Zac Posen's 09/10 f/w, Karl Lagerfeld's and Armani's new 2010/2011 collections

I'll be adding the links to each of these shows at the bottom of their reviews, enjoy reading and watching and feel free to leave me a comment,

Zac Posen's New Fall/Winter 09/10 Collection

Zac Posen's new Fall/Winter 2011 collection can be described as Luxurious Victorian Futurism. The rich metallic hues with just the right amount of dressy frills along with lovely bias cut numbers make for an elegant collection embodying a Victorian nearly turned minimalist feel.

Each look has a skillful absence of anything overdone and yet contains all the decadence of one of histories most romantic eras. The best Couture way to step into the future.
Zac Posen's 2009/2010 fall/winter collection slideshow

Chanel Fall/Winter 2010 Couture Collection

Karl Lagerfeld as always, has managed to project us into his luxurious well lit otherworldly lair of dreams by producing another collection from his sheer genius of design. Nearly everything in his fall/winter 2010 couture collection is a bolero silhouette but somehow, with all the elements he's used he's managed to make the very repetition of the silhouette itself consistently exciting and a delight for the visual palette.

Look after look, they're all gorgeously exotic designs without easily being culturally placeable with the exception of a few subtly Indian embellishment inspired garments that brilliantly stand far apart from even the remotest associations with Bollywood. Leaving you overwhelmed from the beauty like one that's just woken from a dream you'd rather not have left. We want more Karl Lagerfeld!


Armani's Collection fall/winter 2010

Armani has yet again exhibited his ability to masterfully produce the ultimate feminin easy to wear business suite without using any of the usual fashion additives to do so , no frills, no pink, no lace and none of the usual low cut exposure cheats.

Added, this collection has included a unique and interesting signature medallion size button/clasp type accent reminiscent of tribal style deco yet too sophisticated to be labeled as such adorning the necks and waists of those refined articles of luxury apparel.





You can find more info and resources at:
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources

Climate Change and the Future of Fashion

We love the fantasy and beauty of fashion, a love that borderlines on being a helpless addiction for some and why shouldn't it? It's art and nearly the ultimate expression of the beauty and love of life itself. But what many of us dedicated fashionista's, stylists and fashion designers may not know is that fashion is one of our biggest sources of pollution.

As much as I hate to admit to it it's true, but the reality is taht if we love our planet as well as our fashion we need to look at how fashion pollutes so we can stop it and help save both our planet and our continuous creation of fashion.

How does fashion pollute? What are the factors we need to put an end to?

Take a look...

natural fibers (example: cotton and flax)

Pollution caused

- pesticides and fertilizers used in crop production pollute water systems and often effect the bird and bee population

- non-biodegradable bleaches, dyes and finishing chemicals used in textile production that again pollute water systems

- fossil fuels used in the production and transport of textiles and fibers


synthetic fabrics (example: polyester, acrylic, nylon, spandex)

Pollution caused

- sythetic filiments produced to create polyester, acrylic and other synthetic textiles are basically polymers, leaving us with the same pollution problems as we have with plastic production, after we've thrown our clothes away we'll have a surplus of these waste materials in the environment for 1000s of years to come

- chemical additives, dyes and finishes as well as special chemical treatments, all non-biodegradable, used in their production, polluting water systems around manufacturing facilities

- fossil fuels used in the production and transport of textiles and fibers


As with the other textiles that are in between natural and synthetic such as rayon, they also have similar pollution creation factors attached to them.

As for wool, leather and fur we've got the pollution factor of methane gas, a major green house gass associated with the production of livestock for commercial use) as well as serious animal cruelty issues we don't want when it comes to the treatment of sheep and the killing of animals for their hides.

Now this is not to say we should put fashion in the closet for good for the sake of our planet, this does mean though that we need to put an end to how we pollute throught the production of fashion.

In my next blog post we'll look at the possibilities and solutions necessary to create a new fashion industry using sustainability concepts.

I Did It! Now For The Patternmaking Ad...

I completed the last patternmaking exercise,  well the last master block that is.   I woke up this morning and felt the strange sensation of having just become an entry level professional :).    I've got to do some research before I put up a patternmaking service ad though.   I noticed that many pattern makers offer other services as well,  pattern grading,  cutting,  sample sewing,  computerized/digitized patterns, even fashion illustration,  classes,  etc. 

Ahh,  how I would love to be able to do that as well.   No problem though,  I've already planned to Connie Amaden Crawford's book on pattern grading because I know I'm going to need it big time.   There are some sewing dvds I've been having my eye on as well,  just got to make the money to get them.

