Red Hot

     My 2025 Valentine’s Day outfit may immediately seem to be in a customary color combination for the holiday, yet it is anything but boring or conventional.  This dress is both sweet and spicy in an earthy but bold red just like the little cinnamon candies my title alludes to.  I’m turning up the heat for this post with a little something which looks just as good coming, as it does when I am going!

Patrick Kelly winter 1989-1990 collection

     I need colorful and fun fashions to help get me through our cold and dreary winter months with my sanity intact.  Valentine’s Day gives me a certain motivation with a specific objective when it comes to sewing such colorful fashions.  I have many reasons to sport a bold red.  Mostly, I enjoy working on redeeming it as a color, which I rarely had in my wardrobe as a child.  Yet, in the fallout from Christmastime, I am thrilled to celebrate anything and pull out my red fashions again, but especially so for the holiday of love and sweetness.  What better person to turn to for inspiration to add more red to my closet for Valentine’s Day than the great Patrick Kelly, an American born designer who expressed the various aspects of love with so many of his designs? 

     Ever since undertaking my first button-bonanza project (posted here), the honestly humble but intoxicatingly joyful Patrick Kelly has been my muse for keeping my sewing efforts meaningful and fun.  He has helping me enjoy the 1980s like I never thought I could and get through the doldrums of life lately.  This dress is actually on the cusp of the next decade being from 1990, yet it still stays true to the wildly creative and unexpected elements often found in high end designs from 40 years ago.  The particular inspiration which I drew from here was a Patrick Kelly dress from his winter 1989-1990 collection.  This may be a ‘vintage’ style now, but it can still hold its own today and helps me feel the power, the confidence, and the passion behind wearing a great style in a shade of red!

THE FACTS:

FABRIC:  100% cotton quilting fabric

PATTERN:  Vogue #7918 from 1990

NOTIONS NEEDED:  Lots of thread, one zipper and some buttons

TIME TO COMPLETE:  This dress was finished in December 2024 in about 30 hours.

THE INSIDES:  My seams are covered by full body lining inside.

TOTAL COST:  The exterior printed cotton has been in my stash for as long as memory, so I am counting it as free by now.  The interior lining cotton was as good as free, too; picked up with a big bag of material for a few dollars.  All my thread and zipper came from my stash, so are counted as free.  My only cost was buying the vintage buttons from “The Vintage Button Store” on Etsy at $10 for a dozen.  

     There is an underlying origin story to all the features of my dress.  First of all, to be so similar to Patrick Kelly’s 1989 dress, the 1990 Vogue pattern I used has me impressed with how on trend it was with the (then) current Parisian fashion.  Figure flattering “princess seaming” became a bigger deal with mainstream 1990s fashion further into the decade, so this dress shows the delay to the trickle-down effect of the runway’s influence on low-cost clothing.  The cut out sultry back detail is straight out of the 1930s, being a feature seen on many evening gowns of the time, especially French ones.  I love how remarkable an older vintage feature looks when it gets mixed up with other stylistic elements from completely different decades!  The sleeves are generous, sloped down the shoulder, and cut as one with the upper bodice in a “dolman” style.  Originally for cultural or military clothes, dolman sleeves emerged in vintage fashion during the 1930s but reached its peak popularity through the 1940s and 50s, only to return with a force in the 80s and 90s. 

      The ‘fake bolero look’ is a feature that the 1980s borrowed from the 1940s, when such a design was a means to be thrifty but smart and create the guise of complexity with little scraps (see this version I posted here).  The faux bolero look seems to be in its third 40 year incarnation because I have been seeing similar features on tops and dresses of today.  To come full circle, this formerly dressy fashion detail is now often seen on athletic gear!  My dress is a glorious mix-up of many influences that impeccably come together into one harmonious creation. 

     When considering the pattern, I was at first afraid that all these features would not only be too much, but also force me to use a solid color to keep the dress from being too busy.  There are enough red clothes in my closet, with several being in a solid color (such as this dress or this blouse), to deter me from sewing more.  Thus, I chose a wonderful tone-on-tone red print from on hand in my stash, hoping to stay in one color family to play it safe yet also not fully commit to a solid fabric.  The print reminded me of the geometric paneling to the dress’ design lines.  Yet, the print is also abstract enough, and small enough, to not overwhelm the overall dress.  For this project, I won at my calculated gamble.   

     The designer Patrick Kelly was the one of the masters of his time at balancing a creative interpretation of both societal culture and strong colors, so of course my dress, being inspired by one of his creations, needed to follow suit. On my printed cotton, there are circles, half circles, quarter circles and more connected by a few blocks and “pie slices” in between.  The print strongly reminds me of the immensely popular video games of the 1980s, “Pac-Man” and “Ms. Pac-Man”.  When the ghosts capture or even touch either Pac-Man, the character disintegrates into deteriorating pie sections just like the print on my dress!  The print’s background is a bright orange-toned red, the shade I always avoid for the way it clashes with my olive skin tone.  However, the print itself has cinnamon undertones that calms down the orange nicely, and gives the overall dress a shade of red that is closer to a classic red from a distance or through the camera’s lens.  In person, the different tones in my fabric make it ultimately change color depending on my setting (indoors versus outdoors), and I appreciate the way a simple printed cotton can suddenly become quite deluxe.  I am glad to finally be enjoying this fabric from out the depths of my long-hoarded stash.

