tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58599500368432438792024-03-13T14:21:29.501-07:00Appropriated EdgeDeconstructing my wardrobe, one garment at a time.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779209455660598939noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5859950036843243879.post-9877299278343863072016-02-05T05:05:00.000-08:002016-02-05T05:05:33.163-08:00Three Birds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">A parrot, a magpie and a crow all lived together in a wardrobe full of clothes.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">The parrot was bold, confident and debonaire. She adored fine tailoring, classic details and well crafted yet comfortable footwear. She believed in the enduring appeal of a woman in menswear and could never resist a good blazer. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of fashion and she never stopped talking about it. She would go on and on and on, banging on about English shoes or Jil Sander at Uniqlo or some such thing, until the other two had had enough and would tell her to shut up.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">The magpie was a tinker, resourceful and endlessly curious. Old fashioned couture, luxurious fabrics, folk textiles, anything shiny, all of it pleased her. She was incapable of walking past a shop window without pausing or leaving a junk shop without buying something, but most of all she loved to sew. She was always trying to make things she thought would please the other two but they never came out quite right and she only ever pleased herself. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">The crow was thoughtful and clever. She knew that nothing beat a well-cut, quality avant garde piece and she liked to go about undercover in a minimalist overcoat and preposterously overdesigned shoes. She secretly wished everything was black, white or navy blue, and that the other two would stop shopping so that she could afford Yohji Yamamoto. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">For a long time the crow was in charge. She only liked the kind of imaginary clothes they sold at Dover Street Market and everything else was bogus and frivolous in her opinion. She didn't see the sense in trying to make a living at it. She knew that the parrot loved to talk and the magpie was full of bright ideas, so she set the two of them to work while she stayed quietly behind the scenes. She gave the magpie a workshop to make things in and sent the parrot out into the world to sell whatever it was the magpie had made, as long as it wasn't clothes. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">This was an excellent arrangement for all three of them and for a while they made a good team. The magpie would come up with lots of mad inventions, the crow would decide which ones they would work on and the parrot would talk everyone into a frenzy of enthusiasm about them.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">Until one day when the crow burned out. "The world is changing. We can't keep up with this market!" she cried. "I'm tired of running this show. I need a rest!" She stalked out of the wardrobe and took a part-time teaching job at the art school in the next village. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">The parrot was at a loss. "With no clients to meet, when can I put on my elegant suits and perform for the public?"</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">The magpie looked up from her sewing machine. "You're never short of anything to say about clothes. Why not start a fashion blog? Why, here's a stupid pun of a domain name. You're welcome!"</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">"Excellent idea!" the parrot exclaimed, and promptly wrote a manifesto. The magpie shrugged and returned to her pintucks. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">Without the crow's guiding hand, the parrot had no staying power. After a few well received but scarcely circulated posts, she decided that blogging without an audience was thankless and she'd much rather hang out with a flock of internet parakeets where she could have a proper conversation. The magpie went and drank coffee with her friend, a blue jay who ran a small but successful atelier. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">"What's happened to the parrot?" asked the blue jay, "I really liked her blog!" </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">"I don't know. She claims to be researching social media or something" replied the magpie. "Check out this jacket I made! It's all zero waste reclaimed materials!" </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">"Ooh shiny!" said the blue jay. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">The crow, meanwhile, had been reading situationist theory and looking over the parrot's shoulder. "Fashion's changing." she observed. "Haven't you heard of normcore? You should write about that instead."</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">"Nobody wants to read philosophy!" cried the parrot. "I'm writing humorous yet informative vignettes about my outfits!"</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;"> "They won't think much of that at Dazed and Confused!" chuckled the magpie, deftly pinning the collar she was rolling. "You'll need to be far more pretentious for the serious fashion press! They're only interested in peacocks!"</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">"There <i>is</i> no serious fashion press, you featherbrain! That's the whole point!" screeched the crow and flapped away in a huff.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">The magpie turned to the parrot. "Wanna start an atelier?" </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">"Sure!" the parrot replied.