TRENDING… BLACK AND WHITE

IN CANNES

Hollywood dazzles with classic style

Smfabric.com just loves it when Hollywood takes a hint from us.  Okay, I’m teasing.  But I was so excited to see the red carpet saturated in Cannes, France with the beautiful trend of black and white.  It seems like everyone got the memo!  Color was definitely in short order at the 2013 Film Festival.

Look at some of the fabulous evening wear.  Want to replicate a look, we have the fabric to help you do just that.

(photo credit usmagazine.com)

(photo credit justjaredjr.com)

(photo credit wmagazine.com)

(photo credit LA Times)

(photo credit boldsky.com)

(photo credit marieclaire.co.uk)

Trending.......

Fashion Trend Summer 2013:

BLACK AND WHITE 

There is no better, more beautiful, more lasting fashion combination than black and white.  When I think of some of our favorite girls back in the day-- Audrey Hepburn, Laugh-In’s Goldie Hawn, That Girl’s Marlo Thomas, Mod Squad’s Peggy Lipton and the ever timeless Diahann Carroll—I can see all of them wearing some beautiful black and white outfit.

Black and white fashion fabrics come in so many different formats from bold geometric, to subtle and sophisticated.  Black and white goes with everything.  Put a bright colored shell with a black and white boucle fabric to jazz it up.  How about a white silk blouse with black denim to glam up your weekend?

This summer move your black and white favorites from the back of your closet to the front.  Add to the pieces you have by including black and white combination fabrics or new solid fabrics for blouses, pants, skirts, tops and dresses.  The fabrics are as varied as 4-ply silk to black and white suiting to black and white micro check cotton.

The summertime gives us a lot of opportunity to show off our black and white obsessions.  You can make a cute LBD or LWD (that’s little black dress or little white dress), using the 4-plysilk.  This outfit should be a workhorse dress in your closet that will let you shine during work hours, after hours cocktails, weddings, funerals and everything in between.  Just switch up the shoes, purse and other accessories and you are good to go!

Take Vogue 8916 as an example.  You can make the jacket and skirt out of our Mod Squad fabric.  The dress, your LBD, can be made out of a tropical lightweight wool, such as Black Menswear Wool.  The pattern also comes with a top that would look great in a black silk charmeuse.  This combination makes for a rich looking, eye catching ensemble that works well in the office and later for a romantic dinner.  But we’re not finished yet.  For casual Friday’s wear your LBD with a jacket made out of Kauai cotton sateen.  You can still use the same pattern to make the jacket or you can venture out to another pattern.  A nice thin metallic gold or silver belt would make the outfit look very pulled together.  And we’re still not finished.  Take the Kauai cotton sateen jacket you wore on casual Friday and pair it with jeans made from “black denim”.  And don't forget the white nail polish.  Try "Alpine Snow" from OPI or my personal favorite "Blanc" from Essie. 

You now have a lot of mixing and matching that you can include in a four day weekend or mini vacation.  See, black and white can be your best friend!

Summertime is full of fun events for us to attend.  Whether it’s a wedding, cocktail party after a day of attending a conference, class reunion or a charity event, you’re going to need something fabulous to wear.   We have our eye on Vogue Pattern 1108, a Bellville Sassoon dress.  Keeping with our black and white trend, we like the black metallic jacquard brocade for this special dress.  Think about making the bow out of the reverse side for a beautiful contrast.  Put on your pearls and your evening shoes and you will look stunning, ready to dance the night away.

And great news!  All of these looks you’ve created are trending into Fall fashion 2013.  Black and white is here to stay.

And speaking of trending, have any of you seen Leo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan in The Great Gatsby?  The clothes alone make the movie a must see.  I got to thinking about how beautiful the headbands were back in the 20s.  Our pearl trims will work great to make your own 20s style headband.  We have collaborated with Youtique Bridal & Formal for an upcoming tutorial on how to do this.

Visit our Pinterest board to see how all of these looks come together. 

We’ll have more trending newsletters for you.  And always let us know what you’re thinking by contacting us at houstonsmf@aol.com. 

Smfabric.com will keep you current and beautiful, so you can sew your fabrics into fashion!

Pattern Review: McCalls 6739

Cissie is sharing her fun summer dress she recently made.

This is what I envisioned this fabric would look like in summer fashion.  A skirt or 3-quarter jacket for work would also look great.  

C2235

Orange Pique

58"

100% Cotton

$16.00

Just finished the little sundress in the orange pique.  What a nice fabric is was to work on!  Great weight and blessedly--didn't need to be lined.  The pattern is McCalls 6739.  I loved the shape of it with the squared off neck and armcyse-- not to mention the pockets and no zipper.  But the pattern runs really large and I ended up taking about 4 inches out of the sides.  However, I think it will be just what I need/want for summers at the beach--easy to throw on, easy to wear.  

 Thanks Cissie for the review!!

Fabric in the Spotlight:

Spring Tweed

Sku # CRL3219 
60"
Cotton/Rayon/Linen
$36.00

Just in time for your spring Chanel-like jacket!  This lovely
boucle has several of the pantone colors for spring 2013-lemon zest,
nectarine, greyed jade, apple green, tomato red, brown, white and pink.  Make a jacket, skirt or sheath dress.

