CoudreMODE » Musings

Namaste

coudremode — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 08:46:09 +0000

The Dalai Lama, Facebook status update , September 11, 2011 at 4:58am

Today, as we mark the tenth anniversary of the September 11th 2001 attacks on New York and Washington DC, let us remember all the innocent lives lost and ponder the continuing impact of that tragic day. September 11th reminds us of the horror we human beings can unleash on ourselves when we allow our human intelligence and powerful technology to be overtaken by hatred.

We need to learn from our painful memories of September 11th and become more aware of the destructive consequences that arise when we give in to feelings of hatred. This tragedy in particular has reinforced my belief that fostering a spirit of peaceful co-existence and mutual understanding among the world’s peoples and faith traditions is an urgent matter of importance to us all. We must therefore make every effort to ensure that our various faith traditions contribute to build a more caring, peaceful world.

The Dalai Lama

September 9, 2011

Originally published in the Washington Post on September 10, 2011.

Something Old, Something New

coudremode — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 18:37:04 +0000

January 19, 1957

October 2, 1993

My parents, her brother and SIL and my grandparents

Happy Anniversary Honey!

Today is our 17th wedding anniversary and the “something old” is my wedding gown, which was also mother’s. My Grandmother made it for her and it was always my first choice for a wedding gown. It’s not a fancy dress and is not even silk, just a rayon ivory jacquard. Not sure where the pattern came from. The skirt has a flounce that meets part way in the front, kind of like the skirts on these dresses. I didn’t need to alter it all really, although as you can see I did change the neckline and added beading on the upper bodice. The extra fabric went into my headpiece. I also had my dressmaker add a tiny pocket hidden in the flounce seam so I could carry a lipstick. Don’t know if either of my daughters will want to carry on the tradition and that’s okay, they may be more the Trash the Dress types anyway! Even if I make gowns for both of them and they trash ‘em I;m cool - a bride can do whatever she wants with her gown in my opinion!

A Solution Without A Problem

coudremode — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:19:13 +0000

Ann sent me this link to Counterfeit Chic that announces a new “Fashion Law’ program at Fordham’s law school. Counterfeit Chic author Susan Scafidi has been working this for quite some time. From the perspective of Fordham this might be a good idea but to the mostly cynical side of me it’s ridiculous from a student perspective. The good part is that Fordham has a solid reputation as a top tier law school (ranked 30th) and it also makes sense to have a program like this in NYC. Fordham is in the Bronx so it’s close to the garment district. Anyone who enrolls in the program would likely work for law firms in NY or LA; the conventional wisdom being to enroll in law school in the same place you want to practice. Fordham also has an evening program and it’s likely that many prospective students may already be working in the fashion industry.

The ridiculous side is: how many lawyers with this specialty does the world really need? The current legal landscape for fashion law is fundamentally in contract, copyright and trademark (and mostly case law), and unless Susan and Diane Von Furstenberg, who has been pursing this for years, manage to get their dream of patent protection applied to fashion I don’t see a huge need for attorneys with this particular skill set.

I see this initiative benefiting Fordham’s law school enrollment more than the job prospects of their law school graduates. I think the school is pandering to student ego without there being a real world career track in this specialty. Kind of like all those kids I knew who majored in the “music industry” and thought they’d get hired by record companies. Yeah good luck with that.

Just another example of how out-of-touch higher education has become.

Tavi Has the Goods

coudremode — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:29:40 +0000

Tavi at Chanel Couture

She blogs, French Vogue did a story on her, she has written a sincere and thoughtful observation on the suicide of Alexander McQueen and went to Paris Fashion Week. She sells arty t-shirts she designs. Scroll down to the photo of her with our favorite Funky Little Fashion Troll. She’s 13 years old.

Take A Class Okay?

coudremode — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:18:54 +0000

There is an interesting discussion over on Pattern Review around how thorough reviews should be vis a vis how they should (or should not) help less experienced sewers. I haven’t jumped in and the thread is winding down anyway, but one thing I detected from some posts is a sense of entitlement that really irked me. Personally, I don’t feel that an experienced sewer has any obligation to make a review into a sewing lesson. Writing a good review takes effort and no one who posts reviews is getting paid anything for doing it so how much information they provide is a personal decision.

I suspect what is happening here is there are thousands of sewers on PR who are largely self-taught and they view PR as a free educational resource for improving their skills. Which is fine, that’s largely what the internet has been about., however, experienced sewers like me, Ann, Gigi, Pam, Els, Mary Beth and Debbie probably tend to see PR less as a school and more as a stage to express our individual interest in specific areas of sewing. I just bristle at the notion that I owe anyone guidance just because they want to learn sewing; that sounds Darwinian I know, but PR also has good quality and inexpensive on-line sewing classes for all levels. When I see people complaining on the message board that reviews don’t tell them enough I just want to say “Take an on-line class for cryin’ out loud!” PR has classes from top experts (Susan Khalje, Kenneth King, Shannon Gifford, Sarah Veblen etc etc) and in-person instruction from any of these folks is far far more expensive than what they have on PR. Trust me, I’ve taken their in-person classes and I now this is a fact!

