"What a dump!" Monday + Goals!

Yesterday I was digging in a box of art supplies searching for some wrapping paper, and look what I uncovered!  I didn't even remember I owned this Bette Davis paper doll.  It must have been a gift.

Another downer: "Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster"

After reading "The End of Fashion" last week, I serendipitously stumbled upon "Deluxe: How Luxury Lost it's Luster," at the Salvation Army (hello, irony) on Friday and jumped right in.

My Favorite Gown

I'm a big old movie buff. 

In early April we talked about glamour, the good the bad, was it still around and did we even care.  For me, if there's one garment that epitomizes what glamour is all about, it's the evening gown.

Reflections on My First Year of Sewing

 

Subtitle: "A Cautionary Tale"

One year ago this week I purchased my first sewing machine, on eBay.   I'd bought it with the intention of altering a pair of jeans I'd found at Goodwill; having them shortened locally would have cost more than I'd paid for them.  Little did I know what that purchase would set in motion.

Harem Scarem: Could these pants work for me?

Wise readers, I need your input: What do you think about loose, flowing, dropped-crotch pants for men?

BREAKING NEWS: Cathy caught in knockoff scandal!

 

Oh, the shame of it.

Imagine my distress when a commenter yesterday noted that a nearly identical dress to TED, which Cathy looked so lovely in, had been posted yesterday on Pattern Review!

Cathy models The Elaine Dress + POLL

At long last The Elaine Dress (TED) photo shoot.

Ciao, Monday! Vogue GIVEAWAY winner + GOALS

Happy Monday, everybody!

What fun I had yesterday with my cousin Cathy.  You'll have to wait till tomorrow to see TED ("The Elaine Dress") in all its glory in our photo shoot, but I think you're going to like it.

I'm very excited to announce that the winner of the Vogue pattern "Pay it Forward" giveaway is....

This brand is your brand

So I am reading a fantastic book, "The End of Fashion" by Teri Agins, published in 1999.  It tells the story how fashion changed from something dictated by Paris designers to a corporate-run industry making primarily copycat sportswear, heavily marketed via highly identifiable brands.  It's a fast read, chatty and engrossing.

Hemming and hawking + vintage Vogue pattern GIVEAWAY!

We're in resting mode today at MPB Industries.  A skeleton crew is keeping the machinery running but we aren't answering phones, so please don't call.

Cathy is also lying low so that she'll look her best for tomorrow's photo shoot.  Luckily Lindsay Lohan is out of the country or didn't you know. She's such a bad influence on Cathy but I did enjoy her in "Freaky Friday."

Polyester on Parade

I admit it:  I used to own a pair of polyester Levi's (and my walls were purple).  I bought them at the thrift store.  I never wore them out of the house; OK, maybe once.  They were incredibly uncomfortable but they did flatter.  I think I sold them on eBay -- for real money too.

Many people find polyester hot.  On many levels.  The secret is in the petroleum.

A Day of Healing

Friends, before we begin I'd like to ask if anyone has any feelings left over from yesterday.

Something Smells (Sel)Fishy or "The Elaine Dress"

Friends, have you ever experienced a state of such moral confusion that you found yourself reaching for the bible and you're an atheist?  Have you ever felt like you'd gone to bed and woken up in Bizarro World?

"Polyester brocade, YOU are the weakest link..."

Goodbye!

Readers, I tried, really I did.  But this polyester brocade fabric was the worst possible choice for my 1953 dress project.  Well, maybe not the worst -- polyfleece might have been the worst.

Monday Catch Up + GOALS!

Readers, I feel like we're at the point in our relationship when I can show you what I look like first thing in the morning, mouth full of breakfast to boot.  You've seen the parrot video so we're practically married.