I´m forever dreaming of a perfectly edited capsule wardrobe..
When you are a stylist, you will hang on to every tatter of fabric, every hard-to-come-by-vintage find, because you never know when you might need those XXXL men´s pants or that lurex bikini for a shoot, which results in heavily bulging closets and monthly throw-out sessions followed by tearful regrets (well, if you are the slightly dramatic personality type)..
But I still hanker after the days when women would visit their seamstresses twice a year, to refresh their wardrobe with one dress at a time, taking their time to choose fabrics and styles, knowing this one piece would be worn over and over again, so it had to be just right.
My grandmother was a seamstress in her youth, and she continues to sew her clothes to this day. She never had many things, at least not too many, but all were luxury items, made from silks, pure wools or cashmere, all were made to measure and fitted here like a dream.
For all of you who despise cheap fashion and cookie-cutter styles, and who tend towards the belief that Haute Couture for all could make the world a better place (no child labour! no water pollution! no chemicals!), there are Vogue Paris Original patterns. Those were launched by Vogue in 1949 and were made from the designers´ own working muslin patterns. They even included labels to put into the finished dress!
But I still hanker after the days when women would visit their seamstresses twice a year, to refresh their wardrobe with one dress at a time, taking their time to choose fabrics and styles, knowing this one piece would be worn over and over again, so it had to be just right.
My grandmother was a seamstress in her youth, and she continues to sew her clothes to this day. She never had many things, at least not too many, but all were luxury items, made from silks, pure wools or cashmere, all were made to measure and fitted here like a dream.
For all of you who despise cheap fashion and cookie-cutter styles, and who tend towards the belief that Haute Couture for all could make the world a better place (no child labour! no water pollution! no chemicals!), there are Vogue Paris Original patterns. Those were launched by Vogue in 1949 and were made from the designers´ own working muslin patterns. They even included labels to put into the finished dress!
This would be the perfect daytime dress.
Anything Yves Saint Laurent is utterly desirable.
It´s reassuringly difficult to come by those patterns as they are discontinued every season, but a search on Etsy should do the trick. Good fabrics tend to cost more than a finished garment at H&M, but they are so worth it. You could learn how to sew yourself, which would make the cost for a seamstress redundant, though.
So, remember what Vivienne Westwood once said: Buy less. Choose well. Make it last. Quality, not quantity. Everybody´s buying far too many clothes.
She might as well have added: Choose your patterns. Visit your seamstress. Edit your dream wardrobe. Because you can´t wear more than one dress at a time, anyway.
So, remember what Vivienne Westwood once said: Buy less. Choose well. Make it last. Quality, not quantity. Everybody´s buying far too many clothes.
She might as well have added: Choose your patterns. Visit your seamstress. Edit your dream wardrobe. Because you can´t wear more than one dress at a time, anyway.