A Gradient Eleanor Brenner Design

     I have had ombré fashion in the back of my mind for far too long.  Not only is it beautiful to see as element of fashion, but it is also something I have not yet tried.  This post’s dress makes up for such a discrepancy.  I am still finding new and unexplored avenues of style! 

     Ombré is French for color tones which gradually blend from light to dark.  Nevertheless, the word can also apply to one shade progressively decreasing into another different hue.  This latter interpretation is often seen as a method for dyeing hair or on the canvases of artists’ paintings.  Ombré – also called gradient color – can be found on fabric, ribbon, thread, and yarn, as well.  It is often used as a quilting technique to tile the blocks in complimenting shades of color for a gradient effect best appreciated from a distant view.  Ombré colors can also be spotted on designer fashions where it is frequently hand-crafted as a gradient painted or dipped dye.  Outside of the couture or quilting community, ombré coloring is conventionally achieved on most material today by either screen printing or by weaving pre-dyed yarns, as is done for textiles like boucle, tweed, and jacquard. 

Here is an ombré sunset we spotted one evening at the park in our neighborhood!

     Keep in mind the natural form of ombré is free and on display regularly across the ‘canvas’ of the sky.  The transfer of day and night at either dawn or dusk can offer the most spectacular display of gradient color the mind could ever imagine.  This post’s dress may only a paltry variant of the heavenly pageant, but my chosen fabric is named after the beauty of an evening sky, the original ‘real deal’ for ombré inspiration.

THE FACTS:

FABRIC:  Robert Kaufman combed 100% cotton “Sky” Tonal Blender Ombré in the “Evening” color scheme, designed by the fabric artist Jennifer Sampou

PATTERN:  a New York mail order “Prominent Designer” pattern by “Brenner Couture” from circa 1975 (that is the postal cancellation date of the delivery on my  envelope)

NOTIONS NEEDED:  one long zipper, lots of thread, and some bits of interfacing for the collar

TIME TO COMPLETE:  This was made in about 15 hours and finished in May of 2021

THE INSIDES:  cleanly finished with my faux serging/overlocking by tightly zig-zag stitching over the raw edges

TOTAL COST:  3 yards of fabric cost me $36, bought from “Bits & Pieces” shop on Main Street in downtown Hannibal, Missouri

Eleanor Brenner in 1978 presenting her Spring Ready to Wear line in New York

     For my dress I paired an unusual gradient toned fabric with a great design from the hands of an all-American woman designer, Eleanor Brenner.  She is surprisingly not very well-known for all the achievements, charitable work, and innovations accomplished in her long life, as recounted in my recent ‘designer spotlight’ post (which you can visit here).  Eleanor Brenner passed away in April 2023 at the age of 89 (read her obituary here) yet her legacy lives on in anyone who has felt represented by her thoughtful garment designs, aided by her salt-free cookbook, inspired by her contribution to the fashions of the White House, or assisted by her youth foundation in New Mexico.  I hope that following up on my biographical memorial to her, this gradient dress will be the next step to further showcase Eleanor Brenner’s design ingenuity in a singular way.  

     As can be seen in my account of Mrs. Brenner’s life, this post’s project is not the first piece of hers that I have worn, but only the first self-made.  It felt like such a privilege to find a sewing pattern from a designer that has a special place in my heart.  Brenner’s clothes are one of only two other designer brands (Betsey Johnson and Moschino) who are spot on with matching the petite proportions of my shortened torso.  My shoulder to waistline measurement is almost an inch smaller than the “average” woman.  Being of the same 5’ 3” height as myself, Eleanor Brenner specifically designed the styles of her brands to flatter women of reduced height so that others like me could have stylish, quality, versatile clothes which complement a diminutive frame.   

     After buying my own Eleanor Brenner pattern, I found an Etsy seller (who had another one of the same pattern to sell) showcasing an old newspaper advertisement for the pattern.  The title to the clipping says the pattern was offered exclusively through the Enquirer.  The ad clipping text also says that the original dress behind this pattern was listed as running for $150 in high-end stores for November 1974.  It was only $1.25 (with an extra 25¢ for shipping) to buy the pattern!  Brenner apparently offered this dress design a whole year before the 1975 date on my sewing pattern’s cancellation stamp, so it must have been a popular design for her.  The ad clipping also enables me to jump on the inflation calculator to find that the original $150 dress would equate to about $900 today!  That sounds like very fine fashion, indeed. 

I love a big n’ bold 1970s collar!

     The ad brags one should be able to sew this dress for $25.  When you consider inflation together with the fact that my own dress cost me barely more than $10 above that estimate, I feel that owning this pattern is like finding a goldmine.  I liked this Brenner dress at the pattern stage just by design lines alone and for its designer attribution.  Yet, the way a plain cover illustration is brought to life in an unexpected way with my special fabric still makes me giddy every time I wear this dress.  Not too often does a design really surprise me so nicely, when it get sewn up, as this one did.  It really won me over once it was a finished project on my body. 

     Brenner’s dress pattern is a classic example of the idealism behind her designs and the reason why she ultimately found success.  The multitude of long vertical seamed panels slenderize in a simple, unfussy way.  Such an ideal of visual trickery was the base of her principle for dressing shorter ladies.  The large collar is both very 70s and good for widening small shoulders to minimize emphasis on the torso.  The flared silhouette is easy for an active woman to move in while staying elegant with its swishy hem.  The zipper closure makes this a dress that I can put on in an instant, too.  I can fancy up this piece with heels, nice jewelry, and a sleek hairstyle or go casual with tennis shoes or loafers and simple accessories.  This dress offers all the perks (except pockets, which I didn’t have extra fabric enough to add).  It is the answer for my life’s every occasion – school pick-up time, errands to run, dinner date with hubby, and especially a travel wardrobe.  I was on a trip out-of-town when we took these pictures, and after a whole day of sweating on a hot day and walking all over town, this dress kept me comfortable, fashionable, and happy.