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 22.08px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />The crow outvoted, the parrot and the magpie set to work. The magpie toiled away at her sewing machine, turning out prototypes for the parrot to show around the boutiques and markets. The parrot clucked away excitedly to everyone about all the pretty things the magpie had been working on. The other birds seemed impressed but nobody wanted to buy them. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">"It looks lovely, but I couldn't wear that!" tweeted the robin. "I don't have that sort of money to spend on a jacket!" chirped the blackbird. "We can sell that, but not at those prices!" sang the canary in the pop-up store. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">The parrot was silent. She liked what the magpie was coming up with but the numbers didn't add up. At last, she wandered into a shop belonging to an eminent and venerable old raven and ran her feathers sadly along rack after rack of beautiful, elegant, hopelessly expensive high-concept garments not unlike the ones the magpie had been producing.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">A glossy jackdaw was minding the till. "Why do people need so many silly outfits when they can have one really special one?" she sighed. "Nobody thinks it’s worth the investment. They all want to shop at Zara!"</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">The parrot nodded. She thought about what the crow had said about the fashion press and wondered if she didn't have a point. Crestfallen, she trudged back to the wardrobe where the crow was waiting for her, ruffling her plumage and looking agitated.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">"I've been talking to the blue jay," said the crow. "She agrees with me that you're a good writer. And you should stop listening to the magpie. She's great at making stuff but she has no vision and she can't focus. I just caught her cutting a hole in the middle of an old sweater dress and sticking her head through it for heaven’s sake!</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">"Now, if we're going to rescue this wardrobe, we have to learn to work together again. I’ve got a class to teach so hurry up and write this down: Street style is dying. Fashion is feminism. Hipsters don't exist."</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">The parrot was baffled. "What on earth are you talking about?" </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">"You and I are changing places. You're staying in the wardrobe with the magpie while I get us a book deal."</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">The parrot looked around for the magpie, who was knitting along to a YouTube instructional video, oblivious of anything around her. "Does this mean I'm in charge now?"</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.08px;">"Yes. No. I don't know. Get typing. We're going to have to wing it."</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779209455660598939noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5859950036843243879.post-2256058688998153522015-03-17T07:27:00.000-07:002015-03-18T06:19:15.659-07:00Thing #10: George Cox/Robot brothel creepers, 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I wish I could say I was cool enough to have been wearing creepers all my life. Unfortunately I'm not. Like many people, I returned to the style a few years ago when thanks to Mrs Prada the crepe sole began inching its way back into fashion favour. I bought my first pair in about 25 years from <a href="http://www.underground-england.co.uk/">Underground</a>, who along with <a href="http://www.tukshoes.co.uk/">TUK</a> are probably the best known and most easily available of the dedicated creeper brands. Being very classically minded, I went for the most basic style possible: a <a href="https://underground-shop.co.uk/creepers/barfly/single-sole-barfly-creepers-black-leather">three eyelet lace up with a pointed toe in plain black leather</a>. <br />
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Before I go any further, let me say that my mass-produced Underground creepers were very nice shoes. They were rugged and comfortable. They quickly became the indispensable workhorse on the shoe farm and I walked them into the ground. But by the time they became unwearable it was obvious that <a href="http://www.britboot.co.uk/engine/shop/product/GCR19/George+Cox+-+Black+Leather+Pointed+Toe+Creeper+%283705%29+%283+Eyelet%29">any replacement was going to have to be an upgrade</a>. It was time to go back to the source for some English bench-made quality of the kind only to be found at <a href="http://www.fredperry.com/blog/post/2012/09/24/behind-the-scenes-at-the-george-cox-factory">George Cox</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.britboot.co.uk/file/Icdirj7/58d57657-75bd-415a-b42b-8fe24af4a7e5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.britboot.co.uk/file/Icdirj7/58d57657-75bd-415a-b42b-8fe24af4a7e5.jpg" height="304" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George Cox white leather 3705 creeper,<br />
<a href="http://www.britboot.co.uk/engine/shop/product/GCR19A/George+Cox+-+White+Leather+Pointed+Toe+Creeper%283705%29%283+Eyelet%29">via The British Boot Company</a></td></tr>
