Yahooza! Jillian went to Mexico and brought me back a collection of zippers and some cute silver buttons. What a wonderful souvenir. I shall add them to my stash until the proper project(s) call.
In a somewhat unexpected, but not altogether surprising turn of events, Dress of the Month Club has been bitten by the gingham bug. Rather than hold out until September, the hand painted silk August Dress has been usurped and replaced by some light blue checks and a whole lot of pleats. I found this gingham print taffeta and it was so light and summery and adorable that even I was taken aback with the immediacy with which this dress had to be made. I think the turnaround from bolt to body was about 4 days! Yowza! Autumn pretty much starts tomorrow, so I am very pleased with the decision. This dress is obviously meant for outdoor parties. I went with a high boat neck in front and a low scoop back. I probably could have gone a little lower in front . . . I'm working on it. (And by "it" I mean cleavage.) Rather than the usual gathered skirt, I made 1-inch knife pleats all around. I also hid some fun yellow rick-rack inside at the hem rather than using hem tape. It's our little secret. Shhhhhhhh. At this rate, who knows what is in store for next month's dress! Will the original August Dress make a reprisal or will September turn into something else entirely? It's any one's guess! Loose cannon alert!
Ah yes . . . beautiful Southern California. Just north of San Diego, La Jolla Village set the scene for the beach side (!), rooftop (!), sunset (!), bilingual (!) nuptials of Carolyn and Antonio. A couple couple facts: 1) He's from Spain and she's a California girl, but the two met in Washington DC, where they both live and work. 2) Upon being introduced to Carolyn, Antonio accidentally spilled hot coffee all over himself. Pretty endearing, right? 3) I won't go into details, but if it weren't for the Swine Flu epidemic, the paths of these two lovelies might never have crossed. In exciting DotMC news, June's peacock-inspired dress made her debut to rave reviews. The dress was not only perfect for a little aisle-sachaying, but also great on the dance floor. FYI: this dress loves to move to "The Safety Dance". (But not so much "Macarena".) Oh, and in case you were wondering, this dress is way too mature for flirty bartenders. I mean, do I look like a vodka/white cranberry kind of girl? Exhibit A Alas, there is a darker side to June Dress. We ask that you turn your attention to Exhibit A. What we have a zipper that is open, yet the pull is stuck at the top. We also have some crazy black threads. But what does it mean? Well, picture this: Just as I am about to help the bride get dressed and participate in the accompanying photo op, the zipper of my dress splits open and can't be fixed because the pull is inexplicably stuck. So, instead of helping I got to hang out in the bathroom while a very pregnant wedding planner and the mother-of -the bride used what was available (black thread) to sew me into my dress. Faulty zipper!? Oh the irony! This was, I am sorry to admit, a Dress of the Month Club fail. [ sad trumpet ] Next time I make a dress for an important event, I am going to wear it to do housework a few times. Just as a trial run. I am thankful for a few things, though. First, that the zipper gave before the wedding started. And second, that Carolyn is such an easy going person (even on her wedding day) and didn't seem to mind that I was causing a whole mess of drama. Also, I am thankful to Carolyn and Antonio for including me in their big day. They are very special and wonderful people who will, I have no doubts, enjoy a while lifetime of laughter. Felicitaciones por u dia de la boda! Oh yes, yes. Progress is being made with regard to the August Dress even if I haven't been sharing. Slightly off topic, the problem with living in Portland, OR is that you wait all the year long for the sun to come out and then it does and all you want to do is bask in it. One might suggest that a cool basement sewing space would serve as the perfect respite from the sun and heat, but it just doesn't work that way around here. Nope. After 9 months of living under clouds, I just have to be outside. [sigh.] It's been lovely. Still, I have found some time to stitch. The bodice is just about together. Also, I have (unless I change my mind) decided to go with straight skirt. Why? Because a full skirt would be so predictable with this dress and would, I fear, look like a costume. I think I have the fancy-pants fabric to blame on that count. I am hoping to have this dress done a little early - like next week. Scoop! P.S. I wish for a new dress form. One that doesn't have plastic parts and who will more closely fit my sizing. Also she won't be burgundy.
