Tools of the trade

We all love the latest in gadgetry or digital technology which most of us want to possess even if we don’t actually use! If you’ve ever observed an artist or trades person using their tools at work, you’ll have noticed that the tools are very simple or very special but, very well used. Painters use the same brushes over and over until the bristles have all fallen out or have broken off. Cabinet makers use the same planes, chisels and mallets that perhaps they’ve inherited or started out with. Hair stylists use their favorite scissors and combs. You get the picture.It is no different with dressmakers, tailors and couturiers. Once we’ve invested in the best tools we can afford, we use them constantly, and stay with us forever if we can help it.

A few examples of tools I mean are scissors, thimbles, sewing needles, yard sticks and tape measures. Tape measures drape around your neck, get rolled up and unrolled, the printed markings become worn, and they gain a few nicks along the edges, but getting a new one is one is just one big hassle after breaking-in the one you’ve been using properly. Yard sticks are good for setting hems, marking lines, and swatting flies when necessary.

Sewing needles sometimes become visibly plate bare in spots along the shafts, and eventually do get replaced. But to lose one is irritating bordering on disaster and finding one that became lost is a near-on victory! Using cheap needles is total waste of time because they only bend and break.

Thimbles actually become a comfortable extension of your middle finger. I’ve used very few in my career, only replacing two that acquired punctures in the tops from repeated needle pressure, and it takes a long time to warm up to a new one so I guard mine closely. They need not be pretty, but good quality metal is essential. In the studio, holding up your middle finger is not a rude gesture – it means ‘have you seen where I left my thimble?’ without speaking.

Scissors and shears become your pride and joy when you’ve invested in high quality tempered steal. Purchasing them really hurts at the time, as they’re rather expensive items – which no one else will understand the value of, and hard to justify when you’re just starting out. Good ones will last 40 to 50 years and longer if you take good care of them!

We don’t use special pattern drafting tools either, just the basics. Straight edge or T-square, triangle, pencil and eraser. We go through proper tailors chalk like crazy. Pens are banned from the studio. We use ordinary un-waxed wide width white butchers paper for drafting, only using tailors card for patterns we plan to keep and reuse – this 92lb card stock is sold in rolls and is extremely heavy and somewhat expensive.

Wonderful gadgets, fancy sewing aids and swanky drafting tools are a boon for sewing hobbyists. DIY stores offer a specialized tool for every conceivable do-it or fix-it job you might ever do at home. As appealing or impressive as they might look they’re not necessarily manufactured for the professionals. However, it seems everyone wants them and they do look terrific on the collector’s shelf!

 

featuring Eleganza Couture Fashion Show

Eleganza – Pattison Outdoor Advertising Calgary AB – visit www.couturecalgary.com

McKnight Blvd. Calgary

 

 

 

Thank you Tania Lavoie – Pattison Outdoor Advertising

 

 

 

Students of EHC will feature their latest couture projects along with vintage couture garments and new couture wedding gown at the event. Sponsors will be there supporting the event, relax and enjoy live music (see who below) with wine and nibbles!

Couture vs Labels continued: Couture

…FOR the wedding gown we assimilated all the information gathered in the consultation process and started to produce sketches putting to paper a variety of ideas. Starting with sketches too early in the couture process just creates wasted time and effort; couturiers should more or less understand their clients before putting pencil to paper. Unfortunately, what may happen in very rare cases is that the client may take the couturiers creative ideas and abscond to someone else to be constructed. If this happens the other couturier should have the integrity not to copy someone else’s designs. Fortunately, this is a rare occurrence; by the time the couturier ought to be creating sketches is when the couturier/client relationship has been well established, trust has been developed, a contract signed, and the deposit paid with the cheque cleared.

Couturiers must understand and become very familiar with their client’s preferences, needs, lifestyle, etc. and – this is a very big AND – keep it to themselves as private not-for-public-consumption as confidential as information between doctors and their patients. Fabrics are sampled and sourced to make the whole image come together with sketches. Sketching is used a technique to communicate ideas – not an end in its self – rather a means to an end. Many ideas are explored, revised and developed but, this stage has a definite duration. After which, the client approves of the design in writing before anything else is done.

What happens if the client changes her mind along the way about the design? More on that next time…

Couture vs Labels: Labels

…BACK to ready-made wedding gowns, hems always need adjustment but, the other thing that needs altering nine times out of ten is the lining. Linings of production line garments seem to be a ‘one size fits all’ component.  Beautiful gowns on the outside frequently have unsightly rippling showing through. Most people think what they see is the result of the dress being too big, in a way they’re right, but unless you are more experienced with dressmaking and tailoring you may not realize that it may only be the lining which is supposed to be exactly the same size and shape as the outside or slightly smaller.

In most ready-made garments the linings are not even seamed in the same place as the top fabric, excess fabric being only pleated in to match a seam line or folded over to take up excess lining. Let me repeat: this is NOT how it should be.  Linings should be like a second skin to the top fabric following the contours and seaming of the top fabric. Overcoats and jackets may have special ‘giving pleats’ for ease of movement when a more flexible top fabric than lining is used. Please don’t confuse a ‘lining’ with an underlay, slip or underdress to the face of the garment.

Why don’t ready-made garments have linings these days? That next time….

 

Eleganza will be featuring the very talented Sarah Vann www.sarahvann.com singing and Los Morenos www.losmorenosmusic.com live band playing at Eleganza on November 20th, at the Calgary Winter Club www.calgarywinterclub.com

 

 

 

Couture vs. Labels

The Label says you are ‘one of the girls’; Couture says: You Are The Woman.

