Buying Status or Luxury?

The other day I was up on 47th street and there was a little crowd knotted up on the street. I worked my way through the group, almost all guys, with their cameras out. 

And there it was; the most amazing apple-green,  iridescent,  two-tone Lamborghini.  The color was out-of-this-world.  I wondered where it was headed,  it had non-resident 20 day temporary tags on it. (Who knew there were such things?  I rarely drive & never in the city any more, so I am well out of the loop here.) It was funny to see it parked in a crowded business district in the middle of the morning, very incongruous,  leaving the impression at it wanted to get into a traffic jam really fast!  (It certainly was creating one very quickly!)

A beautiful vehicle,  fast - and always limited edition, since Lamborghini makes well under 3000 cars in a year.  I do hope it's going somewhere it can cut loose a little!

This is luxury & status,  with that color-bumping it up even more!  A very precision crafted, finely designed, hand-assembled & finished and renowned for  speed & performance.  Each one is test driven on real roads when completed.

So,  if you are able to buy one of these,  you are certainly getting what you pay for….

Then there's fashion.
Unfortunately, all too often the luxury/status/designer/label thing has become just another term for for big marketing & big manufacturing.

Case in point: Here is a used fabric Chanel Camellia.  Just a plain fabric one.  A bit beat. "Pre-owned".

It sold for $249.00.   I don't believe this variation of a Chanel camellia goes for much more than $300.00 new.  It's the tweed and raffia ones that run up to $600.00. Those need to be hand-stitched, at least to some extent.  This one - not so much.  Probably hundreds, if not thousands of these get made. 

There are flower makers here in NYC who do beautiful work of this sort,  mostly by hand & at a much higher caliber than this particular flower,  but they could never demand the price.  Meanwhile the real French flower specialists do work like this:

Needless to say these were not priced like Chanel,  having no "label",  just impeccable quality.

I realize this may not be the best comparison,  Chanel does have a resale value!  There are many "status" companies who market very, very mass produced items as status/exclusive/luxury when the only thing status/exclusive/luxury about them is the price… 

It's unfortunate that in fashion, particularly,  marketing of the label  has become so very confused with the actual quality & exclusivity,  and at the same time it sort of nurtures insecurity…this came into scary clear focus with this article on fashion bloggers,  and the keeping up with the jones-es pressure...Ugh!  I am hopeful that we are starting to move away from this, with so many choices and so many talented, independent creators now easily able to reach their audience.  The dynamic is evolving! 

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Buying Status or Luxury?

Custom- Made Wedding Bodice, part 1

OK. a little delayed in this, but still going to set this up in increments...

Bodice number 2 wins! It suits not only the overall feeling of the fabric, but it also allows for wonderful usage of the medallions.  Number 1 would become a nightmare, especially given my time frame and the very limited hours I have (and want!) to put into this project. I am also a sucker for historical periods & costumes and this is a bit of a Titania variation.

So, for the foundation, I found a nice brushed twill weave cotton that matched the linen beautifully, then I saw a great nude-beige denim that looked incredible under the cut-work, but it was way to heavy weight so I go for the twill.

Back in the studio I re-think this,  I have to find something in that color,  but much lighter in weight. Back out I go & this is my solution:

You can see the subtle contrast between the linen over the twill by itself vs. with a layer of  taupe-y-nude silk chiffon in between the two at the top.  So this is what I'm doing.

The silk-chiffon gets basted to the twill,  this silk has some stretch in it,  (not what I wanted or needed but for the color I will deal. ) It must be handled carefully because the stretch could pucker between the layers if not carefully basted down.

For the front and back panels the twill is cut in two layers one for the outside, which will have the silk & linen over it and one as the foundation layer.  Side panels will be single layer (with silk overlay) & twill is bias cut, for a little extra give & cling.  Here I use the stretch in the silk. (Side panel is shown from the  inside.)

All the basting includes stitching and reference marks.  Silk is trimmed down later.

I had planned on stitching the boning directly to the inside foundation.  This is how that worked out:

Looks OK from the inner side that will be facing the bodice layer (on left), but like hell on the side that will be facing the body. Its not so visible in the photo on the right, but when the foundation is curved as it will be when on the body,  all sorts of puckering appears.  The boning itself is not the good English ridgiline, (is that even made anymore?) but a Chinese version which is a bit less pliable and flexible and will not take on any curve at all when pressed - none of which helps here.

This part gets a re-do.  I had actually thought about doing this a different way at first, then  spaced on it.  So, this goes back to the initial plan.  End of first installment.

