Tuesday, February 22, 2011

designssss

Working on new designs for the Spring Fashion Show with Microclimates!  Check out the site and please consider donating for our kickstarter grant...  Seriously, the smallest amount will 
go a LONG way toward polishing Denver's creative entrepreneurs Samuel Schimek and Rob Mack's awesome plans for this Spring! (...I'll admit, the grant will definitely help me too.)
This Dress is made using an organic cotton/hemp blend Dobby.  The dots are hand painted after the dress is made so each dress's pop is particularly pretty.  I think we'll find a meadow for a picnic pick-me-up once the Spring's weather is sunny! 

Monday, February 14, 2011

Extra roomy

Happy Valentine's day everyone.

If there's any reason to still be sporting the hoody, maybe this is it. 

Pantalaine Sweat-Heart Sweet-Shirt 2004 From McSweeney's 17

Friday, February 11, 2011

15 Point Prescription for a Winning Wardrobe

I met Steve Boorstein, the "Clothing Doctor," in a chance encounter about one week ago, and I am thankful for this new resource for fabric care!  Thanks to his expertise, we have some matter-of-fact advice for how to keep our wardrobe fresh.  I think a lot of us have thought about these points but have not really put most into practice.  Some ideas were new to me, and I look forward to a little purge here and there as well as more realistic shopping choices to keep my closet from literally bursting!


Below, I quote Steve's website, www.clothingdoctor.com, which outlines good planning and care for a winning wardrobe.  I encourage anyone who invests in their wardrobe to go to the site and learn more!  What a resource!

Fashion, personal style, and clothing care are mutually important when building and maintaining a wardrobe. This "Top 15" list will change, over time, but will never stray from the basic premise; we spend too much money on our clothing to not know how to take care of it. I hope you can embrace a few of these suggestions and make them work for you.
  1. Every time you buy a new garment, discard or donate an old one.
  2. Choose a drycleaner for quality, service, convenience, and price - in that order.
  3. Never rub a stain-blot only dab with a dry white napkin.
  4. Show your drycleaner all stains, fabric pills, snags, pressing problems, and minor repairs.
  5. Buy clothing that fits your current body.
  6. Buy clothing that looks great in the store, looks great at home 72 hours later -- and stop buying "maybes."
  7. Apply hairspray, perfume and deodorant before you dress -- let it completely dry.
  8. When you shop, ask yourself, "Is this fabric well-suited for me and for what I do? Will it wear well? Can this fabric be washed at home or will it need professional drycleaning?"
  9. A bargain is only a bargain when quality is part of the package.
  10. Before you reach the cash register, hang the garment, spin it around, and spend two minutes to do the 6-Point Quality CheckTM ; zippers, hooks, hems, seams, shoulder pads, and buttons (Always ask for extra buttons!)
  11. Remove drycleaning plastic but keep the paper shoulder -- covers on each garment.
  12. Use plastic or wooden hangers -- no wire (except on cotton dress shirts).
  13. If you wear only 30% of the clothing in your closet, start weeding out the deadbeats. If not worn for 6 months, move it. 12 months retire it.
  14. If a garment has been lost by your drycleaner, it should be returned or replaced within three weeks.
  15. If a garment is admittedly damaged by the dry cleaner and cannot be repaired to your to your satisfaction, you are entitled to a "like" replacement or a cash settlement within one week.

looking forward to this

This is a preview of a movie about Neapolitan tailoring.  Not quite ready, it is now in the final editing phases.  I'm really looking forward to when I can watch the whole film! 

O'MAST from Kid Dandy on Vimeo.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

positive despite the negatives



The high temperature for today was -5 degrees Fahrenheit and the low for tonight is -13.   It's all we can do to keep the work-shop warm.  I'm happy to already have motivation to work because usually when it's this cold, I'd like to stay in a fetal position, wrapped in a very warm blanket.  So, needless to say, I've got enough projects in the pipeline to keep me up and at'em today despite the freezing frigid cold.  ...and I mean SPRING!  Yes, I'm designing and making sample garments for the Spring and plan to show them off to a few retailers here in Denver.  I'm finally taking the proactive approach to designing clothing because I'm putting myself through the learning phases of "entrepreneurial manufacturing for the retail market" and that means, designing for seasons of the future.  I'm probably still behind, but because I'm starting small, I think I'm okay with only being one season ahead of the seasons.  

This tulip dress is one of a few styles.   The feature I'm especially excited about is the pockets.  When a girl goes out in warm weather, she might want a place to stash a few things without carrying a bag (think - "free from baggage").

Here she is!  Medium, 35" bust, 29" waist.