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"Original" is a word that brands like to bandy about to make themselves sound important and it's almost always meaningless. But when <a href="http://www.georgecox.co.uk/index.html">George Cox</a> slap it on their creepers there might just be some truth to the claim. The style was pioneered by the company <a href="http://www.georgecox.co.uk/page7.html">as early as 1949</a> and in the years that followed the brand became known for distinctive footwear that was radical, urban and quintessentially British.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://igcdn-photos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/t51.2885-15/928341_1513009195648303_1138172164_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://igcdn-photos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/t51.2885-15/928341_1513009195648303_1138172164_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George Cox on <a href="https://instagram.com/georgecoxfootwear/">Instagram</a></td></tr>
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The rest, as they say, is history, and <a href="https://thenakedlistener.wordpress.com/2013/10/23/creepers/">what a long and (in)glorious history it's been</a>. The origins of the creeper are rooted firmly in post war counter culture, along with such styles as the winkle picker and the Beatle boot. Received wisdom has it that it's descended from the crepe soled desert boot, but probably closer to the truth is that it's the wayward offspring of a thick-soled brogue and the desert boot's louche cousin, the chukka boot. This chicken-and-egg innovation was closely associated with the <a href="http://www.edwardianteddyboy.com/page2.htm">Teddy boys</a>, the earliest of the identifiable youth groups which emerged in rebellion against austerity in the years following WWII and later morphed into Britain's teenage Rock & Roll culture in the 1950's.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.paulgormanis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/LetItRockMMMirrorpix-copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.paulgormanis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/LetItRockMMMirrorpix-copy.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malcolm McLaren walking the walk</td></tr>
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The 60's belonged to Mod and for a time rockabilly style fell out of favour, but George Cox continued to serve a loyal fan base of Teds through a network of shops throughout the UK. When Malcolm McLaren <a href="http://www.paulgormanis.com/?p=13103">approached them in 1973</a>, he had no idea the creepers were still in production. He ordered six styles to sell at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_(boutique)">Let It Rock</a>, the shop he ran with Vivienne Westwood on the Kings Road. Over the years that followed the shoe became an emblem of subversive punk styling, largely due to their influence.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://enbrogue.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/screen-shot-2013-08-10-at-14-25-37.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://enbrogue.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/screen-shot-2013-08-10-at-14-25-37.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sex Pistols. <a href="http://enbrogue.com/2013/08/10/im-in-the-band/">Always in creepers.</a></td></tr>
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Somewhere in the mid '80's, the rebellious styles associated with the New Wave began trickling down to the mainstream. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/jun/22/club-catwalk-london-fashion-1980s">The subversive edge that defined the era</a> became something to be commodified and repackaged for suburban kids hungry for glamour. By the time Underground emerged in 1987, the creeper had weathered multiple fashion cycles and was ripe for appropriation. Demand was consistent and steady, and would remain so.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="http://stylebubble.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/older/6a00e5508e95a988330154331c9def970c-640wi" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://stylebubble.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/older/6a00e5508e95a988330154331c9def970c-640wi" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Susie Bubble's <a href="http://stylebubble.co.uk/style_bubble/2011/06/creeping-florals.html">customised Underground creepers</a></td></tr>
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In the thirty years between then and now, Underground have gone from strength to strength and are now thoroughly established as leading purveyors of the mass-produced creepers so favoured by the <a href="http://stylebubble.co.uk/style_bubble/2011/06/creeping-florals.html">ingenues of the fashion blogosphere</a>. In 2012 they opened a flagship shop on Soho's trendy Berwick street, and now <a href="http://www.underground-england.co.uk/news/tag/8-berwick-street/">their shoes adorn the feet of many a bright young thing</a>. The brand has a sharp awareness of the history that keeps them on the cutting edge and they work hard to stay there.<br />
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The status of the creeper as an alt-fashion must-have was further cemented by its appearance on the catwalk at <a href="http://www.spentmydollars.com/2014/01/saint-laurent-mens-2015-online-fall-winter-2014.html">Saint Laurent in A/W 2014 menswear collection</a>. Appropriated by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedi_Slimane">Hedi Slimane</a>, a third-culture Parisian and possibly the era's leading arbiter of urban cool, the style has come a long way from its origins in Northampton. Saint Laurent's creepers, manufactured in Italy and retailing at several times the price, are at a glance almost indistinguishable from the George Cox original.<br />
