Although many people refer to the textile or fabric as a Jacquard print, the word Jacquard actually refers to the process of creating the fabric itself. The term Jacquard comes from the name of the man who invented the loom that could weave intricate patterns and 3 dimensional fabrics in 1801 (full story on Wikipedia). And here is a VERY interesting factoid. This was one of the first FASHION/TECH ties [...]
On the topic of lightweight summer fabric patterns, I was browsing around some shops this afternoon whilst running early for a meeting and saw that there are some VERY cute seersucker suits in stock. I love this textured pattern for summer suits (and beyond). What on earth is a seersucker, you ask? Seersucker is the name given to a puckered light cotton (and now sometimes linen) fabric, usually striped. The [...]
I was at a startup festival event filled with VCs and geeky startup people last summer and one person’s shirt caught my eye. I saddled over to him and said, “Nice gingham!” He looked at me awkwardly. Two things to note here: the startup world isn’t always hip on fashion AND the word gingham isn’t used in everyday language. I’m not sure what he thought I meant by the comment, [...]
Just recently, I met the lovely Carrie who is behind the fashion brand Carrie Hammer. She was wearing the most adorable retro replica dress with an attached overskirt (or peplum) – one of her own designs – and I instantly fell in love with her designs. I know peplums from the 1980′s (big shoulders, big hips – the accentuated hourglass gone awry), but my favorite version come from 1940′s. As [...]
I’ve known for many years that saying something is cut on the bias is pretty much synonymous with: A. Hollywood glamor B. A figure flattering dress So…what does it mean to be cut on the bias, where did it originate and why is it so darn flattering? What does cut on the bias mean? Cutting on the bias merely means to cut fabric on the diagonal, sewing it so that the [...]
Ever wanted to know what to call every single part of a shoe? Of course you did! So…here you go: Vamp The upper part of the shoe. That part that goes over the foot and holds it to the sole. Love this name. WAY better than ‘upper’. For instance, I can say, “I’m looking for shoes with a leather vamp.” Grrrrrr. Tongue Pretty simple…if your shoe has laces, it probably [...]
Nope. Kitten heels aren’t as pictured above. They are not heels for kitties (though the thought of that makes me think of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Kitten Mittens sketch). But they are a sweeter, more walkable version of heels for women. When stilettos were all of the rage for grown up women in the 1950′s, the kitten heel was introduced as a training shoe for young women who wanted to get [...]
The difference is in the lacing…or not lacing. Derby Oxford Loafer Boat Monk
My favorite pair of shoes right now are my mustard yellow heeled shoes by Seychelles. It doesn’t matter where I wear them, I get compliments. And even though they are a pretty bright color, they seem to go with just about everything. Until a few days ago, I had no idea that these were modified quarter brogues with a kiltie tassle. My next question, of course, was, what the heck [...]
I think most of us think, “Ugh. No thank you!” when it comes to pleats. What were they thinking? Pleats are the world’s most unflattering thing in fashion EVER. Right? Well…all pleats aren’t created equal. And there are MANY styles of pleats and some of them are actually incredibly flattering. Here is your guide to which pleats are which and which ones to avoid for certain body types. Accordion Pleat [...]
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