tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post3318556044427673474..comments2024-01-02T10:16:13.926+00:00Comments on The Thoughtful Dresser: Thinking the same thing at the same timeLinda Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09126115924247248057noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-26544873774842223552008-05-22T08:20:00.000+01:002008-05-22T08:20:00.000+01:00It's sort of Gladiator-esque, really, or would loo...It's sort of Gladiator-esque, really, or would look quite at home on an American soap opera.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-89040308947880587812008-05-22T01:42:00.000+01:002008-05-22T01:42:00.000+01:00In order for this sort of thing to take hold, a re...In order for this sort of thing to take hold, a real cultural shift has to take place: women have to completely change their thinking about fashion and impulse purchases. Even for the person who can already sew and who has a TNT(tried and true, meaning the sewist has made it several times already, has worked out the bugs, and has made all the alterations to the patterns necessary for each iteration to fit)pattern and stash fabric at hand, it does take time to cut out the fabric and do all the steps necessary to make a nice garment. So, this will not be an impulse purchase there. For anyone who needs to go to a dressmaker, as described in the article, this process takes multiple visits, hours of standing while the dressmaker makes adjustments, etc. Men, women and children were used to this process 100 years ago, but few go through it today except for brides needing alterations on their gowns. At the same time, 100 years ago, people were also accustomed to paying 'true worth' for these items: a man's shirt, I believe I read someplace, cost a week's salary for a working man. So, people were used to having many fewer pieces of clothing in their daily lives, with many people having one outfit for every day and one outfit only for the Sabbath. When the weekday outfit could no longer be patched or turned(there's a skill no one has anymore, I think), it would be cut down and made over for a child and the adult got a new outfit for the Sabbath and the Sunday suit or dress became the everyday outfit. People today are used to having many more daily outfits than that. Of course, from a quality perpective, one really well made outfit, made of good well-wearing fabric, could stand up to every day wearing and was worth what was paid for it. Even though my DH doesn't have bespoke, he pays for good wool suits and rotates them and his sportcoats and trousers. Every couple of years, he retires one of the suits(usually due to his wearing out the trousers on the inner legs - finding suits that come with two pair of pants would be a godsend)and gets another. On the basis of the cost per wearing, he does much better than I do. But today, any woman who rotated through five suits a week, every week, would probably be considered to be a rather boring dresser. Women are expected to have much larger wardrobes than men are, at all income levels.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-3643116279367119522008-05-21T21:46:00.000+01:002008-05-21T21:46:00.000+01:00And who exactly do we think are going to be able t...And who exactly do we think are going to be able to afford bespoke clothing? The young women buying out Primark in a frenzy every Saturday?<BR/><BR/>Sorry, this is a nice thought but will never happen en masse, purely because it is just too expensive for most women living on modest means.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-2438040825971189132008-05-21T17:38:00.000+01:002008-05-21T17:38:00.000+01:00Shades of Barbara Cartland! I googled the latter -...Shades of Barbara Cartland! I googled the latter - the Wikipedia article on the grande Dame in pink also includes a very elegant photo of her as a young woman: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Barbara_1925.jpgAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-65326337448885051882008-05-21T17:16:00.000+01:002008-05-21T17:16:00.000+01:00That dress is like a bad Dynasty flashback, but di...That dress is like a bad Dynasty flashback, but didn't she mention she was a romance novelist?Susan Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16005855250089328310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-73648454879805475502008-05-21T13:37:00.000+01:002008-05-21T13:37:00.000+01:00I'm also short and curvy, and appreciate the prope...I'm also short and curvy, and appreciate the proper fit of that dress - but what is with the gobs of decorations, and the garish colour? <BR/><BR/>That dress would be striking if plain, and in a somewhat deeper tone. <BR/><BR/>As for bespoke, I hope they mean truly bespoke - that is properly fitted, and not just a greater choice of fabric and finishings.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-47017996412240178912008-05-21T13:11:00.000+01:002008-05-21T13:11:00.000+01:00I'm not a fan of the dress, but if she likes it......I'm not a fan of the dress, but if she likes it...<BR/><BR/>It's nice to know that sewing, something I do anyway, is now coming back into fashion.NancyDaQhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00609215745927535353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424698162327097126.post-19789937703313977732008-05-21T11:58:00.000+01:002008-05-21T11:58:00.000+01:00Wow that's bad, but it does fit her. I see this a...Wow that's bad, but it does fit her. I see this alot on sewing blogs and forums when sewers use consumer software that enables them to design their own clothes and draft patterns. <BR/><BR/>The "enabling" aspect of software has a downside; just because someone can draft a pattern doesn’t make them a designer anymore than than being able to word process makes them a good writer!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com