Couture Wedding Gown

As one of the many great wearable couture items in the couture fashion event ‘Eleganza’ www.couturecalgary.com, EHC will be featuring a wedding dress – more correctly wedding “Gown” which in concept, was started in 2009.

First let me explain why ‘gown’ and not ‘dress’. A ‘dress’ is a one-piece garment for women and girls combining a bodice, with or without sleeves, and a skirt, and covering most of the body and even though the clothing is required for a particular occasion the definition and connotation doesn’t quite measure up to the distinctive occasion such as a wedding.

This ceremonial declaration of two individuals in agreement vowing to share a life of love, companionship and devotion forming a recognized legally binding relationship called marriage is a big deal – sorry – an IMMENSELY BIG DEAL. (For those of you who don’t agree – try getting yourself out of this simple little contract with your emotional and financial health intact).

Therefore, for this occasion deserves to be called a ‘gown’, an elegant dress or a woman’s full-length or formal dress worn for special occasions. This wedding gown will be modelled by the bride herself in Eleganza on November 20^th, 2011. How this couture gown evolved will be revealed in an ongoing feature…to be continued keep posted…

The Labelled wedding gown

About ready-made, made-to-measure, prêt-à-porter, and off the rack wedding gowns, these are all pre-made or manufactured on an assembly line with standard measurements no matter how unique they claim to be – at or after production may be altered to suit the buyer. In our experience with these bridal gowns no matter how close they come to fitting the bride-to-be one thing that never fits properly around the bust line is the strapless gown.

This one area either gapes losing the less-than-full bust altogether (crumb catcher), or worse presents the bust like cream puffs on a platter, with the underarm and back really MT (muffin top). Sadly, one may think this is attractive or erotic, but most women (and men if you ask them) find it vulgar or embarrassing to look at. Rather, the strapless bodice should be sensual with the fabric moulding over the bust embracing it, holding you under the arms, following around caressing the back enhancing your allure.

Why is this always a problem with ready-made? My polite guess is that when the dress is assembled on the production line, very little time is spent and little expertise employed to shape the bodice properly – straighter lines are just easier to handle. So make sure to ask your dressmaker to make certain that the strapless bodice fits properly when having alterations done. More on this later as well….

I won’t request wedding gown disaster stories – I couldn’t cope with them all, but perhaps some of your questions will be answered and problems explained as you follow EHC on this lesser traveled road called… ‘Couture’.

www.ecoleholtcouture.com

Proud sponsors of Eleganza:

 

Silent Auction prize - retreat getaway http://www.hiddensprings.ca

 

 

 

Eleganza!

Find it at:      www.couturecalgary.com

 

We are getting close to Ecole Holt Couture’s Fashion Event this year titled ‘Eleganza’. How do we choose the name for the event, you may ask? Well I could say it is a long complicated process but the truth is that the name evolves organically through discussions and ideas generated by students and staff at EHC influenced by what we have on our curriculum plate at the moment – and one day we say that’s it!

Last year ‘ONE’ seemed to be the definitive word essentially fusing the idea of ‘Couture’ and the aim of Making Changes program ‘Walk in Closet’ – helping women to be confident and distinguishable entering a competitive job market by people united in the effort. Plus, we implicitly give the ultimate credit to the ‘One’ who makes this and anything else possible. One defined came up as: Unique, Distinguishable, Essential, Basic, Core, Key, Cardinal, First, Being, Self, Spirit and Soul, A body of People in general, United, or Unified. The event last year was a success because everyone seemed to work together as one, and every one did make a difference.

This year the title ‘Eleganza’ embodies the core definition of Couture which is elegant, stylish, well-designed, chic, smart, tasteful, pleasing to the eye, beautiful, well dressed and tasteful – include the opportunity to display the craftsmanship and skills of our up and coming couturiers and ladies tailors for a worthy cause and that was it elegant extravaganza.

The worthy cause of EHC’s choice is Making Changes Association – a vibrant organization that empowers women in transition by providing relevant programs, services and resources whose goal is to help women build confidence and skills so that they can participate more fully in the community.

Making Changes Association assists over 1,200 women each year to build a better future for themselves and their families.  The organization’s strength lies in their rootedness in the community and in building collaborative partnerships and creating a more inclusive range of opportunities for women in transition. What they are able to achieve as an organization is directly related to their committed and talented volunteers and staff members, and they continue to develop new ways to deepen the impact of their services.

The Making Changes – Walk-In Closet Program provides 90 minute individual consultations on professional business attire, to women facing financial barriers who want to join the work force, return to school or engage in volunteer opportunities. In addition to information on business culture and appropriate dress, participants are offered gently used clothing and accessories, at no cost, to help them feel and look their best. Women of all ages seek service from the Walk-In Closet and have two things in common – they face financial barriers and they need appropriate business attire for interviews, new jobs, school or volunteer work.

This year we have attracted some great sponsors to this event, who support the ideals of both our organizations. We are very happy to have them on board with us and guests will have the opportunity to visit with them at the Event at their respective booths. All proceeds from Eleganza will go to Making Changes Association. At this point we are still accepting sponsors for the Event on November 20^th, 2011; please email media@ecoleholtcouture.com for more information about how to get involved.

Thank you to our Sponsors:

Beverley at Lia Sophia Jewelry http://www.liasophia.ca/sites/beverleyparkin

Kelly at Kaydee Web Design http://www.kaydee.net

Margo and Leela at Lava Hair Studio http://www.lavahairgroup.com

Val at My Day Designs http://www.mydaydesigns.com

Tania at Pattison Outdoor Advertising  http://www.pattisonoutdoor.com

Don at Smart Betty http://calgary.smartbetty.com

Jason and Val at Speedpro Signs http://airdriesigns.com  Aaron at  http://www.reddotphoto.net