Fall 2011 - All Occasion Top

Bergdorf Goodman has their fall collections updated, these are some all occasion tops on offer.

No. 4 White Shirt Inspiration

Some of my favorite inspiration comes from Gorsuch. A number of basic pretty white shirts.



From In Style "How to pick a great white shirt"


Here are some from 2008 from the New York Social Diary (You'll have to scroll down to see them all).

From Anne Fontaine...

Just a Wee Late

Okay, super late. I had a number of things distract me from participating in this sew along - from other sew alongs to indecision on what to sew. Now that I have a focus for summer-to-fall sewing, I am ready to begin. My upcoming sewing plans include many of Tim's wardrobe basics so hopefully this will go smoothly.

I actually only have nine garments to go. I made another pair of jeans in May, but I have yet to do an updated pattern review. The jeans are black and fit nicely into my wardrobe plan.

L

Number 1: The LBD

I don’t know what took me so long but I’ve always wanted a little black dress. It seemed kind of ridiculous that I can sew and have virtually anything I want but didn’t have one of those. Well, the Tim Gunn challenge on Patternreview.com was just the motivation. I have the princess dress My Label pattern drafted specifically to my measurements. I used it for the day time dress but I thought it would work well for the LBD. I had some black on black striped silk fabric from Michael’s Fabrics that I had received in a bundle a while back. Those bundles are fun when offered! Any fabrics I don’t like become muslins and any I do are a great bargain. Anyone interested in this watch out on the MichaelsFabrics.com website.

I also lined the dress in black silk charmeuse I ordered from Mood.com. I made the sleeves ¾ because that way it would work during either Winter or Washington’s over air conditioned Summers. There is a slit on the back. This might be the first of several black dresses. Now that I’ve made one I’m inspired to make more!

No 8. Day dress

This is the day dress I did for the Tim Gunn Sewalong on Patternreview.com. He suggests a day dress and when I got this fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics I knew that’s what it had to be! I think this fabric really has a Tommy Bahama feel to it.

It was the Bernina My Label basic dress pattern but, of course, I had to change some things. I put pockets on the front because I always wished dresses had pockets! Hey, I made it so I can do whatever I want with it! I put the slits in the front as opposed to the one in the back and added a placket neckline. I finally mastered doing plackets so now I want to use them more often!

What is a Blazer anyway?

All blazers are jackets but not all jackets are blazers.... it's beginning to sound like Algebra.

According to Wikipedia

A jacket is a type of sleeved hip- or waist-length garment for the upper torso. A jacket is generally shorter, ending just below the waist, and often lighter. Some jackets are fashionable, while others serve as protective clothing.

Blazer, similar to but more casual than a suit jacket; single- or double-breasted of sturdy material, commonly with metal buttons.

I've even read definitions that include striped cloth school or club colors.

So the search for the Blazer....
When I think of a Blazer, I think of school blazers...like Thom Browne's collection for Brooks Brother's under the Black Fleece label.



The net-a-porter.com versions.....



Now to peruse my patterns for possible blazer candidates...



I'm thinking 7421 is my best bet, I'll just have to tweak the collar a little, and drop the neckline.

I had to look at what's available at the Vogue website and didn't find a lot, but I did find

McCalls 6172 - Palmer Pletsch jacket in three lengths, and that one on the right looks like a silhouette Stella McCartney has been showing in her spring collections.



Butterick 4610 - Looks like a nice pattern for a basic blazer you could do a lot with.

No. 10 Sweatsuit Alternative .... continued

Here are some simple (easy) patterns for summer skirts, which will also be my sweatsuit alternatives.... because casual clothes are always welcomed.

Vogue 1247 - Rachel Comey (pattern released March 2011) - cotton plaid blend - read more on my blog here.

Simplicity 2451 - View C - stretch denim - for a closer look.