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Custom- Made Wedding Bodice, part 1

Now for something completely... not leather!

Over the next few weeks or so I've decided to attempt to chronicle the design & creation of something completely different here, my wedding dress.

(& Danny, don't look at the pictures!)

I have been wanting to focus on the custom-made process for some time now, and have collected photos, and started writing, but time gets quite crunched during projects and I have many starts to many projects, but it's almost overwhelming for me to put them together, especially since time only permits me to do it when a project is done and out of the studio at which point I 'm kinda done with it and off the the next thing!


I do hope to compile a lot of this ( focused on the leather) once the whole blog gets it's scheduled work over starting next month.  Maybe I'll even get some help to do it… But right now, since it gets a bit quieter going into the summer and I am actually able to spend a little time each day on this and this is the type of work I have not done in ages, I thought it would be a good way to start working out a way to present "the process"… & forgive me if it winds up being in dribs & drabs. I am going to try and do it as it happens.


Ok, the start of this dress is the fabric. (Yes, you read that right- not leather, a rooftop party in high summer is just not the place!)


I am starting with a large rectangular antique cutwork linen tablecloth. The linen is a very tight smooth weave, nothing like it exists on the market today as far as I can tell, the closest thing out there is true Irish Linen & it is not even close.  The cloth is very heavily embroidered, by hand probably in China, probably over 50 years ago. It is almost entirely cutwork, very little solid linen remains and I won't be using much of it. The tablecloth belonged to Danny's Mom. It was very much used and has been washed - a lot.  It's really wonderful.

Ok, now design.  I was completely perplexed.  For myself,  I always tend to go for comfort first, but at the same time, heck,  it's my wedding!  And since I'm making it I want to show off a bit.  I also want it to be sexy and fun and most of all unique.  Also at this point I am still not quite sure of using that table cloth...so I play around.

So fiddling with the rectangle of the cloth, I get this... very sloppy, but wanted to see the way it hangs.
I like the points. The gathering will have to be figured out. May or may not work. 

I couldn't quite get a handle on what I wanted for the bodice, probably because it's for me ,since I never have this problem when creating for other people.  Again my first instinct is for  comfort.
So I do this:

Not too bad, but what the heck am I gonna do with that lace? And all those seams? And trying to match the embroidery as well?  Since this will need some actual fabric added to make it work. Yikes!

Next: Switch gears, comfort be damned!  Plus this give me a place to work with the medallions in the lace that run through the center of the cloth,  the Elizabethan corseted bodice has a nice clean flat area to play with.

Still, me,  I'm confused (still wanting comfort - D. wants sexy, btw.)  so I send this pix to some girfriends. (crowd sourcing a wedding dress?)  Guess Which?  I'm kinda excited now.

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Now for something completely... not leather!

Dissappointed, Angry & Disgusted...

I am so absolutely sickened by the news that just continues to get worse and worse surrounding the oil spill.  It makes my head spin and my gut go cold.  Reading today,  how the government agency that was supposed to police and approve permits,  instead just enables & allows outright the outright flaunting of any and all regulations and allows drilling without proper approval & permits - ignoring and abusing their own scientists' research and recommendations to set it up so we...all Americans,  get it up right 
the rear for the sake of oil. 

Then some dumbA Alaskan Senatornamed Lisa Murkowski blocks the bill to raise the liability 
cap on the oil companies clean up bill...

To borrow the other dumbA's  (What the heck is it with Alaska?) phrase,  perhaps a truly deserving  "target" list should be set up to encompass the oil companies, the oil rig owners, Haliburtan, Transocean,  the M.M.S. (which sounds like it should be shut down and investigated immediately.) and bozos like Lisa Murkowski.

Sorry for the rant,  but when the heck are we gonna revolt???

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Dissappointed, Angry & Disgusted...

SPECTRE Style

Somehow the villains always look the coolest.  The best tailoring, the sharpest style.
It's why we've all emulated them all for years.  Besides, edgeless gets very, very boring, very quickly.

I was so very glad when frilly girlie-girl dresses went out of favor in NYC - my eyes were burning from the saccharine!   Things are so much better when they bite!   But, I was a bit ahead of the game with my womenswear & now I'm doing mostly menswear.   It's great really 'cause guys get it!

Case in point,   Jackets (Leather here, of course) fitted,  sharp tailoring,  edgy,  tough,  straddling fashion, fetish,  militaristic and of course my favorite,  Bond Villains! (Hey, the Bad Bond Girls were ALWAYS the best Bond Girls! I need to find more of them!)

