What better way to start a month than with new fabric!
I want to experiment with layering. Inspired by my Mikaye coat project, I'd like to try some less traditional shapes and combinations, maybe even incorporating a work apron or -- we can talk more about this at another time -- a skirt.
Skirts for men have been turning up on runways for the last few years. Off the runway, I'm not so sure. Seen any in your neck of the woods?
I thought I'd be the only one at Mood today due to the heavy snow, but it was quite packed. I had to pick up shirting swatches for tomorrow's FIT class -- this week sure went by fast. I practiced again on the Juki industrials yesterday and I feel like I'm getting the knack. And I figured out how to backstitch (there's a big backstitch lever just beneath the stitch length dial).
Here are more shots of the fabrics that followed me home today, a combination of nylon mesh, printed cottons, coated cotton (the dark blue swatch below), and cotton jersey. They also all work with the denim-colored cotton-linen blend I bought last month -- did I ever share that with you?
I'll probably make 4-5 separate garments, time permitting.
In other news, my new Miyake pattern arrived today (Vogue 1476). I think it's from the mid-Nineties though it's still listed on the Vogue website (where it's temporarily out of stock). It must have been a big seller. I don't care for the coat with shoulder pads, but without them (as I've seen versions posted on Pattern Review) it looks more unisex.
Finally, I picked up this gold-tone item below at the flea market this weekend. Any idea what it is and how you use it?
And that's all for today, folks.
So much snow here....
Have a great day, everybody!
I have that Miyake pattern it's always been a big fave. And I have to say: I swear there are giant raglan shoulder pads in the photo version, even though there are none noted for notions
ReplyDeleteOh ha you saw that too!
Deletethe item looks like a napkin clip
ReplyDeleteI made myself that coat - late 80s, I believe - & I'm pretty sure it didn't have shoulder pads. It being the 80s, the model was probably wearing major padding in the shirt underneath (not to mention attached to her under wear, too - anyone else remember camisoles with attached shoulder pads?)
ReplyDeleteI see men in skirts often. (I'm in Seattle.) There is the "utili-kilt" and other versions of the man skirt. Where I see them most often is contra dancing (sort of like square dancing), but I do see them occasionally on the street.
ReplyDeleteVictoria -- Haha -- Yes, I was freaked out when I was on a Blue Glacier hike and surround by men in utilikilts! Then I started seeing them everyone up there. I'm down in Socal and from Florida so before then it was Scottish historical for quilts only. Plus the dude I see them in (utilikilts) normally have on chunky, laced up boots!
DeleteSo, where exactly is this Blue Glacier you speak of?
DeleteThere is a gentleman who attends Seattle Opera on opening night in his 'tuxedo' utilikilt (satin stripe down the side), cutaway jacket and often a bowler, socks with clocks and garters. I work the opening night box office just for the sight of folks such as him. Sigh!
DeleteI have that pattern, though I've never made any of it. Mid nineties sounds about right.
ReplyDeleteI like your fabrics. Which one is for FIT class?
The linen reminds of the fabric I'm using for my son's drop crotch, thai fisherman pants.....or poopy pants as Zac Posen calls them. They should be cool as I'm adding top stitching and cargo pockets.
ReplyDeleteLove the print...maybe not so keen on the net.
That item is a glove clip.
ReplyDeleteWhat does it attach to?
DeleteI have seen similar items as your clip, used in antique victorian dress. The clip would hang from the belt to be used to clip up the long hem of the ladies dresses when walking out doors.
ReplyDeleteI believe what you have is a glove clip. Ladies would attach them to their purse and also attach their gloves to this, when they needed to be without their lovely bone white gloves. It amazes me how they were able to keep these clean.
ReplyDeleteThat's what Ladies' Maids were for.
DeleteAbout the Miyake coat, I know several people who made it. Some complained that the front lapels were HUGE, so they cut them down. Others commented that it pulled to the front due to the weight of the extra fabric in the front. So I think one friend narrowed the lapels and then added a pleat in the lower back section plus extra length in the back to balance the weight and equalize the length. I would have to dig out my notes to confirm all this. BTW, avoid making it in fleece or you will look like a big fluffy marshmallow. It takes a LOT of fabric.
ReplyDeleteI've had similar problems with cape/coats like this, I used dress weights to balance the weight out. I sewed them into the hem in strategic locations.
DeleteThat big funky floral print fabric is awesome!
ReplyDeleteAs part of my heritage is Scottish, I am totally down with the male skirt/kilt and see them at family functions at least annually. I have no doubt you could wear it with aplomb!
I'm in the Pacific NW and for some reason there are quite a few guys that wear kilts here. They're usually the utili-kilt variety but we do see some sarongs on men too. I love seeing men in kilts. :)
ReplyDeleteKilts of the Scottish variety as well as utili-kilts turn up quite frequently here in San Francisco. My husband wears a sarong when we visit hot climes. Personally, I think that men in skirts are dead sexy.
ReplyDeleteIt does seem to be a very NW trend, the utili-kilt. There are a couple of men I see out and about in the Woodinville-Redmond area (east of Seattle across Lake Washington) that wear them all the time. They do wear them with the requisite Doc Martin boots.
ReplyDeletePeter, if you have even a few drops of Scot/Irish/English blood in your veins...research your clan tartan and go for a true kilt! The whole nine yards!
ReplyDeleteI made that Miyake coat in wool when I lived in NYC... And since then I've lived in SoCal & Vegas (NV). Needless to say I've not had much need but I can't bring myself to toss it. BTW Hong Kong seams would do it justice.
ReplyDeleteThe gold thing is a glove clip. It attaches to your handbag or the zipper pull inside the bag. Your gloves should clip securely inside the larger end of the clip. That way, you can take them off, clip them to your bag on the outside, and lunch without worrying that they're lost or crumpled up inside your bag. Oh, dear.
