Last year was a wild ride for me. In 2024, I had landmark achievements that are counted amongst my proudest moments alongside defeating experiences which knocked me flat. I could use a little comic relief to start off 2025. Laughter is supposed to be the best remedy for a person’s well-being and I believe it. “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” says Proverbs 17:22. I need to chuckle my way through this coming year in order to thrive, and I will use my fashion style to reflect this perspective. You’ll “see me in the funny papers” alright…because I will be wearing them!
My most recent source for finding laughter is “The Nanny” television show from the 90s. The quirky antics and witty responses of Fran Fine have been a reliable way for me to de-stress at the end of a night and laugh my troubles of the day away. Her wardrobe is no less witty than her words, but her wardrobe is also no less appealing, coming from some of my favorite modern designers. Thus, I thought of combining the entertainment purposes of a graphic novel with the hilarity of “The Nanny” into one deluxe late 1990s suit set. Fran’s Moschino garments are reliably my favorite looks, and since Franco Moschino was dubbed as the “Court Jester” of the Couture Industry, I felt there was no other designer to interpret for my comical suit set.
I had already had my comic fabric for several years before with no satisfying idea how to channel the crazy print. A graphic novel style print of Wonder Woman had been applied to an old tank top refashion (posted here), but I wanted an “out of my comfort zone” kind of project this time. Both Moschino fashions and Fran Fine’s styles had been a major influence for me in 2024 (as manifested in this post from a year ago), and my motivation to bring such fashion into my wardrobe is not waning.
Fran’s comic print skirt as seen on Season 3, episode 21 is actually by the label “XOXO”. However, in a quest to find more images of that particular skirt, I found a fascination for Moschino’s various comic book printed fashions. In 1991, he released a skirt set in conjunction with Roy Lichtenstein, the American pop artist. Even though it was large scale print, the style of the suit was my main inspiration. Franco Moschino also custom designed his own cartoon prints for pants, skirts, and blouses to wryly joke about fashion or even take shots at himself, much like how my chosen fabric is full of irony towards the pitfalls of the creative process of sewing. Following such headliners for fashion guidance, my two suiting items turned out to be much more entertaining than a basic apron or A-line dress (my preliminary ideas for the fabric). This set has the perfect Moschino touch combined with a Fran flair! It is such a treat to wear these pieces as much as I can. They ooze an upbeat energy that I need in my life.
THE FACTS:
FABRIC: a 100% cotton Alexander Henry “Modern Sewing Woes” print from 2017, fully lined in satin finish Bamberg rayon
PATTERN: McCall’s #6432, a NY NY “The Collection” pattern from 1993, for the blazer jacket and McCall’s #2397, a NY NY “The Collection” pattern from 1999, for the skirt
NOTIONS NEEDED: I used lots of thread, some interfacing, four yards of ¼ inch double fold bias binding, one short 7 inch zipper (a vintage one with metal teeth from my maternal grandmother’s stash), and two vintage buttons.
TIME TO COMPLETE: The skirt was made first, and finished within 6 hours in July 2024. The jacket was then sewn in November 2024 after about 30 hours of effort.
THE INSIDES: Both pieces are professionally finished by being fully lined and so no raw edges are seen.
TOTAL COST: The skirt was made of a one yard remnant I found on Ebay for about $15, while the jacket was a bigger 2 ½ yard cut that I bought on Etsy for about $25. The lining cost me about $20, but all of my notions are as good as free since they were already on hand. Let’s say the suit set cost me $60 altogether.
This grand project is a sort-of “going away” celebration for the end of the iconic and wildly popular Alexander Henry fabrics. In May 2024, the company announced it was closing the studio after the passing of their president who had been the director since the 1960s, Marc de Leon. Their amazing cotton prints have always originated from hand-painted drawings of their in-house artists, and their fall/winter 2024 collection was sadly their last in production. I have not bought as many Alexander Henry fabrics as I have wanted to over the years, and now they are too expensive to stock up on all at once before they disappear. Nevertheless, I had a good amount of the “Sewing Woes” print on hand before the closure because of the way its illustrations resonated with me as of late.