     I wanted to interpret this pattern through the lens of my own ideas while also being balanced with Brenner’s penchant for color and interesting details.  Most of Brenner’s pieces seem to be fine silk or high-end fabrics.  However, in my hands, I chose a thick Kaufman brand Pima cotton sateen.  The advertisement for this pattern (addressed a few paragraphs above) mentioned that Brenner’s original versions of this dress were made of a tricot double knit, and that is good to know a woven is not a necessary choice here.  However, I felt the brushed appearance to the ombré print of this artist-based cotton perfectly played into Eleanor Brenner’s history of painting while still keeping to her preference for solid tones.  I have found painterly prints with a sky theme on other extant dresses of the 1970s (not by her), so I liked feeling that I was still staying true to the origin era for the pattern.  If I was going to make an ombré dress, I wanted to find a specific micro-trend for it, and happily the 1970s showed up as the decade which enjoyed a similar print.  Everything lined up for this Brenner dress to be anything but basic and definitely have a whole backstory of its own!

     The artist behind my amazing ombré fabric is Jennifer Sampou, who licenses her designs to Robert Kaufman Company.  It has been said of Jennifer Sampou that “Wanderlust keeps her eye sharp and curiosity leads her around the world seeking color and art.”  It sounds like an ideal similar to Eleanor Brenner’s and explains why Sampou offered such a beautiful sky print ombré fabric!  The camera sadly doesn’t do proper justice to all the lovely subtleties of color that are on this evening sky print in real life.  There are swirling hints of peach, pink, and powder blue as the dark colors progress upwards.  The dark tones have touches of green and purple, with flecks of white looking like stars in the night.  This ombré print was better than everything I enjoy about working with a border print.  I love how the multitude of panels in my dress bring the darkest ombré colors up to differing levels as if I dipped myself in a tub of dye and it seeped up the fabric unequally.  This project marks my second time using Sampou’s rich toned, whimsically unique fabric, so it is safe to say I am officially a fan at this point.  My first Sampou cotton was for my “Queen Bee” honeycomb print dress by the great Mary Quant, another designer who passed away in April 2023 along with Eleanor Brenner.  

      Between understanding the fit of Brenner’s original pieces (as seen in this post) and knowing how many vintage mail order patterns have a roomy fit, I expected this dress pattern to run on the generous side, even though the pattern was in my size.  I was correct in my thinking, and had to size down in Brenner’s pattern just the same as I do for her clothing line.  This was a good sign of a true designer pattern.  It had been scaled to a size chart other than her own.  This circumstance also made me very glad I had tried out her original garments beforehand so I could know what sizing peculiarities to expect when sewing my own version.  I had done the same thing for Betsey Johnson – wearing original pieces first, learning the fitting intricacies of the brand, and then finding the same proportions when sewing from that designer’s pattern.  This Brenner design has taught me that unidentified vintage mail order patterns did release high end designs and I will not be so quick to overlook them anymore.

     The pattern has 6 flared, princess-cut pieces to compose the main body.  Being cut on a double layer of fabric, this dress has 12 full panels.  There were therefore many very long seams to sew.  This meant I used at least three whole spools of thread.  It also made fitting both easy and tricky at the same time!  The 3 yards of fabric I bought were just enough to squeeze a shorter under-the-knee version.  In order to keep the darkest color at the bottom of my dress, the fabric’s 45” width dictated the hem’s length.  I opened up the fabric and folded it an unorthodox way…along the weft…for a length 1 ½ yards long (double thickness).  Every hem piece butted up against the next along the dark blue gradient end, and happily it all fit.  The collar, front facings, and sleeve pieces were squeezed into the few open spots left between the princess seams. 

     My only change to the pattern was to move the zipper from the center back to the center front.  This switch keeps this dress easy and effortless, and required no change in the pattern.  There was a center front seam anyway, and I just placed a zipper there instead of sewing that spot together, as per instructions.  I was not sure if a zipper down the back, going through the collar, would have worked out all that well, anyway.  Either way, I didn’t feel like trying it out this time around! 

My bracelet was made by me back when I was a teenager!

As a treat, I used a special lightweight zipper.  It has a decorative pull tab and very tiny teeth in a beautiful light blue color for a closure which feels so much finer than most apparel zippers.  This zipper came from a shop which supplies notions for sewing doll clothes.  I bought it on a whim as a novelty item since it was on a very good sale  Now that I tried it out, though, I will definitely be using these kinds of zippers again.  Doll zippers are not a strong closure for a seam under any stress, but my dress is loose in fit so I figured this was a safe experiment.  The minuscule teeth are so fun and clean looking, though!   The zipper glides soundlessly like butter and is nicely flexible.  Choosing a delicate zipper really elevates this dress to the level of its designer origins and gives me yet another unique piece in my wardrobe.

     To match my designer fashion with couture techniques, every seam besides the inner main body of the dress was hand sewn.  The skirt and sleeve hems were invisibly prick stitched by hand.  The zipper was installed with hand stitching and as was the entire collar, neckline, and facings.  Not that you can tell the hand stitching is there.  I put extra care into the dress so that there is not a glimpse of thread to be seen and the exterior presents as cleanly finished and professionally made.  Brenner’s original garments that I own do not shy from using machine top-stitching, they just do a very good job at hiding the thread in the ditch of seams.  There was nowhere to ‘hide’ the thread on this dress, and it was either all or nothing.  Making quality, well-made, thoughtfully considered garments is my passion and so I enjoyed several focused hours of hand-stitching.  I truly love not cutting corners!  My maker’s pride expects no less than the best I can do at the moment.  My interest in Eleanor Brenner led me to sewing one of her designs, and so I owed it to her to put as much heart in this dress as she poured into creating her fashion line.

