice guy. Todd and Tsia seem to run into him on a regular basis and always have pleasant conversations with him. He rides around the city on his bicycle, photographing anyone who catches his eye. He's got the best job ever, I think.

He also has a great eye for details and the way people put together their outfits.

Mr. Cunningham documents trends as he sees them. It's fun to see fashion through his eyes, and I'm often inspired by the people who show up on his weekly posts.

inspiration: sartorialist

My schedule for the rest of the summer is going to be somewhat more relaxed, thank goodness! The fall Oliver + S patterns are headed to the printer on Monday, and then I'll have a little time to start preparing some other projects without looming deadlines. I'll be putting together some design ideas, sketching, assembling tear sheets, building some much-needed bulletin boards for the studio, sewing school uniforms for S, and maybe even relaxing a bit. Nice!

So while I'm sorting through masses of inspirational materials that have accumulated in the studio, in my sketchbooks, and on my laptop I thought it might be fun to share some of the things that have been inspiring me. I'll make a little series of posts out of it.

First up, the Sartorialist. I've been following Scott Schuman almost since the start of his blog, and I find endless inspiration in his work. Scott photographs style wherever he finds it, and he has a wonderful eye for detail and silhouette. I look at his blog frequently for inspiration in my own wardrobe as well as for design ideas.


This is a recent Sartorialist photo I keep coming back to. I love the layering of the long jacket over the dress, especially with the sleeves pushed up and with those gorgeous heels. The whole ensemble looks simultaneously effortless and chic. And while I'm not usually attracted to red in my own wardrobe, it's inspired me to re-think the color again as an accent. (I also love her hair, which is something I've been thinking about more as I struggle to grow out my super-short cut for something a little different. But I lost all the curl in my hair after Tsia was born and probably couldn't carry this off, unfortunately.)

This is an older Sartorialist photo that inspires me for its mood. I love the look these two dancers have assembled, but even more than that I love how focused and happy they appear. Her scarf and necklaces combined with sneakers are such a unique and playful but sophisticated look, and his dark hat, braces, bow-tie and shoes are a wonderful counterpoint to their summer whites. They look so glamorous.

I think this is what people mean when they refer to a woman as a gamine or an ingenue. She's so cute, and her close-fitting cropped jacket is a perfect contrast to her pleated high-waisted pants. What a great silhouette!

While sometimes I love everything about a look in these photos, other times I'm inspired by the way something is worn or by the colors or textures. One element might appeal or stand out to me. Like that red dress in the first photo, Scott's photos might cause me to think about a color differently or to combine two elements I wouldn't have thought to combine.

Scott himself gave a great presentation about his work that I encourage you to watch over at Art Babble if you're interested in the process of designing. I think he does an excellent job of explaining how his photographs are used by a many designers as inspiration. What he says certainly applies to me.

we especially need the ice part right now

Every summer Tsia picks out a new pair of Salt Water Sandals. In years past we've gone for yellow, but this year it's all about pink. Oh, is it ever about pink. In fact, her new pink sandals sparked a trend at school, and at least three classmates bought the exact same shoes before the end of school. (The flood of pink sandals caused some confusion, too, and on at least one occasion sandals were accidentally swapped and little girls went home wearing the wrong size.)


Anyway, Tsia also recently outgrew nearly all her clothes, and I had promised a dress from Heather Ross's unicorn fabric so the newly empty wardrobe happened to coincide with her beloved pink sandals and Heather's orange unicorn fabric. I knew I wanted to make an Ice Cream Dress from the fabric but was struggling with my color options: If I coordinated a solid color trim to the unicorn print I would need to use brown or yellow, and they both felt too 1970's with the orange. The dress also wouldn't have matched the sandals very well. And if it wasn't pink it might not get worn, unicorns or not. So we left the fabric's color palette entirely and chose a solid pink cotton that matches the sandals precisely. I love how it looks.


I finished the dress over the weekend, and it's overdue for a washing after having been worn many days in a row. Which seems to mean that the dress is a success.