     The contrast mock bolero, to keep up the “faux” ruse, is made out of a twill weave cotton.  The linear texture is a nice contrast with my quilting cotton while still complimenting the geometric theme to the print.  A twill suiting has a firm softness similar to the quilting cotton I was working with, courtesy of a tighter weave.  The tight twill weave is good for giving support to the rest of the dress as well as providing structure to the dolman sleeve shape.    

     I faced the entire contrast section with a second layer of the same black cotton twill for a fine finish.  However, I left out the interfacing for which the pattern instructed.  Interfacing the entire neckline of the mock bolero front was no longer needed with such a stable material.  Patterns are meant to work for the maker’s ideas and not against them.  If you know the characteristics of fabrics, you can estimate what will or will not work in a given design and accommodate properly without any unpleasant surprises.  Going with a completely different fiber finish worked out well here.  The rich toned true black color is a boon which a quilting cotton could not provide and helps this dress be every bit as bold as it needed to be.  Fully lining the entire main body of the dress in a cotton broadcloth brought the printed exterior cotton up to a combined heavier weight to match the twill, all the while adding a fun pop of bright color from the underside.

Even the soles of my shoes are red!!!

     The skirt’s quadruple angled slits are another novelty feature to this dress which was not highlighted earlier.  They were originally supposed to be folded pleats, as per the pattern.  However, I just could not wrap my head around their actual construction and didn’t like how bulky the folds were looking on my dress before hemming.  I cut all four pleats open and altered their finishing methods to match.  The cheeky flashes of leg add yet one more element of hotness to the overall dress.  This way I have full leg movement, too, which is something most appreciated from a practical standpoint.  I do like the pleats more than the back or neckline details, since I see them the most (when I look down at myself) and appreciate the time and attention to detail they demanded from me.  My sewing skills have felt sub-par lately, and being able to do these tricky slits, in conjunction with the overall dress details, really left me feeling a bit more like myself and proud of what I was able to achieve.

     Combining all of these various features with the three fabrics rendered this dress a very exhausting project to complete both successfully and cleanly.  The general fit of the dress was very good and spot on, especially the curved princess seams, the shoulder-to-waistline proportions, and the accuracy of the measurement chart.  Nevertheless, the cut-out back bodice was an absolute beast to perfect, disappointing the accuracy found elsewhere on the dress.  The open sides gaped very badly, leaving the back of the dress lower than the front.  To top it off, my mannequin (which is my body measurements) was weirdly making the dress look 100% better than on my body, so could not fall back on my dummy body to help me fix any issues off of my body.  Adjusting a garment between the shoulder blades is nearly impossible to do while it is on oneself.  I grew frazzled from all the successive try-ons and take offs which were needed to figure out how to save the unique back detailing.  I ended up picking up the back panels, bringing in the cut-outs, and making the back bolero sit higher on my shoulders (all of which were arduous to do and even harder to explain).  

     The back is still not perfect but as good as I can make it.  I need to wear strapless lingerie with this, so it is not a super practical design…but has it ever been promised that fashion would be practical?  I did bring this dress down to a sensible level by choosing a knee length and cotton fabrics, since I am the ultimate designer here.  Nevertheless, the flair, exuberance, class, and novelty of anything derived from the ingenuity of the designer Patrick Kelly is all preserved in the design despite my lower-end project decisions.  I treated the cotton as if it was a silk, took my time, and it all paid off.  This dress is a mood in itself, and I need feel a certain high-bar of confidence to wear this without feeling overpowered…or else the garment itself will bring a boost of charisma for me.  I take this as a good sign.

     Last but not least, let me highlight the handmade jewelry which was made to match!  I used one lonely button to close up the back neckline.  All the rest of the buttons went towards some very Patrick Kelly inspired accessories.  He owed the beginnings of his design career, as well as his trademark look, to his creativity with cast-off buttons.  Patrick Kelly turned buttons into almost anything to supplement his collections – earrings, bracelets, brooches, shoe clips, hats, and more.  I would be remiss to not use the rest of my button set here!  I glued post backs on the underside of two buttons, and used jewelry rings to connect a second dangle button to have drop earrings.  The last seven buttons were connected by jewelry rings, backed with felt (for comfort against my skin), and finished off with a closure to end up with a matching bracelet.  I am so thrilled the have jewelry so curated to match.

     This button jewelry set helps my outfit feel “couture” at a basic level.  It is no less handcrafted, innovative, or meticulous in execution for its simplicity.  My buttons are from the 1980s, with a border reminiscent of chains (ahem, a Chanel reference) just as Patrick Kelly often preferred for his button inspired jewelry.  I want to think this up-cycle is more appropriately matching with my dress than many other buttons I could have chosen.  By utilizing the humble button for items that are a normally luxury purchase (such as jewelry), Patrick Kelly was showing that all women should be able to feel beautiful and no one or nothing – no matter how humble – should be deprived of an opportunity to shine.  He was showing how his financial means or station in life did not restrain his desire to create beauty and spread happiness.  Where there is a will, there can be a way, and buttons were Patrick Kelly’s outlet for proving this point.  I want to give him credit through my paltry efforts to imitate him. 

