She fritters her time away sewing.

I'm afraid I've already addled my brain with too much reading. And now I'm frittering my time away pursuing tasks of aesthetic and kinesthetic delight.

I have ordered a couple of Colette's latest patterns:

Peony [Colette Patterns]

Peony is my choice. I plan on making it in a light-weight fabric and pairing it with trousers and jeans. I might wear it on its own, but I think it would look wonderful worn as a tunic.

Clover, Colette's first pants pattern, was too tempting to pass up. I'm not sure how the pants will fit or look on me, but I'm going to give them a whirl. Worst-case scenario is I'll have to widen the leg portion and make it less of a skinny cut. We'll see.

Fabric of choice for Peony: 3+ yards of smoke grey colored linen-rayon blend. I know it won't be the warmest, but I like the way linen drapes and moves.  I can always layer one of my (cashmere) turtlenecks under it for warmth.

Fabric of choice for Clover: more smoke grey linen! It doesn't contain stretch, so I'm not sure how it's work. Clover is designed for a fabric with a bit of lycra. It could be an interesting learning experience that results in another fabric purchase. Perhaps a wool blend with stretch?

Now, for a slight detour... how do you personally determine your own style? "Style" book of magazine clippings? Pinterest?  Lately I've been feeling torn between bohemian chic and more structured pieces. While this isn't necessarily a problem, it is impeding the decision making process. I definitely need to go shopping and get a few pieces. But now I wonder: what do I buy? (Maybe it's time to hire a stylist.)

Furthermore, now that it's fall, what will you be donning this fall for clothing and makeup? Share the details!

Rome: Fountains, Coins, and Dresses

The Dress:
I'm in the midst of some very important research. You see, I have a very favorite movie. I once saw it some years ago with a dear friend. My sister and I had a delightful weekly appointment watching classic movies with her once a week. One movie she could not find to rent was Three Coins in the Fountain, a breathtaking film from the early 1950s - the first movie shot in Cinemascope! She saw it when it first came out and wanted to see again. My sister and I bought it for her soon approaching birthday and there we sat one night, reveling in the glamour and charm of Rome, Italy, 1954.

Roman Holiday first captured my heart for Italy. But after seeing this movie, I was a goner.

Two (three?) things that have stuck with me since I watched that movie are Frances' character and eye frames, and the entire female cast's wardrobe. Oh, and the incredible Italian homes and countryside. (I knew it was three things.)

Since I can't recreate the city of Rome in my house (yet! Are my parenthetical comments annoying you like they are annoying me?), I decided to pick out a dress from their wardrobe to recreate.

My first inspiration is Anita's dress worn when she accompanied Gorgio to the countryside. Here are a couple of shots, courtesy of SnapNDrag's helpful utility:

I have to be honest, Anita is not my favorite character. Miss Frances is my favorite: a bookish intellectual who wears thick black eyeglass frames and is a secretary for a world famous author - who she has also been in love with for 15 years - and wears very chic, refined dresses. That's my kind of girl, minus the unrequited love.

I plan on using this pattern from Decades of Style. The back is not the same (see above picture of Anita from back view), so I will have the challenge of modifying that portion of the dress. I am also unsure if I can wear polka dots well. I may skip the dots and do something else in such a lovely shade of ocher yellow.

Decades of Style: Siren Sundress (1948)

Finally, here are a few vintage blogs I recently discovered and have been enjoying:

The Frog's Eyebrows [a great blog from a darling vintage-ite located in Vancouver, BC.]

Happy Thoughts, Darling [a delicious blog devoted to classic cinema]

Lisa Freemont Pages [mostly vintage beauty, hair and makeup tutorials, photos, and advice. Wonderful!]

Further news:
I haven't posted many photos yet because I have to purchase an SD card adapter for my laptop. But more posts with photos and will be coming as soon as it arrives in the post. I have some delicious photos of the souffle I made recently. YUM!

My parents were to arrive in July for a visit. However, they are considering postponing it until October. This may delay me using my new blog design, as I have planned to use some photos of Flora for the banner. So... we'll see if I do that, or put it up and modify it once I get photos. (I do not trust the mail to deliver my great-grandmother's priceless, circa 1920 wedding photos.)

My Almost Summer Attire, OR Linen Trousers: Prologue

I was going to write a little essay that explained and defined what vintageous is. But after a couple of paragraphs I realized it was going to take better writing than my tired little brain could offer. So, it’s on the way.

But for now, how about a post with less of the philosophical and metaphysical…

See those wide-legged trousers on the left? They are my summer sewing project! They are soon to appear in the most wonderful mid-toned shade of grey linen, perfectly breezy and cool for summer heat. (Confession: I should have begun sewing these in the spring so I could sport them all summer long. As it is, by the time I finish sewing the mock-up and actual pants it will probably be closer to autumn, and linen in autumn is a bit too breezy and cool.)

I found this pattern a couple of years ago on Etsy.com. It's by Vogue and my guess is that it was sold in the mid '70s, though I can't find a copyright date anywhere on the envelope. 

Given it's gorgeousness, I was very surprised when I found this pattern and snatched it up like a stray $100 bill. I'm especially smitten with the styling presented in the illustrations: the hats, blouses, shoes, handbags -- everything. I think the entire ensemble is pure, marvelous chic!

While I'm sewing the pants this time, I would like also make the the gauchos and skirt in the future. Other future sewing plans include a duct tape dress form, 1950s culottes/split-skirt (I'm using a vintage pattern by McCall's, but they look exactly like this pair, made using vintage Simplicity 9798) and a couple of blouses. Pictures and posts will accompany all these adventures.

Ciao, darlings --

Keturah