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These images are for the April - June 2013 newsletter.

A little inspiration to go beyond just color blocking to print mixing and blocking:

This print mixing was done by the geniuses at Net-a-Porter--jacket from Joseph, pants by Isabel Marant and Chloe sweater. More is more these days, particularly worn in this off hand, casual way.

The shirt from Equipment mixes different colorways, but the trick this season is to carry it across to the sleeves as well for a great visual. The shift with inspiration from a 60's caftan style and print is from J Crew--the print is similar to that used in the Block Print this month. Finally another outfit from French designer Isabel Marant that I wrote about in 2011 about brilliant piecing of a jacket. Here the mix is carried to perfection from top to bottom--though very bold in the mix, the top and jeans are perfectly coordinated.

April - June 2013

Retro prints and fabric types have become very popular recently. The Block Print is one of those that is reminiscent of caftan patterns used in the sixties. For it I bought a stretch pique to coordinate that could be a base piece like an ankle length, skinny pant or even as contrast trim using the facings on the outside like the way caftans used to be constructed. You can see good examples in the newsletter. The Dark Navy Crochet Knit (looks like crochet but is not) is a vertical zigzag pattern with slight variation repeated in the widths of the zigzags that you can see in the photo. I forgot to take a photo of my Chanel cardigan that encouraged me to buy this knit, but I'll get one up in the next week or so. This fabric has a good wide selvage that can be used as trim/hem edges and so forth. I placed this over the bright pique to more clearly see the pattern, but it's really not all that see-through...worn over a simple tank or camisole, this would be a very cool knit to wear.

Here is my zipper closure, 1945 shirt from the 1945 basic jacket pattern. Instructions for the off-center zipper styled like a biker/moto jacket, this was so fast and easy to sew and looks great on. I think I'll particularly enjoy wearing it with a slim white pant until I get the pique pants quickly sewn up. It would also be smashing cut out longer to wear as a summer shift. Leaving the zipper open at the top, can give it several different necklines too.

Here's this most interesting fabric--not really a knit, it should be made up with a woven pattern--here in the 1960 woven conversion. I turned the fabric and cut it on the crosswise so it would look like a knit with the stitches (print) worked like a sweater would be. The weight and look is so much like a ribbon knit, it was hard to decide how to work it, but I also considered a cardigan and a boat neck top...anything you choose would be very interesting in this fabric.

Here are two prints from this issue, the Black and White Fleck Prints plus I've added the Animal Spots from the April 2012 issue and the little square at the top is Black Cotton Stretch Poplin which are perfect coordinates for these since the fabrics all have exactly the same kind of hand, weight and sheen--all from the same mill. At the very bottom of the group is a fine Swiss Cotton Jacquard with a horizontal pattern...coming soon in a future newsletter. The jacquard pattern would easily mix in with these graphic patterns, but not in the same garment. To print block in the same garment, using fabrics with the same weight and hand is usually best.

Make it now or store it for your next winter resort trip, this pretty collection of colors that looks good on nearly everyone, particularly in the winter when you your need color, has four marvelous fabrics. The wool with just a bit of rayon doubleknit is a fantastic fabric to wear at least three seasons of the year and the other prints? Well, the print pique, the stretch cotton fleck print and the tropical weight denim will all see you looking stunning either at home or away.

This month I'm offering this Graphic Silk Print first to the luxe line group, but if there is any remaining after April 20, any subscriber may buy it (58: wide, silk, $18.00/yd). When I washed this silk, it came out very crinkly vertically...which easily pressed flat once again identical to the original piece. So I went ahead and made the 1960 top conversion as I usually do and then experimented a little. After all, what harm would a little water do? If it didn’t turn out, I’d just press it flat again.

I first thought I might just crinkle the waist area, so I used two pieces of saran wrap and blocked above and below the the waist area. Then I just sprayed water with a spray bottle until it shrank/crinkled up noticeably. To speed the process along, I used my hair dryer which also let me target just that part of the top.

I tried it on and though it was just fine, I thought I might go ahead and spray the entire bottom portion from the waist down and that’s just how I left this as you can see in the last photo. It’s so much more interesting, and I can easily reverse the process if I like, or adapt it however I like. You might like the sides crinkled and the middle section flat...less clingy to your stomach but shaping your waist on the sides, or maybe it would be nice at the bottom edge of the body and sleeves only. It’s so easy and totally reversible without any ill results. You can try a variety of ways and never have to commit. I'll still wash this and then re-spray it to get it however I wish. Now this is my kind of project!

This is really hard to photograph the crinkling for you, but you can see the difference in the size of the print from neckline to bottom edge...and the top picture with the saran wrap shows how wide the bottom is compared to the armhole area....the bottom photograph shows just how straight it has become. I think the narrower, crinkled version will be nice when I layer it under something, and the looser great when I wear it with my skinny, ankle length pants in the summer heat.

Here are the rest of the Luxe Line fabrics this issue--the black and white solids are perfect textured coordinates to sew solid separates or use both in the same garment. Put them all together and you get a very strong black and white story for this season's most wearable trend. Don't forget, a couple weeks after the Luxe Group has first chance on these, any remaining after the 20th of April, can be bought by any subscriber.

These are the three non-neutrals in the stretch cotton poplins...a marine blue, coral (nearly tomato red) and a light olive.

And these are very popular basic fabrics in two colors that have just arrived in inventory: The top swatch is Mushroom Modern Gab and the bottom is the new Wool Impostor Lite in a pale shade when you want a light colored basic. Feel free to ask for swatches--we're happy to hold a fabric order while you decide over the swatches so they can ship all together.

Here is the original dress form I photographed in the Chicago Chanel Boutique for the exhibition on the Making of a Chanel Jacket a few years ago (more pictures are here on the site under subscriber pages January 2008). You can see the pocket placement--very roughly as it was pinned where it could be on the form, while the white dots on the left side are just above some lines where the pockets are actually placed. This also makes it clear how my 1945 jacket is truly based on this formula for a front, middle front and side front configuration that I did way back in 1995 when I introduced the best-selling pattern.

Here's the Chanel heavy cotton lace cardigan I mentioned in the April
newsletter as possible inspiration for the Dark Navy ZigZag Crochet
Knit. Seams are serged with a very short stitch length as though they
were satin stitched. There is a very light shoulder pad as well.
Worn over a black tank, this can go from daytime casual to evening.
From Chanel pre-spring 2012.

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