I have not been doing as much ‘racing’ through seams as I had hoped or wanted to in 2024. It was year of less sewing while focusing on both my heath and other avenues of my personal interest. My acute tiredness and household distractions in the very small time increments, which I find for sewing, has led to some “sewing woes” of my own. I have not been my normal sewing self this year. This Alexander Henry print helps me smile at my frustrations with my creative outlet and feel better. The selvedge information was cut out and folded into a label (of sorts) which was sewn into the inner edge of the jacket’s facing so that the attribution of the material will always stay with my creation.
I find that this particular line of McCall’s NY NY patterns have always been consistent for me with a great proportional fit for my petite body and reliable sizing chart. I thought using a NY NY McCall’s would help me succeed with this project due its reliability. Nevertheless, I made an error in figuring whilst trying to be on the safe side. Thus, this skirt is my first setback from this pattern line, but whether that can be chalked up to the design, a flaw in the pattern’s fit, or my bad choice choosing sizing is still undetermined. This skirt is true to the late 90s, hugging the hips and riding below the waistline. Therefore, I thought that perhaps the fact my pattern was bigger than my normal sizing choice would be irrelevant due to the style. I decided it would be safe to not grade the pattern down. The skirt then turned out to be much too big for me.
It has been enough years past for me to forget how the fashionably low hip hugging jeans fit me from my early teen years. All I remember now is avoiding a fit which leads to a “muffin top” around my midsection. How to wear a low riding skirt was an absolute mystery to me as I have never worn such a thing. I was heading into uncharted territory. A curated fit to perfect the lower ride of my skirt was a goal but I wasn’t sure how to finely tune such a thing. Too tight is not good I figured, but found that neither is too loose. My skirt had to be gradually tapered in and curved at the sides in between many try-ons before assembling the set-in waistband. I was able to find a fit I am happy with ultimately, and the snug, curved, wide waistband helps anchor the skirt in place. Yet, I suspect the size is still not as good as it would have been if I had just properly graded my pattern down. Even still, it is better to have room to work with than too little when sewing.
All is well that ends well here, and I am chalking my unease with the fit to the fact I have been far removed from anything hip hugging since forever. Additionally, this is the shortest skirt I have yet worn in public! I do like trying new things and finding a confidence with my body to embrace new styles, especially when doing such in the name of Fran Fine and Moschino. I have tried on vintage miniskirts recently at some shops and none of them have given me the hip room I need like this skirt does, so I am thrilled. This fun and comfortable skirt is just what I need to have a miniskirt I will enjoy…..with or without its matching jacket.
For the second half of the set, I sized down. The summary on the back of the pattern envelope stated that the jacket was loose fitting. My pattern was also two sizes too small for me. This design could drown my smaller frame if it was not fitted. I merely added an extra seam allowance amount into the side seams, and left the waist and shoulders as-is since I have a petite torso height. My jacket happily turned out to be just the right size for me! I had to sew a slightly deeper seam allowance in the shoulders and sleeve head to account for the smaller shoulder pads I intended to use. Other than that, there was no additional fitting tweaks needed and this jacket was easy to come together. For being what looks like a suit coat, it was one of the least stressful and time-consuming in my projects list. To make, it felt like a real treat in more ways than one.
There was no lining called for in the jacket’s pattern, but the thin and fluffy Alexander Henry cotton needed finer finishing techniques that what was intended. Even though I said this pattern was easy, adjusting for a lining did not add complications but fun, since it was up to my knowledge to get it right. The same pattern pieces as were used for the printed exterior went towards cutting out lining, adapting them as was necessary. The back bodice was cut with a center box pleat for wearing ease between the shoulder blades, a detail to be found in almost every jacket lining. The front bodice pieces were cut to be two-part with a smooth design, lacking both the waistline pleats and bust darts of the exterior. The peplum had extra ease added to accommodate the way lining is traditionally folded under just above the hem.
After sewing more than a dozen jackets and coats by this time, I am used to seeing how lining patterns should generally look and what detail they should have. Sewing skills aren’t necessary in order to get used to garment construction practices, though. You can look at existing clothing, preferably older pieces which have quality finishing techniques, to get used to standard design lines or see hints of how complex seams are assembled. Taking note of such details will have you both in awe of the techniques of sewing, while also preparing you for understanding its complexity.
