Ten of My Favourite: Capes

For as long as I can remember, I have loved to wear capes. I've worn them in different ways throughout my life, starting with when I wore them to play dress-up as a child. I later wore them both ironically and then with all of the seriousness I could muster, when I was a Goth. The first winter coat I ever made myself was a cape made from Italian wool and lined with fleece. It had a hood and wee bells dangling from the ends of  its cordon.

Years ago I noticed that people in a lot of European countries also wore capes. In NYC capes were huge during the sixties and seventies, going from shorter mod versions to longer, peace-and-love and flared pants-covering ones. Then, around 2010, they made a comeback and have been holding steady since. Here in Montreal, I only began seeing capes on racks last fall and it's only this year that they could qualify as trendy, although I have barely seen any on actual people. the lack of a garment's popularity in Montréal has never swayed me before and it certainly won't now.

My criteria this time is simply that it looks good. You can easily style a cape with what you have on your arms or legs and feet and by changing what you do with your hair.

...Onward to ten of my favourite capes!

1. The Michael Kors pea coat cape for $295.00 USD.

2. ZARA's checkered studio cape for $269.00 CAD.

3. Banana Republic's monogram colorblock wool cape for $225.00 USD.

4, 5, 6. The next three are all from asos.com.

The Jarlo Kerry Check Cape for $85.43 USD.

The Cooper and Strollbrand Cape for $104.12 USD.

The Mango Wool Cape Coat for $177.96 USD.

7. As much as I would love to point you to stores that have several of the same thing in stock, I'm afraid this is where my mainstream retail list runs dry. That said, I have acquired most of my favourite capes and coats from the thrift store. Along the same vein, I will show you four gorgeous, vintage capes currently listed on Etsy. It's also a safe bet seeing as most capes will fit most sizes.

This Irish wool cape is $94.99 CAD.

8. This 1960's Betty Rose cape is $84.32 CAD.

9. This reversible cape from the 60's is $307.40 CAD.

10. This argyle cape is currently on sale for $40.56 CAD.

Read more »

"la robe à trois trous"

i have decided to start with "la robe à trois trous" in the grey plaid. translated from french, this means "the dress with three holes". i first heard this term when i watched my grandmother sew one for my aunt, when i was a child. my sewing teacher then used it, half a decade ago, when i attended lasalle college. i'm not sure about anywhere else but it seems to be a term generally used for this sleeveless, straight dress, in québec. 

i believe that, because of it's simplicity, this dress can look great on just about anyone. while it does nothing to distract the eye, it does nothing to direct itto potentially unwated zones, either. it can become anything you want it to, as it can be accessorized in so many ways. i'm not sure that i'll wear it with the jacket seen on the pattern envelope to work but i'll definitely bring it along if i have a dinner to attend, afterward. i'll delve deeper into the ways this dress can be styled and why i think it should be found in every woman's wardrobe once i've completed it. 

i would usually finish this dress in an afternoon but today is my last day to prepare for a photo shoot i have tomorrow so my priorities lay elsewhere. that said everything, including the lining has been cut and is ready for assembly. 

Read more »

Fall/Winter Wardrobe Challenge

part of the reason i haven't liked my office jobs over the years is because i feel anything but stylish in business attire. i believe this problem goes deeper than that, though. i think my issue stems from the fact that, ever since i put on my thyroid weight, i've managed to inject style into every type of outfit i wear, except for the business one. first of all, i find most affordable, business casual clothing out there to be made for anyone but the short, curvy woman. wide-legged pants are one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to this but i'll be sure to dedicate an entire post to pants in the very near future. 

i'll be returning to the office sometime in the next two months and, this time, i refuse to wear clothing that, make me feel dumpy, are dated, ill-fitting or even banal. i can sew, i host clothing swaps, i'm pretty stealth when it comes to finding great pieces online and i have a great selection of thrift stores in my neighbourhood. 

as much as i like to do all kinds of crafts and will surely keep that up, the next few months are going to dedicated to creating the perfect wardrobe for the short, curvy woman who works in an office and wants to look great while at it. i'm sure a lot of these styles will also work for taller women and i will touch upon that as i go along. 

to start, i have these two plaids i want to make something out of and i dug up these three patterns to pair them up with. i chose these not only because they are appropriate in this case but because they are simple enough and i don't have to perform much grading (a time and energy gobber, for sure!). 

i especially love this blue, grey and red plaid. it's light and soft and will look great sewn into almost anything business casual. 

Read more »