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In all this time, George Cox have remained so far under the radar that it's a stretch to even describe them as a cult brand. Their online presence is devoid of almost anything resembling twenty-first century marketing. Scant reference or acknowledgement is paid to anybody who might possibly be their intended customer. And when I decided I needed a pair of English bench made brothel creepers, it quickly became clear that there was little point in trying to buy them online. The only way I was going to get them was to pay a visit to a single bricks-and-mortar store on London's Kentish Town Road.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the <a href="http://britboot.co.uk/engine/shop/index.html">British Boot Company</a></td></tr>
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When I was a teen in the 80's, creepers made by the George Cox factory in Northampton were on sale mainly at the Robot shop in Covent Garden and a legendary hole in the wall in Camden Town called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Boot_Company">Holt's</a>, known to most of us as the Doc shop, because that's what they sold. The Doc shop was the place where Joe Strummer of the Clash and Camden band Madness bought their shoes, as well as every policeman and duty nurse north of the river.<br />
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Robot is long gone even though the shoes still carry the brand name, but Holt's is still there. It's unchanged from my recollections in almost every respect except that it's now known as the <a href="http://britboot.co.uk/engine/shop/index.html">British Boot Company</a>. It's one of <a href="http://www.georgecox.co.uk/page4.html">a tiny number of George Cox retailers</a> and the only place in the UK where you can still buy the full range of premium English-made creepers manufactured in the Wellingborough factory. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robot creepers made by George Cox<br />
at the British Boot Company</td></tr>
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In a staggering irony of the kind only fashion could deliver, most of George Cox's output now finds its way onto the feet of <a href="http://www.georgecox.co.uk/press.html">the discerning street style mavens of the Far East</a>, while the British high street is flooded with copies of the iconic style imported from Asia. It's worth pondering how this reversal could have happened.<br />
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<a href="http://daddytypes.com/archive/punk_is_dad_peteski_rickyadam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://daddytypes.com/archive/punk_is_dad_peteski_rickyadam.jpg" height="221" width="320" /></a></div>
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There's a clue to be found in their respective identities. The creeper is an evergreen icon of youth culture, and young people will always demand cool over heritage. As a brand, Underground are cool as fuck. George Cox in the wrong light could easily look like something your sleazy uncle or your friend's hot dad might wear. But the gentlemen at the British Boot Company are proud to sell them and rightly so, because even Dr Martens have figured out that in a globalised market of rapid turnaround and disposable fashion, the outstanding quality and craftsmanship of English footwear simply can't be beat. You can fake anything, but you can't fake a good pair of shoes.<br />
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And compared to my now defunct Underground creepers, these are a different beast altogether. In contrast to hollow lightweight plastic glued to the shoe, George Cox creepers boast a thick welted sole made from solid crepe rubber. The uppers are full grain leather inside and out, the interlace detail on the apron intricately cut and precisely stitched. I fully expect to be wearing these shoes for many years to come.<br />
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Fashion has played a strange trick in making a cult item of a mass-produced replica while the original article remains puzzlingly obscure. Nonetheless, in an era of instant shopping gratification by Internet, it's refreshing to come across an item of such provenance that's so absurdly difficult to buy. I wouldn't be at all surprised to discover that George Cox and the British Boot Company would like to keep it that way.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779209455660598939noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5859950036843243879.post-90276805647451269722015-03-03T09:33:00.000-08:002015-03-03T12:11:17.308-08:00Signature #1: Snowflake Tattoo 3.3.2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Some images in this post are not safe for work.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-odg9bFFZYIE/VPXvBEo0kQI/AAAAAAAAAV4/0BPiuyraC-A/s1600/snowflake-ink-cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-odg9bFFZYIE/VPXvBEo0kQI/AAAAAAAAAV4/0BPiuyraC-A/s1600/snowflake-ink-cropped.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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By the time you read this, the ink will be drying on my first ever tattoo, a decorative hexagonal design based on the crystalline shapes that form when water freezes. This snowflake motif was inspired by a weekend I spent in Warsaw with a dear friend of long standing (let's call her Celine) five years ago this month. I've chosen to put it on the inside of my right upper arm, where I can display or conceal it as the fancy takes me.</div>