     Finding out about the unrecognized, less mainstream designers is important because it gives acknowledgement that every talent of each person is valuable.  Small designers show that you don’t have to “make it big” to be a messenger of positive change in the world.  Eleanor Brenner shared her blessings in life with others through her many talents.  The fact she made a difference wherever she went was enough for her to be happy with her measure of success.  Her wonderful influence and vivacious energy can be felt for anyone who comes into contact with her story.  Such designers, hidden from the major spotlights, often happen to be incredibly interesting and wonderfully relatable, making it all the more the shame that they never reach the radar of many people.  Hearing of a successful designer juggling family time with a healthy life balance is so very realistic to me.  I also find myself in a small way in the stories of her driven dynamism, her creative vision, and the way she found fashions to compliment her small stature.  If you have read my previous biographical post (here), what do find about Eleanor Brenner that particularly pulls you in?  What can you relate to in her life or her talents?  What do you think of ombré fashion?  Here are tips on how to try ombré dyeing for yourself at home!

“Il Buon Gusto…All In Good Taste”

     In these last few years, I have found myself immensely entertained by the character of Fran Fine from “The Nanny”, a 1990s era American television sitcom.  Together with my relatively recent appreciation for campy 1980s and 1990s fashion, as well as my itch to discover more designers of that time, it was only a manner of “when” and not “if” I fell head-over-heels for the irreverent originality of the Italian designer Franco Moschino.  Recently, I happened to acquire a cut of authentic Moschino brand fabric and knew it was time to sew my newest designer fascination into being a reality!  Combined with a pair of authentic Moschino pleather pants, I have an outfit that can let me carry the loud luxury and bold confidence of the brand in my very own interpretation. 

     This outfit comes just in time to celebrate the heavenly birthday of Franco Moschino on February 27^th!  Coincidentally enough, Moschino’s special Spring/Summer 2024 collection (unveiled September 2023 in Milan, Italy) is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its founding.  I delight in the fact that I find myself perfectly poised to celebrate this anniversary in appropriately classic retro styling.  All the classic trademark visuals are here in my outfit – there are hearts on my fabric’s branded print, and then the peace sign, the dairy cow, and the oversized “M” are zipper charms on my quality stretch faux leather pants.  This set would not be at all complete without THE most classic Moschino symbol of all…a red heart shaped handbag (of which mine is admittedly a cheaper imitation).  Humorously enough, such a purse is interchangeably a classic visual symbol of the character Fran Fine, aka Fran Drescher from “The Nanny” sitcom, who rocked a whole lot of Moschino over the course of the series!  I feel like this set is totally something Fran could have worn.  I do have some fluffy crazy hair to match her look, too.  It makes my day to have an outfit that combines the Moschino brand with a Fran Fine flair!  

     I estimate the pleather pants to be from anytime between 1986 and 1999 while my Moschino fabric is from the late 2000 decade.  This means my set bookends “The Nanny”, which aired for six seasons from 1993 to 1999, and my fabric comes after Franco Moschino died in September 1994 at the age of only 44.  The cow charm on my pair of faux leather pants is the perfect (yet unsurprising) touch of irony and also one of my keys to dating this piece.  A black and white dairy cow with the world map on its side was an icon of his, especially for the Spring/Summer 1994 10^th anniversary show.  However the cow could also have been inspired by the environmentally friendly “Eco-Couture!” line he launched in 1993, a year before his passing.  I thought about these dates in comparison to what patterns I currently had on hand and picked something from 1989 in the designer-inspired NY NY McCall’s line of offerings. 

Moschino 1989

     Circa 1989 seemed appropriate as a pivotal time frame for Moschino, as well as for a peer from a different country – Patrick Kelly, the first (black) American Designer to rise to annals of Parisian Couture.  Both of these men were outsiders who made their way into a system which needed their revolutionary outlook, yet which also looked down upon them as unwelcome.  Where Kelly was pigeon-holed derisively as the “King of Cling”, Moschino was seen as an impertinent clown, their “Court Jester”.  The two of them did liberally use similar themes, symbols, and imagery in their runway collections between 1988 and 1990.  However, a black leather-look, fun zipper charms, and bright and playful heart symbols are all easy touch-points of specific comparison, not to mention the fact that some of the same supermodels (such as Pat Cleveland) walked down the runways of both their shows.  After all, both designers made it subversively obvious that they were frequently spoofing the ideas of their fellow designers – such as Chanel, Schiaparelli, or even each other – to remake existing concepts for their own purpose.  So, even with all the inspiration already attached to this set, I am happy to think it also has the vibes of my favorite designer Patrick Kelly!

     Before I dive into the sewing process, let me clarify a bit about Franco Moschino’s brand as there are many subsidiaries, as well as pricing tiers, to add confusion to the mix.  Moschino’s “Couture!” was his first line to be opened in 1983 and it established his classic crazy looks.  In the next year, he introduced a short-lived line of menswear.  Then, “Cheap and Chic” was begun in 1988.  Its items were offered at a slightly lower price point than his couture pieces, without lacking the flair of the original Moschino ideals.  (I do have an original piece from this line, to be shown in a future post!)  “Cheap and Chic” garments have garish prints, bold colors, or oversized decorative elements all based on relatively simple design lines.  “Cheap and Chic” was very popular for the way it used predictable styles in an unpredictable way, but was later consolidated into “Boutique Moschino” in 2014 when the brand’s creative director became a non-Italian, the American Jeremy Scott. 