Well, I have changed my mind once again (as if you are surprised) and decided to go with another fancy dress for the month of August. First, because July Dress is so very formfitting and I want another option for an upcoming wedding, just in case I am feeling a little shy. Second, because I happen to have some beautiful and vintage hand-painted silk just lying around begging to be turned into a dress (pictured below). And third - I am now the owner of these pretty babies. Yes, I do already own them in black. Yes, this blog is sorta becoming a shoe of the month club as well. You love it. I don't have a sketch for August. I have an idea of a bodice in my head - think Milk Maid Chic with a tight waist and some gathering at the bust. I haven't decided about the skirt yet. Trust me, you'll be the first to know. K.I.T. XXOO
Whoa! A LOT went on for the July nuptials of Portland's best hairstylist (and past DotMC model/stylist) Brianna and her wonderfully silly now-husband (!) Josh. First up, one of the very special projects I worked on leading up to the wedding was this heart-backed seersucker summer dress. Brianna had been asking for a heart dress since Josh proposed months (and months) ago. How could I say no to a fun little challenge like this? Well, I couldn't. Good thing too, because from what I heard, Brianna looked adorable at her rehearsal dinner. The wedding also provided me with an opportunity to get out the May Dress and give her a spin. You know what that means . . . time for a checklist! Yahoo! √ Finished Dress Found Perfect Shoes √ Public Debut Complimented √ Hanging in Closet Now that I think about it, I didn't get any compliments. Hmmmm. I don't expect everyone to love what I make, so I am going to blame Adorable Boyfriend for this blatant disregard of my feelings. No one, however, gets the blame for the lack of perfect shoes. This coral is a hard color to match and I didn't want violet. What's a girl to do? I did think about going for something in total contrast, but just couldn't find anything that really worked. I am still on the hunt. But, for the May Dress, the important items are now checked off and that's all that matters. The dress was made, worn, and accepted into my closet. Favorite pals, Kirsten and Cody, (who will also be tying the knot soon (Scoop!)), joined us at the Kennedy School reception to celebrate. Brianna and Josh's big night was fun and lighthearted. As it should be. Think on this: School Bus transportation between the wedding and the reception! Thanksgiving dinner! And . . . do I have to say it? Photo Booth! Eliza Sohn, one of DotMC's favorite photographers, set up a great little booth (more like tent!), which is available for hire. You might want to look into the aptly named Fotofort for your next event. No really. You want to. It's super fun!
Congratulations to Josh and Brianna! All the best wishes for the future! I am a woman of few words this month, it seems. Quite frankly I am OK with that for the moment. Despite the constant stream of events that kept me away from the keyboard, I made time for my Trusty Pfaff.
And so, just under the wire, here is July. Pretty swanky, right? I would really love this dress if I saw a picture of someone else in it . . . but I am not yet sold on wearing it myself. What with the low neckline, and tight skirt, and inability to take wide strides, I just don't know. I'll admit it - I like to hide in gathered skirts and folds of fabric. Fine. Now you know. (As if it were a surprise.) Maybe I'll wear July around the house to do chores just to get use to how it feels to be restricted at the knees. And waist. And hips. Perhaps then, and only then, will I feel comfortable enough to wear this dress out in public. Of course, I reserve the right to wear a coat for the duration. And . . . we have fabric! Pictured here, with the most expensive tape measure of all time (a souvenir from from the V&A Museum in London during the height of the American financial crisis (ouch!)), we have a beautiful black, red, and silver woven silk. Lucky me, I got this $28/yard fabric for half the price. Yahoo! I must have been in a super finicky mood about this silly dress as evidenced by the three separate shopping trips to find something I liked. I was looking for dressy, but not prom-my. I also wanted some stiffness for structure. I had no idea what color scheme I wanted. I think this geometrical pattern will work nicely. In fact this was the only fabric I grabbed and walked around the store with on any of those fabric store excursions. I am not always a fan of red and black together. They are both so bold, but I think it works for the dress design. And, added bonus, I am already the proud owner of two pair of red heels, so I have shoe options at the outset. In related news, I think July may be the last fancy dress for a while. "More Go-To Dresses!" is my new motto. Starting in August. (Maybe ending in August.) To DotMC Shareholders and Supporters: Thus far our gain in net worth for the first two quarters of 2011 is open to