What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: Something Old that Feels New

Dress: Haat
Turtleneck: Three Dots
Tights: can't remember label but made in Italy
Boots: Aquaitalia

Local: Something to Think About as Slow Fashion October Approaches

I've always thought of "local" being one of the qualities forefronted in slow fashion. Local implies knowing where an item was produced and with that, hopefully, assurances about worker and environmental safety.

Two recent things I've read have complicated my understanding of that, and I thought I'd share the links here.

Firstly, this disturbing piece from the New York Times about home workers (independent contractors)  in Italy. This is in sharp contrast to the way Alabama Chanin utilizes local artisans.

The other piece comes from Kate Davies's blog, and in many ways expands the way local can be understood.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. I'll be thinking about how I want to approach Slow Fashion October this year and what my goals will be.

What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: Integrating the New Shirt

Shirt: sewn by me (unknown pattern)
Dress: Morgane le Fay
Tights: Falke
Boots: La Canadienne

The Dress Shirt - Project Finished!

Yep! Here it is - the finished dress shirt. I can't tell you how pleased I am that I was able to figure it out. Granted, it was pretty far along when I pulled it out of the drawer to which it had been relegated, but still.

Oh my goddess! It's a full on collar.

French cuffs with contrasting fabric!

Contrasting fabric underneath the collar!

I'm almost tempted to make another shirt right away in case my sewing mojo leaves, but I have some other projects that need my attention. I'm hoping that more sewing means more sewing mojo.

Slow Fashion Publication & Me!

I was fortunate enough to be asked to pitch a story to Less Magazine late last year.  I really only had one idea at the time, being a bit busy with two upcoming art shows and a full teaching schedule, and it was one that I'd been thinking about and wanting to write about: how slow fashion has affected the way I source materials for knitting or sewing projects.  Luckily, they liked the idea, and the fun began!

It's been awhile since I've written an "article," which I put in quotation marks because it's kind of a personal essay disguised as an article, but I'm into hybridity so it's all good.  I also hadn't worked with an editor in awhile, and it took me a minute to realize that there would be multiple drafts with accompanying revision requests.  My editor, Sofie, was great and working with her was productive.

I reached out to a few people I knew via Instagram or had met at the Squam Art Workshops retreat I attended last June (and will be at this year again - yay!).  Well, I initially put a wholesale call out in a post on Instagram and got a few bites.  I ended up soliciting input from three different makers - Tierney Barden, Jess B. Daniels, and Anna Strive (@saint_raven on Instagram) - and am grateful they agreed to share their experiences.  Not only did it give me some ideas, but it also let me know that I'm not the only maker who is concerned about these issues.

The magazine decided to make me a highlighted contributor and asked me to make a statement about the issue's theme, globalization.  Yes, I, too, was unfamiliar with the term when I first heard it, but I think I understand it now.  As they needed a high-quality picture of me (read - not from a cell phone or point-and-shoot digital camera), I only had a few options.  I sent them three, and this is the one they chose:

There are a number of things I like about this image, which also cracks me up.  Firstly, I'm making a very common face.  I think you could find me making this face in a million images that the ladyfriend snaps of me.  Also, I'm wearing a skirt I made, a turtleneck from 3 Dots (made in the USA), my beloved chambray shirt from Imogene + Willie (made in the USA), the tights are from Falke (made in Germany), and my Blundstones (no longer. made in Australia - sigh).  I am also on the property of a dear friend in the Berkshires.

You can read the magazine here.  Not only is my article in it, but it has great fashion spreads and other thought-provoking articles.  I think of it like an intellectual fashion magazine.  Please show them some love.

Also, here are links to makers, companies, or blogs I referenced in the article: Alabama Chanin; Island Wool Company; Rowan yarns; Fringe Association; Tanis Fiber Arts.

What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: Purple is the New Neutral

Sweater:  Owls pattern by Kate Davies, knit by yours truly
Skirt:  Brooklyn pattern from Seamwork magazine, made by yours truly
Tights:  Hue
Boots: Aquaitalia

What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: I Knew These Colours Would Look Great Together!

Sweater:  Self-drafted patter,n knit by yours truly
Skirt:  Brooklyn skirt from Seamwork magazine, sewn by yours truly
Tights:  Hue
Boots: La Canadienne

What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: Decidedly More Ladylike

Sweater:  Made by me (Malabrigo yarn, vintage buttons, can't remember the pattern)
Dress:  Piazza Sempione
Shoes:  Manolo Blahnik

MeMadeMay 2016 Wrap Up

I'm pretty happy with my MeMadeMay participation this year.  I'd vowed to wear a foundational item everyday, and except for the one day in Nova Scotia where I simply wore socks I'd made, I managed to make it happen - even when I was roofing (ofttimes after the work was done).

