The Occasional Woman — Fun With Fabric
Hello Ladies!!
As I was browsing the fabric store the other day, as I do far more often than one could possibly imagine, I was thinking about one of the first dresses I ever made. It was a project for what was then known as “Home Ec,” a class which endeavored to teach us girls how to be Domestic Goddesses, and to excel at cooking, cleaning and sewing. I failed every class for all the years I took it, mainly because the projects were so heinous.
I was reminded of this first, incredibly god-awful dress I had reluctantly attempted to make. It was a drop-waist hideosity — and the worst part was the FABRIC. Oh Lordy, was it oppressively terrible! The top half of the dress was a black cotton known as “kettle cloth,” and girl, you could make sails out of this crap. Or a tractor. Anything but a dress. And it gets worse. The snappy little skirt was also kettle cloth — but MUCH worse. It had a black background and sported, no lie, BIG white and yellow daisies.
Well, I made that monstrosity, and I was a skinny little item, size 6 or 8, and that thing made me look like a butter truck. Filled with cows.
WHY? Well, I didn’t know any better then, but I do NOW.
The first thing we want a dress or any garment to do, besides keeping us outta the hoosegow for indecent exposure, is to FLATTER our figure — and you won’t do that dressed in sheetrock.
Let’s talk about fabric — what it can and shouldn’t do.
1. Fabric should drape nicely over our curves, suggesting the delights within the garment; if we are going for a slutty look, it ought to drape too tightly, so the price tag shows. If NOT slutty, it should waft over us like a delicate breeze. Think silk, chiffon, and some knits.
2. More structured garments, light-weight wools, wool blends and cottons, these fabrics have more snap to them for suits, pants, blazers and crisp blouses. We still do not want the hated kettle cloth effect; just a fitted, more classic look. Think Jackie O and Audrey Hepburn.
3. Most of us would like to look smaller, rather than amplify a slightly larger waist, or bigger arms or whatever. Fabric choices can help us with this! Too-bulky fabrics, except as accents, can add pounds faster than my grandmother’s coconut cake. A big, chunky fake fur jacket? Hey, let’s enter the Iditarod!! As the Dogsled team! No? Then consider some of that faux fur as a collar, cuffs or a scarf on a well-fitted jacket or coat. Chubby boucle-knit sweater? Please add 15 pounds, without benefit of too much pie! Again, use that boucle as accents, or veer towards a cushy cashmere or even nylon garment.
Think of fabric as wrapping, and then ponder this: would you rather be wrapped in tinfoil, or cling wrap? Well, neither one, but you get the idea.
Happy Dressing, and Best and Most Fashionable Wishes of the Season!
Lorraine Anderson is the owner and seamstress of Occasional Woman, the custom clothing for CDs place.
Category: Style, Transgender Fashion