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Attitudes to body art have <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/jul/20/tattoos">changed significantly in the last ten years</a> with more and more people going under the needle. It's no longer considered as vulgar to sport a fine line tattoo on the forearm as it was a decade ago and if not for these changing mores I'd be unlikely to consider wearing such visible ink myself. But perhaps the question is not why permanent skin embellishment is creeping back into favour, but why it should be considered improper in the first place.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Traditional_Samoan_Tattoo_-_back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Traditional_Samoan_Tattoo_-_back.jpg" height="640" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional Samoan Pe'a tattoo, via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pe%27a">wikipedia</a></td></tr>
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The practice of injecting ink into the skin to create indelible markings has <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_tattooing">a long and not always dishonourable history</a>, with known examples dating back at least 6000 years. Traditional techniques used chisels fashioned from shell or bone, gouging the epidermis to insert pigment during long and torturous processes, with full body coverage achieved in months if not years. </div>
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The word <i>tattoo</i> is derived from the Samoan word <i>tatau</i>, meaning <a href="http://www.polynesia.com/polynesian_culture/samoa/samoan-tattoos.html">"correct" or "workmanlike"</a>. Before the arrival of Christian missionaries in the 19th century, every Samoan man would wear the traditional Pe'a design as an expression of his personhood. Reports from Cook's expeditions in the Pacific are often credited with a dramatic resurgence of interest in the art of the tattoo, and although this is almost certainly myth-making, the tribal tattoos of the Polynesian people have been among the most influential in the history of body art. They continue to worn with pride throughout the South Seas as a powerful expression of ethnic identity.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Adolfo_Farsari_(attributed)_-_103_Betto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Adolfo_Farsari_(attributed)_-_103_Betto.jpg" height="320" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Irezumi, circa 1875, via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irezumi">wikipedia</a></td></tr>
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At the other end of the spectrum, the ancient Japanese tradition of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irezumi">irezumi</a> has all but been wiped out in its native culture by its <a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2014/03/03/issues/loved-abroad-hated-at-home-the-art-of-japanese-tattooing/">associations with criminality</a>. An 80 year prohibition on body art drove it underground and led to its adoption by the feared Yakuza gangsters. By the time the ban was lifted by occupying forces after WWII, the damage had been done. Today, displaying a visible tattoo can lead to life-changing consequences not only in Japan but elsewhere in the Far East. In spite of this, irezumi survives underground, with <a href="http://www.tattooinjapan.com/">a tiny number of masters still practicing</a>, and its refined artistic technique has made it one of the most popular styles in Western culture. </div>
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Conflicted attitudes in multicultural societies can lead to a confused response among communities in diaspora, as Margaret Cho discovered when she was <a href="http://jezebel.com/5992256/in-a-room-full-of-naked-koreans-margaret-chos-body-is-an-unwelcome-sight">ostracised by other customers at a Korean sauna in Los Angeles</a>. Clearly, her heavily tattooed body was too much for the older generation and she was asked to cover up. In all fairness, given the cultural context, the tattooed man Cho spotted in the gym area may well have been a gangster, in which case no staff in their right mind would have asked him to hide his ink. Even so, the loud assertion of I'M MARGARET CHO should be enough to cow anyone into submission.</div>
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In spite of the body shaming agendas of naysayers, tattoos have grown in popularity in the 21st century, with anything from a quarter to a third of adults in any given demographic sporting ink and the fastest growing group being <a href="http://www.tattooartist.com/history.html">young suburban women</a>, to whom the relatively low cost of acquiring a small piece of wearable art has made it more attractive. And although permanence can lead to second thoughts among youngsters, research indicates that <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/01/many-women-get-tattoos-po_n_889026.html">older people are less likely to regret getting inked</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GS_-9gbW1j4/VPMFDazVidI/AAAAAAAAAUo/DGAu0-dPM7U/s1600/TVqwu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GS_-9gbW1j4/VPMFDazVidI/AAAAAAAAAUo/DGAu0-dPM7U/s1600/TVqwu.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
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It seems natural that many of our reasons for wearing artwork on our skin would line up alongside all those things we seek to express with our clothes, such as personal identity, status or membership of a group. But there's another aspect to these permanent markings that goes beyond fashion and cuts straight to the heart of the human condition. For many people, tattoos bear the existential significance of the life experiences that define who we are.<br />
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Which brings me back to Celine, my old muckerina and partner in crime.<br />
