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another one fighting the good fight

I'm in the middle of making up some gift guides that I'll be posting on thanksgiving-ish, but I just had to pop in and say how blown away I am by Pinup Girl Clothing. I've been aware of them for a long time, and have seen their stuff featured on a fair number of vintage and retro blogs, but as they're pretty far out of my price range and not reeeeeally my style, I haven't poked around on the site in several years.  When I did used to look at them (when I was in high school, so a good while ago), their plus size selection was pretty minimal, and what was offered in higher sizing was often displayed like this:

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As is most common with sites that are not catering exclusively to plus sizes. Which is all fine and good, but I have no idea how that's actually going to look on me. I don't look anything like that mannequin, nor do I look like the typical alternative, a straight sized model, or the token "plus" model who is something like a size 10.  Today, I wound up on their site through another blogger and found this:

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WHABAM. Actual plus sized models with non-"ideal" plus sized features- and she's not the only one.  Modcloth made recent waves with their extended sizing and no photoshop pledge, and while they do a great job of utilizing larger sized models, they do have a tendency to be the same shape, or worse, only display a garment on a dressform.  One of the issues I have with the still burgeoning body acceptance movement is that we still get hung up on a "ideal" plus sized body- typically curvy bust and hips with a small waist and flat stomach. If you're going for total body acceptance, it shouldn't fall into the pattern of idealizing one body type, or only allowing one type represent the whole. I am very impressed with Pinup Girl Couture for really putting their money where their mouth is.

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I had heard in passing about their #coutureforeverybody campaign, and being a cranky sue, I assumed it was just a PR move. However, the above three photos are essentially the same dress on totally differently shaped women.  Anyone who has shopped online for clothing knows how much of a pain in the ass it is to try and guess what something is going to look like on themselves versus on the model, regardless of size.  The fact that Pinup Girl Clothing actually lists what size the models is wearing is a nice way to judge (especially since places like Modcloth don't even list measurements other than length. I still do not understand that at all.)

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Anyway, I just had to drop in and rant about how happy this whole company makes me just because they have bothered to cater to larger sizes (which is still rare), and actually do it right. It makes me want to stand in the street yelling LOOK HOW GOOD THEY LOOK AHHHHH

Pattern Review: McCall's 1925 Coat

behold! my terrible photoshop skills!

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McCall's 7259 Archive Collection Coat circa 1925

 

Pattern Description: Archive Collection: Misses Coat and Detachable Cape and Collar 

 Pattern Sizing: 14-22 

 Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes!  

Were the instructions easy to follow? Very, plus there were some basic steps that are usually left out of Simplicity and Butterick patterns that would be extra helpful for beginners, like how to handle ease in fitting a sleeve, ect.  

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? Very easy to follow, and I didn't have to cut of a massive amount of fabric for the bottom length like I usually do in almost all patterns.  

Fabric Used: red poly (I'm assuming), textured jacquard type fabric with small amount of stretch I found at Joanns. I originally wanted to make it out of navy blue wool, but when I went in, they had taken out their already very small wool section. Or at least, I couldn't find it after wandering up and down all the apparel fabric aisles like nine times. Anyway, I found this in the seasonal area. It's supposed to be some "tribal" or "southwestern" print or something, but I think it looks vaguely like some Egyptian revival prints that fit in well with the era of the pattern. I would have liked to make the cape as well, but there were only four yards on the bolt. It's lined in a blue, sort of floral patterned poly lining fabric.

 Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: None.

 Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes! It came together quickly for a jacket, and didn't need any altering to work for me. I'd make it out of a heavier fabric like the wool I originally wanted to make it out of.

 Conclusion: McCall's has really seemed to step up their game recently with their line of vintage Archive patterns. I used to shy away from McCall's patterns, but this pattern has renewed my interest in their designs. 

Full disclosure: My overhead light burned out and I had to position my dress form in front of the window to get any type of light at all... and this washed out monstrosity of a set of photos is the result.  Add to the fact that in order to get positioned in front of the window, I had to take the pictures facing the messiest part of my room, as opposed to up against the door like I normally would, I tried to photoshop the background out to save you from having to see this.