     The line “Love Moschino” was introduced in 2008 under the direction of Rossella Jardini, Moschino’s friend who was responsible for continuing his brand after his death.  “Love Moschino” used elements and color schemes reminiscent of the early days of Franco’s designing, but with more of a “Pop Art” air.  This specific line is how most people probably know of the brand since it is even more popular than any other Moschino offerings, being budget-friendly with designs for men, women, and children.  Such items mostly keep to fun and crazy prints that are on-brand, yet they also include interesting seaming and complex designs. “Love Moschino” was offered as a replacement for shuttering the “Moschino Jeans” brand, begun in 1986.  I don’t know why the jeans brand wasn’t popular because I am head-over-heels for the pants I have!  The pleather is so soft and stretchy, and comfortably lined in a soft woven cotton, with an excellent overall fit.  To think of how I combined the end of one Moschino line with the beginning of another into one outfit just makes me smile to myself!  Such an overall paradox gave me the title to my post.  Since the beginning of his brand, Moschino was known for challenging conventions, insisting “Il buon gusto non esiste; Good taste (in fashion), doesn’t exist.”  This famously weighty quote has been used front and center in many Moschino fashions over the years, and I feel it is still here in my set even if only referred to in my title. 

     For my own personal interpretation of a “Love Moschino” piece, I wanted to find a blouse or top design that kept the characteristics of the line, yet had my own taste.  I needed a cropped bodice to end above my waistline to complement the high rise of my pleather pants.  Such a design would emphasize my waist in a good way, I figured, since I do have and hourglass shape and the pants show my wide hips.  Ideally, something a bit complex in design, yet with limited seams, would be perfect so as to keep the print visible.  The fabric was interesting enough to confuse my situation, too.  The printed exterior was a crepe finish and soft in hand yet the fabric was also thick and stable like a scuba knit.  Would it gather nicely?  Do I need a closure or could this stretch enough to slip on me?  After much indecisiveness, I finally settled on this faux wrap design which had a little bit of everything on my checklist.  It was only one part of an ensemble pattern that offers a top, skirt, and bolero with a “tribal” vibe.  The sleeves are a comfortable cut-on dolman style to widen my shoulders and play along with my hourglass shape.  The overall styling reminds of a 1950s throwback style.  I love the 1990s for the way it reworked older vintage styles into a new interpretation.

THE FACTS

FABRIC:  a polyester crepe-finish scuba knit fabric

PATTERN:  McCall’s NY NY “The Collection” pattern #4309, year 1989

NOTIONS NEEDED:  thread and some bias tape for facing the neckline

TIME TO COMPLETE:  My top was finished in 3 or 4 hours on February 12, 2024.    

THE INSIDES:  Any scuba fabric or knit that is this dense does not fray, so the edges stay clean being left raw.

TOTAL COST:  I only spent $25 for the fabric and found the pants for about $50. What a deal!

     I simplified the pattern and resized it up at the same time.  I eliminated the center back button closure and instead laid the back out on the fold.  Tiny back buttons both seemed too fussy to try, besides being difficult to work into the thick fabric.  I added just the bit of extra room that I needed along that back bodice foldline.  Finally, I ditched the back darts to give me a smooth back that was one simple T-shaped piece.   With the back perfected, the front was too complex to properly resize.  Then, I added a bit of room to the front’s side seams to match with what I added to the back.  As my last hack, I left out the given facing pieces along the neckline interior in lieu of a simple bias tape finishing.  These adaptations worked out great and helped my design fit onto the one yard of fabric that I had on hand. 

     I am so happy that gathering the thick, unusual material succeeded enough to pull off the criss-crossed wrap front.   This design is everything!!  It was quite odd to sew and it looked weird on paper, but does wonders to slim my waist and make for a unique design that pairs so well with my Moschino pants.  Nevertheless, I did find frustration by having to sew all but a few inner seams by hand.  Even with trying several kinds of brand new needles there were snags or runs created by the machine catching, pulling, or pushing out the lofty crepe finish.  It didn’t make sense, but I rolled with it.  Lucky for me, this project still turned out to be a quick and easy.  This was my last-minute secondary Valentine’s Day outfit to go out with my husband for dinner the day before that holiday.  Moschino is the perfect medium to carry the spirit of Valentine’s Day into every day, as I spoke of in my previous blog post.  There is no better way for the current me to get into a celebratory mood, anyway, than to put on some fun 1980s or 90’s clothing!

     Moschino had an important interview with New York Magazine in December 1989 and I love how it is revealing of the outlook that drove his creativity.  In that interview, he said one of his most famous quotes, “Fashion is absolutely tacky.”  However, the rest of that 1989 interview is equally as interesting. “Being fashionable is not positive at all. Fashion kills people. As a designer, I have to convince you to change – to cut your hair, to change the frames of your glasses. You’re a creature of the fashion system, a Muppet, not yourself.”  Another slogan, one of the highlights to his circa 1991 show, follows on this same idea – “Fashion shows can be dangerous for your health.” 

     I have found a benefit of being reliant on sewing my own handmade wardrobe is the way I feel no siren’s call to bow to the latest passing fad and have no dependency on what the Ready-to-wear industry tells me to wear.  This freedom of thought is what Moschino seemed to be trying to teach with what he designed.  I love that there is a designer who looks at the fashion world as being both a part of yet still apart from the system.  Even though I come from a sewing-centered side of this same outlook, I feel that it is the best way to approach trends and work through them to stay true to your own sense of style.  Especially through fast fashion and micro-trends of modern times, one can see how overly commercialized fashion can be dangerous to living as a self-confident, open-minded individual.  One of his slogan posters said “Advertising can cause serious damage to your brain…and to your wallet.”  The rise of social media has shaped an influencer culture that can be unhealthy for the mental and emotional well-being of those consumers.  It is impressive that Moschino saw the toxic traits of the fashion system way ahead of the clear issues we have today.  He used his position as an esteemed fashion designer to actually make a difference, too, until untimely illness took him away from the world.