     Sharing my Valentine’s Day post makes me very happy, so pardon my energy if such a specific theme is not your thing.  I do believe it is important to celebrate the day in a meaningful way, for those who can.  This holiday can be an opportunity to help spread joy and find it in return.  The holiday can be an occasion for the good the world needs, and it doesn’t take money to share a word, a smile, or an act of kindness.  Those who are lonely or hurting need to feel a spark of humanity reach out and help them, heal them, or give them hope.  I like to think of Valentine’s Day as an extension of the Christmas season – an opportunity to show a special consideration for others, all the while finding ways to dress for the appropriate joy I wish to spread.  February’s sentimental holiday lets me feel that inner warmth, when the weather here certainly does not offer much surrounding consolation.  I hope seeing my bold and crazy dress and reading of my creative adventures can bestow a bright spot on your Valentine’s Day.

“Gray Skies Ahead” Patrick Kelly Suit

     Fashion of the 1980s might not be appreciated by many or widely understood even today, but I believe it holds a key to where modern style needs to go today.  The following decade of the 1990s holds the last of a spark we need to catch hold of for the future of the garment industry.  I’ll explain my reasoning later on as I wrap up my post, but behind this bold statement is a fancy gray suit set to prove my point along the way.  This post features yet another of my recreations of a Patrick Kelly design, one that is fun and futuristic, balanced on the edge between the 80s and 90s, yet still way ahead of its time.  I present to you a flocked skirt suit from the winter of 1989-1990, adorned with over 40 buttons which glisten like stars against a murky sky!

     When we think of the future, such a consideration is often intertwined with Space discoveries and planetary exploration.  The theme to the designer Patrick Kelly collections of 1989 (both the summer “Moona Lisa” and the Fall/Winter “Man in the Gray Flannel Suit” set) focused on space and celebrated the many American shuttle missions of circa 1989. 

It had been 975 days after the Challenger disaster that the Space Shuttle Discovery successfully lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on September 29, 1988.  The next year (1989) had more Discovery missions in March and November, as well as two shuttle Atlantis missions.  There was one in May to launch the Magellan robotic probe for mapping the surface of Venus and one in October to launch the Galileo probe for studying the planet Jupiter and its moons.  The shuttle Columbia bookended the Challenger Disaster of ’86 as being the last successful mission before that fateful explosion.  Columbia also the first successful blastoff afterwards at a new launch pad at Edwards Air Force Base in California.  Learning about space was my obsession as a child in the late 80s, so I am here secretly reliving my youthful excitement all over again just writing a small blurb about all of this history!! 

     With so much astronomical inspiration, I can be tacky and say that the stars literally did align for my suit to be everything I could have wanted out of my latest Patrick Kelly project.  I finished making my suit just in time to take our pictures at a futuristic exhibit that comes from the original Space Era of the 1960s.  I am strolling amidst a “Narcissus Garden” of 1,000 polished reflective spheres by the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.  It is an exhibit, first presented in 1966, which was hosted at a local art space in my hometown for a brief viewing.  Kusama said of her work, “The silver ball is representative of the moon, of sunshine and peace” demonstrating the “union of man and nature.”  The exhibit placard stated that the mirroring is meant to relate a sense of infinite space as you observe yourself visually trapped as a reflection in the orbs.  The art display is simultaneously meant to make you feel both big and small, vital yet insignificant, similar to what discovering the secrets of the galaxy can do for you!  Think of how humbling to see the view of our planet from the surface rover on Mars.  Earth is an infinitely small blip in the sky and yet of such importance…it holds life as we know it.

I can even wear my suit coat with my 1940s inspired jumpsuit (posted here)!

     At this point, I am no doubt a Patrick Kelly fanatic.  This is my ninth Patrick Kelly sewing project which is directly inspired by a runway documented piece and my fourth time using one of his licensed Vogue “Individualist” patterns.  This reminds me of the “same old seven and six” phrase, where (by now) my Patrick Kelly sewing is a constant part of my regular sewing practice as well as my routine wellspring of inspiration.  In my case, however, this occurrence is not at all monotonous but keeps my sewing mojo and sense of style going.  There are more yet to show coming to my blog soon.  For now, this 1989 suit is the most involved project of mine inspired by his work, and also the closest in appearance to its original designer garment.  I am absolutely thrilled.  I love suit making, and this suit reminds of the best of everything I enjoy about the strong confidence of 1940s fashion.  To be coming from one of my favorite designers is icing on a cake, and to experiment with this many buttons in such a setting is an exciting innovation.

THE FACTS

FABRIC:  a polyester high nap velvet (also used to sew this 1934 beret hat), fully lined in rayon Bamberg satin and interlined with a polyester shantung

PATTERN:  Vogue Individualist pattern #2556 by Patrick Kelly, from Fall/Winter of 1989-1990

NOTIONS:  I had all the notions needed (zipper, thread, interfacing) on hand already, and the vintage set of 45 buttons was all that I needed to buy specifically for this project.

TIME TO COMPLETE:  This suit set took me over 40 hours and then I stopped counting.  It was finished in May of 2023.

THE INSIDES:  The fabric doesn’t fray but stays so clean along the cut edge on its own, so I left the inner skirt seams unfinished.  The jacket is professionally finished inside with full body lining, so there are no raw edges to be seen.