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We first met as scared 11 year olds in the first weeks of secondary school. Neither of us enjoyed the place very much and the early years of our acquaintance as teenagers was awkward and often fraught. Nevertheless, we endured that difficult rite of passage together and our friendship matured as we reached adulthood. And although it proved hard for me to keep up with other folk back home we somehow survived my move to Amsterdam.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warsaw 14-03-2010</td></tr>
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Our trip to Warsaw was one of a number of excursions we made together to various European destinations between 2010 and 2013. We spent two days wandering around eating, drinking and generally making merry, negotiating several inches of late winter snow to discover the magic of a beautiful and endlessly surprising city.<br />
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Celine had been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2009 and given a five year sentence. She was forty years old. She'd quit her lucrative but stressful job in investment banking, cashed in her life insurance and was spending the time she had left facing her illness with the kind of courage and dignity that I doubt I'll be able to muster when the time comes, and living as well as only she knew how.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">27-08-2014</td></tr>
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Celine passed away at the end of last summer just over six months ago. She would have turned 46 last week. One of the last things she did before she died was to buy a few tiny keepsakes for her friends to remember her by. She gave me a little snowflake to commemorate that late snowfall, which I wear on a bracelet. In the weeks after her death it was very comforting to have close by.<br />
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Needless to say I soon discovered how impractical it was to wear such a fragile thing all the time and I wanted to put it somewhere I could see it and I wouldn't loose it. I designed a snowflake that I could always wear in memoriam, a simple thing made up of six wine goblets in honour of all the glasses we'd raised together, grouped around the empty space she left behind when she departed.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2xgNGEQRndg/VPL8hLuC5nI/AAAAAAAAAUY/9iwJa-WU2z0/s1600/snowflake.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2xgNGEQRndg/VPL8hLuC5nI/AAAAAAAAAUY/9iwJa-WU2z0/s1600/snowflake.png" /></a></div>
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But there's another reason to commemorate the Warsaw trip, which is an incident which occurred before we even arrived there. We were travelling from Amsterdam on the overnight train in a shared double compartment, with me on the top bunk and Celine on the bottom. Sleep is fitful in even the most luxurious of rail carriages, and I spent the night drifting in and out of consciousness to the sound of squeaking wheels and rattling axels.<br />
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Somewhere around Berlin I distinctly recall something unspeakable, familiar from a thousand childhood nightmares, emerging from under the berth and climbing all over my legs. I woke up screaming for help. Of course, there was nobody but Celine in the berth below. She hadn't been sleeping deeply and my nightmare woke her up too. After chemotherapy she always had a certain fearlessness about her and she thought it was hilarious that I'd been disturbed by something so juvenile. She teased me about it all weekend.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j08hbJb9pmk/VPMSfej-57I/AAAAAAAAAVc/fbu97nO3eMk/s1600/monster2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j08hbJb9pmk/VPMSfej-57I/AAAAAAAAAVc/fbu97nO3eMk/s1600/monster2.jpg" height="287" width="320" /></a></div>
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I can't help but wonder about that hideous creature that crawled out from under the berth on the train, a being so universal that almost everyone has seen it and<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> would recognise it if they saw it again. I'm quite skeptical by nature, but sometimes I can't help but be touched by coincidence. Celine was one of those people who saw ghosts, or at least believed she did. And if so many of us have seen that thing, then what is it?</span><br />
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The artist in me thrills and recoils at such a tangible manifestation of the disease that killed her growing quietly inside, waiting for the moment to finally rise up and steal her future. When I think of it now, it's not with the terror and desperation that woke me up, but with the ice cold grief that comes from the certainty that in the end we are all just meltwater, and a fragile, crystalline determination to live.
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<a href="http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/photos3/w050118b041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/photos3/w050118b041.jpg" height="292" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="color: #141923;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Thanks are due to Angie at <a href="http://youlookfab.com/">YouLookFab.com</a> for her insightful commentary on attitudes in </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span>Far<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> East and to the magnificent ladies in </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> forum for their support during this cathartic process. And to <a href="https://instagram.com/joeydeboer/">Joey De Boer</a> at <a href="http://haarbarbaar.nl/">HaarBarbaar</a> for his fine work with </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> needle.