Back to WOOORK!! - 7/25/11

            Mondays ugh!.... Am I right?  Don't get me started.  Don't EVEN get me started!  Take a cue from Anita Page.  Throw on something rife with sex appeal, give Monday a sassy look and say "Put an egg in your shoe bustah.... and beat it."

Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! - 6/13/11

            Well here we are again.  Another weekend has ended and Monday has cleched her steely grip upon us.  Never you fear though, Sydney Guilaroff is here to help. 

            Sydney is shown in this fantastic press photo working on some wigs for "Marie Antoinette" starring Norma Shearer.  No prom tendrils up in here!  You know Wendy Williams is burning with envy!  WOOOOORK!!

Philip - In Brooklyn 

Back to WOOORK!! - 6/6/11

           Welcome back to work babies!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend as we have had.  If there is one thing that exemplifies WOOORK it's an amazing clothes horse that marries the boss! 

           Miss Norma Shearer, I respect this broad's moxy.  Not only was she a great actress and drop dead gorgeous, she also married Irving Thalberg.  Thalberg just happened to be one of the heads of MGM.  Come to think of it Norma was a contracted star at MGM.  Well itsn't that convenient?  You go girl.  Make sure your bills get paid.  The essence of WOOORK!!

Oh yeah... can we talk about that gown.... UGH!  Sadly I don't know much about this picture.  I downloaded it a while ago and didn't make notes of what it is in reference to... Help a brother out guys!

Philip - In Brooklyn

Public Enemy Finished Product

            Hey there readers! Sorry about the delay in posting the finished sweater vest, Public Enemy. Being that my camera ran away from home one night it was tough to take pictures of my progress.  I did get myself a new camera though, so all is not lost and life can continue.

Well look what we've got here... well if it isn't a finished sweater vest.

     When I last left you I had seamed up one shoulder in order to knit and apply the ribbing.  First I knitted the armhole ribbing the width of one of the armholes.  After it was finished I transferred the stitches from the ribber onto the knitter bed and hung the armhole onto the machine and crochet cast off the seam. 

     I wanted to try something new for the V-neck.  Usually I knit the neck band in 2 pieces (round necks can be knit in 1 piece if the knitting machine is large enough), 1) one side of the front and the back of the neck and 2) then the other side of the front.  But I figured since I was going to sew the center front as a miter I figured I would just knit it all in one piece and sew the center front like you would a jersey or any other cut and sew knit.

     Here is the inside view of the Neck rib at the bottom of the "V".  The trouble I found is that the bulk of the rib is a bit annoying but when you're wearing it you don't even notice it.  Going forward I don't think I will repeat this technique  I like the 2 piece neck better because if you sew it mitered you can press the seam allowance open and tack it to the seam and it looks much flatter. 

     Here is the outside view of the finished Neck rib.  The bulk of the miter isn't all that noticable.  But as I said before I'll stick to the 2 piece neck rib. 

    After my neck rib was finished I sewed up the other shoulder then repeated what I did for the previous armhole.  All that was left was seaming up the side and weaving in loose ends.  So far I've worn it once and it looked SUPER dapper.  Next time I wear it I will make sure to snap a couple pics for posting.

Philip - In Brooklyn

Quit Frontin'! - Public Enemy

            Ladies and Gentlemen.  I would like to proudly introduce... THE FRONT!  (The crowd goes wild!)  So I whipped up the front of Public Enemy and it ended up being easier then the back for some reason; not sure why.  I blocked that fool and look at it, just look at it!  Marvel in its majesty.  I'll leave you with your thoughts.

More to come...

Philip - In Brooklyn

The Backside - Public Enemy

            Hey there Patterned History folks!  I finished blocking the back of the sweater-vest I am lovingly calling Public Enemy.  It looks awesome and came out perfectly on spec!  I can't wait to knit the front and wear this little sucker out.  I think it'll look amazing with a light colored shirt under it and a nice black sport jacket... maybe I'll bust out a tie for the full affect!!