TOTAL COST:  This project had everything on hand in my stash already, and so my suit only cost me $20…the deal for which I acquired the buttons

     Everything serendipitously lined up for me to create this Patrick Kelly design, and it seemed a project which was meant to become a part of my wardrobe.  I had all my necessary supplies on hand for years except for the decorative buttons!  The gray brushed fabric has been residing in my stash for over two decades because I never knew (until now) what to do with it.  I was “over the moon” to suddenly find a very useful purpose for the fabric.  Surprisingly, though, it was also the best match to the original suit material which I could have ever hoped to find.  Patrick Kelly’s suit was made of gray mohair.  Nevertheless, I believe I would be allergic to mohair’s fiber content as well as its high price tag.  If I had specifically been looking to buy, finding the perfect material was far easier merely ‘shopping’ from my stash.  The soft sky blue Bamberg rayon used for lining the suit jacket had already been bought awhile back for a separate project, so I only used a half of the full cut length that was available.  Faux silk shantung, used for structural interlining to the jacket body, was picked up for a dollar at a rummage sale.  While I am not a hoarder and keep my amount of sewing supplies at a manageable size, my fabric stash is ample enough to provide for my most creative project ideas.

     As involved and deluxe as this suit is, you see how the cost to me was almost nothing…yet I did not compromise on either my concept or my garment’s quality.  This suit to me embodies what needs to be the future of fashion.  Use what supplies which already exist, buy second-hand, and try to forego buying new.  If you are a maker, create with purpose and quality so you will keep and appreciate what you have made for long term.  Quality and respect are the underlying themes of what I would like to see in the future of fashion, both in the realm of the consumer or maker and for industry standards as well. 

     This Patrick Kelly suit, with its strong presentation and somber color, reminds me of Thierry Mugler’s sci-fi inspired, sharp shouldered, strong suits of the 80s that were made in gray, metallic, and other tones reminiscent of space equipment.  It is well known that Patrick Kelly drew inspiration from his fellow designers of the time, so I do not think my supposed reference is too far-fetched.  Mugler was part of Patrick Kelly’s 1988 AIDS awareness charity event, and similarly often addressed racism, diversity, and equality issues with his runway shows, so the two creators no doubt were on similar wavelengths in many ways.  

     However, Patrick Kelly’s characteristic exuberance was too joyful to stick solely to Mugler’s jarring sense of style.   This post’s particular suit design, from the winter of 1989-1990, was not relegated to Patrick Kelly’s space-themed collection, but had a handful of bright and fun varieties.  The most frequently seen alternate is a neon pink woolen version, covered with ball buttons in every color of the rainbow.  There is also a classic red variety that has shiny gold buttons, complete with either red long jodhpurs, to play with the “Red Riding Hood” theme of that collection, as well as a mini skirt.  In the summer of 1989, he came out with an unlined white denim version decorated using wooden buttons, paired with shorts (made from this particular design).   I have found an unadorned heather gray wool version paired with black lace accents, which I refer to by wearing a vintage lace top (that I have had since my teen years) under my suit jacket. 

Patrick Kelly recycled most of his designs into extension styles over many seasons.  He was great at making the most out his favorite silhouettes and keeping them fresh with interesting additions or combinations of fabric and accessories.  This is a very admirable, smart, and sustainable way to work!      

Close up, the velvet is not at all plain!

     Originally, oversized silver ball buttons were used on Patrick Kelly’s suit…sending strong reference vibes to Kusama’s “Narcissus Garden” art exhibit.  I customized this part of the suit to my own ideas while keeping the same general theme.  My suit has shiny silver buttons which are more akin to space rockets or futuristic light fixtures.  The buttons I used are still the proper provenance, being true 1980s originals.  Yet, I changed up the order in which the buttons are added, while keeping the same grid placement.  The instructions show that sewing down the buttons is one of the very last steps.  There was no way I was going through the torture of trying to avoid catching the lining after it was sewn into the jacket when stitching on the buttons. 

This picture shows the golden shantung which was my interlining.

     Instead, I added the buttons early on in construction, after the interlining was in and both the side and shoulder seams were in place.  Working according to this plan, I could make sure the interlining would not shift (even without pad stitching), and not have the shoulder pads be yet another internal addition in the way.  I could also follow the markings for the buttons which I had on the interlining. This was handy as the velvet would not take to chalk and I was too lazy to do thread markings.  The buttons take the spotlight here with this suit, though, and deserved every minute of both time and forethought they demanded.  It took me about 5 hours (out of my total hour count) to mark, prepare the suit for, and stitch down 42 buttons.  This is nothing compared to the 13 hours I spent to up-cycle an old dress of mine with 130 buttons for my first Patrick Kelly inspired project (full post here)!

     By now, I know the sizing quirks of Patrick Kelly’s clothes, since I have sewn a handful of his designs (issued from Vogue patterns between 1988 and 1992) and possess several original vintage designs (as can be seen in this post).  His clothes run small through the waist and hips but roomy above, with longer sleeve lengths.  My pattern was a size too small for me, and so the jacket ended up just my size…still generous enough in fit to have no drag lines, but also fitting enough to not drown me.  It has the ‘proper’ strong-shouldered, boxy shape for the late 1980s, as was intended.  The skirt was then sized up along the sides and centers, and happily I had enough room for my wide hips.  I did keep the lengths of the skirt, sleeve cuffs, and suit hem the same as was given the pattern.  Even if I am personally much shorter than any paid fashion model, I wanted something close to the proportions as seen on the runway set, despite never wearing a skirt this short before.  I love the novelty of being able to wear something I wouldn’t normally try, and feel that this is Parisian couture done my way.  

