Sarai and The Allure of Novelty Prints - Guest Post!

This post is brought to you by the one and only Sarai from Colette Patterns! I cannot thank Sarai enough to take time out of her busy schedule to talk to all of you! Okay Sarai, take it away...

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I've long been a lover of vintage novelty prints, in spite of myself.

I say "in spite of myself" because normally when it comes to clothing, I have a bit of an aversion to all things juvenile. I can do a little girlish. I can do a teeny bit kitsch. But when designs cross that fine line and become childish, it's just ...not my thing.

Nowadays, when you hear the word "novelty print," juvenile prints on quilting cotton are probably the first thing that come to mind. They often feature bright, garish colors or babyish pastels and depict juvenile themes.

In a way, this is fitting. The earliest novelty prints (also sometimes called "conversation prints") from the 1900s were designed specifically to appeal to children. They often depicted stories and rhymes, animals, and children. There's been a long history of using these prints to appeal to kids.

But as the years progressed, novelty prints began finding their way into adult women's clothing too. These adult prints carried some of the whimsy and humor of kids' prints, but with more interesting and varied themes and a wider array of illustration styles. Novelty prints began to reflect the context of the era: patriotic themes in the 1940s, images of Paris in the 1950s, space age patterns in the 1960s.

Perhaps no one captured the artistry and humor of the conversation print better than designer Elsa Schiaparelli. Known for her fusing of art and fashion, Schiaparelli's prints featured everything from circus themes to a fabric designed entirely from a collage of her own press clippings.

Today, the novelty print lives on in fashion. You may recall the popular cat print from Miuccia Prada's Miu Miu line. It's interesting to note that Prada is a designer whose work has recently been compared and contrasted with Schiaparelli.

I wonder what prints like this will say about the era we live in now? Will fashion historians look back at Miu Miu and fondly remember the era of internet cat memes?

Links:

Vintage novelty print group on Flickr
A history of conversation prints

Click on each image to do directly to the source.



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Thanks again Sarai! I am so honored that you wrote a guest post for my blog! I am toasting you right now from Paris. Cheers Sarai!

Film Inspiration: An Education

I love this film. It is gorgeous to look at and heartbreaking to watch. I so was this girl: living in a small town, dreaming of an elegant and glamorous life, longing to flee to Paris and be all grown up. I totally get her and empathize for her situation, because if it were me, I would have been lured in by all that this older man had to offer too.

If you haven't seen it, it's a superb film written by Nick Hornby and based on his book of the same title. It's much more than just beautiful dresses, though those are lovely too!

Vintage Ad Inspiration: Modess

Source: www.vintag.es

Film Inspiration: Blow Up

Blow Up from Michelangelo Antonioni is considered a modern masterpiece. Made in 1966, it is positively modern and futuristic for its time. David Hemmings plays a photographer that is convinced he's captured a murder on film. It's haunting, beautifully minimal, and slow. An art house classic for sure. 

The costuming is provocative and wonderfully goofy, as you'll be able to see by these images below...

Street Fashion: 1920's France

Source: www.vintag.es

Oona and the Derby Dress - Guest Post!

This post is brought to you by the amazing Oona from Oonaballoona. Huge thanks to the lovely Oona for helping out while I'm away! Hugs and kisses Oona! Okay, take it away...
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when the bundle of breezy bubbly beauty that is christine asked me to visit chez haynes, i knew it was time to finally show off my maxi derby dress.

i remember the august day i picked up this loverly pattern at Sew L.A., back when i was west coasting it.  ah, summer in LA.  sewing poolside, blooming trees, artisan cocktails on warm evenings...there can be magic in the california air (at least, when you're not pounding The Biz's unforgiving pavement).  and, magically, it seemed i was receiving surprise giftie boxes weekly (perhaps due to my incessant shouting about my impending birthday).

one of those boxes was from the raucous and most highly awesome lladybird lauren.  i lusted after some vintage zippers she'd scored, and not only did she send me two of those gorgeous zips, she threw in like eight hundred and six yards of this amazing vintage rayon to go with it!  i knew immediately it had to be a derby dress of maxi proportions.  i can haz wearing two of my favorite sewists?  yes, please.

this was my first crack at the derby.  muslin, me?  meh!  i graded from a size 6 to 8, and extended the hemline of view A to floor length.  (y'all know how to do that, yes? for any newbies out there, it's quite easy, just choose your length--say, you want to add 18 inches of length.  add this amount from the bottom of the pattern, marking at points aaaallllll the way across the bottom.  then connect the dots and redraw your hem. easy peasy, yo.)  no other pattern alterations needed.  TAKE THAT, MUSLIN.

bias binding for straps!  I LOVE THIS DETAIL!!  can you see it amidst the wild pattern?  speaking of, with such an insane print, i didn't think much about pattern placement, and it almost bit me in the booty.  or rather, the boobs.  if you look long enough, i have eyes where eyes should not be.  whaddayagonnado.  i may color one of those wee star squares in with my fancy fabric markers...

but i haven't one it yet.  probably because i'm always wearing it.  seriously, i swan about in this jammie constantly!  i wear it so much, i can't believe that A. it hasn't made a blog appearance yet, and B. ruggy hasn't banned me from wearing it.

if you haven't guessed already, and it's not just because i'm a guest here, this is one of my very favorite patterns.  a home run derby, if you will.  every bit of it is delicious, from instructions to construction .  i have many more planned for this summer (see: letter B).  in fact, i was so immediately taken with it, i decided to rock a derby dress for promaballoona.  methinks the designer was pleased...

merci for having me over, christine!  please have a croissant for me (or six, or seven, i likes the ones with chocolate in them particularly)... i await your new creations with baited breath!


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Thanks again Oona! I was beyond pleased by your Derby Dress and your version for Promaballoona! I couldn't be more flattered! I promise I'm eating a croissant right now :) 

Film Inspiration: How to Marry a Millionaire

How to Marry a Millionaire is comedic gold with a trifecta of glamour: Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, and Lauren Bacall. All three are at their comedic best, but for me this is one of my favorite Marilyn comedic performances, along side Some Like it Hot. All three are set to find a rich husband, happiness aside, and of course, all end up falling for love.