</span></span></i><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779209455660598939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5859950036843243879.post-60482032708904093832015-02-23T07:46:00.000-08:002015-02-23T07:46:31.903-08:00Thing #8: 1970s Vintage Pea Coat, sourced 2008<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sP8uN3g-icM/VNZCHkeHunI/AAAAAAAAAQg/nATqURtddgw/s1600/IMG_5561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sP8uN3g-icM/VNZCHkeHunI/AAAAAAAAAQg/nATqURtddgw/s1600/IMG_5561.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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I once spent several weeks during the run-up to Christmas stranded on the couch after a cycling accident. With nothing better to do than surf the Internet I did all my gift shopping online and bought a winter coat. I looked at many examples, new and vintage, from many different sources and I passed up a number of brand new mid-range coats to buy this one. I've not regretted it for a moment. They really don't make 'em like this anymore.<br />
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Buying vintage online can be a gamble when you can't be sure what you're looking at. Used garments rarely declare their quality in amateur photos taken by independent dealers. It's far harder to assess fit when all you have are a vendor's measurements. How can you tell how fabric feels from an image on a screen? All you can do is use your imagination and trust your experience. </div>
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The pictures were not a recipe for love at first sight. But something about it prompted me to bookmark and return to it for a closer look. The subtle silhouette, the structure in the shoulder, the detail on the collar. And the deal breaker: boiled wool. But I'll come to that.<br />
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The history and provenance of this coat are hard to pin down. The label identifies the origin as the long forgotten Miss A.J. by Arthur Jay. A few examples by the same brand are floating around the Internet's vintage and second hand dealers, flaunting some fine materials and covetable styling. Vendors are generally agreed that they originate somewhere in the 70's, but their refined cuts and obvious quality stand the test of time.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Gray-Black-Tweed-Faux-Fur-Trench-Coat-70-039-s-Label-Miss-AJ-By-Arthur-Jay-/151510284439?nma=true&si=HKHhmunc3WcDPYffJILadS%252BnMME%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gQXCcx_-_5w/VNtKWvj-7tI/AAAAAAAAARE/sdwISIIXKOc/s1600/%24_57.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rPmJ9gfZm0M/VNtO5mifltI/AAAAAAAAARQ/XqAIyxx_9pY/s1600/il_fullxfull.507428239_g1r9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rPmJ9gfZm0M/VNtO5mifltI/AAAAAAAAARQ/XqAIyxx_9pY/s1600/il_fullxfull.507428239_g1r9.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Miss AJ in tweed and faux fur on <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Gray-Black-Tweed-Faux-Fur-Trench-Coat-70-039-s-Label-Miss-AJ-By-Arthur-Jay-/151510284439?nma=true&si=HKHhmunc3WcDPYffJILadS%252BnMME%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557">ebay</a> and in embroidered wool on <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/164266168/vintage-rovercoat-by-arthur-jay-1970s?ref=market">Etsy</a></span></div>
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The most striking feature of these three very different coats is just how similar they are in profile. They all share the same qualities that drew me to the first example: timeless tailoring, detailed execution, quality materials. I don't think it's an accident that all three were listed in excellent condition. And all bar the styling details virtually the same model: a gracefully structured A-line with an extended collar. What's not to like?</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hG6K08Jj0Uc/VNtRf8iiqAI/AAAAAAAAARc/__ZR2ZFy1Gg/s1600/il_570xN.507369278_ha1s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hG6K08Jj0Uc/VNtRf8iiqAI/AAAAAAAAARc/__ZR2ZFy1Gg/s1600/il_570xN.507369278_ha1s.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hZWUi7_DRtg/VNtRgkhcGTI/AAAAAAAAARo/_gQ3dkOXs5w/s1600/il_fullxfull.40947526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hZWUi7_DRtg/VNtRgkhcGTI/AAAAAAAAARo/_gQ3dkOXs5w/s1600/il_fullxfull.40947526.jpg" height="320" width="195" /></a></div>
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It makes sense for a business to return to a successful model over a number of seasons, reimagining it in multiple styles and allowing it to become part of the brand's identifiable DNA until it evolves into something else. By the time these coats hit the streets this shape had already been around for a number of years, becoming a recognisable part of the contemporary language of womenswear and diverging into the softer form associated with the 70's.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.europeanafashion.eu/files/2014/06/51834-587-800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://blog.europeanafashion.eu/files/2014/06/51834-587-800.jpg" height="400" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Structured A-line coat, circa 1966</td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ntV430aRtGg/VOfcso54C_I/AAAAAAAAATA/AJL_pvG6sxk/s1600/IMG_5550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ntV430aRtGg/VOfcso54C_I/AAAAAAAAATA/AJL_pvG6sxk/s1600/IMG_5550.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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A little restoration work, a fresh lining and a new set of buttons introduce a more forward-looking military style, propelling a vintage coat into the 21st century. And so the style marches on. The moment I fear that a grey military peacoat might fall out of favour, one of the great magpies of contemporary fashion takes hold of it and makes it over, giving it a whole new lease of life. I breathe a sigh of relief and my coat is good for another five years' wear.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/aa419/lefashion/9271B6CD-4544-4A15-A162-97B31DDBA6FE-9818-00000749B3AE7F22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/aa419/lefashion/9271B6CD-4544-4A15-A162-97B31DDBA6FE-9818-00000749B3AE7F22.jpg" height="400" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Caroline de Maigret in </div>
