Monthly Archives: March 2024

………………….Within every collection I have ever don KNITS have always played an important part…….sometimes as a garment, and sometimes as a part of a garment……From left to right…..The sketch at the lower left is a rib knit tank dress worn with a cropped zip front leather jacket…….Next is a rayon Cady bra top dress with a fully fashioned cropped cardigan….probably in a cashmere and silk blend…….Next is a Viscose/rayon Cady jacket. Under it is a dress with a fully fashioned rib knit slip top attached to a georgette bottom…….Next is the navy cropped almost bolero style rib knit open cardigan over a jumpsuit with an empire rib knit top and attached to wide leg palazzo pants…..Next is a jumpsuit with a ribbed knit fully fashioned top attached to wide leg pants and a georgette overlay with slits to the knit top……..Next is a fully fashioned cotton/lycra slip top attached to a bias georgette skirt…….Mixing different fabrics and textures always makes an outfit more interesting.

……….Lingerie details used in apparel have been an inspiration since the roaring 20s when lace and silk lingerie worn as apparel was thought to be scandalous!……….”SLIP TOPS” have been in the forefront for decades……..The little sketch at the bottom left is a modified slip top, actually more like a cross between a slip and a tank. It’s a dress shown over pants…….The Rayon slip top tunic with the low slung belt has a front slit. It shown with a super wide leg pant also in the matching rayon……The sketch next to it is the same slip top….this time sans belt, and over a tulip shaped midi skirt…..The same slip top tunic is shown with a matching Kimono and a short pencil skirt….Head scarves, Big sunglasses and giant wire hoops finished the look…….Slip tops are always current, and always show up on designer’s collections season after season.

……………..The 50s IMHO was not the best era for clothes…..but….there were a few trends that did appeal to me…….HALTER tops with SWEETHEART necklines was one of the trends I did like. There was something super sexy about the halter, and the provocative neckline. They were made popular by many of the Hollywood film stars that wore them……Jane Russel and Ruth Roman come to mind…..I guess I’m dating myself, but hey I am 75!…….From left to right……The cotton pique button front top was attached to a cotton/lycra jersey bottom creating a play “romper”……The dress was to be a button front cotton/lycra jersey top attached to an organza bottom……The black button front slim belted dress was slated  to be black linen…….The midi white dress was described in 6 ply rayon crepe……The two piece romper below was to be in a textured cotton stretch pique……Instead of straps the collar created the halter effect.

……………Doing dresses in WHITE was always a challenge…..See through always had to be dealt with, and picking the right fabric for each style was always the key……..The CADY dresses to the left were made in a silk/viscose blend. A Cady fabric can be made in all silk, all viscose, cotton and or wool….I’s a certain type of weave…It is most similar to a double crepe. It has a matte smooth finish, and can have a slight stretch. It is made with multiple ply threads which gives it a good structure while maintaining a beautiful weight and drape…..It is an idea WHITE fabric because there is no see through…….These dresses are all about simplicity and special details…..like the wide V-neckline and short sleeves without front armholes. There was an armhole seam in the back for fit, but the front looked perfectly clean…..The one shoulder dress had a tapered curved “asymmetric” shirt tail bottom, and the tank dress was all about the thin straps going into a deep “U” shaped neckline…….The dresses to the right were to be made in a heavier weight matte jersey….The center dress had an asymmetrical front and an interesting strap back….The dress to the right had a bandeau front with the straps from the back going to the front…..Sometimes I used a lighter weight jersey and lined it edge to edge in the same fabric to prevent any see through…..Again,  I liked the idea of the matching white matte jersey head bands, and mirrored glasses.