ReplyDeleteI see the utili-kilt in the SF bay area too. Rarely on guys who look like the ones in the photos above - it seems more like a techie thing, at least here. Sarongs on men, I've seen in Hawaii. I've not seen any men wearing skirts like the runway ones, though.
ReplyDeleteI have seen kilts in tweed, and other fabrics, not so much tartan though, maybe it is a trendy thing. They seem to be a complete outfit. Mainly young guys.
ReplyDeleteI'm loving your new focus on unstructured men's garments. And was very jealous of your new linens.
ReplyDeleteI've made the Miyake coat twice, the first when the pattern appeared in the mid 80's. I still wear both versions. I especially love the mohair knit one. There is a lot of fabric in this garment so be sure the fabric you choose is not very heavy and is very drapery.
ReplyDeleteI made the Miyake coat three years ago, and absolutely love it. I made it up in a Ralph Lauren cashmere silk blend that drapes beautifully. I personally like the wide lapels and, didn't have any difficulty with an awkwardly hanging hem. The pattern does not call for shoulder pads nor gives instructions for putting them in. I recently got given the Miyake pattern you just made and had decided not to make it up. But seeing how wonderful you looked in yours I might just make it up.
ReplyDeleteSo weird to see all that snow... Here in Belgium we are having the warmest winter in decades! It hasn't even freezed yet!
ReplyDeleteIf you do make a kilt or skirt, I recommend that you make it for the warm weather. Skirts get very chilly in winter! I love the idea of men wearing them for "contra dancing (sort of like square dancing)" as Victoria commented; the twirling around must make the skirts fly up and out!
ReplyDeleteA glove clip...I think I need to keep any eye out for one. It would be so much nicer and easier on the coat than stuffing gloves in the pocket!
ReplyDeleteNo skirts on men in Iowa. No kilts either, unless it's for a Scotish heritage celebrations a couple of towns hold. Even then it's often only the serious competitors in the games. Not even a utili-kilt.
Skirts and sarongs on men are dead sexy, as said above, but ... why? Yes, yes, yes skirts on warm days, but who wants the horror of tights, panty hose or leggings in addition to the skirt? I love wearing skirts and dresses when they hang soft and loose around my body - daytime pajamas, if you will.
ReplyDeleteAnd when I think of the decades it took for women to get into pants/trousers in public, I've got to wonder why men would voluntarily put themselves in them.
At the Berlin Fashion Week in Germany these Year in January an Indepentent Designer from Denmark shows this
ReplyDeletehttp://www.globalmanagertv.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/aw-2014_fashion-week-berlin_DE_mads-dinesen_433232.jpg
http://www.globalmanagertv.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/aw-2014_fashion-week-berlin_DE_mads-dinesen_433282.jpg
It is like a skirt on the Trouser ,or Jil Sander is showing a Big trouser that looks like Pantskirt
http://media0.faz.net/ppmedia/aktuell/1198098559/1.2243834/width610x580/jil-sander.jpg
or this one looks a bit like Miyake style
ReplyDeletehttp://www.globalmanagertv.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/aw-2014_fashion-week-berlin_DE_mads-dinesen_433342.jpg
I make that Miyake coat back in the early 90s in some really beautiful pale dirty pink melton wool. Well, that coat consumed me! I never wore it & later cut it apart and made 6 more garments with all that yardage!
ReplyDeleteI was a fan of Miyake when I worked at Liberty, London 85/95 I made the Miyake paterns up in wool in the winter and linen in the summer. As a man 6ft2 I found them very comfortable and easy to lengthen, and in monochrome stunning. In 1996 I bought my first Miyake it cost me £900+. Sinc the iv bough many Miyake pieces but never as good as the miyake patterns. I collected all the Miyake patterns I can find, nostalgic. You looked fab in your Miyake coat.
ReplyDeleteWould I wear a man skirt? I usually do, ... actually a kilt. The photos you showed were of skirts, with pants. That's weird to me. Wear one or the other, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteEver worn a true kilt? It's quite warm. That sucker is heavy wool. And paired with wool socks, you are ready for just about any cold weather situation. It's warmer than any pair of jeans, and more comfortable. Of course, in a high wind situation, you do have to dress appropriately, and that means pants.
I think the writer's of TV show Castle read your blog. Last night two New York fashion students found a dead body when they were dumpster diving for fabric in the garment district.(Castle is dramedy about a New York detective and her writer boyfriend)
ReplyDeleteI agree that the pattern cover models are probably wearing other garments with shoulder pads. Yes, I remember (and still own) a camisole with shoulder pads ... it has really wide straps to support the shoulder pads and so it avoids the dreaded double-strap look when worn with a bra. It also follows body motion better than shoulder pads in shirts did.
ReplyDeleteThat pattern was the first one Miyake published with Vogue, and was in print for a couple decades. And for good reason!! Mine was tried on by half a dozen people, from a small woman to a tall man, and looked smashing on everyone. The collar is a fine substitute for a hood if you ever get caught in a blizzard. only trick: use pretty rough wool, and don't do that stupid half-lining, the friction is indispensable to let it stick together and hold closed as it should.
ReplyDeleteI love the colours of the fabrics you've chosen. Yes, they're mostly gray, but that's what I like.
ReplyDeleteAs for the gold thing, my guess is nipple clamp.
Have you seen http://thesmithie.com/ ?
ReplyDeleteI've not made the coat, but I have several versions (mostly plaid) of the shirt and a couple pairs of the pants. The pockets are HUGE, and were dubbed 'the kittenpocket pants' for potential pocket content. The waist band belt closure was very 80's for me. Just scored some loose weave plaid this very evening at the thrift shop, and I can see exactly where it is going now.
ReplyDelete