There were a few things I discovered doing this.   Firstly, I knew I liked that wrap-around skirt I made, but I didn't realize how essential it would become.  The part b of that discovery is that I haven't made a lot of bottoms or bottoms I felt like wearing (important distinction).  It also went with more items than I'd originally given it credit for.

 I was also concerned that my me-made style isn't quite up to my regular (?!) style.  But when I put these pants I'd made with a Junya Watanabe shirt and Robert Clergerie shoes, I felt pretty good about it.   However, I'm now conscious of how easy it is to drift into the "let's make lots of loose tunics" camp, which only addresses part of the way I like to dress.  Two lessons learned - make some more funky/high style items and maybe I like to just wear loose tunics sometimes.  Consolidation lesson?  My style is more varied than I might have thought.

As mentioned in previously, I also discovered things that heretofore I hadn't realized went together.  I ended up finally wearing a vest I'd knit a million years ago (I know, you wouldn't know I was that old unless I told you - hah!) and loving it.

Yes, this vest also went with the wrap-around skirt!

I wore my Alabama Chanin dress a few times.  At Squam it was quite a hit, as it were (there were times when I was a little shy/embarrassed about the attention it go, but I love a crowd that understands what went into that dress), and I'm planning on starting another one this summer.

MeMadeMay has inspired me to continue making my own clothes and has filled my head with ideas.  There's a pair of white jeans (Birkin flares) on the horizon as well as a number of other tidbits.   And I just finished the Ondawa Wrap that I started at Squam.  Images to follow!

Anyone want to share other lessons learned during MeMadeMay?  I'm definitely looking forward to Slow Fashion October, but I won't be waiting until then to continue to rock my me-mades.

Feel Me, See Me, Read Me, Eat Me

Yep, I've amassed enough links to get a post out to you.  It's not that I don't find a lot of interesting things on the web, but many of them come from the same blogs I mention repeatedly here, so I try to come up with something new or maybe something from a blog you'd forgotten about.

First off, Michael Pollan is my intellectual crush, which should be common knowledge.  But before I fell for Pollan, I was all about Alton Brown.  I loved Good Eats and have them on DVD (oh yeah!).  My love was rekindled by this interview.  I hope there's no jealousy between Michael and Alton; not interested in that drama.

It's spring (or at least what they keep trying to tell us in Southwestern Ontario), and time to shift the menus to reflect the seasonal produce.  We get ramps at the coop and farmers' markets here, and I haven't quite maximized their potential.  Serious Eats has a guide for that.

But there's still time for comfort food, and I'm always in the market for a new banana bread recipe!

Check out this interview on the Alabama Chanin journal.  It'll explain Zero waste fashion design.  It's a concept whose time has definitely come although now I might have a hard time throwing out little pieces of fabric...

And finally, it's the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs!  Here's something to get you in the mood.

Happy Wednesday!

Me-Made-May '16 Sign-Up

I signed up; it's official:

"I, Claudia of @proper_tension and propertension.blogspot.com, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '16. I endeavour to wear at least one me-made foundation item (like top, skirt, etc., but not including accessories or socks) each day for the duration of May 2016."

You, too, can sign up.  Just go to So, Zo...What Do You Know? , the originator of Me-Made-May.  Everything about Me-Made-May is discussed and clarified.  The challenge parameters are up to you.  As I've recently noticed, I wear something I've made almost everyday although sometimes it's simply a scarf, hat, or socks, which is why I'm looking to up my game.  Signing up is also meant as an incentive for me to finish some projects that are lingering.

Will you participate?  (Okay, when I ask questions on my blog, I sometimes feel a little silly.  It's clearly meant to prompt some comments, but I'm actually genuinely interested.)

The Wardrobe Journal

I, like many other creatives, have a thing for journals.  It doesn't matter how many I might already have lying about; if I see one that I like and it's American- or Canadian-made, then I buy it.  I'll use it eventually.  I always do.

So on Easter Sunday, I found myself in my closet, trying to find an outfit to go with my Pink Souffle Hair Piece (basically a hatified headband), which my dad bought for me after I blogged about it here (sometimes the power of suggestion works!).  It really is awesome, but it's often hard for me to find something that works well with it.  But like I said, it was Easter, and some kind of hat is required for that day (even if one is not necessarily celebrating the holiday).

