the master and his work

enjoy.
have a great weekend




neki desu
 

i'll be dancing in the street

the blocking board.i could find out the reason behind the big THUD and carry on.it was the cotton yarn i was using as the scrap yarn beginning. cotton is not as elastic as wool and as soon as i changed to wool after a couple of passes THUD! fell to the ground. went for broke and used the merino as a luxury scrap yarn and the thud stopped.


this is the 2 color pattern. since becoming a color changer master ;) i can only think of colored mazes. this was an easy knit.so easy i started wondering if i should punch a card and add a complementary border.








so i did. 

i like the way the rounded shapes complement the angularity of the main pattern.

trust me they are the same color combination, it's the angle of the photo that changes  the colors.

they are closer to the first photo, less blue.

this week i'll be sewing the skirt and holding my breath. and then... dancing, dancing in the street, yeah!

neki desu

merci madmoiselle.

the concept behind: freedom of movement!!

have a good weekend.



neki desu

breezy fashion

knitting this tunic was a breeze. japanese in stye = 2 large rectangles sewn together.  being so light it needs a body inside to hang straight. really like the overlocked edged, very  sephen burrows   ^_^

the only caveat is that the linen is so fine and the knit so open that it catches  and runs like crazy.

i also tested the walking foot and it works very well. upset with my machine because the bobbin keeps jumping in the case and creating a mess with the overlock foot and stitch. elna's are definitely NOT what they were ever since they're  not swiss made  anymore.

waiting anxiously for the color changer to arrive. 

advancing my mk education with this and this. although above my head most of the times, their posts serve as stimulants.

neki desu
 

fashion con

photos via tm collections

tm collections
portugal does it great!

since i started weaving yardage i've become more aware of clothes in general and off beat fashion in particular. in other words nothing that a super model would wear, but stylish nonetheless. adding to this my new ambition: knit to wear


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what i'm saying is this

the great bededetta barzini.





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this is fashion because i say so- vi

dressie finished. now i have to wait for the weather to come through. winter decided to come back helped with more rain. 

the dress is my very easy very vogue pattern 9677. it's sold as vintage pattern(!!) in various on line venues.i discarded the sleeves, and added a bit more flare at the bottom although it doesn't show in the photo. it's actually tent shape, not straight.

curious how my notions about sewing have changed over the years. and how my mild dyslexia manifests when  looking at the pattern directions and translating them to the fabric. didn't happen  when i was younger. or did it?

next on the cutting table- cream colored linen pants.but first this little number needs a hard pressing.

meanwhile loomworks  progress.if i really work hard i might finish this week.

neki desu

this is fashion because i say so -iV

remember this ? after a year of much thought, pattern drafting and other stuff this is what i finally made. the skirt is mcall's skirt  pattern  8424  that i graded to my actual size and instead of waist and waistband i made it a hip skirt and added a curved facing to lessen the bulk.

can't believe i was waist 25!! 

being a fashionista is hard work! spent over a year

looking for tops and sweaters, choosing buttons and styling it. evidently, if i spend time handweaving the fabric  it doesn't seem logical to slap the outfit together.and it's a good excuse to indulge in some degree of controlled frivolity.

finally this winter found the ideal boots to go w. the skirt. biker boots anyone? 

neki desu
 

constructivism

balenciaga from neki rivera on Vimeo.

apologies for the quality.
have a quality filled weekend :)

neki desu
 

re-viewing the master

even christian dior bowed to him by saying something in the likes of we do what we can, balenciaga does what he wants.

seeing some of his clothes, albeit none of the most well known ones, in person along with the mesmerizing videos accompanying some of the more dramatic pieces is quite the experience.
first the vids; they begin with a fashion sketch of the piece, then the pattern pieces are shown and finally those pattern pieces are animated in 3D to form the piece. the experience is akin to a mini course in cutting and  haute couture. you can really appreciate his mastery with cloth and the craftsmanship involved.

then having the opportunity to photograph the pieces, no flash of course, is another perk. with a tripod you can photograph the whole exhibit  with the 50 lux lighting provided.

balenciaga's clothes go beyond couture, they are full of historical references and art history references. it is a well known fact  he created many a piece inspired by  goya,velasquez and zurbaran and traditional spanish dresses- sad to see that the metropolitan museum of art still quotes him as being  french!!  you can see zurbaran in his long capes with volumes in the back and the  goya  majas in some black lace  dresess.

he was not only a visionary, but also the total designer  dominating the whole creative process from  conception to the final stages of the execution, sometimes even designing the fabrics himself.
it is interesting to note how his influence is still  present in the avant garde designers in  the cuts, the origami way of constructing  pieces, the volumes and  the decontextualised use of fabrics.

  

 the building itself is  beautiful restrained architecture full of construction winks to couture

  

the walls in the atrium are are a rendition of a silk brocade cut out in  metal sheeting. the background is blue and the shadows it creates give depth imitating velvet pile. one has to see it!





 i found  some hilarious details at the museum shop like these two:

  

clothes for barbie and threads for seamstresses.

any show ends up with the bride, so here it goes:

a gorgeous,yet understated bridal gown in cotton eyelet.not your regular merengue tart bridal gown at all.

more of my  photos here
and the v&a collection here


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fashion history

i met my long standing boyfriend who eventually became husband-san wearing this shirt. it's a dee cee cotton chambray shirt with regimental pearl snap closures.

he wore it until the cuffs frayed and fell apart and the romantic in me refused  to throw it away. so over the years it has been  shuffled  from place to place.

i was looking on line for a replacement and all i was getting was vintage places and e bay, apparently they aren't manufactured anymore. anyone knows for sure?

given the current options of paying for vintage and refurbishing my vintage the choice is a piece of cake.

the project however will have to go on the proverbial back burner as i have a more pressing project in my hands.

 the question again :does anyone know if dee cees are still manufactured?

neki desu

this is fashion because i say so- V

the skirt that turned into a dress. feeling a bit smug because i drafted the bodice all by myself   ^_^
the fabric is a weaver's delight, it has small huck lace squares in between the dot rows. too bad the scanner is acting up and i couldn't scan it. let's see if the scanner can do its thing later on.
on to dress nº 2!

