Marisa Berenson - Style Icon

I first saw her in Bob Fosse's award winning movie "Cabaret" 

a decade ago. She made an impression on that movie - a woman with grace. 

Later I found out that she is granddaughter of Elsa Schiaperelli, 

the influential surrealist fashion designer.

Marisa Berenson in 'Cabaret" 1972.

Her stunning, often wordless presence in Stanley Kubrick's 

"Barry Lyndon" bespoke a peerless sense of grace. 

With Diana Vreeland "Bazaar" 1974.

The girl of the Seventies - a title graciously bestowed

to her by Yves Saint Laurent.

To this days, Marisa win over her fans with sublime 

elegance and enigmatic sense of style.

Green & orange 

Last week I went to Tessuti for hunting fabrics as usual.

There I found out that Tessuti has an annual dressmaking 

competition to support and encourage creative customers. 

This year's category is Strips & Spots. So, I've got this beautiful

 draping rayon cotton strip fabric in leftover's box (everything in 

that box was half price but limited quantity). Originally I thought 

could make a dress enter the competition, unfortunately the fabric

 wasn't enough for the dress. By chance, the fabric was matching 

perfectly with this pants fabric by texture and colour which 

I've bought from Spotlight a month ago. For the pants I used

 McCall's pattern M6403 and for the top simple bodice pattern 

as shown below picture. By the way, I made the bottons using 

the fabric and it was fun to do it. I'll tell you in my next post 

about my pattern making experience. 

Faux leather & fur

As an novice sewer I'd love to have an experiment with 

different texture fabrics and contrasting colours. I found 

out every single fabric has own little character. So I'm glad

made these pieces. I was wearing my recent purchased 

Gorman hyper colour belt and I think the belt gives another 

little character.  All fabrics from spotlight, the price was 

very reasonable for the experiment.

My favorite brand MSGM by Massimo Giorgetti 

Pre-Fall 2012

Style Icon - Jacqueline de Ribes

I bought an album book called 'Style File'. Flipping through the pages

 I really like this lady Countess Jacqueline de Ribes and her style 

philosophy is "Less is more. But if more, then spectacular". 

So I did some research on internet about her then I found this
 fabulous pictures and an essay "The Last Queen of Paris"

 was written by Amy Collins on Vanity Fair. 

She made her entrance into the world on Bastille Day 1929, 

oldest child of the Count and Countess Jean de Beaumont.

Jacqueline and her husband Adourd, now 87 years old. 

She said "We love each other however we agree we need

independence. Sixty-two years with the same man is not 

so easy! It's marvelous when you manage to make it work. 

There are so many different ways of loving. How can you 

know someone is the best if you cannot compare? The french

attitude of marriage, couples, love is complex".

She is wearing a jewelled head headpiece of Sarah Bernhard's, 

a gift from George De Cuevas. Jacqueline also owns  a pair of 

and a belt of Marie Antoinette's.

During her visit in New York she met Diana Vreeland, then fashion 

editor of Harper's Bazaar. As her recall "Diana Vreeland said to her,

 'We'd like Avedon to take your photo tomorrow'. The next day I went

to the hairdresser. I got false eyelashes, curled my hair. When I 

showed up at the studio, Diana said, 'I want you to be how you were 

yesterday! She peeled off the eyelashes, combed out my hair. And 

she made me a braid. Diana Vreeland helped me be authentic. She 

taught me confidence. And the picture became famous."

Shortly after her 53rd birthday, on July 18, 1982, Jacqueline called a family meeting that had been a long time in coming. She informed her husband and her children that she was going into business as a fashion designer, and there was nothing anyone could say or do to stop her.

Starting at nine o'clock on the evening of her Legion of Honor ceremony last April, Jacqueline, dressed in an embroidered Ungaro vest, Armani pants, and a blouse from her own label (she is often credited with being the first to mix designers), hosts a candlelit buffet dinner for 90 at her house.  Jacqueline de Ribes shows off to full advantage not only her lithe, erect figure, the prowess of her chef, and her deft ability to mingle prominent people of varying generations and backgrounds.

She also puts on display her conversational skills. "Her beautiful and original phrasing, her rich vocabulary, her very correct way of speaking are all part of what the French call ' la forme, '" says Nicolas Dadeshkeliani. "She epitomizes everything that is remarkable in France savoir faire and l'art de vivre the arts of knowing and of living, and she is the last one."

Source: Vanity Fair articles. www.accessmylibrary.com

My first jacket

I bought this beautiful cashmere wool fabric at

Tessuti. I used a simple oversized t-shirt pattern

and extended front center as shown on the picture.

I didn't know that professionals sew a jacket

 they use two piece sleeve pattern generally. However

it comes up not that bad- only professionals will notice it. 

Fur & wool

                                 

                                    I made this faux fur vest by accident. Originally, I wanted

                                  to make a dress bottom side with faux fur and top side simple

                                  ponti top. However it didn't come up good, so I've changed to this

                                  vest. During this journey, I have learned how to sew a lining of

                                  sleeveless top which was very challenging for a novice sewer like me.

                                  I thought fur and wool textures are a good combination.

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