Whatever Happened to the BIG FLOUNCE?

Friends, on this final day of 2012, many of you are no doubt dressing for glamorous New Year's Eve parties.  Are any of you planning to wear something with a big taffeta flounce?  (A little taffeta flounce?)

Peter's Best and Worst of 2012!

Gracious me, is it that time already?

Friends, 2012 is already something of a blur, but going back through the archives, I do recall a great deal of it, especially since November.  If I've forgotten anything key, please remind me.

The Oversized Eighties Jacket -- YEA or NAY?

Friends, if there's one thing I learned living through the Eighties, it's that oversized clothing does not flatter undersized people.  The Eighties was a bad decade for me style-wise and perhaps for you too.

Hats Entertainment!

The balder older I get, the more I like hats.

Seriously, I do think hats are great.  Not only do they keep your head warm in winter and cool in summer, they can give an ordinary face a little something extra and they can certainly pull together an outfit.  I have never made a hat myself (a few makeshift turbans notwithstanding) but I've come close.  Remember when I planned to make myself a bucket hat?  For various reasons, that never happened.

Peter's Christmas Corset and Other Holiday Hoopla

We made it through the holidays, readers!   Most of them, anyway.

I have so many exciting things to share with you, so let's get started.  I couldn't be happier after days of overeating than to slip into my new Rago waist cincher.  I was going to include an Amazon link, but I noticed that the price went up from approximately $25 to $38 in the week since I ordered it.  Isn't that wack?  I've noticed price shifts on Amazon before, but this is ridiculous.

MPB KITSCH-mas Spectacular or "Name that Pattern - Holiday Edition!"

Readers near and far, the holidays are finally here!

There are two ways to celebrate Christmas (and all those other end-of-year winter holidays): straight, or with a twist of irony.  Of course, many people would rather have just the twist, but irony doesn't work that way.

Things I Don't Get, Vol. 9: Sky Mall Fashion

Friends, so many of us will be traveling this holiday season, a great many by air.

I'm sure most American MPB readers -- a sophisticated, nomadic bunch -- are familiar with Sky Mall.  How many of us have flipped through the colorful Sky Mall catalog while taxiing on the runway,  calming our nerves during a bit of turbulence over the Rockies, or distracting ourselves from the child vomiting across the aisle?

While Visions of Wool Jackets Danced in My Head...

Readers, I know what I want for Christmas: this jacket!

Good News, Bad News

Good news, readers:  I laundered the cotton velveteen I bought yesterday and it dried considerably softer and drapier -- gorgeous!

When You Buy the Wrong Fabric, or "ARGH"

In life there are big problems and small problems.  What I'm about to relate is admittedly a small problem, but it's still substantial enough to be blog-worthy.  Or at least MPB-worthy.

Today I bought the wrong fabric.

The Finished Pendleton Plaid Shirt!

Presenting Version 2.0 of my Pendleton plaid.  I like it.

Pendleton Plaid Shirt, Version 2.0: Progress

I still have another day's work on this, readers, but I am liking this version of my Pendleton plaid shirt so much better.

Reworking a Shirt I Never, Ever Wear

So three years ago I made this Western-style shirt.  I used a vintage Seventies McCall's pattern and fabric I found locally for $2/yd. which turned out to be Pendleton wool.  I was so proud of the result.  I mean, I'd only been sewing for four months.

Can't Help Tweakin' Those Shirts of Mine

Readers, I've tweaked my polka-dot shirts once again.

Here's why:

Oh, the Glamour! The Pattern Review Anniversary Party!

Me and Eugenia of Elliott Berman Textiles

As promised, readers, here are some photos from last night's star-studded, super-fun Pattern Review NYC anniversary bash at Elliott Berman.  I met so many interesting people, the food was delicious, and I even won fabric!

Color Block Shirt: New Slim Fit!

Was that a collective groan I just heard?  I know you're getting tired of looking at this shirt, friends, but think how I must feel: I had to sew the darn thing.

The Shirt is Done!

Hallelujah, friends, my color block shirt is finished!  Well, almost.  I still have to hem the bottom and add buttons and buttonholes, but it will only have three of each, plus the cuffs of course.  And a bit of pressing.  But I couldn't wait to share it with you.

Color Block Headaches or "A Virtue of Necessity"

Good grief, readers, I had no idea color blocking was going to be so hard.

Color Block Shirt Project: The Finalists!

Friends, I am having difficulty making up my mind about how my color block shirt should look.  I've made a few more sketches and found more color-block inspiration online.

Peter Models the Red Polka Dot Shirt

Readers, my first polka dot shirt is done!

A Two Shirt Solution: Thursday Color Block Update

Readers, I've spent a lot of time the last few days thinking about color blocked shirts.  I've done extensive online research, even exploring the Saks Fifth Avenue menswear website, where there were a number of color blocked shirts available.  And they were all on sale.  (This look is not taking the world by storm.)

Color Blocking (and other shirt-related research)

Readers, I was so deeply touched by your response to yesterday's patchwork post, but let's keep our hands to ourselves.

The Patchwork Shirt -- YEA or NAY?

Friends, when it comes to clothes I actually wear on a regular basis, I'm pretty conventional.

Sure, I'll tiptoe around the edges of avant-garde -- leopard pants here, flower power shirt cuffs there -- but usually with trepidation and not a little regret.  I know what I'm comfortable in and it's generally the tired and true (whoops -- that should read tried and true, LOL!).

Monday Fabric Shopping + Celebrity Sightings!

What an exciting day I had today, readers!

Michael Models His New Flannel Shirt!

Readers, the shirt is done and Michael loves it.  I think the color really suits him, don't you?  It fits nicely and it's super soft and snuggly.

All Treadled Out? + Michael's shirt update

Readers, I treadled so much yesterday that I'm afraid I've run out of steam, though a treadle doesn't run on steam and neither do I.