     In this case, making my own Patrick Kelly fashion gave me a better fitting combo of pieces than if I had acquired an original suit.  My body, much like a large percentage of people, doesn’t perfectly fit into industry standard sizes.  Not only is a matching original suit from Patrick Kelly hard to find in the first place, however, they are also incredibly high priced (in the few thousands range) when they are up for sale.  Finding a matching suit with the bottom half a size larger would be impossible for me on many levels.  I am very thankful that Patrick Kelly worked with Vogue to let his designs be available for the home sewing enthusiast.  This way I can enjoy something unattainable on my own terms, and according to my own size and budget.  This is the ideal incentive behind the annual challenge hosted by Linda at “Nice dress! Thanks, I made it!!” called “Designin’ December”, for which I am entering this suit set. 

     Every time I create something especially unique with great care and attention to detail, it makes me think big thoughts.  I can’t figure what is coming down the line for the future of fashion, but I keep finding myself wondering about the subject all the same.  The styles of 2020s (so far) seem to follow on the heels of the last decade by being frequently erratic, mostly unoriginal, overly commercial, and questionably sustainable.  There is one quote that helps me find some clarity though.  “If we can’t deal with where we’ve been, it’s going to be hard to go somewhere.”  This is what the great designer Patrick Kelly told a packed audience of students at Fashion Institute of Technology’s lecture series “Faces and Places in Fashion” in April 1989.  My 1980s and 1990s posts always receive the least interaction numbers in my blog stats, but I am finding pure gold when digging into these eras.  I believe in facing the fact that the fashion of these two decades are the ‘newest’ vintage pieces joining the racks of collectible clothing of the past.    

Patrick Kelly’s space-themed “Astro (Mona) Lisa” invitation to come to the Louvre in Paris for his Spring-Summer 1989 fashion show.

     In a world where fads come and go in a matter of weeks, where clothing is produced cheaply enough to perpetuate our reliance on consumerism, and where there are more clothes made than people on the planet, we need to resist the vicious cycle.  As I have mentioned throughout my post, this suit, and the stories I have shared related to it, offer many answers.  There is nothing wrong with repeating an outfit – that shows self-confidence and a sense of style.  It is good to sew for yourself or others – just try to shop for those supplies sustainably.  Finally, the styles of the 1980s and 1990s may be underappreciated, but these decades were the last in recent fashion history to have been made with a lasting quality and a sense of intention.  The clothes then were standout styles that had substance behind them.  Their material was thick, their seams were sturdy, and they were made to last.  For what that is worth, these two decades might not have what a majority of people want to wear but they teach a valuable lesson.  Think of the future and what we are leaving for generations ahead of us!  If we as a people still love reaching out to the wonders of space for a sense of the beauty and wonder of our earth, let us set our minds on making our place in the cosmos as beautiful a home as possible.  I am holding onto hope to have a great 2025, and wish the same to all of you!

‘Tis the Holly and the Ivy

     My family and I want to extend our warmest holiday greeting to you and your family!  May you be in good health, make great memories, enjoy good food, have good times, and catch some extra rest during these special times.  Find some time for doing whatever it may be that delights you and will make the day meaningful.  I hope you feel the peace and joy of Christmas!

     My own personal theme for dressing up over the 2024 holiday is to enjoy these days wearing both green and red.  Thus, I feel like I am having a “holly and ivy” moment.  I love the Christmas carol by that name, anyways, and ordered myself a holly enamel pin for my own present.  This post will not be the ‘normal’ presentation here on my blog.  This is more of a brief show-and-tell, indulging in sharing what I have been creating with my limited free time lately.  I have some sneak peeks at new sewing projects just finished for these holidays, yet to have their own post in full.  I will then feature some on-theme vintage original garments which I am also enjoying at the moment.  Finally, there is one experimental project I undertook to make the most of a dry, shattering vintage silk so it can (ever so briefly) be useful and layer under one of my vintage garments.   

     I realize dark red, burgundy, rich cherry, and maroon tones have been the popular thing since fall, and a bright lipstick red (such as I have for this Christmas) may not be “on trend”.  Yet, the trending color is the shade I prefer on a regular basis – just look at the sheer amount of burgundy and dark red projects I have on my blog!  I associate a bright classic red with the winter holiday due to candy canes, Santa Claus, and holly berries.  I also see a bright red as tied to vintage styles, Marvel’s Agent Peggy Carter fashion, and the collections of Patrick Kelly, just about my favorite designer.  I have combined my associations for a bold red tone into one exciting project that I am immediately enjoying for the holidays.  This project was originally not made with Christmas in mind, but was merely making use of a long hoarded fabric from my stash to bring to life yet another Patrick Kelly inspired design according to my own interpretation.  Making this dress took me so long to finish it just happened to be completed before Christmas.  It is a year 1990 dress made using a true vintage Vogue pattern, and there are more stunning details to take note of here than will meet the eye with one picture.  Wait until you see the sexy cut-out back detailing!  You will just have to wait for the full post, which will hopefully be coming in February 2025.

