Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Coveting

Today I don't want to talk about the weather. Can we talk about the Duchess of Cambridge instead? She's so lovely. Last night, I sat, slack-jawed, perusing her outfits on Stylebistro. I took some screenshots but you should go check out at all the 200-something photos if you want to see what good fashion looks like. So classic. So beautiful. So clean, all those lines. Such gorgeous fit. Such resplendent fabrics (mostly solids, did you notice?). I want to sew all of them.
  

Okay, maybe not all of them. I'll probably pass on this one. I couldn't carry off that collar. I could probably carry off the clap, though. 
(all photos: source=www.stylebistro.com) 

I'm trying to make myself enthusiastic about updating my sloper. I tried last year and gave up. Wimp. This year I must persevere. Hold me accountable, guys: I will hereby endeavor to produce two updated slopers by the time summer (hahahahahahahahaha!) arrives - one regular french-dart block and one princess-seamed block. If I succeed, I will buy myself 10 bars of dark chocolate. If I don't succeed, I will buy myself an unfitting ugly Tshirt from Walmart and wear it and not let myself alter it until I have worn it 10 times. Too punitive? Okay, 9 times. With a photo to be sent to my mother for derision and shaming.


14 comments:

  1. Lovely outfits, for sure!

    I shall hold you to getting those slopers done. It appears you'll have plenty of time, unfortunately. Bah, winter!!

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    1. GG: Pretty good procrastination trick, huh? Either way, win-win: if summer comes early, I wear an ugly shirt but I get to go swimming. If summer never comes, I get 10 bars of chocolate.

      Sigh. The nature of delusion.

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    2. If summer never comes, I'm afraid you're gonna need more than 10 bars of chocolate......

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    3. No. I'm moving back to Singapore. They also have good chocolate there. And no snow.

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    4. I meant IF summer never comes. IF. I'll stay in MN for its summers. IF it has any more summers.

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  2. Her style is fantastic, but everything looks better on her because she is amazingly thin. I wonder what her waist measurement is. No hate here, but to make her wardrobe look a fantastic as it does, her physique plays a big part. She just radiates beauty.

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    1. Amanda: totally agree with you about her being very thin. And yes, you'd have to be that thin in order to pull off a sheath dress. And wide belts. And short skirts. And let's not forget her gorgeous hair and oval face. Clearly when the majority of us sew her outfits, we'd have to make drastic modifications to ensure they look flattering on us. Sigh. However, what struck me most about her wardrobe (at least the outfits featured in this slideshow) is the considerable lack of gathers and ruffles and such - style elements that are supposed to look better on the thin-and-tall types. Why is she not encased in fluffy layers in 90% of her outfits? Or, rather, why are 90% of her outfits the tailored, streamlined sorts? What are we missing here? Did we miss an important fashion memo? Hm.

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    2. Ok, well I guess I got a different memo on gathers and ruffles... I always have used those to draw away from problem area (and since she has no problem areas, she obviously doesn't need them) so I'm not as surprised by her choices. I have a big apple-y waist... no hips, no butt, small chest. Tops will a little vertical gathering or ruching at neckline are definitely the most flattering on me than something plain and well cut (the well cut will only emphasize how out of shape I am). They draw the eye up and accentuate with little chest I have. But with Kate, her stunning figure is something to showoff, so plain fabrics on clothes that have cuts that fit her closely are perfect for her.

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  3. I like that challenge. Have you started working on your sloper yet? ;) I love the 1st dress you posted looks so comfortable and lite weight.

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  4. Love this Kate retrospective, especially the last shot at the Stampede. Such a wonderful reminder of the importance of well fit garments.

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  5. um, isn't the prize for updating your sloper traditionally fabric for using your newly updated sloper? ;) I'd take fabric over chocolate any day. As for the Duchess, I think she does a pretty amazing job and I wonder (as the pre-wedding pics and wedding dress indicate) if it is natural skill/wisdom or if she has some staff (in house or at shops she trusts) that have her back. Which also makes me wonder if we could all do better (with our updated slopers) as the vast majority of Americans just buy off the rack and never make alterations (except perhaps a pant hem because that is obvious to everyone when you need that adjustment!) No one IS the size clothing is manufactured....that is for the average person and we are all extraordinary. k.

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  6. I think she has both staff to put her garments together and training to behave like she does. Should have seen some college pictures. I love the dresses and she does have a pretty face. Now let's talk about the challenge.., you're really funny! Looking forward to you wearing the slopers eating chocolate

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  7. You can covet her clothes. I'll covet her figure. I'm very tall and thin, but I have more of a "Big Ethel" look (from the Archie comics)... Kind of like a giraffe.

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  8. I think the extraordinary custom fitting (on anyone but especially someone with a very svelte figure) gives the duchess such a huge edge because we aren't used to seeing that very much in the US - even on our celebrities.
    On a related note - after being inspired by you last summer to research and create my first set of slopers for myself, a resulting well- fitting pencil skirt not yet worn, and finalizing the bodice sloper for a blouse to match I found out I was pregnant...couldn't figure why that sloper needed so much adjusting. So I will have to tackle that project all over again in another year!

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