I have always admired traditional Chinese clothes. The collar, the frog buttons, the straight lines and the play of colour and patterns, the combination is to die for. Everything from a simple peasant blouse to the intricate robes of the concubines are stunningly beautiful. In my humble opinion.
I have quite a few Oriental treasures in my closet. Silk Mandarin dresses, an antique woven jacket, a few blouses, even an authentic Mao uniform. (Connections, connections.)
At one point I was so obsessed with Oriental clothes that I even went on line and bought Asian sewing patterns. Have a look for yourself:
http://www.folkwear.com/asian.html
I spent long and painful hours practising making the traditional frog buttons. It's difficult, but it can be done. Fun fact: there are no button holes in Asian clothes. Only loops and knots. In case you were wondering.
I could go on and on about the wonders of Asian clothes, but let's zoom in on my white Chinese blouse.
Leaf-like silk, beautifully embroidered, impeccable condition....so how come I never wore it? It was the sleeves. Too tights around the wrist, too restricting, I just dreaded putting it on. The sleeves had to go.
But then what? It's all fine to take out the scissors and cut off pieces here and there, but that is just the beginning of the re-designing process. What's next?
Since traditional Chinese sleeves are quite wide and straight, I decided to stick with that design. You often find contrasting ribbons and embroidery along the edges of the garment, so that felt like a step in the right direction as well.
In the end I ended up with sleeves looking like this:
Doesn't it look great! Now when I wear it I feel so regal and calm. It's like I belong on a mountain top sipping tea and watching the sun rise. Red sky, green tea, white blouse.
Obviously, obviously, obviously I will keep the cut of sleeves for future use.
No comments:
Post a Comment