     I am a fan of Moschino due to his rebellious, campy, but overall loving, conscious, caring approach to fashion.  Franco stood by his brand’s eccentricity from the beginning of its founding, saying, “Fashion should be fun and should send a message.”  Camp is both earnest and lighthearted at getting dressed – it sees our daily routine as an opportunity to enjoy both finding personal expression and making a silent statement.  As flippant as that may sound, it leaves the door of fashion open to let people be themselves with what they wear and not feel like they have to change or hide who they are to visually “fit in”.  What can be more emphatic that this outlook?!   “Life has many attitudes, and so is fashion” was yet another one of Franco Moschino’s many slogans…one with which I couldn’t agree more. 

     Have you noticed Moschino before, or are you already a fan, too?  Do you agree with his “Il buon gusto non esiste”?  Has my post inspired you to look into his wonderful variety of styles?  Check out my Moschino Pinterest board here for some eye candy.  Maybe you can simply relate to this post via Fran Fine.  Drop a line if you concur that she is a standout 1990s fashion icon!!  

Wearing My Birthday Suit

     With such a titillating title, you might think there isn’t an article of clothing to talk about in this post.  Yet, there is a very special garment to share in commemoration of the fact I share a birthdate with the great water beauty Esther Williams.  I can relate to her as we both have brown eyes and hair, similar round faces, are athletic, and love elegant swimwear.  Thus in order to step into the “shoes” (as the phrase goes) of a famous swimmer, I instead made a deluxe, detailed, glittering bathing suit straight from the golden age of Hollywood!  Ironically, I finished it in time for my own birthday, but was unfortunately sick for this year’s trip around the sun, and then the pools had closed for the season by the time I felt better.  However, the grand opening of the “21c Art Museum Hotel”, a newly restored historic YMCA building, was my belated opportunity to give this suit both the fun time it deserved and an era-appropriate backdrop for pictures.   This fancy swimsuit feels like merely a water-appropriate version of the finery which is accorded to an evening gown.  I could not have found a more fabulous gift to sew for myself! 

     Thus, I’ve been impatiently sitting on this exciting project for the last few weeks until I could enter it for the 8^th annual “Designin’ December” challenge, hosted by Linda at “Nice dress! Thanks, I made it!!” blog.  This contest is always my incentive to see out the old year on a grand note here on my blog.  The challenge of it also gives me gumption to ‘dive into’ making a “holy grail” item from designers who inspire me.  This year, there are multiple designers involved in my submission for “Designin’ December”, all inexorably tied to the fame that anchored Esther Williams in the annals of history.   

     After holding onto all the necessary materials for years, I finally had the gumption this year to attempt my own version of a specific garment which was major part of Esther William’s fame – a glittering golden swimsuit.  During WWII, she became known for showing off a gold lamé, one-piece swimsuit which was worn for both her popular YANK magazine pin-up photograph as well as for her skits performed for the entertainment of the hospitalized servicemen.  

In 1948, she sported yet another gold lamé suit for a swimming scene in the romantic musical On an Island with You.  (Watch a clip from it for yourself here).  However, it was the promotional suit from the famous Fred Cole, made for her popular film Million Dollar Mermaid from 1952, that really captured the attention of the populace.  “Copies” of this suit were produced for store availability, and other movie stars (such as Jane Mansfield) even modeled these reproductions so as to grab a piece of Esther’s fame.  I guess I just wanted a taste of how it felt to be in her famous swimsuit, as well.  Now I can attest it does indeed make one’s time in the water indescribably glorious!

My own suit next to its designer inspiration – Esther Williams in a Margit Fellegi suit designed for the brand Cole of California

     Esther and the brand, Cole of California, were an inseparable part of each other’s fame.  Fred Cole was an American leader in women’s swimwear fashions in the 20th century who founded a brand in California that was known for its innovative yet fashionable swimwear.  As a businessman, Fred Cole found the perfect pairing in having Esther Williams as their spokeswoman, while the Hollywood expertise and creativity of his designer Margit Fellegi kept his company ahead of its competitors.  After almost drowning in a cumbersome suit (made by the designer Irene Lentz for the 1947 musical This Time for Keeps), every decision which went into whatever Esther wore had to first be approved by her strict standards.  Often, she tied such decisions to the Cole of California company.  Williams even signed a contract with swimwear company Cole of California so that she and the other swimmers in her films exclusively wore that brand of swimsuits from 1948 to 1952.  Esther’s influence upon meeting the US Secretary of the Navy in conjunction with her 1952 film Skirts Ahoy! convinced the U.S. Navy to order 50,000 of a cross-back swimsuit she created through Fred Cole for the women’s reserve!  Because of her, enlisted women were provided with government issued suits that were fashionable, decent, and a joy to wear.  So you see, Esther herself was a swimwear designer, too, in her own way.  In her later years (circa 1989), she personally head a company that produced retro swimwear which are her trademark combo of comfortable, supportive, and quality fabric.  Esther Williams should know – of all people – what does or doesn’t work well in the pool, after all! 

     However, as I merely alluded to above, it was Cole’s head designer Margit Fellegi that created what his brand needed to maintain its successful partnership with Williams.  Fellegi was the official designer name to be found in the fine print of Cole ads.  She is ultimately the root source behind all the other influences in play surrounding both Williams and Cole.  It is sad how she doesn’t get her deserved due credit after working from 1936 to 1972 to make Cole suits look fabulous.  I would like to especially give Fellegi her share of designer’s credit with my own golden swimsuit, especially since she was born from my same hometown!  Esther Williams has my birthday, but the designer of her famous suit is from my city of St Louis, Missouri.  This fantastically serendipitous combo makes it extra poignant to channel this golden piece of history for myself.