All these hot colors felt right with our recent record-breaking hot weather, too, but thankfully it's starting to cool off a bit.

By the way, there's an Ice Cream Social being held over at Badskirt and one flew over later this month, if you're inclined to join in. I can hardly wait to see what everyone makes!

little designers

This morning it was my turn to talk about my job at Tsia's school, so we talked about clothing.

The kids were very excited to show what they were wearing and to discuss design details. This week at school they're celebrating spirit week with pajama day, backwards and upside-down day, and crazy hair day. Today was cultural heritage day, so one little girl was wearing a Flamenco dress and another was wearing a kimono. We discussed collars, ruffles, stripes, buttons, and pockets. I showed everyone my sketchbook so they could see my first sketch of the Jump Rope Dress, a sample of which Tsia was modelling.




Then we all got busy drawing. I gave everyone basic garment shapes outlined in dotted lines on a sheet of white paper. From there, they all went different directions. The boys designed lots of clothing with spider webs:


Some of the children really enjoyed adding details:

And others added color:




I was amazed at a few of the designs. One little girl who wears a lot of color had some spectacularly vibrant and detailed designs that fit her personality and style perfectly. Two of the children wanted to give me their drawings so I could go home and sew their designs for them. I was sorry to explain that we were just drawing this time, not sewing. And several of the children started cutting out the clothing and making paper dolls for themselves!

If you know anyone who would like to make some designs for him/herself, here is a pdf of the clothing silhouettes we used. Have fun!

prints, prints, prints

Dig my 1970's vibe retro rain boots?

We went to the Liberty of London for Target preview sale yesterday after Heather called to say it was well worth the trip. I was hoping for an umbrella and maybe that fabulous raincoat, but very little was left when we arrived. There were plenty of rain boots (I'm sure we'll all be seeing the boots everywhere now!) and those ubiquitous long strapless sundresses that I just don't understand.

We did quite well in the girls' department, however: we purchased two dresses and a swimsuit for Tsia, and I found two girls' dresses for myself that I'll be wearing as tunics under jackets this spring, and with shorts or skirts this summer. (So I guess there is an advantage to being small- busted at times...)

Target and Liberty really did a wonderful job with this collection. Of course the fabric isn't the same quality as the original Tana lawn, and the dress styles are very simple. But the prints are clear and detailed and the collection looks great as a whole. Very fun!

stitching style

Last spring I had the pleasure of attending one of Natalie Chanin’s sewing workshops in New York. It was such a lot of fun! We each selected a project beforehand, and when we arrived it was waiting for us in a lovely kit (much like the one that Melanie Falick blogged about recently.) At the workshop, Natalie showed us how to use the same techniques her couture team follows when they stitch items for the Alabama Chanin collection. Then we spent the day stitching and chatting, and a chef came to prepare a delicious southern-style lunch for us. If you ever have the opportunity to spend a day with Natalie at one of these workshops, you’ll find that it’s incredibly rejuvenating and relaxing; none of us wanted to go home at the end of the day, and we made some wonderful new friendships in the process. (What is it about women, sewing, and bonding? I had a similar experience last summer at Heather Ross’s Weekend Sewing workshop in Vermont and am looking forward to doing it again this summer. It’s such a great way to make new like-minded friends!)

I never showed you what I made in Natalie’s workshop, but at last it’s time for the big reveal.

from Alabama Stitch Book

Back when Natalie and I first met, I sent her some Oliver + S patterns and one of her seamstresses made a darling Tea Party Sundress using the Alabama Chanin methods. The dress made an appearance in Cookie magazine’s profile of Natalie, and when I saw how wonderfully it turned out I just had to make one for S. I selected two colors from her organic cotton jersey fabrics: silt and light pink. I used the stencil provided in the Alabama Stitch Book (which I reviewed here) to transfer an all-over pattern onto the traced dress pieces, and once Natalie got me started with stitching I just couldn’t put the project down—I stitched all the way to Pittsburgh and back when we went to Quilt Market, and it was finished in time for my sister’s wedding.