     My second Christmas sewing project was actually finished at the beginning of this month, just in time for my husband’s workplace’s Christmas party.  This year the party was held at a nice venue, and was more of a true dressy event than in the past.  Any excuse to dress up to another level and sew a fancy dress is more than welcome in my estimation!  I was excited at the prospect to have a valid reason to sew a dress project I have been sitting on, wanting to create for two years now.  I had all the supplies I needed (the fabric, notions, and pattern) all in a Ziploc bag, ready to go, and it helped this dress be so easy to whip together.  I was working with a silk and rayon blend brocade, handmade by a small shop in Japan in a heritage design.  The gorgeous fabric was such a dream to sew that this dress was as much a delight to make as it is to wear the finished garment.  My needle went through the brocade like a hot knife in butter and the dress fit me precisely with no fitting adjustments needed.  This was my easiest fancy sewing project, while also being one of my most wearable.  I am thrilled with this dress.  I feel like a princess in it!  It is a 1949 design and will probably be posted on its own in March 2025.

     True vintage garments supplement my wardrobe and are what I reach for when it comes to wearing items not made by my hands.  I have very specific goals and credentials when I buy vintage garments.  I sew enough clothes for myself and do not ‘need’ any more clothing, yet I enjoy finding items from designers who I know compliment my own personal style choices.  The quality and details present in vintage clothing either reminds me of my own sewing or inspire me to try a new technique, but always feeds my creative and enthusiastic side.

     Complimenting my fascination for the “American in Paris” designer Patrick Kelly is my adoration for the styles of another French designer, Emanuel Ungaro.  For my birthday in August this year, I treated myself to acquiring a bucket list item of a 1980s suit set from Emanuel Ungaro.  The great thing about this suit set is how the two pieces are flexible made of a polished cotton sateen with a print in many colors, which make it fit to wear year ‘round.  Ungaro clothes in the 1980s are unmistakable with their riot of colors in some sort of polka dotted print and asymmetric seaming.  This suit stays true to that troupe, and is therefore also versatile for accessorizing. 

As the background color to the suit is a bright green, and there is a bright red included sparingly in the print, I chose to take an “80s-does-40s” look with a Christmas theme.  My hat and gloves are true 1950s, while my shoes are 1980s, and the hair is closer to 1940s…but with Emanual Ungaro on my back, it all works out somehow!  I have an Ungaro suit that I plan to make in 2025 using true designer material (similar to how I made this Kenzo tunic), and so buying this suit was not just gifting myself my dream find.  It is also a research item to help me replicate Ungaro’s techniques into my own sewing.  This suit has great details which I will show more of in a future summer of 2025 post.

     Finally, my last minute Christmas sewing has included something not so flashy but definitely useful – a bias slip.  The only problem here was that I was using a real 1920s or 1930s silk crepe which was already manifesting the signs of dry rot.  I had 5 yards of this fabric which was given to me by an acquaintance who sells vintage.  This was not something which could be sold, but it was good for one last possible spin before it disintegrates, and this acquaintance knew that I could make good out of what was left in the fabric.  At the skinny 35” width so often seen with old fabric, I used up 3 yards to give Mood Fabric’s free “Hana” bias cut slip dress pattern a test run.  A 1930s dress was appropriate for a Depression era fabric.  Bias cut dresses are tricky yet forgiving and wouldn’t put too much stress or too many seams into the old fabric.  I had other plans for this dress pattern with finer fabric in the future and this was the perfect opportunity to make use of the old fabric.  A green slip dress was just the thing I could use to go underneath a vintage bright green wrap dress by the designer Anne Fogarty.  (See more pictures of my dress in this post and this one.)  Sometimes, as it only loosely wraps closed, this dress opens up to reveal a naughty little peek of more than I would like to show and a green bias slip would keep my decency while blending in.  Vintage rayon bias tape and specialty mercerized cotton thread was used from my stash to finish the slip.  More about this project will no doubt be posted when I share the better version of the “Hana” dress in the future. 

     Far from the two fancy dresses I made, this dress was falling apart as I was sewing it together.  I have never before had this experience.  Spending time (even if it was only a few hours) on something which was guaranteed not to last was disheartening.  With most vintage items, and all of my own garments, I can find a way to do repairs and keep my wardrobe going.  Here, even trying the dress on with the greatest delicacy ripped the facing and shredded a side seam and there is nothing to be done about it.  

The fabric is lovely but dry and powdery, so we will see if it will last one wearing.  At least I found out everything I needed to know about what adjustments were needed for a fail-proof “Hana” dress.  This slip dress is my lesson for Christmas this year.  I sometimes forget to appreciate the process, enjoy the moment before me, and learn what lessons come my way – both in sewing and in life. 

     Let me wrap up with one last extra wish for you to be blessed with a peaceful, happy holiday.  If you had any sewing to do, like me, I hope it was just as interesting a time as I have had, too! 

On-Point

     I want to stay ‘on-point’ with my previous post by again sharing an outfit inspired by the “American in Paris” designer of the 1980s – Patrick Kelly from Mississippi.  Having been known for bringing the element of fun and a message of love to the world of couture fashion, there is no better designer to channel on Valentine’s Day!  Ironically, however, I am wearing an awfully prickly dress to be in a room with balloons and hearts for celebrating February 14^th.  Having a dress with a print depicting a scattered, toppled pin box is so appropriate for me, nevertheless, as bristly as that may sound to present.  A little disorder in the sewing room is bound to happen on the road to fulfilling ideas of creativity, and a garment that puts a spin on such a setback is so satisfying.  No need to be frustrated over a spilled pin box when it becomes a fashion statement!  I do enjoy a classy take on a campy theme and the great designer Patrick Kelly is the king of balancing two such seemingly contrary ideals.  A me-made garment that hits my happy spot is one great way to show a little love to myself on Valentine’s Day!    

