Blessed Are the Seamstresses....

...for they create things of beauty and magic using fabric, thread, skill, and imagination.  Alas, as I am not one, I have the utmost respect for those who are.

For instance, the person who made this jacket.   I spied it, AND the matching skirt,  at the May Court Consignment shop in my neighbourhood.  It was obviously handmade, and very carefully so.

The collar was added separately, and is very skillfully done

as is the hand sewing in the lining

The shape is very boxy, and not particularly flattering, but I was drawn to it just the same.  The skirt, which was priced separately, was straight cut, just above the knee, and together, I think the effect would have been rather overwhelming, and very bulky.  I decided to get just the jacket, which turned out to be half price, and was mine for a mere $6.   I tried to balance out its shape by pairing it with slim pants, and added a pop of colour by turning my sweater cuffs back over the bracelet-length jacket sleeves.

I would love to know who made the jacket and what they were thinking when they chose the faux fur fabric.  Had they seen something similar in a magazine and were trying to duplicate it?  Did they like challenging themselves?  Was it for a special occasion?  So many questions.

faux fur jacket - May Court Shop

turtleneck with ruffled neck and cuffs - thrifted

jeans - Mexx (70% off)

Boots - retail, some store on Queen West in Toronto

And Speaking of Seamstresses...

 

I was at the Western Fair Farmer's and Artisans' Market on Saturday, and noticed a new addition to the group of craft vendors on the second floor.  The first thing I saw were the dolls...

Each was wearing an adorable outfit made of recycled fabric scraps and knitting with buttons and snaps for decoration, and had a funky hairstyle made of yarn.  Even with minimal facial detailing, there was a variety of expressions.

The colour combinations and patterns in the outfits were cool, not cutesie, and there were no frills or ruffles to be seen.  I would definitely wear the human sized version of the outfit on the red-haired doll in the photo above.

The doll with the cherry red hair and hood (with ears!) was one of my favourites.  The dolls range in  size from 12 - 21 inches tall, and there were also adorable and charmingly odd stuffed animals made from colourful wool and fabric scraps.   I was so absorbed by the dolls that I neglected to get a photo of the woman who made them, who was sitting to the side of her table with her two daughters.  Anwen Sutherland lives in Huron County (my childhood stomping grounds) and this was her second week at the market.  She told me that she wanted to make the kind of dolls that she would have liked to play with as a child, and gets feedback from her daughters on the "play appeal" of particular designs.  She also makes hats, mittens, scarves, and fingerless gloves in beautiful colour combinations, and my friend Heather took home a cozy knit toque in a rich plum colour.

Would I buy anything so practical as a hat?  Of course not - my attention went to these little cuties, in a box of prototypes that were smaller in size, and less expensive than the others.   They are destined for my living room wall, and I've named the one on the left Anna, after Italian Vogue Editor Anna Piaggi, whom she reminded me of.   The other one has yet to be named - any suggestions?

Sutherland sells her dolls and toys on Etsy here, and her knitwear (hats, cowls, and mittens) here.  She is also at the Western Fair Farmer's market on Saturdays, from 8 am - 3 pm, on the second floor.

Put A Bow On It

First things first - I put the names of the people who expressed interest in being included in the giveaway of the green hair bow into a hat....

...and this is what came out:  Congrats to Melanie on her new hair accessory, I know she'll do it justice! 

I decided to wear the bow last week before it went off to its new owner, and discovered that once again, the lovely Lili and I had some sort of style telepathy going on, as we were both sporting green bows that day. 

I wasn't intentionally going for a Christmas vibe - I was really just looking for an excuse to wear my new-to-me Maple Leaf Tartan (Canada's official tartan, which incorporates the changing colours of maple leaves into the design) jacket I found on the sale rack at The Sentimentalist for $5.  It's a lovely fine wool, made by the Canadian company Highland Queen, with covered buttons and flap pockets near the cropped hem.

jacket and pants -  The Sentimentalist Vintage Store

copper necklace - Lovesick Vintage

Plastic hair bow - made by Kayla Gibbens 

As usual, while I went for the casual and funky, Lili went for the Chic.  She found her plum-coloured cotton velvet dress in Copenhagen (yes, the one in Denmark) for $20, and accessorized it beautifully with a green leather bow belt, tassel necklace and sleek boots.

And while I'm at it, I might as well kill two birds with one stone, and get in on the Style Crone's February Hat Attack

With the weather we've been having, this is the only kind of hat that I've been wearing.

Wool cloche-style hat with contrasting side bow - From Mars

"Don't Be a Hater, Dear"

This post is tribute to a fictional character that became my new style muse....

By way of introduction to those of you who don't watch Ryan Murphy's series American Horror Story, this season focused on a coven of witches living in present-day New Orleans, with the Supreme Witch played by the ever awesome Jessica Lange.  I found the plot holes in this season of the show to be annoying and frustrating, and the frequent deaths, and subsequent resurrections of various characters tiresome.   However, the one thing that kept me tuning it was the character of Myrtle Snow, Head of the Witches Council, played by the marvelous Frances Conroy.  You don't really need to know more than that in order to appreciate my tribute to an eccentric, endearing, and fabulously stylish character.  A  picture really is worth 1,000 words, and thank goodness for the interweb, from which I gleaned these photos...

Myrtle's fab cat eye glasses, flaming orange hair, love of bold patterns and colours, and couture obssession earned her a place in my list of television  character style icons.

It was not only Myrtle's eccentric style, but also her dry wit and irresistibly quotable dialogue that held my attention.  The episode in which she plays the Theremin (of course she would) and advises one of the other characters, "don't be a hater, dear" spawned a spate of gifs like the one above.

I don't know whether the eyeglasses that Myrtle wears in the show are vintage or new, but I lusted after every pair.

....and the GLOVES, OMG, the GLOVES!!!

The fact that her character is portrayed as an eccentric outcast also endeared her to me

And, of course, there was her last word, before she was burned at the stake a SECOND time...

Rest in Peace, Myrtle Snow.  You were the MOST. AWESOME. WITCH. EVER.