I tried on outfit after outfit, which is not usually my style (I can get a good outfit down in fewer than three tries, and usually, I just know what I want to wear), and modeled them for the patient ladyfriend.  I found one that worked fairly well but required heels, and we were walking to dinner (fried chicken at Hambrgr - yum!), so that nixed that.  I eventually ended up with a dress that was good, but it took awhile.

Wardrobe Thoughts & Plans

So for 2016, I've taken the make/mend/thrift pledge, which means no buying new clothes.  I don't really feel like I purchase a lot of new clothing each year, but I probably buy more than I'm aware of, and my mother likes to buy me clothes (this may be harder for her than it will be for me).

I've been inspired by my own desire to make more of my clothing, the purge (as it has now come to be known in my mind - kinda biblical and still ongoing), things like Slow Fashion October and MeMadeMay, as well as Karen Templar of Fringe Association who has been blogging about crafting her own wardrobe and encouraging participation in slow fashion.

I wish I could sketch like Karen, but that is not part of my skillset at the moment.  So I've got some images and ideas to share here and will endeavour to continue to do so during this process (and forever - I'm nothing if not ambitious).

I tried to take a good look at my closet.  It really is an eclectic mix of styles and functions, but it suits me.  It also makes it hard to think in terms of key pieces, since I don't expect everything to be able to go together.  However, I have come up with some items that I think will pull a lot together.

John Oliver & Fashion

A student sent me a link to this John Oliver segment on fast fashion.  It's both informative and hilarious.

Another New Combination from the Post-Purge Closet

Okay, this features the same sweater that is in the first post, and it features the same designer, Dries Van Noten.  Let me say this - that dress and this skirt are the only two Dries Van Noten pieces I (still) own (there's a DvN sweater from the purge in a bin for a friend).  Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that the sweater goes with both.

I really should have a less cluttered background, but the mirror is in my closet.

The skirt has two layers, which I've illustrated with this image here.  Frankly, I thought this skirt wouldn't make the cut.  It hadn't been in my actual closet for years (yes, years), but I guess it sparked joy when I touched it, and look at it now.

Days 5 & 6: Still Working It!

 So Day 5 was a simple turtleneck over the dress and some black leggings underneath.  I play hockey on Sundays, and while I frequently am wearing skirts or dresses, they're in what I call the "Sporty Spice" category.  No one said anything at hockey; that's probably because any dress is a weird thing to wear, and they're no longer surprised by my outfits.

Two details not seen (or barely glimpsed) above:  I'm wearing teal tights that match my sweater (which I knit), and the sweater itself has an open lacework back (there's an image somewhere on this blog...).  And that's my new Brompton, which is indeed worthy of doting upon.

Yes, I'm finding it challenging to come up with a different outfit everyday (which, frankly, was not a condition of the challenge but is my own issue), and it can be hard to make the outfit work for the various environments I find myself in.  Plus, I don't really like having to take a photo of myself everyday. 

Day 4: Two Rather Different Needs

Unfortunately the ladyfriend and I had to go to a funeral Saturday morning.  One of best friend's father had died after a lengthy illness.  For a moment, I thought about wearing something else, but this actually worked.

This worked for later when we went to the Winter Craft Fair and a party later.  I know two outfits in one day!  I better pace myself!

Day 3: Reminiscent of My Punk Rock Days

Yep, this is the dress off-duty but still working hard.  Add a sweater, some striped (barely visible) Falke tights, my Alabama Chanin demo (for class) bandana, Blundstones, and the boy's hand-me-up leather jacket, and I'm good to go, or stay home, which has been my inclination.

What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: Day Two - Black Thursday

Dress: Comme des Garcons
Sweater:  pattern unknown/unremembered, Malabrigo yarn, knit by me
Pants:  Comme des Garcons
Shoes:  Rodarte for Repetto

What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: Day One - The Fun's Just Begun

I give my fashion writing students the option of either making an article of clothing or wearing a foundational piece (like pants, shirt, dress, or skirt) for seven days in a row (they have to ultimately write about the experience).  So I decided to take the 7-day challenge myself.  I'll be wearing the dress pictured here for the next seven days in a row.

Dress: Comme des Garcons
Shirt:  Les Copains
Tights:  Wolford
Shoes:  Trippen