     Since this is for “Designin’ December”, I went one step further with the theme and used a pattern from the modern “queen” of retro style – Gretchen Hirsch, aka Gertie at Charm Patterns.  As her swimsuit pattern uses Butterick brand sizing, I felt her swimsuit pattern would be a great (aka, predictable) way to branch out into a more complex design than I had ever tried yet.  It was also relatively close to the Fellegi suit made for Williams, yet it appealed to my personal taste with its lovely design and promise of a good challenge.  My last three suits (see my first, the second, and my third posts here) have taught me a good deal, and I was ready to take my swimwear making skills to the next level with this pattern.  Also, I had previously only sewed suits from the 80s and 60s, but I wanted a classic vintage look from an era like the 1950s, of which Gertie designs are known to interpret so well.   Finding another swimsuit pattern to come close to this one will indeed be a challenge for my next poolside project!

THE FACTS:

FABRIC:  the exterior is a medium weight 4-way stretch opaque golden fabric in a Nylon and Lycra blend (80% and 20%) from “Fluky Fabrics” on Etsy; lined in a light peach (nude tone) active wear knit from JoAnn Fabrics

PATTERN:  Butterick #6067, year 2014, from Gertie of Charm patterns

NOTIONS NEEDED:  lots of thread, ¼” inch wide cotton swimwear elastic, foam interfacing, and molded brassiere cups

TIME TO COMPLETE:  The suit was finished in July 2023 and was made in 20-something hours.

THE INSIDES:  The side seams are the only two raw edges seen from the inside – all the rest are covered by the interior lining.  The leg and back shoulder edges are rolled over elastic in the customary swimsuit finishing.

TOTAL COST:  Two yards of the gold fabric cost me $15, while the nude knit lining was about $12.  The notions I needed were on hand already, so counted as free.  My total was under $30!!!

     Back in 1925, the Cole of California brand introduced the sleeveless “Hollywood Swimsuit” with a low back neckline and a short skirt…very much ahead of its time!  Yet, once that style of suit did catch on, the form did not change all that much until after the mid-50s.  The styles were a carry-over from the 1940s, as seen in the consistent shirring details, skirted bottom, and sweetheart neckline.  The starlet association as well as the products themselves must have been enough to convince customers to overlook the hefty price tag.  According to the inflation calculator tool online, the going price for a Cole suit in the late 1940s to early 50s ($18) comes to about $215 in today’s money!

     The great feature that Cole swimsuits had going for them is how the fabrics were stretchy (or at least adjustable) which made them slip-on, with zippers optional – something we take for granted today!  I have a vintage original Jantzen swimsuit from the late 1950s and it is a clear difference – there is lots of stiffened structure and support, a back seam zipper, and very little stretch in the fabric.  I do love the look of that Jantzen suit on me (see it here), but now enjoy it for how it is a great study piece to compare with Cole of California suits.  Esther’s preferences in what she wore in the water has influenced the construction and appearance of pool attire for the everyday woman, and no doubt helped swimwear be what it is today.  However, it was Fellegi’s ideals that supported Esther’s requests.  Fellegi’s own observations summarized this thought best: “After all, swimwear is worn at leisure time. It must be comfortable. It must make you feel good as well as look attractive. And it must look just as well from the back, otherwise you just have a strange wiggle waggle.”

Look how compactly my swimsuit folds into a little ball without the boning in the body!

     Knowing these details influenced the way I constructed my own suit.  As much as I wanted a suit to keep in all my squish the way my old Jantzen suit does, I was in no way inclined to add several channels of boning into this suit, as the pattern directs.  I was not afraid of doing the technique, and rather like the idea of a suit that has some superior structure and staying power.  Yet, that did not sound comfortable in theory.  Combining the boning with the shirred seams sounded bulky.  The gathering along the sides hides the fact my figure is not as trim as Esther’s body and the seaming is elongating.  I am glad I left out the boning, and really think this suit is just fine without it.  Once I perfected the fit (more on how this was a struggle in a moment), the suit and its attached skirt stays in place the way it should even when I climbed the pool ladder, jumped in the water, or tried some vigorous leg kicks.  That says something!

         As much as I had high expectations for this suit to be amazing and praise it now, getting to this point was one of hardest challenges I have met.  The reviews of Gertie’s pattern from other sewists online had me very scared to be honest.  Their harsh critiques were helpful, though.  Be warned that this pattern has issues that are disappointing.  The most blatant oopsie is that the different bust panel pieces are all mislabeled as being “stays”.  I was on the lookout for this, yet even still, the instructions add to the misuse of terminology, too, making constructing the bra part of the suit impossibly confusing.  I had to unpick and re-sew several seams.  The reviews I read also seemed to always mention that the bra portion runs small.  I also found this to be true because I sized up and still wish I had more room.  Finally, many reviews, either in word or pictures, seemed to show that the skirt panel needs to be lengthened in order to cover the leg openings that same way as a true vintage suit would do.  In response, I added about two inches to the bottom hem length of my overskirt panels.  I am so glad I did so!  One main reason why I loved the look of this pattern would’ve been lost otherwise.  Thank goodness this was a pattern popular when blogging was widespread, otherwise I would have probably wasted my time, money, and high-hopes on this Gertie swimsuit.  This is not a beginner’s pattern, and even then only for someone good at knowing how to do damage control.

