Ready to Wear for cats!

During our team projects for Old Navy, I found out that Old Navy has a accessory and clothing line for dogs...OK, that sounds normal, we are somehow use to dogs wearing a kind of "sweater", "jacket" and even Halloween costume. So, I decided to check what is available for cats; I found a Japanese apparel company - "United Bamboo"- that just came out with its 2010 Ready to Wear for Cats! For extra information, you should know that Tokyo is the most important feline fashion center and harbors the busiest cat modeling agency in the world.

Personally, as a cat owner, I know the temperament of kitties...this cat apparel will turn into pieces in a matter of minutes!

Resources and photos:

http://www.unitedbamboo.com/store/home.php

http://www.examiner.com/x-3805-Baltimore-Style-Examiner~y2010m1d3-United-Bamboo-Introduces-ReadytoWear-Looks-for-Cats-for-AW-2010

Homage to Grace Kelly

Grace Kelly was one of my favorite American actresses. "Rear Window" was the first movie I watched where she played the leading role; the director of the movie was Alfred Hitchcock.

The 1950's is the period of time Grace Kelly lived; and she was impeccable with her fashion statements...The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is featuring this month the fashion exhibition: "Grace Kelly: Style Icon"...I wish I could be there.

Enjoy the photo images of this great star:



http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/features/view/169499/Grace-Kelly-exhibition-A-lesson-in-transcendent-stylehttp://www.flickr.com/

The evil side of straight pins...

Straight pins: such a little tool that can create such a havoc...

During the manufacturing process, pins are placed in a rack to exposed them to the process of electroplating with a solution of nickel sulfate; this creates a strong bond between the steel of the pins and the plating solution. But there is a major setback: the electroplating bath produces a toxic waste extremely dangerous for the environment.

In the United States of America, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has very strict regulations. Unfortunately, most pins are produced overseas (Asia) where environmental regulations are not as strict; and as a result, the manufacturers take advantage of the lack of control creating an ecological disaster!

Keep track of your pins! The less we consume pins, the more we help our home the Earth :).

Image from: http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dstraight%2Bsewing%2Bpin%26b%3D43%26ni%3D21%26xargs%3D0%26pstart%3D1&w=500&h=456&imgurl=farm4.static.flickr.com%2F3140%2F3279238603_ede058d4d4.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fneospyce%2F3279238603%2F&size=236k&name=Sewing+Pins&p=straight+sewing+pin&oid=c7e3d4d4cd54a83a&fr2=&fusr=neospyce&no=44&tt=289&b=43&ni=21&sigr=11hp7dh34&sigi=11mj8p57q&sigb=12uvfeo58

A brief comment on Isaac Singer and the Statue of Liberty...

The story of Isaac Merritt Singer is long and colorful! So, just a few surprising facts:

-Singer perfected the sewing machine that was produced by Orson C. Phelps of Boston (a familiar last name...I wonder!) in 11 days, and at a cost of forty dollars (1850).

-Singer had 22 children (oficially...but who knows if there were more...)

-He died in 1875 and left 14,000,000 pounds, a tremendous fortune in that time...so, the family sued each other in order to get the money...nasty business...

-Singer's last wife Isabella Eugenie Boyer -a French model who married Singer when she was 22 and he was 52- apparently was the model for the Statue of Liberty made by the sculptor Bartholdi. By the way, she was the one who at the end, received all the money left by Singer!

-The name of the first lightweight domestic machine was "Grasshopper" (1858), the name of most advanced home sewing machine is "Quantum XL-5000" (2001).

Image credits:

The painting is of Isaac Singer by the painter Edward Harrison May. www.en.wikipedia.org.
The portrait photograph is of Singer's last wife Isabella, do you think she looks like the Statue of Liberty? www.en.wikipedia.org.
The photograph of a seamstress at her home sewing machine I found in: http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dvintage%2Bsinger%2Bsewing%2Bmachine%26b%3D43%26ni%3D21%26ei%3DUTF-8%26xargs%3D0%26pstart%3D1%26fr%3Dyfp-t-701&w=564&h=810&imgurl=www.quilt.com%2FBulletinBoard%2Fbb%2Fuploaded_images%2FSinger-Treadle-001-760594.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.quilt.com%2FBulletinBoard%2Fbb%2F2008%2F03%2Fgorgeous.html&size=105k&name=Singer+Treadle+0...&p=vintage+singer+sewing+machine&oid=e19ef828715ec156&fr2=&no=44&tt=3585&b=43&ni=21&sigr=11rek06ph&sigi=12ch40pr3&sigb=13uh9ru01

And this is for the boys...

I always complain that men's clothing are in general...SO BORING...! But today I realized, there is light at the end of this dark tunnel:
Josephus Thimister is the name of the designer from Belgium that has changed my mind about creating interesting looks for men. Thimister who assisted Karl Lagerfeld and was the creative director at Balenciaga, is back with his own label. He presented a haute couture Spring/Summer 2010 collection entitle: "Bloodshed and Opulence" (military influence from the 1915 Bolshevik's movement), for men and women...
To pay homage to the guys, I am only posting photos of the men's clothing...in my opinion: the best in this show.

Photos from: www.vogue.co.uk
http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/daily/100125-josephus-thimister-couture-show.aspx

The tale of the seam-ripper...a true horror story!

This story begins at midnight in a poor lighted room: while working on my second ensemble for my Fashion 130 project, and after three different solutions for the back closure of my dress (first attempt: snaps, second attempt: hook and eyes, third attempt: snap tape; non of these to my satisfaction), I decided to use a zipper.
Very diligently, I began to open the center back seam a bit more to accommodate the zipper, when suddenly I heard the noise...: riiiiiiiip... I was paralyzed and a chill came down my spine, could it be possible? Was this really happening? Maybe it was just my nerves acting out. I took a deep breath and checked the right panel of the back skirt; I did the unmentionable: I ripped the seam and part of the skirt panel, a huge slash about three inches long! When the cursing words came out of my mouth with severe intensity, my husband, daughter and cat flew out of the room to take refuge in the living room! It was impossible for me to get some sleep that night, so I waited for the morning to arrive.

A bit more calm, but still upset about the events of the previous night, I re-cut the back skirt section again, removed the damage part (this time with neurotic care and lots of light in the room!), sew the new piece; and finally, put on the invisible zipper (took me about 3 hours)...I was happy again, and my family could safely approach me.

What is the moral of this tale? Besides working with excellent light at all times, never get to close to a fashionista when upset: they have sharp tools in hand!

These photos show the end result of this tale of horror...

Marcelo Senra, designer from Argentina...

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xb2wie_marcelo-senra-pour-la-marque-animan_creation

The video from this link is very unusual, but the designs by Marcelo Senra are fantastic. I stumble upon this designer while checking the Ethical Fashion Show runway videos (held in Paris); this venue is for fashion designers who follow an ethical philosophy of production. Also, you might want to check Senra's web site: www.marcelosenra.com.

Images from:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_owEPK0DJ6L4/R-AyPRynRPI/AAAAAAAAHdU/cFwywy5Arxg/s400/8.jpg&imgrefurl=http://doloresfancy.blogspot.com/2008/03/marcelo-senra-baf-week-2008.html&usg=__y_mFKd_u2h3ih26xuWRejTOuKUM=&h=267&w=400&sz=25&hl=en&start=4&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=ILkyH6v_IyybdM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmarcelo%2Bsenra%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DX%26rls%3Den%26tbs%3Disch:1