Please remember that literally everything I own save bathroom toiletries, food, my one cooking pot and weird collection of mugs is in this room, which doesn't have a closet. But that doesn't explain why the fan is so dusty.

The pattern includes a detachable faux fur collar, but I'm hesitant to actually try and sew with fur. Here it is with my collar, which would work a little bit better if it were longer, but I still like it.

again, one room. no closet.

 On another note, I attempted to photograph my halloween costume (which I never got any photos of when I was wearing it, unfortunately) today, but due to the shitty lighting, I couldn't get any to come out. I will try again later.

ain't nobody got time for holographic sequins

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I have been so busy, I've totally neglected blogging. Halloween is 11 days away (with only two days off for me, and on both of my weekend days coming up, I have appointments)  and I am starting to zero in on finishing the jazz bat as time runs out. I had to abandon the Pizza Rat costume- I just didn't have time, and wanted to spend the money it would take on embellishments for the bat costume. 

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Today, I finished the basic parts of the hat and cape, leaving only detail work left. It's been a bear trying to gather materials semi-last minute. I thought I'd be able to go to goodwill and find a giant stretch velvet dress to use as hat and belt material, seeing as I don't think I've ever set foot in a goodwill without seeing a giant stretch velvet dress, but they had nothing. Not even the giant stretch velvet pants I also always see. I ended up having to get a smaller skirt (I scoured the store and only found two things that were stretch velvet, and one didn't have a price tag), so I'm unable to make the belt the way I originally planned. It also seems that no one within reasonable busing distance carries regular silver sequins. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE.

i went to target and there was not a single fake crow in sight

It's in the high 70s- low 80s this week, and I'm not happy about it. Summer needs to die already. No one wants you here!

Fall is in full swing elsewhere, by which I mean Spirit stores are open for business. Halloween is 33 days away... and I'm having a costume crisis. I've started with my Jazz Bat costume, have planned it, have spent some money on it, have pretty much finished the top- then Pizza Rat happened.  I don't know how to explain it, but Pizza Rat is the truest essence of my soul. I'm a trash animal who loves cast off pizza and hustles for said pizza. Pizza Rat is me!

My age old Halloween struggle between historical costume and funny costume continues this year.

On the Jazz Bat costume front, I found a really ugly modern tunic pattern, Butterick 6173, that totally works for this two-piece look:  

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I didn't want it to be plain, and in black I think smaller details would be lost, so I ended up doing the hem in mock vandyke points, which are basically pointy scallops. I had originally intended to just hem the points up, but the fabric frays terribly, so I had to butcher together a lining/facing  type thing.

 The neckline is a little deeper than I wanted, so I found a trim at Joanns that is supposed to look like hair, I guess (???) but is really just a fine fringe. It made me think of the fuzzy ruff that some bats have at the neck. I'm refraining from doing anything dramatic with the sleeves, since I have a cape to function as the wings.  I'm not quite sure what to do for the skirt portion. At this point, with Pizza Rat looming on the horizon, I may just use the black velvet skirt I wore last year.  It's not as column-y as I would like, but it would work in a  pinch.

What the hell do you know about surfing, Major? You're from goddamned New Jersey!

I watched Apocalypse Now for the first time last night (where have I been), then dreamed that Hannibal got a re-boot on FX, but with Kevin Spacey playing every part, Nutty Professor-style. It was weird.


At the request of a co-worker, I've taken pictures of my brooch collection! A few years ago, I decided I needed a "thing", like how some people's thing is red lipstick, or whatever. I guess I decided that thing would be pins... but only because I can't wear floor length furs and chain-smoke Benson & Hedges.  For photo taking purposes, I grouped them to themes.  I guess theme-ing things could also be one of my "things".

Nautical

 The top two were recent gifts from my friend Michelle, the flags were from ebay (99 cents!) and the bottom whale I got several years ago as part of a craft swap on Craftster.org.

 Birds

I was originally going to say, 'the top owl with red eyes', but then realized they both have red eyes. Anyway, the top left was from a flea market, the top right was on a hat from Red Light that turned out to actually be a hat with a whimsy pinned to it with this owl. Three for one! The seagull was from an estate sale and the sparrow is from Naked City probably seven years ago.

