Burda Magazine Facing Fashion of the 1960th... How did it look like?

Burda Moden 02' 1969

Burda Moden 02' 1969

This is my new source of constant joy. What do you feel looking at these fashion models, especially on the faces?  I am overjoyed. Burda magazines for me mean not only patterns - as patterns I can do myself. It is life mode, mood, world view, philosophy, - all about how ladies of the time saw their ideals and expressed themselves. 

Burda Moden 02' 1969

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I love these happy faces of excited schoolgirls! Fashion of the late 1960th is wonderful - hilariously bright, everything is short and cute. 

Looking at these faces… I bet they really had a youthquake happened to them.

Personality vs. Famous Model

My brother Valentine in St.-Petersburg is a teacher of Lindy Hop dance style. He said once that trousers like Fred Astaire's was his dream. Well, dreams need to come true, and I decided to make him a Christmas present. 

I searched for Fred Astair’es  photos, and came to the following:

-he had different trousers, I couldn’t pick one particular style

-his trousers don’t always fit well… More likely quite opposite

-any trousers would be Fred Astaire's if there was Fred Astaire inside them!

The Power Of Things. 

Do things influence your feelings?

   Do things have power upon your life? 

   Do they influence on your mood, feelings, emotions?

   What makes you get up in the morning?

Diana Vreeland said, that it was her style, that made her get up in the morning. Style made her go downstairs. 

What is style? What does it consist of? Really, style consists of things. 

I love Fancy Nancy kid’s book series. It is about a small girl Nancy who loves tutu skirts, bows, ruffles, pens with plume, lavender hankies, and - fancy words. She says ‘foliage’ instead of ‘fall’ and she decorates her book report with beads and yarn braids, otherwise it wouldn’t do. She is funny and she has true and clear style (small girl style, of course). In one of the books she has to make a composition of one hundred of anything, and: one hundred socks is ugly; one hundred macaronis is impossible, because few kids already made it; one hundred hair bands or bracelets is not working, because she has only eighty... Finally she founds one hundred bright pebbles, and makes a verse with the sense of her composition. 

Beautiful things make us say beautiful words and express beautiful feelings? May be it is too strong to say, but I think, there is some seed of truth here. 

Fancy tea mug or the simplest and cheapest from the supermarket? The simple one will do, but fancy mug is pretty and  ergonomic. It does ‘click!’ when closed, it is spill proof, it has hot pink lid. And you won’t make ordinary tea in it, you’d prefer oolong with mint. You keep it in your hand and you feel good… By the way, you can put on your favourite ring or bracelet, which has been hidden in your treasury box for years.  

Start with one garment...

Beautiful ring or bracelet will make you pay attention to your hands. And accidentally you will place your hand cream to be accessed easier, and therefore - apply it often. Oh, are your nails all right? What about toes? Oh, you have to polish your shoes, don’t you?  Step after step, you don’t know how it happens, but you start speaking style. This is a wonderful journey, and the best thing of it - that you created it yourself. True style comes form within, everybody knows it. But to ascend from the depth of your soul it needs little helpers. Just tea mug and hand cream. Or where it all started? 

Style consists of things. Start with one fancy garment, and it makes you feel different, think special, go the same way with a better posture. A lady with such  grace and poise can’t wear old piled room socks at home. She puts them straight into the bin. 

Imagine Sunday early morning, 6.30am. Beautiful morning, and all the house is sleeping. You have cup of tea and time for yourself. You have time for your hobby. Let it be… calligraphy. You are looking with delight on your fine writing, and this cheap shabby cracked calligraphy pen in your hand…  What is wrong here? 

Things are simple. It is just a tea mug. Just a calligraphy pen. But they can easily move you on or stop you at once. 

I think it is OK to be influenced by things. The point is to make things work for you, inspire you, help you  every day like reliable and fancy friend. 

How many  fancy friends have you got?

This is a beauty case made with lots of beads.

* © All photos are made by me. And beaded things too.

Sewing is...

Sewing is...

... hard work and deadlines.

Fashion means modern?.. Fashion means old!

We know that fashion has circles, and old-fashioned trends return onto the stage in a new mood, new trendy colours, and usually with a slight changes in form, though recognisable.  Stylists don't recommend to keep your old clothes because it might become fashionable again - it won't. It will be different, it will be made in new fabrics and tones, in a finer and lighter silhouette.