Tea Party Sundress a la Alabama Chanin

As Natalie explains in her new book, Alabama Studio Style, cotton jersey relaxes when you wear it. Which means that it’s a good idea to start with a snug fit when you select the size you’ll be making. I made Tsia’s dress in her regular size, and of course the finished dress was too big. (I should have started with a pattern two sizes smaller and lengthened it following the methods I just posted on the Oliver + S blog to fit her height.)

So we’ve waited a while, and the dress is starting to fit. Tsia has worn it all winter with a turtleneck and tights, and I love how the fabric edges are starting to soften just a bit with each washing, giving the reverse appliqué a patina.

Alabama Studio Style

I had so much fun making this dress, now I’m planning to make myself one of the dress patterns from the Alabama Studio Style book . I still need to decide which style, size, fabric colors and stencil pattern to use. Any suggestions? (I really love the Angie’s Fall stencil, which is new to this book.)

Alabama Studio Style

If you’re interested in trying out these techniques but aren’t quite ready to take on a complete dress (and it is a commitment to make a full dress), there are lots of other terrific smaller projects in both books. I love the Small Medallion Placemats and the Medallion Boudoir Pillow in the new book (both of these projects use another new stencil that is included in the book), which look really contemporary and minimalist. There are so many great projects and recipes included, and the book feels very much like Natalie’s warm and relaxed personality, with some of her wonderful southern hospitality thrown into the mix. With both books, you’re only missing the companionship of a group of stitching women like we had at the sewing workshop.

And maybe a chef to cook you some delicious southern food at lunchtime while you relax and stitch and chat.

Alabama Studio Style

Natalie has included instructions for many different embellishment techniques like relief appliqué, backstitch reverse appliqué, and the beaded embellishments that have graced recent Alabama Chanin clothing collections. I’ve had an opportunity to admire these details during Fashion Week every season, and they are so inspirational. Each of these embellishment techniques look very different from the others when completed, and you could use them in many different ways to suit your own purposes, even if you don’t make any of the specific projects in the book. I particularly love the starburst “eyelet” stitch, which you could embroider by itself or bead for two very different looks.

I love how these two books can stand independent of each other but also build on each other. They're both absolutely beautiful, informative, and inspirational.

handmade #4

For Tsia: new flannel PJs. Size 5 so they're extra long to account for the way flannel continues to shrink for a few washings and because she just keeps growing. Made with my favorite print from Sandi Henderson's first fabric collection.


An extra pair of PJ pants were made because, well, accidents happen. The ability to make more than one pair of matching PJ pants is certainly another advantage of sewing them yourself, yes?

something in the genes

No kidding, we measured Tsia the other day and she's grown an inch in the last two months! So this dress hem is just basted (and rather sloppily, at that) because there's an extra three inches in there, just waiting to be let out.

Ok, so let's just preface this post by saying that the love of pink or of sparkles was not genetically handed down through me or Todd. Or not directly, anyway. It didn't manifest itself in Tsia until preschool when she started playing with other girls who love pink, so maybe it's a passing fancy? I can only hope so, but a sparkly princess dress has been frequently and strongly requested, so Mom and I got busy during my visit home during the holidays. I thought I might get away with a more sophisticated selection of fabric, and I had almost successfully placed a lavender and gold sari-printed satin in our shopping cart when Tsia revolted. She wanted the pink with sparkles. And not just one pink fabric with sparkles; both the dress and the sheer accent fabrics needed to match! Yikes.


We used a McCall's pattern that I can't seem to find online, but it was in the pattern book the other day so I know it's still in print. There were about 18 views, which made the sewing seem more complicated than it actually was. I did make some adjustments to the bodice since I could tell from the measurement chart (and the photo on the envelope) that it would be too wide on her. Then I did the cutting, pressing and pinning, and Mom did almost all the sewing so it went really quickly. We returned home a few days later with a nearly finished dress; it just needed to be hemmed.