As for this computerized thing,  any patternmaker has to realize that people need time on their side,  digital patterns can be emailed to clients in a blink of an eye as well as edited and altered with ease so this isn't something I can ignore,  or want to for that matter.    I found out about the WildGinger company years ago and like their affordable range of patternmaking software packages.   I will definitely invest in those programs as soon as I get the chance.   Not to mention the fact that I really can't wait to see how they work,  hehehe.

First thing's first though,  the ad,  I'm a new "green" professional,  so should I say novice again?  I wonder,  maybe not.   I don't have those other cool services to offer so I think I'll offer a great (temporary) deal instead,  like a grand opening discount patternmaking service.   Buy three patterns get the fourth one free,  each for only $35 a piece.  (That's about a third of the price of regular service).  If I was a designer looking for a patternmaker I would love to try it out.  Also,  I'm going to email my previous clients for a possible qoute I could use as "client reviews" for my ad,  that will be great too.

Anyway,  here's my patternmaking work station/ storage area by the door:

Mind you,  I don't (and can't) draft the patterns on this thing,  that's done on the kitchen table,  so my first priorities are perhaps a foldup work table,  small computer desk and a clothes rack which I'll place in my bedroom (my husband probably won't mind).   These are things I'll get after I get a multiple button hole marker and a flexicurve ruler.   Actually I better make sure I have a hole punch too,  not a pattern notcher,  I have that.   But a single hole punch for the poster board master blocks and client's patterns,  so I can make the hole and hang them up with those pattern hooks I want to make.  That's not too impossible,  I found a picture of a simple pattern hook I think I can twist real easy out of a paper clip,  check it out:

It's the one in the top right corner.

This month though,  I'm going to have to buy a role of paper and those poster boards.   Wish they sold the paper rolls at the post office too,  that would make it real easy for me to get,  otherwise I'll have to go all the way to Staples in Downtown Langley.

One of these days I've got to update my Squidoo fashion lens.   I want to re-write my Lutterloh pattern content.  Great little system,  but speaking as someone who just learned how to make patterns and as a designer I wouldn't use them to create new patterns from if I didn't need to.    They're awesome if you just want to save some time on sewing some new garments for your wardrobe though.   Something I'm planning to do for sure.

Anyway if you'd like to check out my fashion or eco friendly fashion resources lenses here are their links,  feel free to drop me a note if you like what you see/read,  I'll be happy to hear from you:



Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources

The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page 

Why Watch Current (and past) Fashion Videos

I've heard and read that the reason to watch fashion shows are to keep up with the latest trends,  and when it comes to collections of the past,  to gain insight and inspiration from what designers have done before.  And this is just one of the ways to get ideas for a new "original" collection of your own.  Other ways of course are to look at the different clothing styles from other cultures and periods,  looking at art and artifacts,  nature,  architecture even just checking out the new textiles, prints and fabric innovations can be a source of inspiration.

However these are designer's reasons to watch fashion videos,  Patternmakers have completely different reasons and approach to watching both new and old fashion videos. For example I was watching  Donna Karan's winter 2012/2013 collection a while ago and as a patternmaker I was inspired,  challenged and intrigued by the cut of the garments.  I found myself automatically wondering "how was that done?" and then challenging myself with the question of how and if I could do that myself for my own designs.  Take a look for yourself:

This was actually quite a wonderful experience for me and I look forward to it every time I watch a new fashion video now (or a retro one for that matter).

Designers come up with new design challenges and adventures all the time that work out to be a great way to keep a patternmaker's mind on it's tip toes.  It's actually made me head in the direction of looking into more speciallty patternmaking books as well,  right now I've got my eyes on Pattern Making Portfolio Skills and the Pattern Magic series.

If you'd like to see more great quality fashion videos subscribe to fatalfashion's channel on Youtube.com
just visit: http://www.youtube.com/user/FatalefashionII?feature=watch


If you'd like to read more about fashion, information on the industry and online schools check out my site at:
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources

If you're a designer or home sewer and you'd like to find some cool eco-friendly fabrics and more check out my resource page at:
The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page

Only A Bit More Work Left On My Lemon Tulip Lingerie Pattern

Okay,  I've been letting depression getting the better of me,  but today I was a bit more victorious, putting aside everything to do a few hours work on my lemon tulip lingerie pattern for my portfolio.   I reminded myself this morning that when you're depressed an important thing to do is just conquer you fear by doing one of the things you're afraid of.   JUST DO IT!  Like in the 80s,  remember those days?  