Here I present, The dangerous Nehru Jacket.  Finely tailored, in a foreboding  ( yet deceptively fine & very light weight )  matte black lambskin.  Incredible, if I do say so myself!  Very Dr. No,  no?

Many Thanks to my customer,  John,  for posing for pix, one day I hope to get getter ones,  I have an

on-the-fly-studio set up now...perfect for those mastermind villains!

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SPECTRE Style

Eat KFC & fight Cancer???

I got this in the mail today:

This is a WTF? Moment. 
I cannot imagine who thought this was a good idea,  or if  The Susan G. Komen fund is either:

a) desperate for cash

b) cynical beyond belief

c) just plain old stupid 

In any case they should fire their marketing arm.

Designing a marketing tie in like this is the absolutely the height of irresponsibility. 
It also completely diminishes what they are here to do.  Which in a nutshell is to improve women's heath and treatment.

Promoting tie in to a sodium and grease packed meal like KFC's is WRONG.  Obesity,  yes,  that'll help your breast cancer outcomes...
It also targets the people who need least to be targeted with this kind of garbage, people who eat like sh*t anyhow, who more than likely already have more than their fair share of heart disease, diabetes, you name it.

This country is already such a mess with our obesity rates,  I don't see how we will ever stem the tide if this type of practice keeps up.  On top of all the garbage there is out there marketed as food. 
Yesterday I saw a woman, standing, on the street. she was not old, but she had to lean against the building to support her considerable weight which I would venture to guess to be at least 600 pounds.  Seriously one of the largest ambulatory people I have ever seen in NYC.  Less than 20 years ago you NEVER saw this in NYC,  not even close.  

Our bodies are not built to support this. (neither is our transportation system)  HOW do you get around?  I cannot even imagine the limitations (not to mention health) issues this forces on people.  
& It's much worse outside of the city.  (It is very hard to sit in a restaurant in places like rural PA and have any sort appetite for food when seated across from people this size- and it's about impossible to avoid.)

I felt for the woman on the street,  but...at the same time it's hard to figure how someone gets to that point.  And then,  how on earth do you turn it back?  It's freeking hard to lose weight!

I am no chubby basher.  I prefer a curvy figure over an anorexic one any time, but I doubt 300-600 lbs can ever be considered simply overweight for most women.  That's a serious health issue.
 

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Eat KFC & fight Cancer???

Death by Fashion

In NYC the other day somebody died by low-hanging pants. 

(I had to add this photo- yes we actually see this (and lower) in NYC, midtown, Herald Square -  uh... like 25 years after the fact...it's like a mohawk - 35 years after the dole... )

I have to say here that I have always wondered when this would happen.

For way too many years, there has been this low-hanging pants thing going on and while you see it less and less in the city, it seems to get more and more extreme each time you do.

It's to the point where the pants are belted around under the butt &  up a just trifle in front, since it ain't gravity holding them up! And bizarrely it's a look almost always affected by (grown?) men.
Also nobody seems to pay much attention to the brand of underwear they are exposing- as they did in the old days. It was a big deal back when....

Anyhow, I've always thought, "What if you have to RUN! ???"

Well it finally happened. Guy robs an apartment and has to flee down fire escape. Pant fall. Crash. Guy gone.

Has a "fashion" statement ever added to the annals of the Darwin awards?
There are other types of fashion victims, but Low-Hanging Pants, really becomes Darwin.

LHP are nowhere near as dramatic (or gory) a statement as blowing your nose and blowing your brains out. (Italy, 15th century & the rage for blond hair - probably a costume history myth, but still.. )

Or as quirky as what was the madness followed by death (by mercury) that inspired the character of the "Mad Hatter".  That was more a workplace hazard, and would be an OSHA thing today.

Or as merveilluese-ly,  tragic as clingy, wet muslin dresses in stone mansions in winter. (France & England early 19th century) Pneumonia anyone?

Or as "elegant" as the pallor achieved by sucking on real lead pencils slightly later. (shudder) These last two are pretty Darwin.

And, Thankfully no where near as hideous nor as finally game changing as the combination of voluminous skirts and flame.  (Santiago Chile in 1863 & the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist fire where the seamstress's long skirts hampered escape & exacerbated the danger.)

And face it, death by Low-Hanging Pants will never leave a segment of society reeling, as Isadora Duncan's did in 1927 via a scarf caught in a car's tire.