Alonso Sánchez Coello (1532–1588)
Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia at age 13
(1579, Museo del Prado)

It is so exciting to discover something medieval in a modern dress! Or a tricky facet dating back to the time of French Revolution...  It can be easy with the garments which are very similar to their historic prototypes, such as Roman sandals, tunics, Greek style dresses etc. I tried to find just a few hints which show that modern designers take their inspiration in the past. This is much more interesting to research!

Zac Posen 2014 Pre-Fall

I love this dress! It has extremely exciting pattern - with lots of convex lines to suit the model. Designer achieved accurate fitting due to precise drawing, not because of elastic fibres. Main thing that these two dresses  have in common - they suit the ideal figure of their time. In Holland of the 16th century opulent clothes fitted the girdle on the torso with flattened bust and belly and bell-shaped skirt, which was considered to be the perfect feminine figure.

Australian winter... makes us dressed our best!

In St.-Petersburg in Russia where I came from we used to say: "summer was hot and dry. It's a pity I was working that day". Here in Brisbane we can say: "winter was really nasty, and it took the whole weekend!"

Australian winter allows us to dress our best, to take out suits, jackets, even boots and coats... sometimes. And I think this is really great.

Not bad look, I think. What we have here:
-flowery top from H&M, $20
-pants from Cotton On, $15 (special)
-booties from Ecco, $100 (approx., I don't remember)
-JACKET made by myself

This is not a regular jacket. I made it when I studied Haute Couture sewing techniques  It was a Chanel-type jacket course and it was taught by a New York fashion designer Yana Brink (Yana Brink).

Soft fall of the fabric is the main idea
of hand sewing 

Fabric is an Italian mixed one, wool + silk, and it is absolutely gorgeous to touch.
Pattern has been draped on a mannequin.
A lot of hand sewing, it is Haute Couture! 
Buttonholes were made by hand, of course.
The main idea of hand sewing is softness, tenderness, free falling of the fabric.

Whatever you do, wear your silk often...

Whatever you do, wear your silk often, and don't be afraid to wear it out.

                                                                                                Kelly Doust
                                                                                            Life In Frocks

100% silk sateen. This is my first made wedding dress.

Silks have been considered the most luxurious fibre since ancient times and nowadays, thinking about an evening gown or just nice frock for everyday life we look at silk fabrics.
Silks come to out life in wedding gowns and different exquisite garments. They make perfect lining for lace dresses.

This lace dress has 100% silk lining.
It was a wedding dress as well. 

The main thing with silks is: they are different in terms of quality, density and durability. There is very slight difference in sewing some silks and cotton fabrics, but others are unbelievably capricious.

Blouse is always something special...

"She wore the pale blue summer blouse which he had brought her home as a present one Saturday.
When he brought the blouse home Annie kissed him and said it was very pretty and stylish; but when she heard the price she threw the blouse on the table and said it was a regular swindle to charge ten and elevenpence for it. At first she wanted to take it back but when she tried it on she was delighted with it, especially with the make of the sleeves, and kissed him and said he was very good to think of her."
                                                                                  A Little Cloud (The Dubliners) 
                                                                                          James Joyce

It doesn't have to be tied on the waist,
it is just big for the mannequin.

I finished this luxurious blouse recently, and it took me about 36 hours of work. In one of the articles about tutu skirts (Tutu Skirts. Part II) I wrote that real-ballet Chopin kind skirt takes about 35 hours from a skilled master. As regards this blouse it took me so much time mostly because of the tricky fabric.

New hair - new image - new life

My friend Olga is a great doll player. She is a very serious and respectful lady, a doctor, and her apartment in St-Petersburg is full of beautiful dolls. Momoko, Tonner, collectible Barbies, special editions of different brands...

From her I learned a lot about dolls and how to play with them.  Enchanted by amazing doll world ladies spend time not only sewing new outfits and making photos of their dolls in graceful poses, they even reroot their hair, change their make up and tone of the body.

Thanks to her my two small helpers came to me. They are Tonner girls, 16" height, which is a little bit smaller than 1/4 human body. Particularly 1/4 was important for me because when I studied dressmaking and clothes constructing I was taught to make and to use test constructions 1/4 original size. So my dolls work as a small mannequins and exquisitely beautiful models for me. I even made a 'human' pattern for them. It is a great pleasure to dress them up.

DIY - small alterations. Part 2.

Let us talk about a small touches that change the impression of the whole garment or accessory. 

Here is my jacket. I bought it and at home only I saw these disgusting tucks on the front pockets. The jacket fits me very good, it makes my waist, it's hue belongs to my colour group, and finally it is rather trendy. I didn't want to return it, so there is something to be done with the tucks.