Okay rant over now I need to go clean my sewing room

My Current Fabric Obession

coudremode — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:23:26 +0000

Cell Disruption

From Gorgeous Fabrics

For about a year now I’ve been obsessed with particle based patterns and I think this is happening because the company I work for, Microfluidics, makes machines that are used to reduce substances to submicron particles. These machines are used to manufacture inks, cosmetics, food, cancer drugs and vaccines. The flu shot you’ll get this fall will very likely be manufactured on one of our production-grade machines.

From Fabric Mart

Carbon Nanotubes

So all day I hear about things like deaglomeration, cell disruption, liposomes and carbon nanotubes – clearly this has begun to seep into my fabric consciousness!

A liposome from Encyclopedia Britantica

Max Studio RTW liposome print

What influences your fabric choices?

Happy Birthday Mademoiselle

coudremode — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:55:02 +0000

125 years ago today, in a small town in rural France, Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel was born to unmarried peasants. Her mother died when she was 12, and her vagabond father was unable to support his five children. Gabrielle was sent with her sister to an orphanage, where she larned to sew. Eventually, around 1910, when she was in her late 20′s, with financial backing from her wealthy lover, she opened a hat shop on Rue Cambon in Paris. And the rest is history.

The Elusive Birkin? Not So Much.

coudremode — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:16:00 +0000

Today’s Boston Globe has a very amusing story about the Birkin, a handbag whose legendary exclusiveness is firmly quashed in the story.

And if you like Posh’s Roland Mouret dress Burda WOF did a pretty good knock-off.

Erica’s version is really hot!

The Lost Acessory

coudremode — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:07:05 +0000

Hats.

Georgene’s post made me think of them, because I adore that cute little trilby on the right. When I was younger, I loved nothing more than playing with my grandmother’s collection of hats on a rainy afternoon, and every time I see a vintage pattern I long for the chance to wear one.

What happened to our relationship with hats?

My theory as to why woman no longer wear them boils down to this: we no longer wear hairstyles that accommodate a hat, that is, a style smooth at the back of the head with curls around the face. Bangs do not work with hats (ask me how I know this.) These days our hairstyle is our “head ornament” and I think our increasingly casual lives jsut don’t give us that many opportunities to wear them, and so we don’t know how to wear them anymore. These days when I see a woman in a hat she is just SO selfconscious and aware of what’s on her head. It reminds of me seeing my Episcopal dad in a Yarmulke at my cousin’s Bar Mitzvah.

So where can we wear hats these days? Well…

Church. Our African-American sisters in particular really know how to rock this and I salute them for keeping the flame burning, but for the most part hats at church are a thing of the past where I live.

The Kentucky Derby. Not an event I’m likely to attend in the near future.

Weddings. Well, many of them are evening events now, and hats are kind of a daytime thing if you ask me.

Meeting Queen Elizabeth or the Pope. Same as the Kentucky Derby.

Not a long list. Plus, a hat is meant to seen, and since most of us drive everywhere, where would we wear hats on a daily basis? The mall? Costco? I can’t envision it.

BUT

Great hats do exist….. like here….and here…and here. First Lady of France Carla Bruni needs to work on her hat wardrobe a bit; it’s hard to believe she looks more matronly than the Queen, who is twice her age and still wore a better hat. Carla should be channeling Jackie Kennedy.

Maybe when my daughters get married I’ll have a chance to wear one. Hopefully they will have day weddings.

Sigh

The Ghost of Fashion Past

coudremode — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 16:07:43 +0000

“It is in paintings or in family albums that traces of true fashion can be found.” – Coco Chanel*

I love old photos and yesterday my mother emailed me this gem. These are my grandparents, Anthony and Adele Vestcyk. I have never seen this photo before and it was a total eye opener.

My grandmother had a keen interest in fashion, and even though she lived her entire life within 20 miles from where she was born and had only a fourth grade education, she nonetheless had supreme confidence in her sense of style. Look at what she’s wearing: knickers (!) a sporty blouse, and very nice shoes. My mother tells me my grandmother was a huge fan of Coco Chanel (me too) and I certainly detect the influence of Mademoiselle beaming like a laser all the way from 1920′s Paris to a coal mining town in Pennsylvania. Like Chanel, Della Vestcyk was a woman who dressed to please herself.

My grandfather looks far more dapper than I remember; look at his straw boater, slim trousers, and I think that’s a pocket watch chain on his right side.

This photo is also remarkable because I can’t ever recall seeing my grandparents express any affection towards each other. When I was little they were clearly devoted to each other in a kind of prickly way, and they had a solid marriage, but my memory is of two people orbiting each other in their house and pretty much living their own lives. But here they look very happy together, and their relationship was more complex than I could ever imagine.

* Page 377, Chanel and Her World, by Edmonde Charles-Roux (The Vendome Press, copyright 1981 & 2005)