Sewl Mates

Sku# C2235
Orange Pique
58"
100% Cotton
$16.00

Construction in Progress

Sea Island Floral (for a luxurious lining)
Buttons: Mai Tai  1-1/8"  $7.50
Tangelo  1"  $4.00
Gutermann Thread #459
Ykk Invisible Zipper #522

Sweet Inspiration

Burda Style 4/2013 #109B

Pattern Suggestions: Butterick 5466, 5719, McCalls 6028, 6441, New Look 6028, Simplicity 2475, Vogue 8773, 8804

Sewing Tip:  This fabric makes beautiful fringe trim for embellishment.  

REMEMBERING MOM

( Mom and I circa 1961-she made her dress)

For those of you blessed to still have your Mother with you, please enjoy the day with your special lady and treat her like the Queen she is.

My Mother passed away seven years ago, leaving behind quite a legacy.  I have been sewing since I was four years old.  My guide was my Mother and her Mother, my grandmother.  I can remember learning how to pin the pattern to fabric and being so careful to check the grainline.  I watched as she showed me how to do tailors’ tacks and a proper hand stitch for the hem.   I was so excited to learn how to knot thread with one hand thanks to my Mother’s teachings.  I remember the first time I made something for her to wear.  I was so proud!  It was the 70s and polyester double knit was all the rage.  It was a dress with a jacket.   The dress was a sleeveless sheath but the jacket had a notch collar and set in sleeves!! I ripped out the sleeves five times.  Thank goodness polyester double knit could take that kind of abuse. I was thrilled but nervous to give it to her because she was such an accomplished sewer.  I had nothing to worry about.   My Mother loved me unconditionally, but still I didn’t want to give her something that would make her wonder if I was paying any attention to what she’d taught me through the years.

As Mother’s day 2013 approaches, I wanted to “make her something again”, even though she’s not here to wear it.  Included below is a pattern and fabric that I’m “sewing” for my Mother for Mother’s Day.

She would have loved the jacket in Vogue 8865 because of its classic lines.  The zipper at the waistline would add just the right amount of “current trend” for her. My mother would have oohed and aahed over the fabric Mod Squad because she loved silk.  Though I would have suggested a fusible interfacing she would have asked me to use silk organza and to sew her lining in by hand.  She was old school.

She would have worn the finished jacket to church on Sunday with a sheath dress, classic pumps, designer handbag and her pearl ring.   Of course she would tell everyone that I made it. 

I sure do miss you Mom.  I would have loved to have had the opportunity to make this for you.

Your loving daughter,

Roz

SMFabric.com Design/Sewing 
 Competition....

 Take II

What a difference a year makes!  Last year smfabric.com created the first ever design/sewing competition at Alief Elsik High School.  We had a great response and the winners have gone on to continue their love for fashion design and sewing!

 

Fast forward to this year and wow--our competition had an increase in student participation and an increase in the number of people who attended our fashion show.  Around 150 people showed up to cheer on the next generation of Marc Jacobs and Donna Karans at the second annual design/sewing competition at Elsik High.

This year the students were given the challenge of creating a modern garment to reflect the fashion sense of a close family member or friend.  Many of the students used their grandmothers for inspiration.  Others used their mothers, cousins and yes, even a grandfather!!

In addition to designing and sewing the garment to be modeled at the fashion show, the participants were also required to develop a portfolio depicting the thought process that went into their design choice.

The Theater Arts department emceed the show and the Elsik jazz dancers performed, making this year’s show that much more special.  Incorporating other artistic elements in the show enabled more Elsik High students to be a part of the competition.

Drum roll!  And now for the winners….

Third place:  Senior Kytiana Taylor received a special edition of Burda Style magazine for her Asian inspired dress.

Second place: Senior Valerie Martinez used her grandmother for inspiration.  For her medieval take on a formal gown, she received a basketful of sewing notions, a $75 gift certificate to smfabric.com and a current issue of magazines donated by Threads magazine .  And come this fall, Valerie will be heading to The University of Texas at Austin to pursue a degree in Education.

The top prize for the 2013 Elsik High Design/Sewing competition goes to…..

Dulce Tello.  I am so excited that Dulce received the first place prize.  She entered the competition last year and did not place.  She listened intently to the judges’ critique of her work and incorporated the comments into this year’s design.  The judges were so impressed with her whimsical organza gray dress with a taupe lining that included organza rosette appliqués.  Her design reminds me of something you would see in Alberta Ferretti’s line.  Dulce received a Baby Lock sewing machine, a $150 gift certificate to smfabric.com and the book, “Sew Vintage”, donated by Threads magazine.

Congratulations to all of our winners and to everyone who participated this year!  We are looking forward to this year’s juniors competing again next year.

 

A big thank you to Abby Rey for being a wonderful teacher and for sharing her love of sewing with her students.  Abby, you’re the BEST!

Eileen Johnson and Katie White, I had a blast judging with the two of you for the second year.

See you guys in 2014!

To get inspiration for the fashion icon within you, follow me on Pinterest.  I’ll have lots of great ideas that will have you sewing all Summer! 

SMFabric.com