     Even with all these tweaks and adjustments, the pattern needed a lot of fine tuning.  I had to unpick the upper back edge, cut off 2 more inches off of the elastic strip on each side, and then re-sew it down.  Otherwise, there was wonky gaping under my arm right next to the bra edge.  If you look closely at the model image (here), you can see this funky fit under her arm.  With the elastic tighter, the back stays in place and brings the bra in for a better fit.  I am not happy with the given placement for the neck strap and wish I would have moved it over towards the side, but I had already sandwiched it in the seams.  Two yards of the golden fabric was not enough and I was lucky to eke out two straps the way it was.  I could not risk cutting off the straps and re-aligning them.

     I followed the instructions about sewing the foam interlining to the bra panels, yet still found that area to be sloppy and unsupportive on me, making the suit look like a blob on me.  My way of amending the brassiere section of this swimsuit was to hand tack on a pair of pre-molded, hard mesh cups.  This step may not make the insides as pretty to see, nor be in line with the soft structure of a Cole suit, but it gave my suit the fetching silhouette I needed to pull this look off.  I believe these cups to be vintage, and perhaps they came from a professional source as they are unlike anything I have seen before.  Being bought second-hand through a rummage sale, I will never fully know their origin – I am only glad they were the answer to what this project needed.  The cups gave the swimsuit neckline the perfect shaping and helped me tighten in the gathers in way that looks so much better than before.  I found that having hard structure in the cups is actually a better support for the straps, as well.  Otherwise, I felt too much pulling in the overall suit.  Now the top of my suit reminds me of a 1950s original bullet bra that I have, which – for better or for worse – makes me feel like I did a good job of making a modern vintage imitation here!  Based on the soft shelf bra support inside a Cole of California Esther Williams suit (as seen listed here on Etsy), my suit may not be as close to this specific brand of vintage swimwear as I originally intended, though.  As long as I could succeed in redeeming this beast of a pattern, anything I had to do was okay by me!

     My golden fabric is not remotely vintage being a modern stretch athletic material and not a true knit lamé.  At least the main content of my fabric is nylon, just like many vintage 1950s Cole swimsuits!  I have not had a good experience with sparkly, glittery, or otherwise metallic fabrics before so I was extremely careful to order something high quality for my swimsuit.  It took me many months of combing the internet in my spare time to find an opaque, thick, chlorine-safe knit with a low-shine, predominantly yellow-tint gold.  The sparkle to the fabric seems to be more than just a coating and has not rubbed off on my hands nor come off in the water.  Sadly, the shop I ordered from no longer sells this material otherwise I would wholeheartedly recommend it.  When I placed my order, I didn’t know how good it would be so I guess I got really lucky finding the perfect fabric.  The right materials make all the difference. 

     With enough designers to cover all angles of my project and careful planning via blog reviews, I was correct in figuring I ultimately couldn’t go wrong with my plans.  Once I felt my skills were up to the task, there was no stopping me from having another dream project under my belt.  The fact I successfully pulled off this undertaking is alone its own reward, yet to have finally sewn this dream piece into being a reality makes me giddy.  Now whether or not I have the gumption to sport this flashy suit to the public pool this coming summer will have to be determined! 

     My location setting was such a fabulous, yet a private way to enjoy my new swimsuit.  Almost all of the original tile and furnishings were preserved, making this pool look just as it did when it was new in 1926 (incidentally around the time of Cole’s innovative “Hollywood suit”).  It is rather redeeming to think that today anyone can enjoy a place that was designed solely for the health and well-being of young men as a YMCA.  Esther Williams broke the (then) gender boundaries of her time by learning what was considered ‘masculine’ strokes and being physically active, career driven, and self-confident in her talents and capabilities.  I love what designer Norma Kamali, who created Farrah Fawcett‘s iconic red ’70s bathing suit, had to say of Esther Williams. “She showed that the idea of being female, fit, and athletic was very possible. Now it’s just the most modern way for a woman to be.” 

     Let me wrap up this post with yet another appropriate quote here, this time from the designer behind my “Designin’ December” creation.  “More and more social functions are centered around swimming pools,” said Margit Fellegi, the designer for Fred Cole, in 1965.  “I try to make a woman feel lovely and elegant without making her aware of how naked she is.  Women no longer should feel undressed in a bathing suit.”  With this criteria as my muse, I have found myself in a “birthday suit” that certainly is sophisticated enough to make me feel the opposite of getting undressed to play in the pool!   

“Kelly Lisa”

   September 24 is the anniversary of the day the world was blessed with the gift of Patrick Kelly, the great “American in Paris” fashion designer.  I was definitely not going to let this occasion pass by without presenting yet another one of my (now) many creations inspired by his works.  My first Patrick Kelly inspired project was a decorative button refashion, and then my second and third were dress projects.  This makes my fourth!

    In 1988, Patrick Kelly became the amazing combo of both the first American and the first black designer to be elected into France fashion’s exclusive, elite “Chambre Syndicale du Prêt-à-Porter”, which governs the French ready-to-wear industry.  This membership allowed Kelly to present his ready-to-wear collections in the tents at the Musée du Louvre.  He soon found a way to highlight this momentous occasion.  Part of his Spring/Summer 1989 collection, titled “Lisa Loves the Louvre”, featured designs for which Kelly fantasized that the museum’s most famous resident, The Mona Lisa, invited him to show.  The “poster” image for this collection was its own piece of artwork that Patrick Kelly chose to create, one that takes a personalized spin on the iconic painting.  He then printed this image on both a t-shirt for the runway show and for the leaflets handed to the attendees.  This “Kelly Lisa” image is a celebratory merging of both art and fashion which revels in the remarkable achievements Patrick Kelly made in his lifetime.