     This is the seventh Patrick Kelly inspired sewing project that I have shared here on my blog.  My first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth Patrick Kelly projects are linked to in this sentence, so please give those pages a visit if you want to read more about different aspects of his life as well as see the rest of what I have made when Patrick Kelly was my motivation.  It will be time well spent, I promise you!

THE FACTS:

FABRIC: a polyester “Modern Jersey” knit from the printing service Spoonflower in the “On-Point Pins, Black + White” print by lochnestfarm; the collar is a poly gabardine

PATTERN: Vogue #2488, a “Nipon Boutique” pattern, from the year 1990

NOTIONS NEEDED:  just a lot of thread and some interfacing for the collar

TIME TO COMPLETE:  This was sewn in about 10 hours and finished on February 8, 2023.

THE INSIDES:  The jersey knit doesn’t ravel, but it does roll.  I did one line of zig-zag stitching over the edges to keep them together.

TOTAL COST:  The knit was $58 for two yards on sale through Spoonflower.  The collar’s material was something on hand that I had bought 12 years back to make a tuxedo vest for my husband, but then I found a vintage one for him and had no need for such a fabric in my stash until now.  It was a remnant find of one yard for a few dollars.  In all, this dress cost about $60.

     The inspiration for my dress was a combo of two different Patrick Kelly designs both coming from Patrick Kelly’s last runway show of Fall/Winter 1989-1990.  First up, a nail print black velvet suit from the “More Love” collection inspired my choice of print.  Yes, Patrick Kelly’s original pieces were depicting hardware supplies and the fabric was more than just a print but the design was embroidered directly onto the velvet with silver metallic threads.  I customized his theme to my own interpretation to become a supply need of a different kind – sewing pins – and choose the easy route of using Spoonflower’s custom printing service.  Making my version in a soft and versatile knit makes this dress even campier, with the contrast of a soft and stretchy fabric for a print that highlights something hard and sharp.  From a practical standpoint, the knit helps this dress to be an all-season piece and so easy to wear, too, as compared to cotton velveteen.

     The guide for my choice of design lines was based off of Kelly’s “Blackamoors” collection of white collared, black-bodied shirtdresses and suits.  This particular collection was tied in with the photo Patrick Kelly used on the runway show invitation (the last one before his death on New Year’s Day 1990) where he stylized himself as a Blackamoor in order to re-appropriate painted figures that his designer icons like Chanel, Schiaparelli, and Saint Laurent all collected.  To strongly refer to this reference, I had to include a vintage golden head wrap from my old stash with my outfit, worn just way as all his models did for this specific collection!  Now, Patrick Kelly’s “Blackamoors” dress was way more interesting than my chosen design – his dress has a back wrap closure so the collar frames a woman from behind (as can be seen in the museum image at right).  However, my dress design is from Albert Nipon – which was a leading brand in its own right during Patrick Kelly’s time. This is not only the perfect way to spin off this particular shirtdress-inspired Patrick design but also makes for a very interesting story to tell.

The “More Love” nails suit at left, “Blackamoors” dress (which seems to be displayed backwards) in the center – both Patrick Kelly Fall/Winter 1989-1990

     Albert Nipon was born in Philadelphia in 1927.  He was a star athlete in school and served in the U.S. Army for 2 years during WWII, reaching the level of sergeant.  He left his post-war accounting job at DuPont in 1954 to help his wife Pearl establish her line of maternity wear under their first label “Ma Mere”.  Pearl was already an established seamstress, owning a dress shop with her sister and having a mother who worked in the Philly garment district! “Ma Mere” eventually changed course to instead offer career clothes, as per the request of the merchandise manager at Saks Fifth Avenue.  By 1972, they primarily focused on dresses.  That unpopular decision paid off soon enough and the business formed itself under the “Albert Nipon” label.  Their clothes were known for being high-end and having elegant details such as tucks, pleats, and white collars and cuffs.  At the height of their success in 1984, their dresses were sold stores such as I. Magnin, Neiman Marcus, and Bonwit Teller, with $60 million annual sales.  Celebrities such as Mary Tyler Moore, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, and Barbara Walter wore their brand. The business expanded to become “Nipon Boutique” under which were offered separates.  If you notice, my particular “Nipon Boutique” pattern – even though it is a dress – is still pigeonholed as a “career” offering by Vogue.    

Albert and Pearl Nipon in the early 1980s

     The Nipons faced a hard fall from their pedestal when Albert was indicted for tax evasion and bribery in 1984.  After pleading guilty, paying all fines and back taxes, and serving 3 years in jail, Albert jumped back into business in 1987.  However, the business went bankrupt in 1988 and was sold to Leslie Fay, with the Nipon family allowed to run the designing portion of the business from the background. Leslie Fay closed the line down in ’92, and after a few years, the Nipons began producing various items for the Home Shopping Network in the 2000s.  This is not your normal fashion history story of success!  Yet, for all their faults and personal challenges, Nipon dresses, being an affordable luxury item, had an obvious influence on the market around them.  Starting their specialty at a time (the 70s) when power suits and menswear-focused career clothes were the preference for the clientele they aimed for, Nipon dresses helped the entire dress market around them survive beyond the trends, as the manager for Neiman Marcus attested to in a 1987 interview.  Albert died in 2022 at the age of 95 and Pearl preceded him in 2018.    