interpretation. From a purely financial standpoint the fiscally unsound decision to cease the sale of pretty dresses has proven disastrous. Thankfully we remain unconvinced that making money is in our best interest. We are, however, unanimously in support of maintaining a balance between the monthly design/manufacture of dresses and of having free evenings and weekends to do other things. That being said, on a more metaphorical level, our worth has grown exponentially in the past 6 months because we are in good spirits and enjoying time away from the sewing machine. Our numbers are notably in the red due to our complete disregard for profit. Despite fiscal shortcomings, we remain pleased with the work being produced and with the new direction DotMC has taken i.e. blog format. Lack of income has not deterred the production of pretty dresses. In fact, the work produced in the last 6 months arguably outshines products from the quarter prior. Perhaps the time afforded to read books rather than balance them has increased levels creativity. In an attempt at full disclosure and because we like pie charts, and incidentally, pie, we present visuals to illustrate DotMC's growth and development in the last two quarters. Colors. 2010 proved to be the year of jewel-tones and our research department projected more of the same in 2011. Bucking all expectations of theme and palettes, the range of colors this year has been surprising, to put it mildly. Inconsistency is proving to be the only constant this year. We are not sure what color schemes to expect in the coming 6 months, although trending patterns point to blue. Skirts. DotMC has long taken a pro Full-Skirt stance despite vocal opposition from certain parties. When we shook the numbers down, we found that the majority of our output for the last 2 ½ years has favored the fitted skirt. This realization was obviously a shock, but the numbers do not lie. We have plans to form a committee with the sole purpose of fostering an improved alignment between our stated skirt preference and our designs. Print vs. Solid. We have noted a departure from majority-solid colored dresses in the last two quarters which is at odds with the trends of the previous two years. Contrary to long-term projections, 2011 is proving to be print-strong. This may or may not be indicative of things to come. Sleeves. Perhaps the most controversial issue has been the ongoing sleeve-or-no-sleeve debate. Much was made of the May decision to add sleeves after the dress was completed. It is safe to say that 2011 will be an interesting year with regard to sleeves. Only halfway through the year, we have watched as the number of dresses with sleeves doubled. Notably, ¾ length and long sleeves have yet to make an appearance on any DotMC dress. We assure you that we are diligently working on the matter. Miscellany. As we move forward with our anti-business model for 2011, we have initiated the tracking of DotMC progress in entirely new ways. The following diagrams are intended solely for informational purposes. Indicators project that this will be a year of development and maturity at DotMC in every way, profit margins excepting. Bows and ruffles seem to be on their way out while slimmer silhouettes are making more consistent appearances, Whether these changes are temporary or permanent remains to be seen.
Thank you for your continued commitment and support as we usher in our 3rd quarter of DotMC 3.0. Elizabeth Cowin President and Founder Dress of the Month Club July? Oh who knows. But after the whole NYC dress debacle, I think the inspiration behind this month may just have to be S-E-X-X-Y. Unfortunately for me this is a territory that I am not too familiar with. Which is why most of my dresses can safely be described as "cute". I like sweet florals and flowy full skirts and indiscernible cleavage, but I guess sometimes it's A-OK to shake things up a bit. So this month I am going to try something a little tighter and a little lower cut. The plan is to wear this dress to a September wedding in Brooklyn. Hopefully the plan is also to wear this dress unselfconsciously and comfortably to a September wedding in Brooklyn. For July, the true test will be how I wear the finished product, not just turning scraps of fabric into a finished project. We'll. Just. See. I have an incomplete picture of this dress in my head. Thus an incomplete sketch. I am thinking deep V, front and back. I like the idea of a longer skirt, but that could change. I also kinda want a belt, but that might change too. I need to find the perfect fabric first! I can't even settle on a color scheme. I can promise that there will be piping. I do love piping. Well, this should be an adventure. |
AboutLiz Cowin lives and loves Portland, OR. She is a sucker for kittens, pretty dresses, black & white movies, and pain au chocolat. Dress of the Month Club is creative outlet and experiment in selfish dressmaking (among other things). Archives
February 2013
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