Philip - In Brooklyn

Public Enemy - Cable Swatch

           So I sat my happy ass down last night and did some cable swatching.  So I ran 3 plys of Navy Merino Wool through the machine at tension dial #6.  Looks pretty rad!  The first couple cables look a bit bucked up but then I figured it out on the last 3 passes.  In addition to using tension #6, I also used the switch on the ribber that makes "softer" purl stitches.  The swatch is incredibly soft and lofty.  I CANNOT wait to knit this sweater-vest and rock it on the daily!  John Dillinger ain't got shit on me!

Philip - In Brooklyn

Always on My Mind - Public Enemy

          My Mind was wondering today so I started sketching a sweater I've been mulling over.  Ever since I knitted Ryan his V-neck Sweater Vest I've been pining for my own.  While watching "Public Enemies" I spied a Navy Blue sweater vest that looked like it had some fancy cabling going on.  It was that instant love at first sight you feel in a fleeting glance just before it disappears.  The man wearing it was a non speaking character so I can't find any pictures of it online.  So I'll just have to go off of initial gut inspiration.  The plan is to do a varigated cable on the front and back of a solild color Navy Sweater Vest.  I think it will be super sophisticated.  The rich Navy color will be very masculine and the cables will add a touch of soft texture.

           I have a few pounds of Navy Merino Wool that I plan on trying out on this classy little number.  It's fairly thin so I'm gonna try running it through the machine 4 plys; probably on tension setting 4 or 5 so it's not too stiff.  Just for shits and giggles I think I'll try 3 plys Navy Merino and 1 ply Black Wool Mohair I have, just to see how it looks.  Certainly more to come on him, Public Enemy.

Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! 1-10-11

           Welcome back to WOOORK!!  I know it's tough to get back into the swing of things.  I've actually found myself going through "Holiday Snack" Withdrawl.  I've been found walking aimlessly around the office searching for cakes, cookies, candy.... ANYTHING sweet that may be left over.  Like a crackhead I'd be muttering to myself out of sheer frustration.  They say the first couple weeks are the worst.  And if this doesn't work there is always the Methadone clinic so all is not lost.  But to help me out I found my dear old friend Claudette Colbert's shoulder to cry on.  Her only request, "Try your best not to get any tears on the Travis Banton gown."  Something about being back on the set of "Cleopatra" or some such nonsense.  Well I hope Ms. Colbert helps you through your work week as well.  

 

Philip - In Brooklyn

Fashion 101: Madeline Vionnet Lecture at the DeYoung Museum, San Francisco

"when a woman smiles, then her dress should smile too."

Hello Everyone!

A few weeks ago, I attended THIS amazing lecture on the Haute Couture creations of Madeline Vionnet:

http://www.centerforpatterndesign.com/pages/Vionnet%2C-The-Art-of-the-Cut.html

The lecturer has spent the past 30 YEARS intensively studying and teaching the techniques of Vionnet.  She is also an instructor at The Center for Pattern Design in St. Helena, CA.  It is a magical place that holds drool-worthy workshops on serious smarty-pants fashion stuff.  For instance:  Their next class is a 2-day extravaganza in January 2011 on draping the Dior Bar Jacket:

http://www.centerforpatterndesign.com/pages/Draping-the-Dior-Bar-Jacket.html

But I digress….

One can find many sites on the web devoted to Madeline Vionnet’s life and career, and many images of her creations that are timeless and iconic. 

Madeline Vionnet, circa 1920, working on her 1/2 scale dress form.  She did not sketch her creations. Instead, she worked in "3-D" by draping all designs in half scale, then grading up mathmatically to fit the actual human form.

BEFORE THEY ANNOUNCED "NO PICTURES!"  I snapped THIS with my phone:  Half-scale dresses draped and created the "Vionnet Way" from the Center for Pattern Design, on display at the Vionnet lecture. 