 Victory Pins

All are from Ebay, though the ribbon was a birthday gift. The bottom V has the opening line from Beethoven's 5th, which rhythmically matched the Morse Code signal for "V".  Eagle-eyed readers may remember I have another victory brooch, but I'm so leery of breaking it (again), I didn't want to take it outside. 

 Music?

I got the George Harrison button off Ebay for a Beatle-maniac Halloween costume a few years ago when I worked for JC Penney and couldn't wear my Drunk Uncle costume to work. It was the first thing I ever bought off Ebay!  The Bruce pin was my mom's (Bruce Springsteen, of course), and I got the bicentennial Lafayette pin for my birthday, though also from Ebay. Ok, so Lafayette wasn't a musician, but whatever. He didn't fit in anywhere else. Also, it was his birthday yesterday. Happy Birthday!

 Grandma-centric

 I got all of these indirectly from my grandmother via my grandpa after he passed away a few years ago. I got the blue and white rhinestone one first a while back, and the other three recently after we got a few more things from my uncle. The top right is mother of pearl, and I think the top left is celluloid.  In actuality, I'm not sure if the ones other than the blue and white were my grandma's or my great-grandma's, as the box I got them in was mostly of my great-grandmother's stuff.

Miscellaneous Shapes with Fake Pearls

Art Deco style bar pin was from a flea market, the round pin was from a friend's junk bag I think... and I have no idea where the bottom one is from. Maybe my mom. I do know that it's old Avon.

 Large and Rhinestone-y

The top one was from the demi-parure I got for the wedding I attended a few months ago, from ebay. The bottom sword was a gift... and I just noticed there's a rhinestone missing! Damn! I'll have to get a replacement!

 things with four legs

Archibald the shoulder tiger, from ebay and the previously mentioned wedding, red scottie dog was a gift several years ago, and the rat was made by the bride from the aforementioned wedding! I got it from Found on Fremont in Portland, but she has an etsy shop as well!

 Running out of Themes

Banjo was from a flea market (damn, I miss going to those! Working on Sundays is the worst!), the "R" was from Antique Alley in Portland several years ago, and the DEM Donkey was from my friend's space at Found on Fremont (she also has an etsy)

Cameos and other Round Things

Cameo on the right came from the same craft swap as the whale in the very first photo, the second cameo came from my dad, I think. The Louis XVI cameo was from an etsy shop years ago that I can't remember the name of.

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Today, I saw my first SPIRIT store, reassuring me that it's not to early for Halloween posts (it never is), although I've been officially planning for about two weeks now in the form of a pinterest board.

Halloween is usually the time when I can get away with doing some mild historical costuming, and I wanted to do something in those veins, but not strictly a reproduction.

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I saw this incredibly terrifying Victorian raven taxidermied as a priest and thought I might do a Victorian crow, but that's a hell of a lot of work, and it is basically September. Somehow, I landed on doing a 1920s bat, and though I'm not as into the decade as I was a while back, I think the style would really suit the costume.

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  I've always really liked this art deco moth print, and thought it could translate well into bat.

early 20s, butterfly could translate into bat

really like the pointed parts of the skirt on the right

c. 1920, Russia

I always lean towards the beginning of the 1920s decade when it comes to fashion, as I think it's a lot more flattering and less stereotypical than the standard "flapper" look, and I really like this dress.

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 This one of my all time favorite fashion plates of any era in the history of man. It's already witchy and halloween-y without even trying. I want to be buried in the outfit on the left. Send me into the afterlife looking like a bootlegging Transylvanian countess!

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I really like the points on the skirts of this dress that was worn to the Royal Ascot. I'm not sure what year, but I'd guess 25 or so. The points kind of echo the points on the photo of the bat costume above, and the tassels on the Russian dress.

c. 1926, Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

 

 

 

 The sleeves on this are reminiscent of wings. I really like the shape and drape of it.