I did not dare attempt to add piping into the seams, as the pattern showed, in order to attain that black edging. Achieving sharp corners with piping in the seams is a pain that I was not up for. Yet, with such a busy print, my jacket needed its design lines highlighted. I took an easier route and used thin bias tape instead. The jacket was sewn together as normal, but the collar and pockets had bias tape stitched down over the edges before full assembly. I love the way this step keeps my jacket’s details from blending into the print. After all, the unique collar and pockets completely deserve to steal some of the spotlight away from the print! Yet, I also see the black edging as adding to the print for the way it reminds me of either the borders of a graphic novel or the outline lines to drawing a comic character. Every piece of the jacket was cut on a single layer of the fabric so that panes of the print would be evenly spaced out and not repeat the images too close to one another. I lined up the level of the borders but distributed the images with plenty of forethought and intention.
In contrast, I was working with a small cut of fabric and couldn’t match up the seam lines as well as had been desired at the cutting stage. I had to throw over-planning out the window. After the escapade of sizing down the side seams, my half-hearted effort to match the print was generally lost. The excessive busyness, which patch pockets would add, were undesirable at this point. As much as I hate making welt pockets, I endured the misery in order to lessen adding more seam lines and making the print choppy. I love how sneakily hidden the pockets are now. My only issue with them is how the welt opening puffs out and ruins the smooth front the skirt had before I added pockets. At some point, I may come back and add a button closure to keep the pocket opening down. I also may come back to add belt loops to the waistline as well as a matching belt to make my skirt closer to Fran’s original XOXO skirt from “The Nanny”. Nevertheless, I enjoy my new garment far too much at the moment to fuss over some small details. I want to be busy wearing this skirt and not sewing on it!
My suit coat needed a little official touch, and so – in lieu of a garment label – I added a novelty patch. This is a little inside joke, since it takes me back to the 1990s, when I was adding iron-on transfers, bling, and novelty patches to my clothes on a regular basis in an effort to personalize my fashion. Also, the patch is so in line with Moschino’s quirky sense of humor, it is the icing on a cake that is my suit set. It has a fake bar code…because homemade clothes need no checkout tag! Underneath are the words, “Me, all the time”. In 2024, I often felt more tired and droopy than energized, and thus this is just more of the same type of humor that is on the comic print. In reality, this is a fairly fresh project off of my machine, and a breath of fresh air to me as compared to the bland ready-to-wear fashions I see as “trending” today.
I would have never guessed that a long lined suit jacket and a mini skirt would pair so well together if I hadn’t had faith in the fashion genius of Brenda Cooper, the Emmy award winning stylist behind Fran Fine wardrobe on “The Nanny” tv show. I know I am not at all as skinny as Fran was during the filming of the show, but hoped such an unexpected combination of styles would be possible for me the way they worked for her! Whenever I bring together two different patterns into one set, I am never really sure if the two items will complement each other enough to appear as a coordinated pair. The two patterns I used came from both ends of the 90s decade and styles did change (even if it was subtle) between their eight years’ difference. Listen to me trying to be overly specific here…I suppose the frequency with which I am studying the 1990s is showing! It was the era of my childhood and I am just now enjoying playing catching up on all the fashions I saw the adults wearing in the catalogs.
The unexpected part about sporting this suit in public is the way it appeals to children. Sure, I have garnered plenty of compliments from adults of all ages, too. Yet, for one instance, a kid at a party I attended hovered around me for about five whole minutes, circling to absorb every pane of my comic print. This made my outfit so very worthwhile. My princess inspired dresses have been the last sewing to have appealed to the younger set the way this cartoon set does. Honestly, the kid inside of me doesn’t blame them. I even can picture my own “Sewing Woes” adventures as becoming a humorous cartoon story of its own, much like the music video to the 1985 A-Ha song “Take on Me”.
I enjoy being able to look down at my handmade clothes and see some comic panes perfectly on theme for the woman I am today. I find empathy with whatever comic pane resonates with the sewing story which is in my head at the moment. Being able to laugh your troubles away is relieving, and smiling back at memories warms the heart. I hope this year holds a plenteous amount of the reprieve that laughter holds for those who power through their troubles with a smile and a chuckle.
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