Scooping fashion and Style

I was supposed to start my Chanel Jacket class this week, then...snow

and more snow.... (and no funny comments from you Northerners...I know this is pittance, but for us in the South, it's a virtual winter blizzard!!!)

And usually I'm the first one behind the machine.....on a wonderful snow day.

But this year's a little different, I've had some book work (bleack!) But before it snowed I took some of my students to Dallas (a very target-rich environment) to scoop out some of the Chanel suits in the boutiques and shops in Dallas.

This is something wonderful to do, when you're getting ready to make something important.  A trek to a nearby metropolis, gets you out and starts you thinking in places and ways you never thought or saw before. 

And no matter how long you've been behind the sewing machine or how short, there are ideas to spark your creativity. which always makes it worth the trip. 

The wonderful thing about the internet (well, for me there are so many wonderful things) is that you can travel anywhere without leaving the comforts of your home.  And I love doing that.  I use a lot of these wonderfully famous stores to peruse through their sites looking at what's being purchased because these are the "practical" clothes that are going to sell.

But there's nothing like a field trip.

There's nothing like seeing things up close.

What made this trip so wonderful, is that not only are up close and personal with the jacket, but you can actually see the garments and understand the whole idea behind a design.  You can feel the weight, thickness and drapy/body of the fabric.

This is important cause it gives you valuable information about how to make up your own garments.  What sort of fabric to choose, how heavy, light, what sort of stiffness/body.  Not only can you glean some of the wonderful techniques used in construction but also the lines and make up of the garment.

It takes some practice and some investigation to match a good pattern with the right fabric.  But a simple field trip to an upscale department store or boutique can really put a gob of ideas in your head, as well as a ton of valuable information on what fabric can go with what design.

I'm always polite to the sales staff that wants to help and sometimes they can help you find what you are looking for - formal?...casual?...conservative?...edgy?  I'm respectful of the establishments, and more often than not, in a large metropolis, you will be left alone.  I don't recommend this for smaller cities with one or two fine shops.  But in larger metro areas, where there are a number of high-end boutiques and large department stores, you will be fine, and it is so worth the information you will glean from these excursions.  In New York and LA, I've even seen students sketching a design in stores! 

One of my most favorite things to do is take my clients to Madison Ave & 5th Ave in NY then run straight down to the fabric district and look at all the fabrics we've just seen made up in the stores - my clients eyes light up and we're off!!!  Course, to be honest, this happens in very few locations, and we are so lucky to have the NY fabric district which I think is pure eye candy!

These scooping trips do more to help you put fabric with patterns than you would think.  They also cause you to think outside the box....putting together fabrics and styles that you had never thought about, but seeing it "whole" you can understand how to match your patterns/styles/designs and fabric.

So next time you're in a large metro area, try this.  Just one visit to a store like this can often open up your imagination and will cause you to think in a completely different way about how to match your fabrics with designs and styles of clothing.

Comments

[Carolyn]

I will be in Dallas in March and will have to venture out.

[Theresa in Tucson]

I was wondering how you were doing in all that snow. Glad you got to make the field trip before the snow came. We got some of your weather, along with Texas and New Mexico, which shut off part of our natural gas supply. We are so thankful it is now warming up. Lovely jacket pictures from the field trip.

[Ann's Fashion Studio]

SOunds like so much fun! We really don't have these types of stores here to do this but I can see where it would be very informative.

[Bunny]

I love to do this when I go down to Boston to visit my daughter. It is fun to see how each boutique has a different emphasis. I come home with so many ideas. I went local snoop shopping yesterday and saw a cardigan with a really creative design. I was so excited about it, it kept me from sleeping half the night!

[Nancy K]

The one thing about actually seeing a Chanel jacket is to see how flexible it is. Not stiff and the trims are really integral to the jacket.
It doesn't have to be Chanel, I know you are doing a class I think? Saks is a great place to see high end clothing, the sales people leave you alone. This is how you understand fabric and what to use for what styles. I love looking at Armani. Not just the tailoring, but the blouses are made so beautifully.

[sewing spots]

Great idea. I will have to try and convince everyone that I really need to do some shopping the next time we travel to a big city! (Not sure how well that will work given that they all know I hate shopping! haha!)

[Darci]

I love a good field trip! When I was in Rome this last fall, I spent two days snoop shopping at both high end and independent designer shops. I learned SO much regarding construction and came home with a sketchbook full of inspiration! It's so fun!