Dec 26, 2016

Last Outfit of 2016


Readers, having completed my tailoring and draping classes, this week I opted for a palate cleanser.

I decided to try a vintage men's convertible collar shirt pattern I've had in a my stash for a long time, McCall's 4723 (above) which dates from 1958.  It's very basic.  Sometimes you don't want to be overly challenged and this was one of those times.

My fabric has almost a paper-towel sort of texture that's reminiscent of seersucker.  It's branded Opening Ceremony.


You'll see the finished shirt in a few days but it came out looking exactly like the pattern envelope and, in the fabric I chose, surprisingly modern.



To accompany the shirt I wanted longish shorts -- yes, I know, it's December and cold outside, but I plan to wear this outfit on an upcoming trip to hotter climes, as well as here at home next spring and summer.  My inspiration are these Comme des Garçons shorts (below) which look like they're made in a wool or wool blend. 


You can see them being modeled below.  I will not wear mine with funny hat or asymmetrical jacket.


For my shorts, I used the cropped pants pattern from the Japanese pattern book, Men's Clothes For All Seasons, added a deep front inverted pleat and shortened the length.  Mine are made from a heavy cotton knit that's somewhat lighter than ponte but heavier than your typical jersey.



Rather than belt loops, my shorts have only a single gripper snap.  Since the waistband is knit, it holds the pants on securely. 



They're all done and ready for a glamorous photo shoot tomorrow (luckily we're expecting milder weather).  Picture something like this, sans wig, hat, and dead-eyed expression.


And that's it.  I hope your holidays were happy ones and, for those on a break this week, that you're sewing up a storm.

Have a great day, everybody!

9 comments:

  1. The shirt looks impressively swanky, the shorts look runway chic (Peter in the surf on a morning in Provincetown).

    Did you set the snap yourself? It looks domed, and not maligned by quick crafting in a stairwell.

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    1. I set it myself: the snap kit comes with a shaped metal base that keeps the snap from collapsing.

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  2. Do men's vintage patterns run very small as woman's vintage patterns do or are they more like children's sizes which seem to have held pretty true over the years?

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    1. I find them to be true to size -- more so than contemporary men's patterns.

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  3. I love this outfit and looking out of the window at the blustery weather thank you for the reminder of sunnier times to come. I am looking forward to the big reveal. Happy holidays. Xx

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  4. Wow Peter, I truly believe this outfit is going to be awesome and I can't wait for the reveal. I love the design of those shorts...to cute and the shirt with make a GREAT pairing!

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  5. Love the print , can't wait to see the whole outfit, those shorts are lovely, quite fancy a pair for my self, will have to search pattern stash, after all it might be a while till spring but days getting longer, slowly ..

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  6. Your instagram shots are quite handsome. Good work

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