Sartorial Splendor for the Mile High City

Hi People! You may remember my mentioning that I'll be going to Denver to do a demonstration for the Denver Public Library - a Tassel and Pompon-a-Thon. I'm really looking forward to it! Tickets go on sale tomorrow, for those of you who are in the area. Be sure and join me!

For the trip, I want to make myself a new suit. It's important to always look your best! I found a fun vintage hat a while back on Etsy and when it came I was inspired by it to put this outfit together.

The hat has a very peculiar texture to it. Here's a close up of it:

It reminded me of silk noil. Noil is a fabric that was popular in the 70's and 80's. It's made of the ends and scraps of silk fiber left over from making other types of silk and has a rough, nubbly texture and in the natural color, it has some flecks of brown in it.

It's a very nice weight for a suit and has a casual quality while still looking smart. I decided to use noil for my suit. Now this choice is "forward thinking" for the 1960's style I have selected to make to go with the hat, noil wasn't used regularly until the mid 70's, but that's fine. I've always been a trailblazer... I had some trouble finding silk noil in the market today. It's fallen out of fashion, I'm afraid. None of my favorite stores in the garment district stocked it in the colors I wanted. So, I turned to the internet. I eventually found it at a silk importer called Thai Silks. They have a wide variety of silk fabrics, and a nice collection of noils. They also have a 1/2 yard minimum, and their prices are very competitive. If you're looking for silk, it's a good source. (This is a genuine review of the company. I paid for my fabric purchase there)

The style I decided to make is a smart, boxy 60's suit. The jacket will be cut with a kimono sleeve. I looked for this pattern for quite a while. A kimono sleeve is cut in one with the body of the jacket, and I wanted a pattern that was fitted to the body with princess seams and an underarm seam. I eventually found it on eBay. I was lucky enough to find a pattern with the trimming detail I was looking for, so I didn't have to create it myself. The jacket will be cut in the natural color and trimmed with contrast piping in one of the colors. The sleeveless blouse will be made of the other color and trimmed in the natural. The skirt will be a simple straight skirt in the same natural as the jacket.

My first step is to make a muslin of the jacket, to make sure the pattern fits me well. Then I can cut and sew the fashion fabric. I'll be sure and check in with you to show you my progress in the coming weeks, and you'll see the final effect at my appearance in Denver - in person if you're in town, if not then in the subsequent video we shoot out there!

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