To those of you who celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday, a belated Happy Thanksgiving to you. To the rest, happy Friday!
I spent the holiday as I do every year, with family in the East Village, and apart from my mother's absence, it was the same as it always is: delicious food, great conversation, warm hospitality. My mother is coming along slowly -- some days are better than others; today she skipped physical therapy because she said she felt woozy. She has a full week of rehab ahead of her so hopefully she'll rally. Michael's dad joined us again this year for the holiday and he has become part of the family tradition.
In the spirit of Black Friday, I went fabric shipping after visiting my mother today and returned home with some beautiful indigo denim. I haven't sewn with denim in years and I may put the wool melton aside for now. As you know, I've had trouble with my coat pattern and I'm not sure if it's me or not: see the big gap in the undercollar below? That's how far off the collar was from fitting the neckline. I cut it down the middle so I could measure how much more collar/collar stand I'd need.
In other news, I found this cute striped wool watch cap (below) on eBay earlier in the week and it arrived today. I love presents, especially when life is stressful. As you can see, I am slowly morphing into a Japanese male fashionista from Free and Easy magazine.
And how about my glasses? I discovered a marvelous vintage and vintage-inspired eyeglass frame store in the East Village called Fabulous Fanny's -- no personal connection or kickback for the endorsement, if only. A woman I know who sells her line of reading glasses there told me about it, and I swung by last week en route to the hospital. These are kind of a modern take on a more traditional 1920's style. The brand is Kala and they're made in the USA, which is always a bonus from my perspective.
I don't wear glasses other than to sew with, so these are strictly for fashion, which is OK by me though I know to some it's akin to walking with crutches just for the fun of it. Eyeglass frames contribute something to a person's face (and overall appearance) that a pretend wooden leg does not. This is especially true when, like me, you don't have much hair on your head. I think of it more like having a fake tan. Tan skin (for the fair-skinned) is the way our skin protects itself from burning, and it was once a sign of someone who had to work in the fields. Coco Chanel made it a status symbol (a sign of a life of leisure). So is a fake tan an affront to those who still have to labor in the fields? Perhaps it is.
Anyway, I love my glasses and if you want a fake tan because you think you look better with one, you won't hear any criticism from me.
And that's about it. Not sure what I'll do with all my denim: probably a monochromatic outfit that might include a vest and/or jacket. I have the whole winter to work with wool and to figure out just what went wrong with that balmacaan coat pattern.
Have a great day, everybody!
PS - If you can think of a better metaphor for wearing glasses when you don't need them to see with, please share it.
Glasses when you don't need them? I think it's a great idea. I'd wear mine even if I COULD see. They hide the dark circles under my eyes:) sunglasses are even better if you stay outdoors all the time.
ReplyDeleteThat coat pattern is ridiculous for all that effort to trace. But your Melton is so nice I hope it becomes something.
Me too!
DeleteThat is a great hat!
ReplyDeleteSending more healing energy to Mama Lappin!
An affront? I think anyone who wears glasses when they don't need them to see with is crazy and I'd be free of mine in a heartbeat if I could! But I never did understand people being offended and taking other people's fashion choices as personal attacks. As it is, I need them for astigmatism, distance and now closeup correction. They are expensive high index plastic no lines bifocals, in a titanium rimless frame, all in an attempt to make them very light weight. They are 'barely there' visually and weigh nearly nothing. But they still make ugly dents in my nose bone because I've been wearing glasses every waking minute for 30 years.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts exactly. It reminds me of the people with curly hair who spend hours straightening it, and the others with straight hair who get it permed.
DeleteI have the same problem. Everything that has been done to make my glasses lighter has been, and still...I actually have four pair, all different colors, and they're all really cute. Until the lenses go in. But Peter, yours look great! I just wish mine weren't so heavy. I'd love to be free of them. I'm not a candidate for LASIK, unfortunately.
DeleteUsing a cane. If you don't need to lean on it, it becomes a swagger stick.
ReplyDeleteWasn't there a period of time when a walking cane was a must for fashionable people? A gentleman would have never left a house without it!
DeleteThere's always the safety feature. Especially when sewing...flying needle tips can be deadly.
ReplyDeleteThis subject shouldn't be taken too lightly. The sewing machine is a power tool and one should always wear eye protection when using power tools. Hmmm, I wonder if there are any statistics on eye injuries for sewing machine use... don't laugh.
DeleteI wear my glasses even while walking around in the pitch dark. Fear of the Stooge finger jab.
DeleteHistoric machines (pre-1900) did have a tendency to spit broken needles, causing eye injuries and blindness. Modern needles are made of a new steel that flexes more w/o breaking.
DeleteI agree, having had a flying needle tip hit me in the center of my glasses!! I always tell my sewing classes to wear glasses for safety!!
DeleteHey Peter, wearing glasses as a fashion item? Can't be any different from having someone shoot bits of metal through your ear lobes...and then changing those bits of metal on a whim every so often! The world's gone mad! But I love my earrings even though I wore such heavy ones I now have tiny slits instead of holes in my ears. The folly of youth!
ReplyDeleteFaux glasses? Shoot, just call them fashion glasses. That says it well enough.
ReplyDeleteI second the comment about hiding the bags under our (or some of us) eyes. Although like many other things, having to wear glasses to see well takes some of the "fun of fashion" out of "wearing" them. I don't mind working either, but I sure wish I didn't have to all the time!
ReplyDeletePS. Trying to trace that pattern out of all those intersecting lines ... I get a headache just thinking about it.
ReplyDeleteI wear glasses now after putting off getting them for years. My supervisor rode my back till I finally gave in and got them! What a difference they made in my view of the world! Those frames look fabulous on you and the cap is also the bomb! Love it all!
ReplyDeleteMy son (13) tells me that I look better in glasses, though it wish I didn't need them to see. It seems glasses have always been fashion accessories, and the do call attention to the eyes!
ReplyDeleteIsn't the definition of fun doing things you don't have to do because you like to do them? I doubt your cousin would even question it.
ReplyDeletePeter, enjoyed your post immensely. You're awesome.
ReplyDeletePeter, before cutting and after tracing, did you double check the major seam to make sure they match? Before I sew up my muslins, I check neck line versus collar, side and shoulder seams, and the real pain, the armhole sleeve cap seam (shirts and jackets have no ease). If any discrepancies, better to alter the paper pattern. John Y
ReplyDeleteIf someone wants to wear glasses as a fashion accessory, fine by me! I think you look great in those new frames, Peter. I got a new pair of prescription spectacles this week and took my husband to help me choose - ended up with a pair that I wouldn't have picked because of the size and the price but am totally happy with now as they suit my face very well - and I see middle-distance clearly now! Shame about the pattern being so mismatched. But I like the type of coat you were going to make and the wool, and look forward to the final make. Thanks for your blog Peter, you are another light in my days!
ReplyDeleteI like the glasses. Maybe you can let the book people know about all the errors your finding with the coat pattern and get a refund.
ReplyDeleteMaybe eyeglasses seem nice now, but wait til they get little scratches and blurs in them from the wearing. Have been trying to get chains for them but right in the middle of something they slip off and there go my expensive new prescription sunglasses toward the ground and all that rough cement!! Lovely, not!
ReplyDelete