Keep Calm & Cary Grant & Rosalind Russell

Speaking of fashion in movies (were we? of course we were!), here are a few outfits I love...two suits (and some amazing hats) from His Girl Friday, one of our favorites.  

This hat gets a few comments in the film...

Like Charade & Some Like It Hot, we've seen it over & over & it does not get old.  The dialogue is so snappy & fast that it's hard to catch it all; might as well watch it again and pick up what you missed the first time!    

I love this hat!

According to Clothesonfilm.com, Rosalind Russell's clothing for the film was designed by Robert Kalloch.  

I actually think these clothes don't look dated at all.  However, all these stripes--you'd have to be quite slim to get away with it.  

Everyone is Making a Coat But Me...Maybe

So many thoughts flying away in all different directions here.  I'll try to be coherent.  Just got back from a business trip (only 2 days) and I'm really pretty beat.  It was a lot of driving, though I was fortunate that both my colleagues are experts & fun to travel and hang out with.

First, Gertie is doing a coat sewalong for one of the patterns in her new line for Butterick.  

And my friend Winnie has some amazing fabric & says she's making her winter coat now too.  She is so fast & so good I'm sure it will be ready soon, and look amazing.  

So what about me?  I found this beautiful fabric (Marc Jacobs) on Mood Fabric's website a while back.  I ordered a swatch, but never did anything more.  

Then, after I saw Gertie's & Winnie's sites, I went back to see if that wool was still there.  It was & was no longer 50% off...it was now 65% off!  I jumped on that.  And it arrived today!  And here's Bella modeling it.  I'm not sure, but I think she approves.

You can see it's double-sided and quite lovely.  I think it would be so fun to make a coat, then make a skirt with the opposite side to go w/ it.  I haven't even begun to think about which side to use.

Now comes the hard part.  I want something vintage & cool-looking, de acuerdo!  But I have to keep in mind that not all fashion eras are flattering to me.  I bought this, Simplicity 9157, a while back on Ebay.  I love it, especially the Audrey Hepburn in Givenchy in Charade aspect of it.  But I'm not convinced it would ever look good on me...let's just say Audrey & I don't resemble each other in any way, from her gamine/slim body to her straight brown hair.  

I do believe the dress would be great on me, though, and that's really why I bought the pattern.


And I just got this from Etsy (waiting for it in the mail).  Simplicity 3994, from the 1940s.  Which is a much better era for me, much as I love the Swingin' Sixties.  It's tailored & fitted, which I really need.  I like the slash pockets, too, in the left hand picture; another flattering aspect.  The only thing I'm a bit worried about is those shoulder pads!  I might have to get some help softening that look a bit.  It should probably be lined to be extra warm & to protect the wool--but I'd have a hard time covering up the other side!  Maybe cuffs & collar & pockets out of the opposite side?!  Yikes.  

If I do choose this pattern, there's no guarantee I'll get it done in time for winter (unless winter hits in March 2014), but I do think I'd have to go w/ the pink side; I think the darker, stripier side of the fabric would be hard to match up in this pattern.  And those stripes aren't the length of the fabric, they are the width. (Though I just realized the width is 60", so that's not an issue after all.)

Comments/Suggestions/Ideas?  I'd love to read them.

Charade - a favorite movie & my dream clothes

I wanted to respond to Tilly's post about films & inspiration for sewing (or shopping).  The Roommate & I have many movies we love & I can watch them over & over.  One we watch together, probably once a year or so is Charade, which for me has everything anyone could ever want in a life:  Audrey Hepburn's body, clothes by Givenchy, Cary Grant to fall in love with, a mystery, an amazing apartment and Paris in English.  So I did a search & found some amazing Givenchy clothes, modeled by Ms. Hepburn...

Here she is walking near Notre Dame.  I love the suit--sort of Chanel-y!  I might even consider the hat.  

 Can you see the darts on this dress?  Interesting using the thick fabric, which I think may be stretchy--so it looks like a sweater but fits nicely.  I have a feeling that belt wouldn't go around one of my thighs!  

 Another gorgeous coat.  I could also stand to have someone style my hair every morning as I can only stand to spend 5-10 minutes on it. The soft shoulders and the collar seem so ladylike.  

 I could not find a picture of her in this amazing cocktail outfit (top & skirt) which I love & would wear every day if I owned it.  I had to get this photo from Christies website, where it fetched $US 303K in 2006.  

Many of the outfits in the movie are matching dresses & coats--and they are all great.  Look at the boatneck!  And the way the coat is cut. 

Best of all, it's a great movie, too, with lots of plot twists & turns and amazing scenery.

I keep forgetting to add music, but here's the Theme from Charade.  Actually, it's the trailer; go check it out!