Waisted Effort

It is no secret that I don't believe in making things you can easily buy. I have long been purse-challenged, and have made the occasional all-purpose bag, which I usually ending up carrying for years beyond its intended life.

And, although I really try to be stylish, the fact is, no one has topped the utilitarian tool that is known as "The Fanny Pack". But you really can't be more out of style than that, can you? Life with my disabled son requires two hands, and I am constantly flipping my purse over my shoulder, tossing it aside to help tie a shoe lace, or steady him before climbing a staircase...

I thought my solution would be to make some sort of invisible fanny pack that I could rig below my waist, and live my hands-free lifestyle again in the Spring, but it turns out, someone has made something I can and would actually buy. they are called "Waist purses". Am I the last to see these?

The link, with very sharp, enlargeable pictures, is below. I'm a fan of the black lace-up.

La Cintura Waist Purse

And, since they come in leather or suede, I can just keep one for a long time.

Get this... you can wear it around your waist, over the shoulder, or across the chest, like a messenger bag. Anyone wondering what to get me for my upcoming birthday? Hint, hint...

And what a cute name it has... "La Cintura"!

So great, I hope this starts a fashion revolution...
Subscribe in a reader Add to del.ici.ous

I can't help it...

I try my best not to be THAT Mom who gushes about her children all the time, but I just have to share my six-year-old's portrait of my husband.




Subscribe in a reader Add to del.ici.ous

Superheroes

It is no secret that I am in LOVE with the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

I am really looking forward to the Superheroes exhibit this May, and I think it is a truly creative theme.

As superheroes enjoy a surge in mass popularity, The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art will explore the symbolic and metaphorical associations between these fictional characters and fashion in Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, an exhibition at the Museum from May 7 through September 1, 2008. The exhibition will feature approximately 60 ensembles including movie costumes, avant-garde haute couture, and high-performance sportswear to reveal how the superhero serves as the ultimate metaphor for fashion and its ability to empower and transform the human body.

-From the Met's Press Release page. Full text accessible by clicking here.


Subscribe in a reader Add to del.ici.ous

blog.mode: addressing fashion

Yesterday, I had "Mommy's day out", and went to the Metropolitan Museum. I love being able to stroll leisurely through the exhibits in peace, without a time limit, with the freedom to think, all the while being reminded that absolutely anything is worth doing well.

I was seriously contemplating "retiring" from the dressmaking biz after my current clients' projects are done, since I have been feeling so restricted by my client's budgets as well as my own, pushing me to skimp on the quality of materials, amount of time I can dedicate, trying to force the most economical layouts in an effort to keep prices low...

Well, this exhibit changed my mind. I just have to rededicate myself to the best quality workmanship, work schedule and materials the budget allows, not an approximation of something better.

I stopped in on the Blog.mode exhibit, which was fabulous. It was truly inspiring. I almost wept at seeing this amazing creation by Charles Worth,



and this wild Miyake number.



The pictures don't do them justice, at all.

Seeing these creations up close, I could actually feel the hands that made them. There was a uniqueness, a specificity. The beauty of this exhibit was overwhelming. What made it even more exciting, was that visitors were invited to submit comments on the exhibit's blog. Now, I'm sure no visitor will go back and read all of the posts, but the experience of "participating" in this way, added a whole new dimension to the exhibit, inspiring conversations between strangers, and an interactive feeling that you never otherwise experience in that environment.

Fellow New Yorkers and tourists, I suggest you visit. The exhibit is on until mid-April. After that, they will have a "Super heroes" exhibit! On display, costumes for various super heroes... another great idea.


Subscribe in a reader Add to del.ici.ous

"Aim High!" - oh, and Knitting and Cheesecake

In the years since my dad's death, I have carried his business card around in my wallet. Don't know why, really... Just something I haven't parted with... makes me feel that he's with me. Recently, I cleaned our my wallet, and decided to put the card away in my business card file, when I noticed some writing on the back...

This must have been the reason I started carrying the card, or maybe it was to remember his work telephone number... but in the years since then, I just thought of it as my Dad's card. I know I put it every wallet since high school, and probably before... so at least a good 20-30 years now...

Well, apparently, the reason I started carrying it in the first place, was a short note written to me on the back. It read "Aim High!"

Did my Dad write me this note?

Nope.



It was from Shirley Chisolm... the details of that encounter are fuzzy now, and I only vaguely remember it.

“I had something important to explain,” recalls Chisholm in the documentary. “I ran because somebody had to do it first. I ran because most people thought the country was not ready for a black candidate, not ready for a woman candidate. Someday – it was time in 1972 to make that someday come.”

Considering our current democratic candidates for the US presidency, isn't it funny that I would find this RIGHT NOW?

Okay, strangely enough, while looking for relevant links to flesh out this post, I came across a reference to a documentary film that I remember knowing existed, but possibly forgot about? Anyway, I clicked on the About the film-maker link. Uh... you're not going to believe me... we went to high school together.

Progress on the DNA scarf.



As an inexperienced knitter, I think I'm aiming pretty high with this DNA scarf pattern. Having completed my sample, and practiced the cable sequence, I bought the yarn for the scarf I actually intend to complete. I feel the width of the scarf is narrow for my taste, so instead of the 1:2:1 ration of border to cabled area, I am knitting mine in a 1:1:1 ratio, if that makes sense. Right now, I am 4 rows into my seed stitch, forcing myself to relax and knit slowly, only at night, to peacefully wind down before bed.

On Cheesecake

I don't like having tools that serve only one purpose, taking up precious space in our kitchen. So, I don't own a springform pan. I thought that meant I couldn't make cheesecake, which I love, and have been craving.



But... guess what? Disposable foli baking cups allow you to make cheescake cupcakes!
Man, I have eaten more of these than I care to admit today!

Subscribe in a reader Add to del.ici.ous

Why buy the cow...

We all know the saying. I worry about this...

So many creative and educated people give away their valuable expertise... And then there are people who work very diligently to educate and train themselves, and then earn a living by teaching what they've learned. We all have choices, and I am not suggesting that no one should ever offer anything of value for free...

But...

Try a web search for how to do just about anything, and you will be confronted by an avalanche of advice. This is both the beauty and the curse of the information age. Too many choices, and I freeze, surveying all of my options until I achieve a breakthrough, (or breakdown) and decide to seek a more organized, (usually purchased) reputable source.

And, you think you want something custom made? Now, there are more choices than ever...

Custom bags?
Custom books?
Custom T-shirts?

(No affiliation with any of the above...)

But, I find, many people don't have a specific idea in mind... just a desire for that unattainable "other" thing. Which leads to this endless brainstorming...

A trend I am now noticing, is this voracious appetite for expertise, followed by endless considering and weighing of options, followed by complete abandonment of the intended project. We expand our fabric stashes, pile up old issues of magazines full of "ideas", and buy new tools in hopes of completing projects faster, or building the best mousetrap.

Today's New York Times features a great article on the cost of keeping your options open. Maybe closing some doors is a good idea...

So, my point is, with no investment of our own, is this flood of free advice and expertise just something we will just consume and dispose of without a second thought? Free milk, so to speak? Or, willl the opposite happen, making us value the work of people who carefully put together (and charge for) presentations, classes, books and kits for us even more?

Subscribe in a reader Add to del.ici.ous

Design your own dress

This is probably the best example of a design your own dress website I have ever seen. If it works, and you get what you envision in the timeframe they promise, these guys win!

Visit www.styleshake.com and feel free to comment.

No affiliation, of course.

Subscribe in a reader Add to del.ici.ous