Readers, Dame Fortune smiled on us again today!
How often does one stumble upon like-new, vintage, opera-length, pink nylon gloves in a healthy Size 7? Well, I did, this morning at the flea market.
Yes, friends, pink. I realized yesterday, after reflecting carefully on your many heartfelt comments, that I had been working against the obvious girly-girl-ness of this rose-print cotton dress. Black gloves are simply not what this fabric calls for -- not ideally. Plus there are rules about these things, I've discovered. Who knew?
Now, generally, I associate pink with fairy princesses, Barbie, and all things My-Little-Pony. It's not a favorite color and certainly not one I would choose for my sophisticated cousin. But as soon as I saw these gloves I knew this was the way to go and I hope you will agree. I remembered, moreover, that at the bottom of Cathy's towering shoe pile was a pair of pale pink satin pumps she wore with the Elaine dress, now more than one year ago. Remember them?
The result is just this side of Cinderella, but you have to work with what you've got, not against it. Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!
Meanwhile, I rinsed out the orphaned petticoat I found in the street yesterday. Can you say, ewww? It's looking much better today.
,I finished hemming the skirt, turning the hem up two inches, pressing a crease, attaching polyester lace I bought a long time ago to the bottom, and hand stitching.
Remember the cheap plastic boning I'd bought last week?
I stitched that to the top of the bodice to reinforce the front edge, and it looks great. No risk of gaping.
I also added the waist stay, which I anchored to the boning casings and seams.
The stay closes with two hook and eyes. It was easy to attach and actually makes a big difference.
So the dress is basically finished and, frankly, I'm ready to move on. I still am undecided about the bolero, but I'm hoping to make a crinoline this week. If the weather cools a bit perhaps we can put this baby to bed.
Oh, and I just got this for Cathy -- I hope she's not offended!
Friends, I hope you've had a pleasant and productive weekend, even if you didn't spend it shopping for opera length gloves and vintage Sarah Coventry jewelry.
Oh, I almost forgot: it's just two weeks to MPB Day on August 13th!
If you have steamer trunks to ship, beauty parlor appointments to schedule, or reservations at the Waldorf to make, prithee don't tarry. Hope you can make it, but we'll take lots of pictures, promise.
Happy Sunday, everybody!
Hey, Peter, love the gloves and those shoes!! The finishing touches look great. And I have to say, I LOVE that necklace!!! Can't wait to see Cathy's pictures!
ReplyDeleteI finally finished a piece of sewing just for me!! I finished my flirty yellow print summer skirt and am going to wear it to work tomorrow.
Looking forward to your posts in the week ahead.
Paula
Thanks, Paula. Sadly, it's just a bracelet...
ReplyDeletePeter, use some ribbon on each end of the bracelet to make it a necklace. Check out Anthropologie to see what I mean!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I liked the bit of bodice definition that the black ribbon gave your dress. I think the wide ribbon is too much, I'd go with one or two smaller ribbons.
Love love love it! I hope Cathy appreciates her number one cousin?!?!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I posted yesterday that I was not a fan of the green or heavy black ribbon against the busy floral pattern, of which I am not that fond of either, I am definitely liking the subtleness of the shoes and gloves against the floral without the ribbon.
ReplyDeleteYou have changed my mind on this now. It is much lighter and your eyes don't go straight to the ribbon and bow, which for me looks better on a solid background. I like just the shoes, gloves and complimenatry accessories.
Josette
I love the pale pink accessories with the floral dress-- it looks very chic, not too girlie. The next step is to make sure Cathy's makeup and hair coordinate with the softness of the color scheme.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you put in the waist stay, it really does make a huge difference when wearing a strapless dress! And the pink accessories are perfect. Very summery. Why does Cathy need the "Control It"? She looks so slim.
ReplyDeleteI hope you all have great fun on the 13th. I'll be wishing I were there. But at least it's nice and cool here in the Bay Area.
I know the crinoline will raise the hem some, but I really think you should reevaluate the hem length. Despite her aspirations and persona Cathy is petite, and she's missing showing off her greatest assets- her gams. Look at the pattern envelope. The shorter dress falls no more than 4" below the knee, not so close to her ankles. Cocktails be damned,the length is dragging her down.
ReplyDeleteMy $.02
Andrea
I love the whole ensemble.I also think the crinoline should be shorter. This length covers the beauty of your ankles and shoes. Peter, do you use the edgestitch foot more than just for edges? Do you find it easier to control your stitching?
ReplyDelete