Any way,  I sewed the curved/petal ends of the sleeves,  clipped and pressed the seams,  then went to work on the bodice waistband,  adjusting the length to fit the bodice's alterations I did a few weeks ago.  Turns out,  I had made it about in inch longer than I intended even if the pattern didn't need alteration.  A new rule to remember popped into my head at that point...that I better use CurveCalc to measure and compare all edges that are supposed to be sewn together,  I don't know what happened,  I think that when I was drafting the bodice's darts I must not have taken the amount out of what was needed for it's waistband.

I ended up having to make the center back seam anyway though and clipping the remaining additional amount away from the ends.  Everything turned out great though,  the sewing was a lot better than it was on my skirt as well.  Practice makes perfect.  The other thing to though,  that's always been on my side,  is whenever I'm not satisfied with my work,  I mull over it in my mind about how I should have done it and I'll do this over and over.  It seems to add to the actual practice I put in.  So now all I have to do is slip stitch in the wrong side of the waistband,  gather and sew in the sleeves then put in the buttons.  Then I'll be done :) . Here's a picture of the piece so far...

the waistband only needs to be slip-stitched in now

As for the buttons I'm thinking now that I want to use those light weight steel foil ball buttons.  I'm not going to be sure though till the other sewing is all done.

Now about my patternmaking portfolio,  I'm still thinking about what kind of pieces to put it together with.  So I was checking out JoeysPatterns.com of Joey Johannson freelance pattern making service,  taking a look at the kinds of pieces she put in her online portfolio called "photos of work".  She's got photos of the Dresses,  Jackets, Tops,  Skirts and Pants she did patterns for as they were worn on the runway,  beautiful shots.  As for the designs themselves,  they're a combination of simple to more complex pieces that demonstrate her ability to make a well fitting garment regardless of how many style lines needed to be drafted into the pattern.  

She's not a nobody either, she's worked for the likes of Betsy Johnson, Rebecca Taylor, LAMB, Alice and Olivia and many other big name designers.   A good example to model my own portfolio from.  She also included the flat sketches with the jackets she did.   I want to include design illustrations with mine though,  I think it reveals an ability to interpret a design better than a more blueprint flat sketch would.  Not to criticize her choices though,  I love her site,  her work and her story,   very inspiring.  If you'd like to check it out here's the link: http://www.joeyspatterns.com/

As for my own portfolio pieces, I've got to design something that illustrates those kind of skills, but doesn't require me to purchase anything other than what I have already.  Soon as I'm done with this I'll have to do some brainstorming about it.   Hmm,  that's kind of exciting...

If you'd like to read more about fashion, information on the industry and online schools check out my site at:

Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources

If you're a designer or home sewer and you'd like to find some cool eco-friendly fabrics and more check out my resource page at:

The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page

The Struggling Patternmaking Student / Freelance Writer

I finally got Connie's book Patternmaking made Easy. Turns out you really need a dress form to achieve the first block, the basic two dart bodice block. I don't have the money for that right now. So what I did, is reverse engineered a suitable Lutterloh pattern using the following method,

- first I drafted it out according to size "s"

- I used size "s" bust and waist measurements to calculate the amount of ease to trim off the pattern

- overlayed the front portion over the back portion to 'true' up the pattern's side seams and align back and front darts according to apex location

- then blacked in the lines and re-enforced them with tape

This is making it sound a lot easier than it actually was, because I had a few false attempts that didn't work out, no thanks to not having a dress form so it actually took me a few days to get it right. The truth is I don't actually recommend this technique to anyone because without a dressform, it's really kind of a hit or miss.

This means that if I was to work with these blocks to develop patterns for someone, the resulting patterns would need more alterations made than they otherwise would. My particular concerns are for the depth of the neckline and armhole seams as well as the relation of the bust apex level to waist line and shoulder to waistline measurements. So there you have it, don't try this if you can afford a dress form.

If I had a client, I would give it a shot and request for measurements to be provided so I could make the necessary adjustments could be made before completing more than one pattern. That approach would probably work quite well as I would gladly re-draft my basic bodice block to "Get It Right".

For now though, I'm practicing the other blocks. They are all built around the original bodice block, so what I've been doing is using the transfer technique and re-drawing the original block everytime I've got to do a new one to practice. Draw in the changes for the different block, cut and spread it as needed, tape it up, trace out a "good copy" then black in the lines.

It's good practice, I really enjoy it and recommend it to anyone seriously wanting to learn how to do patternmaking.

If you want to get your hands on Connie's book Patternmaking made Easy, you can order it through my site at: Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources