i’m definitely one of those people who is endlessly fascinated by the way clothing is styled and interpreted and, yes, product placed, on television shows. i’m not just talking about the delectable 60s wear of mad men, either–so many contemporary shows, even “trashy” ones, end up having something fun and interesting to say to me about fashion and clothing and end up influencing my personal style.
jem and the holograms, the o.c., firefly, one tree hill, the vampire diaries, dollhouse
poirot, rear window, mad men, downton abbey, a nero wolfe mystery
to make a long story short (too late?) i fell in love with the lauren by ralph lauren “goodman” crested blazer sported by serena van der woodsen (portrayed by blake lively) in the gossip girl season 2 episode “new haven can wait.”
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it is smart, tailored, chic, elegant. and i wanted one. i just didn’t want to pay $4000 for it. obviously, i did what any enterprising sewist would do when faced with the absurdity of a $4000 jacket: i set out to make one. the fabric was easy–i found a bolt of gorgeous, creamy, purple-pinstriped heavyweight cotton at mood one afternoon late in fall of 2010. the pattern was a more difficult search. i knew i wanted a peplum, i knew i wanted to target the 30s or 40s if possible. i knew i wanted a princess line because i already have a fitted princess line jacket sloper. after several false almost-purchases, i settled on vogue 8495.
Construction:
after redrawing the pattern pieces to conform to my princess sloper–which involved flattening the curves at the front and back princess lines, tucking out about an inch in the back, and a few other tweaks, i had to figure out the best way to cut the striped fabric to maintain any sense of integrity and matching. i folded the striped fabric in half and pinned in place, tracing the stripes down certain pattern pieces that needed to be matched to others. for the side panels, i cut them on the bias so that i would get a matched diagonal stripe.
in addition, i re-drew the collar and lapel pieces so that they would more readily accommodate tailoring. i also generated pieces for the lining and undercollar. the lining got cut in a slinky purple silk charmeuse and piped. i’m particularly proud of my lining. it is the best work i’ve managed with charmeuse to date.
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and, as you know, i embroidered the front panel with a motif from McCall 909.
(continued with tailoring techniques and resources tomorrow)
I remember that episode- as usual the clothes were the best actors- great jacket!
i am pretty sure the jacket is the only thing i actually liked about that episode.
well hello there puu, what intricate and beautiful work!!
drop me a line (“oonaballoona”, of the gmail sort) and i’ll fill you in on this friday’s extravaganza. so glad you’re joining us!