The list of fashion victims goes on and on, but there are not too many that really fit into the Darwin category (improving the gene pool by removing yourself from it)  Since they are mostly historical, many are horrific tragedies and they are often unknowingly inflicted, by self or otherwise.

So, if you do know of any, particularly modern instances,  morbid curiosity compels me to ask you to leave a comment.

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Death by Fashion

Men's Pinstripe Leather "Clint" Jeans

A masculine version of my stitched pinstripe "Clint" jeans ( Yes, really a men's style...but I knew that.)

Heavyweight, full grain black cowhide.  Freehand stitching.  Hand-laced details.  Convertible zipped leg vents.

The Good and the Bad... (sorry Ugly)

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Men's Pinstripe Leather "Clint" Jeans

Rolex Leather Aviator Jacket Commission

Here is a recent custom commission of the Rolex Jacket, featured here  and here.  (Originally commissioned by Rolex for an advertisement.)

This one has  a real shearling fur collar and is a functional portrait collar cut, rather than the extreme (great looking, but very constricting for actual wear) off-the-shoulder cut of the editorial model in the advert.

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Rolex Leather Aviator Jacket Commission

More Custom Made Leather Boot Pants

Continuing on with the new projects...The boot pants:

A gentleman with amazing taste and a ton of style, commissioned these.  The original concept was simple, but once I got started with the materials,  the bootmaker and the fittings,  the project took its proper form and the real construction and technical specifications took shape.

For these pants to be truly wearable and functional (and still look freaking amazing) a lot of articulation had to be built in to allow for sitting,  bending & movement. The leather is not stretch leather and I wanted a fashionable and masculine look.

I want these pants to elicit unconscious (and appreciative) double takes.  My client can carry them off.  As streetwear,  As fashion.  As a statement.  Not too many people can do that these days.  Confidence & real personal style,  is a powerful combination...

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More Custom Made Leather Boot Pants

Custom Made Leather Boot Pants

I have taken this rainy day to come up for air and get caught up here…(Note to self- Get help! HELP!) 

So I am simply going to post a series of recent projects, in no particular order.

First, the Concept sketch:

Next, the Details:

Tomorrow: the Finished Product on...

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Custom Made Leather Boot Pants

Peanut Gallery at the Oscars!

Hey!  I actually watched the Oscars this year- almost from the beginning. (No Red Carpet Stuff- just the Oscars.)

So I will join the peanut gallery with my very brief- but not brief enough- take on the clothes!

Zoe Saldana is incredibly gorgeous and the top 2/3rds of her gown was too, until it hit that third tier, it looked like she was getting swallowed up into a black hole- very distracting. I kept waiting for some scary CGI to take place.

Carey Mulligan - Absolutely best outfit for a young “starlet”.  That term is weird, but it does express things better here than “young actress”. Expressing effusive individuality, style and taste all at once, a little elegant punky and very fun with those and wonderfully anachronistic (and insanely incredible) 1800’s earrings. BRAVO.

Best Dressed REGARDLESS:  Kate Winslet and Helen Mirren, Here are two women who know how to wear the clothes, rather than the other way around.

Kate’s silver two-piece sheath was so simple it shocked me - after the embarrassment of riches, it was simply breathtaking.

Helen Mirren’s cobwebby dress also suited her perfectly, an edgy confectionary - & kind of Tim Burton-y in a non-CGI way (Have they worked together yet?), and GOD her hair is beautiful! (I have been going grey since I was 23 and it has yet to commit properly!)

Other:

I was fascinated with Jennifer Lopez’s dress, the texture and shape, I couldn’t have cared less about her hips- or who wore it, it was about the dress here. The DRESS WAS AWSOME

I did not like the Amanda Seyfried version of the bubble wrap, it threatened to swallow her whole. Way, way too much dress for her.

Sigourney Weaver’s red dress was the best of the reds- the color was incredible and the shape did not detract or distract from the woman.

Meryl Streep - was a church lady, oddly frumpy- white is a great color for her, but the outfit was not flattering.

Vera Farmiga’s dress enthralled/fascinated me while she was sitting but it was a bit overwhelming when standing up– I kept wondering how she managed to snag that front row seat so people wouldn’t have to climb over her. The color was incredible, so was the dress.

Rachel MacAdams, wore a ton of dress, it worked! Beautifully.

Sarah Jessica Parker – not so much. Trying too hard?  It looked harsh and a bit tricky.