I'm not entirely sure how it's going to come together, other than being black and having the wings/ears be made in the form of a cape, and made from something sheer.  I found some sheer poly voile curtain panels at Ross for $8, and I think I can fashion the cape out of these. I didn't want to try and do chiffon or anything too filmy. They need to be slightly substantial.  Dress-wise, as I said, I want to skew earlier than later in the decade.  We can all agree this Downton Abbey knock off pattern is pretty atrocious, but I think it may be a good jumping off point.

Pattern Review: Lifestyles of the Wardrobed

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looking slightly disheveled as I had just walked home in 90 degree weather.

 

Butterick 6185

Pattern Description: Misses Jacket, Top, Dress, Skirt and Pants 

 Pattern Sizing: 14-22. I sewed a 22. 

 Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes.  

Were the instructions easy to follow? Very simple. 

 What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? It was very fast and very easy. The fabric choices of the pattern envelope photos almost made me pass on the pattern, as they came off a little too Nancy-Reagan-casual-First-Lady-suit for me (and honestly, the term lifestyle wardrobe makes me immediately turn the page).

who are we kidding, I'd wear this

 I really liked to collar on the top though, thinking it felt very 60s, but in the end when I made it up, it felt more 1920s than anything. I think the dress length version would make a good base pattern for a 20s style dress with some alterations.  

Fabric Used: a green tie-print silky polyester I got a while ago from a thrift store for fifty cents. I've already made another top out of the same fabric, though this top was much more suited to the style of fabric. The blue under collar is left over from the skirt lining I used to make the sleeves on this jacket here.

 Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I finished the armholes with bias tape instead of just doing a narrow hem. By design, it is a boxy top, and by design, I am not a boxy person. Since my middle area is about half a size larger than the rest of my top half, I usually make a 22. I could have made it in a 20 and scaled out to the 22 in the hip area and it would have fit a little better in the bust-and-above area.

 Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes, I plan on making the dress length version.

Ann...Old Wives Tale

I thought I'd do something a little different and post an "about me" type survey.

1.Do you have a middle name? Ann

2. What was your favorite subject in school? English, history and band.

3. What’s your favorite drink?  Alcohol-wise, whiskey sours and old fashioneds.  Save about a quarter of a bottle of Cooks champagne I stress-guzzled at a wedding recently, I haven’t had any alcohol in almost a year due to some medication I take. I take its winky-eyed suggestion label very seriously, though I’m not totally sure what would happen if I did drink… I don’t want to ask the doctor. Haha!

 

what I'll think I look like

What I'll actually look like

4. Favorite song at the moment: So it Goes- Nick Lowe

5. What would you name your children: I have no plans to have any. Honestly, if I were offered a free hysterectomy today, I’d take it.

6. Do you participate in any sports.  No. The only sport I’ve ever been good at was badminton.

7. Favorite Book?  To Kill a Mockingbird, High Fidelity and Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

8. Favorite Color? Navy blue and dark green

9. Favorite Animal? Raccoons, lobsters, BILBIES

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10. Favorite perfume?  Balenciaga B.  I got it for Christmas and it’s my absolute favorite, though it’s definitely a fall/winter scent. It’s too heavy for hot days, and since we basically have had zero spring and a gross summer, I haven’t gotten to wear it in a long time.  Instead, I’ve been wearing something I got a sample of in my first Ipsy bag  (Femina by Jor’el Parker) which is not too cloyingly sweet, or powdery, which I am always weary of when it comes to perfume.

11. Favorite holiday? Halloween. It has always been my favorite and it will always be my favorite. As of this writing, I’ve started to see Halloween stuff trickle into stores and it’s THRILLING.

13. Have you been out of the Country?  No, not even to Canada.

14. Do you speak any other Languages?  No, not even Canadian.

15. Do you have any siblings?  No

16. What’s your favorite store? This is a vague question. Favorite store in general? Target probably. Favorite antique store? Stars Antiques in Sellwood. Favorite grocery store? the Woodstock Safeway.

17. Favorite Restaurant?  Probably a local Lebanese place called Nicholas, or Hole in the Wall, a sandwich shop in Eureka.  

honestly though, who are we kidding

18. Did you like school?  When I was in elementary school, yes, most of the time. Once I got into junior high and high school, I was vastly under-challenged academically and bored out of my mind. I spent most of my time being as invisible as possible. 

