I am sadly overdue in sharing the story of the designer Eleanor Brenner.  She is an American woman who has had an influence on the world of fashion for the last half of a century yet has not been heard about nearly enough.  She passed away a year ago (on April 2, 2023) at the age of 89 without a proper fanfare.  Please read her Legacy obituary here.  Despite being a favorite designer of mine, I have kept my interest in her a quietly personal enjoyment for too long.  I wish I had shared my knowledge earlier so as to help others find an apprecia ..read more

     Simplicity of form and function never loses out on being stylish and is eternally useful.  On the flip side, just because something is basic doesn’t mean it has to be base and without ornament.  An utterly simple shape is all that is need to tie either a functional closure that humans have used since the beginning of civilization or fashion one of the world’s most popular decoration.  I am referring to a bow.  The inclusion of a bow in the daily life may be thought of as no more than a gift package trimming, a piece of neckwear, a hair ornament, or ..read more

     This Easter I broke my tradition and was not able to find time to sew something new for the holiday.  Therefore, let’s throw it back to an old Easter-tide dress which has not yet made an appearance on my blog!  Back in March of 2016 I had a very fun experiment in color blocking with three solid colors, which I made use of to help highlight the unusual lines.  As my title gives away, I made a Basque-waist dress – a charming design that is sadly uncommon in modern garments.  Also called a “corset waist”, this carryover from the Victorian times is a fe ..read more

     It has been awhile since I posted something historical, and I’m remedying that situation right now with a sweet little camisole in the fashion of about 100 years ago.  This actually happens to be my most recently finished sewing project, so you are getting the freshest blog post material possible!         With this piece, I’d like so brag that I now have my first completely hand-sewn item.  After all these years sewing, this is so exciting for me!!  You see, last week’s “Spring Break” time off of school for our son meant we ..read more

     As it is March and St. Patrick ’s Day is coming upon us, my strong Irish heritage compels me to post the habitual green-themed project on my blog, as I do annually.  I have quite the unique piece to share this year – an oddity called the “dinner dress”.  This very sophisticated design with an unusual intent is a great way to further comprehend the amazing variety of options that vintage fashion can provide.  My feminine yet flashy dinner dress has the best of the classic features for 1939 and completely justifies why that year is practically my favorite ..read more

     We have an extra day out of this month!  What should we do with a gratuitous day for 2024?  Here on my blog, you get to see my handsome little man for your leap day bonus!  For your viewing pleasure, this extra day is my opportunity to post a recent unselfish sewing endeavor, a new coat for my son.  I told you at the end of last year (in this post) that I would be putting my skills to use for filling in the gaps of my son’s wardrobe.  This time I put lots of care and attention into the fine details of a puffy parka coat and customized it to his ..read more

     In these last few years, I have found myself immensely entertained by the character of Fran Fine from “The Nanny”, a 1990s era American television sitcom.  Together with my relatively recent appreciation for campy 1980s and 1990s fashion, as well as my itch to discover more designers of that time, it was only a manner of “when” and not “if” I fell head-over-heels for the irreverent originality of the Italian designer Franco Moschino.  Recently, I happened to acquire a cut of authentic Moschino brand fabric and knew it was time to sew my newest designer fascin ..read more

     You probably have heard one of the most popular facts about a zebra of Africa – the stripes of each animal is one-off, likened to the fingerprints of people.  I love how such a point is a great parallel to help humans instantly relate to these animals with awe and respect.  However, being the individuals that they are in their hides, I am impressed over a different fact.  An estimated 300,000 zebras are the third largest dominant herd of the Serengeti ecosystem in Africa (according to UNESCO).  They may be the prey of all the other non-dominant herd ..read more

    What do you do with leftover presents from Christmas which you do not plan on keeping?  In lieu of donating or re-gifting, and in order to keep up the original memory connected to the gift, I have been challenging myself to re-use some of these items.  This year, I found the perfect combination for acting upon this earth-conscious idea.  Starting with an oversized scarf which came from my parents Christmas 2022, I reworked that item into becoming a vintage jumper for me to wear for Christmas 2023 celebrations.  I see it as a gift they didn’t intend on gi ..read more

     I have recently been discovering how my hometown has important ties to the history of “Tin Pan Alley”.  This phrase refers to the songwriters and publishers behind popular American dance and ballad music which prevailed for the first few decades of the 20th century.  I cannot think of a more definitive link to the loud and bold style of my glittering 1920s outfit than the crazy fun and lively energy of the music that grew in fame through Tin Pan Alley’s branch in St. Louis, Missouri.  I have a soundtrack going on in my head whenever I wear this fun dress ..read more