That, of course, took me another two weeks.

Mom found a matching veil in her stash of dress-up clothing for grandchildren (I love that she has this--we all got dressed up one night and had a blast!). And now what a happy kid we have, prancing around in her princess dress!

But here is the funny part, the part that makes my simultaneously proud and cringe. Turns out there was a vision for the pink dress. It wasn't just about any pink dress. She wanted a pink dress like her doll's! I get it, the designer vision thing. She's got the dress, she's happy, and I feel better for letting her have her way.

Thanks, Mom. That over-skirt construction was really weird, but it totally worked out.

winter coat

Remember how a few weeks ago I went fabric shopping for S's new winter coat? Well, the results are now up on the Oliver + S blog.

I tried a little experiment with this coat and lined it with Thinsulate. See the post if you're interested in the details.

found in books

This book was inside a large package of sewing items I purchased at a yard sale in Michigan a couple of summers ago. Since it was right around the time I was getting ready to launch Oliver + S, I never really had a chance to look at it.


I opened the book for the first time the other day, I can't remember why. But I'm freaking out over the photographs inside. Wow, I want to wear these clothes!



Especially this suit. I love the hat, too. Wish I had time to make something like this for my sister's wedding in September, but somehow I doubt it would look quite so stunning on me:

The best part of the book, however, are the scraps of paper and clippings inside it. Here is a newspaper ad I found inside it, along with a few bits I found in another book I have.
Isn't it fun to get little peaks at someone else's life?

the secret life of clothes

Did you have the same response as I when you opened your mailbox the other day? I think my voice dropped an octave with a breathless "No!" uttered in disbelief and awe: we just received a J Peterman catalog!

How thrilling to see this. It's the same crazy vintage-inspired stuff as ten years ago when the company was in its prime. I think it's exactly what the marketplace has been missing since Banana Republic went mainstream.




Do you remember the old Banana Republic catalogs? I adored their style, and this book (I found it on ebay a few years ago) about the company has been a source of endless inspiration to me. I love so much about safari style: the linens, washed cottons, brushed khakis, and rough twills are everything I adore about textiles, and the timelessness of the styles still appeal to me. I'm attracted by the adventurousness, the well-traveleled mystique of someone who had been everywhere and seen everything. Much of it, too, was questionable with regard to wearability. But it oozed rugged glamour.



So back to our friend Mr. Peterman's catalog. Some of it continues to be constume-y and nearly unwearable: witness the Great American Shirt. If I were an advice columnist I would tell my readers to avoid any man wearing this shirt, especially on a first date. It screams "I believe I'm attractive enough to wander my way onto the cover of a romance novel." Not someone with whom I would recommend you get involved, unless you're the fawning type who needs a man to take care of as a hobby (or a full-time job?). Or the Crinoline Dress? This dress seems suitable only for an evening of zoot-suited swing dancing, complete with fedora and speak-easy. But maybe my imagination is just too tired to comprehend kelly green underwired dresses today. I'll try again tomorrow.

On the other hand, I'm all over the Adventurous Shirt Dress. I've been meaning to finish a sleeveless shirtwaist similar to this that I drafted before the arrival of Tsia (four years ago, now...). It's sitting on the shelves of the studio, cut from pinstriped navy linen, just waiting for a quiet afternoon for stitching together. And I love the Latin Quarter Peasant Shirt, which feels a bit like a grown-up version of the 2 + 2 Blouse and which I would probably wear every single day if it were made in the light-weight grey-blue cotton I purchased last weekend with something exactly like this in mind.

I think the J Peterman catalog is important precisely because of the unusual items it includes. The non-conformity of the more exotic offerings are what make it unique, especially today when so much apparel looks the same. I love the possibilities it offers, even if I tend toward the more conservative, wearable (to my mind, anyway) items. So hurray for Mr. Peterman! I may still be mourning the death of the REAL Banana Republic, but I can celebrate the true purveyor of outlandish items; they're what make the sartorial world interesting today.