Much like the Cubist art movement which coincided with her own success, Madeline Vionnet was seeing life and the human form on a whole other level, a new dimension in geometric form:

"Woman With Guitar" By Georges Braques, c. 1913

"Le Guitariste" By Pablo Picasso, c. 1910



*Le Sigh!*  A Vionnet Chiffon Gown developed around the same time: 4 equal squares, cut on the straight grain and worn on the bias.  Corners of the squares are joined at the top and draped from the shoulder.  The delicate bias hugs the body beautifully and floats with movement.  Dresses like this were usually finished off with a waist sash or tie to create definition.  All edges are rolled and finished by hand.

 

The lecture was a cool 10 bucks to get in, and worth every penny.  It focused mainly on her principles of design rather than her personal life and timeline.   

Here is a little re-cap of the notes I took at the lecture.
(with LOTS of amazing pictures added in!)

“The cut is all”

Madeleine Vionnet practiced 6 principles of elegant cutting:

1.     Cut Geometrically (circle, square, rectangle) 

2.     Weight creates fit and form

3.     Any part can extend into twist, ties, folds or loops.

4.     Design should integrate the closure  (simple, but never plain)
5.     Decorative details create silhouette, fit & finish
6.     Use insets for specific shaping



c. 1914



c. early 1920's

More Teens-20's Fabulousness. 
Vionnet was often inspired by the geometry of early Grecian style.

Vionnet’s work is nothing short of genius. 

When it comes down to it, she was a fabric mathematician, solving formulas to shape and fit that people are still trying to understand.  

"I have tried all my life to be a physician of the figure.  I wanted to impose on my clients a respect for their bodies, the habit of exercise and the practice of strict hygiene which would rid them forever of those artificial armors that deformed them".

c. 1931 Vogue Magazine (and personally one of my favorite images EVER!)  Note the absolute
unrestricted fit.  A precision-perfect cut & drape gives this creation its ethereal float, and grace.

More early 30's jaw-dropping fabulousness.  Again, note the ease of movement and drape.
This is "Less is More" at its finest!



Recently, I learned that she hated being labeled as or referred to as a Designer.  She chewed up that word and spit it out!  Technician or Dressmaker were titles she preferred.  

Couture Lablel for the House of Vionnet

The House of  Vionnet was one of the most important fashion houses of the 1920s & 30’s.  Approx. 1200 seamstresses were employed at once, and Vionnet was the 1^st to create a ready-to-wear clothing from haute couture.

A Vionnet creation from the 1920's



Court Dress, c. 1938

She fought for copyright laws in fashion, and ran a progressive (revolutionary) workplace for the time, offering paid holidays, maternity leave, day care, dental and health benefits…even a gym!

"Blithe Spirit" c. 1938 (Metropolitian Museum of Art, NYC)

Gorgeous Gold Lame' creations, c. 1930's

 The onset of WW2 and the eventual heavy influence of structured, uniform fashion contributed to her (early) retirement from the industry. 

She went on record admitting that she could not and would not change her style and methods of dress design, and therefore believed that her time, her era, was done.



Dress: 1938, Silk Tulle, Panne' Velvet & horsehair, with silver Lame' underdress and Lesage embroidery.



On August 2, 1939, Madeline Vionnet showed her “Farewell Collection” and closed her house that same year, on the eve of war between France and Germany.

Vionnet continued to mentor other designers until her death in 1975.



The Master Technician herself, in her Paris flat, c. 1970's



-Make it simple

-Make sure everything is integrated (function ,cut, behavior)

-Balance is #1

-Kathleen, In Oakland

Back to WOOORK!! 12-6-10

            Well hey there beautiful Patterned History readers!  Yes another weekend has passed us by and it is time to get back to WOOORK!  Imagine if this was your work uniform... so quit bitchin about your hangover.

  

Philip - In Brooklyn

          

Back to WOOORK!! 11-29-10

Hey Y'all!

Just another Monday posting of fabulousness to get you through your WOOORK week!
It's cold out there.  Don't forget what a wonderful opportunity this is to don your gay apparel, such as the dashing hat and gloves modeled by our good friend Jean Harlow below.
Enjoy!

-Kathleen, In Oakland