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a different look

Maria Romero: Dulce de Reliquias on Nowness.com.

enjoy the first summer weekend!

neki desu

fitting today

 toile is finished. i need to do some fitting to it, my waist is not that big, really! beats me why a skirt with a back zipper has an elastic waist. i would have said one or the other wouldn't you?
my dislike of elastic waists has no limits and i'm doing away with this one, so i have to take in the waist and reinforce it with some iron on interfacing.
albeit all that i like the style and how it turned out. the bad news is that iwill have to buy commercial fabric for it because my handwoven is not wide enough. that or buy a new  wider loom ;-)




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the sewing pattern mines

and so i went down to the sewing pattern mines searching for my beloved geoffrey beene 2031 vogue pattern . there are lots of places that trade with discontinued sewing patterns some of them actually quite good, others give you the shivers. one thing to applaud is the ingenuity in setting such a business. who would know vogue  patterns would be so coveted amid the burda reign.

i still don't understand why vogue discontinued the career patterns. those 80's and 90's vogues are absolutely gorgeously drafted, timeless and elegant. no flounces ! the pattern in question is from the late 80's , but the shape is very contemporary, sort of julian roberts  avant la lettre.

found the pattern in size 6-8-10 which is the one i have-i'll never be that size again.. sigh! and located a size 12 -14-16 which unfortunately had been sold. as a result,  i was  with the possibility  of testing some newly acquired skills; those of pattern grading.

as a precaution i had collected information available on line here and luckily for me because it's extremely cold i didn't mind the sweating. after copying the pattern on to paper i started charting the measurements  to then slice the pattern according to the new size. just out of sheer luck i ,the frugal textilian, had saved an old bed sheet which has become handy in making the toile.

i had never in all my sewing years made a toile because i was size 10 *without hesitation*, no alterations except maybe skirt length sometimes. and since i had to alter and make a toile going all the way sounded exciting so i edited the pattern at the waist and will be working on a skirt instead of the whole dress..i feel  so very st laurent because he never cut any garment without making a toile first.

the dress will come in its due time because i love it. but i'll keep trying to locate the pattern in my size and at a decent price. only if i do not succeed i will attempt perfecting my newly acquired pattern grading skills ;-)

how did  the saying go? necessity is what???

neki desu

a la recherche du temps perdu

it was very rewarding being in madrid. firstly it was my first being there on my own. then meeting my pal rubi in person. we talked non stop and shared wine and good food. anything said about the internet is an understatement.

i also went to chinchon, a very pretty town about an hour from madrid. more of that along with photos in a post this week.

more highlights. the incredibly delish macarons from la mallorca(too bad page only in spanish) nice weather, great tapas anywhere.

AND the saint laurent exhibit!!! not only the dresses, but also the textile samples. death by beauty.  

just  not too long ago, there was a time when fashion still had a solid intellectual and educated basis. art, literature, movies and colors from mature among others had an influence  in his designs, therefore  you can read his references in the clothes. yet he was aware he was creating clothes for women not selling all this hype about being an artist(which he was) and creating art (which he did). and just like you can take a mini course in composition by looking at a francis bacon painting, you can understand the concept of proportion clearly by carefully  looking at his clothes.  

it is no wonder he decided to retire, the  world where he created had ceased to exist and everything and everybody were embracing crassness. i doubts those minute paillettes used in the lavishly embroidered jackets are still manufactured. not to  talk about  the hands that embroidered them. 

of note to stitchers : the way paillettes, beads and ribbons were used to create shading and depth. 

http://www.mapfre.com/fundacion/img/cultura/expos/395x287-YSL.jpg

the photo above is a specific example of the stitching  techniques above mentioned. it is also an example of the cultural references he used,  in this case a van gogh  painting.

there was small room floor to ceiling covered in din-a 4 papers with fabric swatches, which  also included textures, displayed by color harmonies. some of those fabrics have had my head reeling for quite some time. on another much larger room there was a display of his drawings for the collections with  more fabric samples attached.

this is  a question for weavers is it possible to weave velvet  crepe,velvet matelasee and brocade crepes???

quoting  roy batty: i have seen things you people would not believe.......

neki desu

flip flop nation

back.
hadn't been to the states in 11 years and the changes are noticeable. for one people  in general are much more aware that they share the planet with other people. also there is less reckless buying binges, perhaps due to the economy, but i think it goes deeper than that.
sizes have shrunk in cars as well as in items at the supermarket. an individual yoghurt doesn't feed a family anymore and a toothpaste tube stopped being a landing strip. air con is set at a comfortable temp, not a  freeze to death one .

on the not so positive side i noticed a general tendency towards the unkempt and dishevelled. people walk around with mismatched wrinkled clothes and flip flops. little care is  spent  in personal grooming. and this is across the board, not only in the younger set, everywhere whether it be a mall, the airport or a restaurant.
i'm not saying that one has to be "in gowns", one can wear jeans,  a nice shirt with  a belt  and look smart. but an occasional comb through the hair, a hair or beard trim, some color coordination is not going to hurt.
i have gained a new understanding of the style blogs i frequent. they are rebels going against the grain!
is it just  because it was  in florida?? i wonder what has happened.

neki desu