Patrick Kelly in a spacesuit next to one of his “Blackamoors” pieces for this 1989 photo!

     I see many crossovers between the two designer lines that were my inspiration for this post’s project.  The Nipons offered dresses that could be just as easy to wear as separates, look pretty darn stylish, celebrate femininity, and be sharply on trend while also timeless…much like a Patrick Kelly dress!  The neat details, comfy fit, and attractive designs were apparently trifecta of winning points to both Patrick Kelly’s and Nipon’s frocks.   I can’t help but notice how both men interwove their love for their hometown in their entire fashion career, too.  For Nipon, he kept the business of his fashion endeavor local with 600 people employed in their local Philly factory, making it the city’s largest employer of unionized garment workers!  Many of their employees were with them for many years and were said to have been treated like extended family.  Patrick Kelly treated his friends as warmly as family, too, even hosting Sunday potluck dinners at his apartment in Paris so his models, associates, and acquaintances could enjoy a home cooked feast, just like he grew up having in his birthplace of Vicksburg, Mississippi.  Love – all its forms and conduits of expression – truly makes the world go around, in more ways than one!

     A great statement collar against a black solid body is a style often seen through Nipon, so this was a no brainer for channeling Patrick Kelly’s “Blackamoors” dress. I love the fact that the pattern I used has the original look of being a Nipon design, meaning it is part of certain standby styles that made their dresses best sellers.  Despite the printed knit being the main theme of my dress, the collar – being a Nipon – is the real showstopper here.  A knit dress is always better with a stabilized neckline, so I chose to have my collar be a textured satin-finish gabardine.  The contrast the different material really perks up the knit print, making it look dressier than it really is.  The bright white of the fabric seems toned down with the rib finish to the fabric, which makes the cheap polyester look better in quality than it is.  An all poly dress is my contemporary and cost effective interpretation of making a fine designer style that is brought down to practical essentialism without sacrificing aesthetic.    

     I kept the overall original styling of the dress intact but streamlined both the silhouette and the construction with just a few personal tweaks to the design.  Most noticeably, I left out the pleats in the skirt that were called for in the original Nipon design.  I merely folded those pleats out of the pattern piece when I laid it out on the fabric.  This way I have a slim pencil skirt shape just like what Patrick Kelly’s dresses often had.  This redesign of the skirt meant this would not be a full front closing wrap dress, as the pattern originally had designed.  It seemed as if the fabric wouldn’t take well to trying to make buttonholes in it, anyway.  Spoonflower’s “Modern Knit” has an all way stretch, so I figured on just leaving out the wrap front from the waist down.  The waist-to-hip panel was cut as one-piece on the bias and double layered for stability and I left out a zipper closing.  You know what?  This dress pops on over my head just fine.  I love the ease of no closures!    This way, too, the simplified lines don’t unnecessarily break up the busy print and visually slims down my hips. 

     These adaptations were really the only way for me to fit this dress on the limited amount of fabric I had, after all.  However, it was all about strategic choices, though.  The stretchy knit accommodates for any lack of movement in the skirt, which is not at all confining without the pleats.  The fit ended up being spot on and everything about this idea seemed meant to be.  I added thick shoulder pads to my dress, structuring the shape of the soft knit to complement the stiff, sharp collar.  The “Power Dressing” look leftover from the 80s did persist into the 1990s!  Please notice that there is a blue oversized button brooch that I added to the collar of my dress as an extra nod to Patrick Kelly and his penchant for decorative buttons (the look that garnered him his preliminary popularity).   

     I had so much fun doing these photos and I hope the joy and confidence I feel in this dress shows through.  The background continues the campiness of my dress.  The emotive heart is often a parallel for the fragility and delicacy of an inflatable balloon.  Rubbing balloons in a print which intimates a toppled pin box is a statement in opposites that makes its own story.  To me, good fashion is not only about fit, quality, and personal style, but also the opportunity to make a thoughtful statement.

     Such a prickly print is by no means reflective of my character, and I am a friendly outgoing personality that thoroughly enjoys the hype around Valentine’s Day.  Thus, I want to use my love-themed Patrick Kelly posts to help pop that bubble of tunnel vision perception which keeps outward expressions of affection, as well as gifting displays of kindness, confined to the holiday of February 14^th.  It shows love for yourself and others to cultivate creative self-expression by sewing or manifesting other creative outlets.  It is an act of love for family and friends to cook, share a meal, and or otherwise provide the comfort of contentment.  It shows love to stop and hold the door for that stranger you met at the coffee shop today, to practice patience waiting the grocery line, or think putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.  Love isn’t just for a holiday…it’s for every day, and all around us.  As cold and practical as the world of fashion can seem, it is a delight to reach out and find designers like Patrick Kelly (and yes, even Nipon) who have shown some of the many expressions of love and sensitivity for the needs of others with the example of their life.  Life can scatter its barbs like a pin box swept onto the floor in the sewing room.  All it takes is a little care and attention to put things right again.  Let us stay on point with Valentine’s Day just a little longer and see that a little love can go a long way!