Away with the Turtleneck.

Can I ask you one other thing?
                   

What's with the turtlenecks?
                  

- It's the middle of summer.

- Seriously...
           

...why do you care what I wear?

- Just curious.
                

I like them. I've always liked them,

and I'm just a turtleneck kind of gal.
                   

You never get hot?            

- No.

- Never?                   

Not lately

Can anyone tell me what movie this is from? I just love this scene, suck a classic. 

I'm not against turtlenecks per se, but this sweater was taking it to a new level. 

This boat ofa neckline was impossible to tuck into a jacket, looked messy regardless of 

how meticulously I rolled and attempted to fold it into submission, so it had to go. 

Likewise with the sleeves. I am all for trumpet sleeves on elegant dresses and shirts, but on a 

thick woolen thing? Not so much. Off with the sleeves.

But resewing is more than just removing, we need to design and add things as well. 

My friend had given me a bag of baby clothes (such cute fabrics!) so I took 

the trouser-legs from a toddler outfit and attached them to the end of the sweater 

sleeves. 

Adorable. Just call me Lulu. 

Now I both wear it and love it. What more can you wish for in a simple sweater?

Zipper Time

Who? Who is designing all these clothes covered in visible zippers? Visible is the operative word her. I've spent a good portion of my life trying to master the art of hiding the damn thing, then all of a sudden they are displayed in full view. Up the legs, across the ass, three of them in a row, creating a scar down the back of an otherwise beautiful dress. Are we all dressing for a Dr Frankenstein and Mr Scissorhand convention? All I know is that I don't care of them. Just how I don't care for the sudden appearance of studs on everything either. Everything from keychains to g-strings are 'decorated' in little studs, making us look like wanna-be punks and/or Liberace . What works on one piece of clothing, let's say a dog-collar, doesn't necessarily have the desired effect on a windbreaker. The studs just makes the clothes look confused and bi-polar.

But, back to the zipper. I was recently given a lovely powder pink blouse. I'm still on a shop-stop mission, so hand-me-downs are even more appreciated than before. This blouse however, had one of those dreaded zippers. Down the side, serving no purpose other than scratch my skin every time I moved. So I removed it, sewed the blouse back up, but now it was too tight. It was like wearing a snake skin or a really big sock. Neither was the look I was going for, so I ripped up both side-seams and inserted a piece of lace. I've seen that done before, probably on one of Lady Mary's dresses. It looks good, noble almost. Playful yet decent.

Once done, I had to wear it when I went to a photography exhibition at Somerset House, followed by a Flat White hunt in Soho. It's the kind of thing you do wearing inserted lace.

This is a before picture, but I forgot to capture the zipper. It's there thought, on the left hand side. 

Not only is the zipper gone and lace in place, but I added a flattering pleat along the waist. Fitted is a good thing. 

And a close up. It was surprisingly easy, under an hour for sure. I've spent more time looking  for clothes.