Friday Fashion-My Change of Season Commentary about the State of Dress in the USA (and Apparently Europe as Well)

B6221-information and line drawings here.

So, so sorry for the long pause. My blogger auto post went bonkers and I turned off electronic life for a while. This was to go up on Friday. A day late, story of my life lately!!! Thank you for understanding.

On to this subject before we discuss quilty things, I know, I know, here she goes again. Every season change seems to elicit a mini-rant about the state of dressing by the population. So I am giving a pre-warning, skip this post if it is not your cup of tea.

Since we do not live in an insular world, the fashion and dressing trends of the population seem to affected each continent, some more than others and by that I mean the US probably more than Europe or England. This assumption has recently supported by dear blogging friends in France and elsewhere. Enter Tish Jett with a provocative post about our state of dress. A thoughtful comment conversation ensued that got me to thinking about how I, personally, can improve my daily comportment. The Butterick pattern, 6221, is my idea of casual dress. Depending on fabric choice it could be gussied (don't you love that word?) up or down depending on the occasion of wear.

Now fashion as I translate it is somewhat separate from dressing. In my way of thinking fashion is the high street stuff, the shows, Vogue. Dressing, by contrast, is the compilation of items that cover our modesty, keep us warm or cool, and permits us to present ourselves in the best possible light and make us feel good about ourselves. That perception is different for everyone and for different occasions but as long as the look is well curated for that person, it works.

B6142 Is an edgy version of current trend. The asymmetric hemline on the tunic is a nice look but not many can pull it off. I am thinking about another sewing blogger who has labored over this look time and again and eventually evens out the hem. Why? Curves sometimes compete with the line and the end look is ridiculous. While attempting to be 'fashion forward' we must be careful not to slip into clown territory.  B6142 info here.

I have eschewed the Fashion oriented blogs for a while because the content was either way out of reasonable in content and price or simply repetitive. The pendulum seems to have centered again and I have resubscribed to several just to follow the trend. While I do not now or have ever dressed to impress I would like to expand my horizons a bit.


Sadly I have fallen into a bit of a rut. A uniform of sameness and comfort. I lost my desire to move beyond that little world. I would see a friend at a public event in a lovely leopard print tunic style top and think " I really like that, I could do that, it would clash with my freckles, no that won't work."

Then I get the skirt/dress urge, shop around without purchase, pick up some new patterns audition fabric, and then over-think the whole business and the time I need to stitch it all up and end up in my uniform of tailored trousers, a blazer or sweater and a little sweater underneath. I have been a Talbot style person for my entire adult life. If I buy an item of clothing it has to be good quality and fit within my personal style guidelines. Other similar retailers also catch my eye and my dollar. My dress is conservative and simple. Not too much pattern or bling. I know, boring. The Tilton sisters, Marcy and Katherine are known for their cutting edge designs. Geared to the "ladies of a certain age," their patterns have some interesting cutting and design lines that give them a more forward trend but remain comfortable and appropriate. This dress is nice with the left-sided zipper insertion but depending on the fabric could fall into the maternity shape range. Ohhh, careful there!

Katherine Tilton B 6213 information here.

 On a recent trip to the city I remarked to Mr. that no one seems to 'dress' anymore. It was lunchtime and the sidewalks were teeming with tatty jeans, poorly fitted, and poor quality (likely one and done wearables) that were clinging to areas that should not ever be emphasized. Quality dress was entirely lacking until we were near the Courts. There lovely women in every shape, size and age were dressed in well fitting pant suits, skirts and shirts or dresses. There is hope.

There lies the rub. We have become a sloppy society where we present our self to the world as a participant in the reduced to the lowest common denominator faction, jeans and T shirts or sport pants and tanks.

• If you have made it this far through my ramblings you may be interested in these fashion blogs: 
•   Pam Lutrell, Over 50 Feeling 40 Blog.
•  Janice Riggs, the Vivienne Style Blog, an all time favorite.
•  Une Femme, one of the original fashion bloggers for women of a certain age.
• The Daily Connoisseur, Jennifer L. Scott, addresses side effects of dressing well in our culture. 

A current Talbot look.

Now, shoes are another story. I am now and have been (since age 8) a shoe fanatic. I no longer wear heels, but I have a nice collection of low heels and ballet flats, as well as Dansko clogs and Alegria beauties. That is a different subject all together.