      I also love the “Kelly Lisa” piece from a basic standpoint because it is such a wonderful early example of casual designer logo clothes.  Something as every day as buttons or a t-shirt becomes remarkably wearable but also boldly branded in the hands of Patrick Kelly.  He was so very fashion forward in thinking!  There is such a grand parallel I see in this modern Picasso-style interpretation of such a classic piece of artwork.  Patrick Kelly is not so different from the famous Mona Lisa – both are elusive to know, unafraid to be different, and owe France for a portion of their fame.  Those two are popular through being so controversial, often in the spotlight, and very picturesque, as well!  For as much as Patrick Kelly was original, he was also frequently knocking off something else that had already won fame with his designs.  His inspirations tell the story of his life, the things he loved, and his aspirations!

     For these pictures, I am wearing my tee with my red skinny denim pants (posted here), a 1957 reprint through Burda Style.  This pairing is a nod to Patrick Kelly’s 1950s childhood and his frequent use of a bold lipstick red color in his creations.  My earrings are vintage 80s from my Grandma because Patrick Kelly’s Grandmother was an integral part to his life and career.  My background photo booth honors his consistent theme of using symbolism that is associated with love, in all its forms – a subject I discussed at length in a past post of mine about a Patrick Kelly design I made over this past winter.  I am obsessive about making sure every little detail of my outfits tell the full story about the thought and intention behind everything I make.  This is especially true when it comes to my Patrick Kelly inspired designs!

     My means of choice to acquire this printed tee – but also doing so ethically – was to use my own individual artistry to hand draw a version.  Through this means, my tee is not a copy but yet still an unmistakable imitation at the same time!  I felt I needed to “own” this shirt for myself and have some invested pride in wearing this tee.  A true original is hard to be found for purchase (beware of reprinted fake originals!) and would probably be out of my price point, anyways.  Being a self-sustaining brand that was around for less than a decade, and only officially French couture for just over a year, his original pieces are collectable and at a premium price.  However, that is a good thing and as it should be.  I strive to respect the individuality and creative rights of every artist and designer and therefore am sensitive about making sure any “copy” I produce – be it inspired by Patrick Kelly, Gigi Melton (the designer for Agent Carter) or others – is clearly still my own work.     

     I have used many varied types of media to express my artistic inspiration throughout my life, and sewing has become my most recent outlet to have taken precedence.  However, this “Kelly Lisa” project involved no sewing.  It was a very refreshing process that gave me a very calming joy and clear-headed focus.  It let me dive back into my teen years, when my free time was spent painting, sketching, drawing, and coloring using as many different mediums as I could acquire to elevate my skills.  See the tall ship paintings I did when I was 15 or this sketch back from my 14^th year.  These two small examples are not much to show you for the drawers full of art that I have downstairs!  I have often wondered how easily I could bring that part of my skill set back and this Patrick Kelly project was just the excuse needed to happily see that I didn’t have to try to get back to an old skill of mine.  Art must be an inherent part of who I am.

     To make this tee, I started off by buying a 100% cotton t-shirt.  A purely natural fiber like a linen, silk, or cotton is always the ideal for the best permanency when drawing the way I intended.  With the shirt, I intentionally picked a size too big for me.  The 1989 “Kelly Lisa” garment was oversized, boxy, and almost like a tunic in length.  I did nail down the alignment of my tee’s front print be the same as on the original Patrick Kelly tee.  The logo name goes across my chest and the frame top runs just above the bustline.  The overall design envelopes more of the lower half of the body than many tee prints are, making this a shirt that does not get tucked in at the waistline.  This was the great part about this project, though – there was going to be a lot to draw and color!

     For applying the “Kelly Lisa” design, I chose several different mediums which were on hand – nothing more was needed to buy as I still have a great stash of art supplies.  I used a trifecta of Tulip brand fabric markers, Pentel brand “Fabric Fun” pastel dye sticks, and Sharpie brand permanent markers for the small lines and fine corners.  I changed some details here and there – partly to ride along with my errors and partly to personalize the design.  They are things I’m sure no one but me will notice.  I happened to be wearing my 1953 gingham blouse refashion the day I did this project…my wardrobe is mostly some sort of handmade level at this point!

     I don’t know how well or for how many washings this shirt will hold up for, but I am thrilled nevertheless for as long or short that the design will last.  I accomplished something amazing, and that is a reward in itself.  I surprised myself with what I am still able to do.  For someone who has visited Paris many years back and would love to go back there, this shirt brought back good memories of seeing the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, and Eiffel Tower with my own eyes.  I hardly ever wear t-shirts, and so having one like this is a real special treat in many different ways.

     The best art needs to be more than just something you see, to be touched by the feelings that item evokes only to then move on from that twinkling of transcendence.  Good art should be a cultural influence for the good of society.  Patrick Kelly was the epitome of this with his interdisciplinary approach to merging fashion with art.  His liberal use of American racial stereotypes was his artistic way of turning the harm they convey up on its head.   He was a child raised by a Grandparent who was picking cotton in the fields or cleaning rich people homes.  Re-appropriating such hurtful items and imagery through his own childhood memories was his way of embracing his heritage with an open-hearted love in a way that others can join him on…through celebrating his brand.  For every step of his own success he personally made sure to help out young black models get a head start, promote the careers of black musicians by playing their soundtracks at his shows, and use his influence in French fashion to garner rich donors for AIDS awareness charities.  His progress meant progress for others.

     Too often nowadays fashion remains just fashion.  To someone who sees no boundaries to seeing creatively, like Patrick Kelly, being a designer meant the opportunity to so much more than just offering fashion for the world around him!  His joyous energy seemingly had no bounds.  My energy is often only as good as my cup of coffee for the day, ha ha!  As always, Patrick Kelly’s all too short life (which ended on New Year’s Day 1990) is quite something to look up to.  He accomplished more in his short life than many have dreamt of to reach in later in life, and built a legacy that lives on for others.