Charlize Theron?  Did not even work in a far shot.  Read badly - too literal.  She could've done much better.  She's got strength, character and incredible beauty,  she needs to own a look or own herself.

It kinda reminded me of when I did costumes for comic cons when I was a kid - my sister, who was my model got VERY frustrated when she realized that nobody was looking at (or talking to) her, while she was in costume.  However,  this is not the point at a Comic Con and your hero is William Ware Theiss! (Look it up)

Hey, But we got back at them all when that guy tried to grab her ass in the elevator, since all the links in that armor thong were wrapped in brass wire that had the sharp cut edges facing outwards. (Doh!) Bloodshed occurred.

I don't think that plays at the Oscars.

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Peanut Gallery at the Oscars!

Long Live McQueen

 

I,  like so many others right now,  am immensely shocked and saddened by the news of Alexander McQueen's suicide.   He was an incredible and prolific talent who's work transcended fashion and became art.

The World, ( & not just the Fashion world) has lost a creative wellspring and tremendously inspiring force for the future.

Anytime you have someone of such far reaching creative and thinking talent, who is able to get their work out there so fearlessly, and project their inspiring vision so clearly, it is truly a gift to us all.

He elevated Fashion with Thought & incredible Beauty, a beauty sprung from unlikely  & often dark & surprising places, provoking more thought.  His work demanded a response on the part of both the wearer and voyeur.  His ability to make the most unlikely,  ungainly & sometimes unwearable article of clothing into a coveted garment conveying fetishistic powers (all meanings apply here) was astonishingly visceral… it was like he could feel our veins vibrating and tap into them.

Alexander McQueen, was a gift to all of us.  My heart goes out to Him, his Family, Friends and everybody he touched with his life & work.  We have lost a true artist. We have lost a vision.
May he live on forever in his power of inspiration.

RIP

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Long Live McQueen

Not Lady Gaga...Lady WTF ???

A friend of mine just bought this to my attention:
This designer (who I have never heard of and who appears to have some design background) "created" these nice leather leggings:

Except, well…maybe not…

Now, Leather leggings are neither new or original,  just about every line out there has done one variation or another by this time. You can make a decision where to buy them based on many, many points. Be it label, price, fit, quality, whether you like the designers work, overall vision, presentation, ethics, or values,  if they are lean (as in green), mean or what-have-you - you name it.  More power to YOU.

Actual WORK has a lot to do with it too,  since based on the evidence the "designer" of these leggings may not actually have ever made a pair that looks even remotely like this, ( let alone in leather) since she simply clicked on a photo and swiped it off the internet.  And so, while there are no laws that prevent anyone from making yet another pair of leather leggings, there are VERY clear cut laws regarding the PHOTOGRAPHER'S work. 

My favorite part of this is the sales pitch!  It's like one of those bad acia diet pill pitches that was going around for a while- Limited one time offer! Just 83 cents a day!!!! But no mention anywhere of actual price. And...

Not only that - 5 Days to TEST DRIVE!   Really?

Test Drive??? Who would want to risk getting a pair of somebody's "Test Driven" Leather leggings! 

I know how people like to wear this stuff!!!!

COMMANDO!!! (see if the stretched out camel toe profile fits yours...? Hey, go for it!)

Must read the corny cheesy sales pitch on the "LadySpy"  pants…very funny-sad. 

Your Thoughts?

 full size image link here 

(If ANYBODY can give me a hint re: why I can no longer get a Link to my full size image going 
here I would greatly appreciate it. )

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Not Lady Gaga...Lady WTF ???

Custom Made in the New York Times

 In the New York Times today is a great article about custom-made clothing!

I am so excited to see an article extolling the joy and value in owning something that is truly custom made!  And it points out that custom made is often less expensive than say a designer limited edition from a boutique.  Since more of what you spend will go directly into the craftsmanship and the materials,  rather than third party mark-ups, which adds no real value to the finished piece, that is, unless you enjoy label dropping, insert Gucci, Pucci (or whatever brand) here...

It also very clearly (I think) explains the differences between actual custom made, vs. made-to-order, customized and made-to-measure. 

I just wish I was more hooked in since, had I known,  I probably could have gotten a little mention....

As it is I am thrilled that more and more people will become aware of,  and perhaps now consider having something custom-made.

addendum: I just realized I met David Colman, who wrote the article, when I had my shop in TriBeCa - jeeze I gotta get more hooked in and on top of stuff!  Seriously!

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Custom Made in the New York Times