Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The First of a Hundred

If you’ve been a fan of Elle or Marie Claire magazine, or if you watch Project Runway then you’re familiar with Nina Garcia. I don’t read the magazines she’s worked for and I don’t watch the show she judges since I don’t have cable. But I’ve read all of her books about style. I just read her book The One Hundred – A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own and it just about smacked me on the head. I couldn’t put it down. The title says it all plus it’s peppered with inspirational, funny, and right-on fashion quotes and drawings that make you feel like you can truly look good in every item she mentions.

I was so pumped after reading this book! This blog is pretty new. So far it’s kind of a mishmash. Sometimes I feel like sewing crafty. Other times I feel like being practical. And sometimes I really want to stretch my skills by using couture/designer techniques. Garcia’s book encompasses a little of everything, too. That’s why it hit me on the head when I read it.

I decided that this blog needs some direction. A goal to aspire to. So I’m going to sew or make myself something from each category on her list. When I can, I’m going to combine it with the running list of techniques or concepts I want to learn or perfect.

Item Number 1 of The One Hundred is the A-line skirt. Which is basically any skirt that starts narrow at the waist and gets wider as it goes toward the bottom so that the skirt itself resembles the letter A. It makes the list because it's so versatile. It flatters pretty much every figure and can be worn casually with sandals and a T-shirt or it can be dressed up with heels and a nice blouse.

So, having date plans with the Conductor to see a movie and have dinner, I made this one:



That's Butterick 3526. I shortened the length since my legs are shorter. In addition to being an A-line skirt, this one's also a wraparound skirt that I've made before in denim. It's a great pattern.

When I bought the fabric, it was wrapped on the bolt inside out so I thought it was just black embroidery. But when I opened it up to use it, I found it actually had sequins on it.



I also made the jewelry myself. And for the matching headband, I used my new favorite pattern discussed in my "I Need A Victory" post. My camera must've burped. It looks like I fused two pictures together, but I didn't.


I'm pretty pleased with the whole ensemble. Next up on The One Hundred is "animal prints".

1 comment:

  1. I love, love, love this skirt! I especially appreciate your bold color choice. It looks great. Very classy, yet it has a hint of playful. Very nice!

    ReplyDelete