19. Favorite band(s)?  I honestly am a product of the iTunes single-song-vs-album generation and typically like songs by individual artist within a genre more than bands specifically. However, bands or artists that I listen to, or own entire albums by include Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon/ Simon and Garfunkel, Beach Boys, Prince, Beatles,  Al Green, among many others.  I also like early 60s folk music, 19^th century murder ballads and a variety of classical pieces.

20. Favorite Movie?  Blazing Saddles

21. Favorite Tv show: 30Rock, Broad City, Hannibal

22. Pc or Mac? I learned how to use a computer on a Mac, but I currently use a PC because I am not made of money.

23. What phone do you have?  iPhone 4s. I really need to get a new one though- my computer doesn’t recognize it, and  I’ve been unable to update it since last October, plus it has storage issues.

24. How tall are you?  5’2”. In elementary school, I was one of the tall kids, but stopped growing at 13.

13 Personal Questions:

1. What do you order at Starbucks?  Usually a vanilla latte or regular coffee with cream. I typically go to Peets instead, as I find their syrups less sweet and their baristas less overbearing.   I totally get that a majority of them are being made to be that way (I worked there for two years), but sometimes I just don’t want to deal with that level of forced ‘howsitgoin’ cheeriness.

2. One thing in your closet you cannot live without?  Costume items. This sounds so dumb, but I love being able to pull a weird costume out of my ass at any possible moment.  I’m getting to the point where I don’t care anymore and just wear them whenever I want. It’s very liberating to really, truly dress exactly how you want, even if that means something weird.   

3. What’s one thing most people probably don’t know about you?  Everything I wanted to be when I grew up, in chronological order:

• Veterinarian
• Barrel racer
• Veterinarian again
• Forensic scientist
• author
• Rock and roll historian
• Music journalist
• Fashion historian
• Comedy writer
• Genealogical researcher
• Anything but a cashier

4. Name one thing you want to do before you die… Find a city to live in that I feel I really fit into 

5. What’s one food you cannot live without?  Dairy

6. What quote/phrase do you live by? When I worked briefly (very briefly- I was fired two weeks into it for not being friendly enough the same day -on my birthday!-  I was going to put in my two week’s notice because I felt my soul oozing out of all orifices. ) at a frozen yogurt place, one of the coworkers was an English major who read a lot of poetry and was asking me all these “get to know you” questions and asked this.  Like an idiot, I answered with my favorite 30Rock line, “I wolfed my teamster sub for you!” when he was expecting Chaucer or Twain or something. I am not sophisticated. 

7. What’s your most listened to song on itunes?  My iTunes library is not accurate by any means. The aforementioned problem with my phone not being recognized means I can’t load any of my songs onto my phone, and as a result, I invested in the paid version of spotify. Somewhere along the way, I had to do something with my iTunes account and wound up losing a majority of my music. Seeing as my account dates back to 2004 and got its most use between that year and 2008, I think it’s safe to say the most played song was something by Green Day. I don’t often listen to my iTunes library, and haven’t purchased music in a very long time. There isn’t a way to tell most played songs in Spotify that I’m aware of. That being said, in iTunes, “Sex Hair” by Mouserat is number one at 60 plays. 

8. What kind of style would you define yourself as having?  Eclectic

9. Favorite number? 17

10. Two Hobbies? Sewing and research. I love researching. If I’m interested in anything, I’m typically really most interested on a research level. I’m not sure whether it stems from my love of history, or my love of history stems from it, but they are unmistakably intertwined.  

real-time screenshot of my browser showing I have the 1940 census bookmarked and therefore should train my future cats to dial 911

11. Two Pet Peeves?  I have so many pet peeves that it’s actually embarrassing.  People using their cell phones when conducting business at a register or in a restaurant and people riding bikes on sidewalks are probably the two biggest. Also people leaving trash or coffee cups on shelves in stores

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12. Guilty Pleasures?  Music I wouldn’t have been caught dead listening to when I was a snobby teenager. I spent many years of my life shirking pop music, but you know what? Justin Timberlake and One Direction are fun and 14 year old me was an asshole, and the glasses I wore in 8^th grade weren’t even real. So there.