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<a href="http://lefashionimage.blogspot.nl/2012/10/caroline-de-maigret-isabel-marant-david.html">Isabel Marant's "David" peacoat</a></div>
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We like to imagine that commercial fashion moves very quickly nowadays, and in terms of time to market it certainly does. But compared to the era that produced these garments, it's been moving very slowly indeed for at least twenty years. The wide variety and breakneck speed of the market has made it all but impossible for discernible new forms to gain traction long enough to evolve. A design originating in the mid sixties remains perfectly wearable half a century later.<br />
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Except in one area, which continues to innovate.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HDpjavNAsVE/VOsrbdfDlRI/AAAAAAAAATQ/-wt8i0x57d4/s1600/41456973FW_14_F.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HDpjavNAsVE/VOsrbdfDlRI/AAAAAAAAATQ/-wt8i0x57d4/s1600/41456973FW_14_F.jpg" height="320" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moncler <a href="http://store.moncler.com/nl/coat_cod41456973fw.html">Torcy</a> coat</td></tr>
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Mainstream retailers serve up no end of lightweight, practical quilted jackets in the winter, with the inevitable result that fashion defaults to gear when the weather kicks in. We have little choice but to freeze to death or swaddle ourselves in down like chic Michelin men. The tragedy is that we've all but forgotten there ever was a choice to begin with.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/USMC_uniforms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/USMC_uniforms.jpg" height="243" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Service and Dress Uniforms of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniforms_of_the_United_States_Marine_Corps">US Marine Corps</a></td></tr>
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I've written before about <a href="http://approprio.blogspot.nl/2014/12/thing-6-artisanal-tartan-jumper.html">wool's traditional uses as performance wear for extreme conditions</a>, and boiled, felted wool is unrivalled for its warmth and water resistant properties. It's relatively unusual to find it in fashion garments (a great loss to the contemporary winter wardrobe) but it's widely used for military dress uniforms, where its embellishment signifies rank and status. If a faux military pea coat is the attire of an effete officer class, then the down jacket must surely be the utilitarian battle dress for people in action.<br />
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This divergence of practical application from high fashion reflects the changing roles of women over the half century that has passed since those earlier versions of my coat first appeared. We can see this in representations of two very different women who might wear one or the other.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gxlp-A-gorE/VOs45RkHN3I/AAAAAAAAATg/R55F8QrX7bY/s1600/Megan-draper-houndstooth.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gxlp-A-gorE/VOs45RkHN3I/AAAAAAAAATg/R55F8QrX7bY/s1600/Megan-draper-houndstooth.png" height="200" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://flavorwire.com/458866/why-mad-men-fans-want-megan-draper-to-die">Megan Draper</a></td></tr>
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In the mid-sixties, a mod pea coat with military styling might well have found its way onto the back of the trophy wife of a Madison Avenue advertising executive, like the beautiful, mercurial and much maligned <a href="http://flavorwire.com/458866/why-mad-men-fans-want-megan-draper-to-die">Megan Draper</a>. But by the end of the century, a quilted parka is the best possible option for a woman with real work to do, such as committed police officer and mum-to-be <a href="http://www.empireonline.com/100-greatest-movie-characters/default.asp?c=75">Marge Gunderson</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NnGtKaf4Cgo/VOs5aB9DIkI/AAAAAAAAATo/QHrZ6tkmMAI/s1600/marge-gunderson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NnGtKaf4Cgo/VOs5aB9DIkI/AAAAAAAAATo/QHrZ6tkmMAI/s1600/marge-gunderson.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.empireonline.com/100-greatest-movie-characters/default.asp?c=75">Marge Gunderson</a></td></tr>
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Hence, mainstream culture offers up two distinct identities with the implicit expectation that we can make a straightforward choice between them. In the eyes of the world, between the degenerate glamour of Megan and the virtuous practicality of Marge runs a middle ground which is harder than ever for the modern woman to navigate.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779209455660598939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5859950036843243879.post-4727215990602695172015-02-09T02:36:00.000-08:002015-02-09T06:05:22.422-08:00Thing #7: Ralph Rucci Pin Tuck Dress, completed 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cXvRxPUtcZM/VNampAHC7mI/AAAAAAAAAQw/jnS98gkNjbU/s1600/IMG_6148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cXvRxPUtcZM/VNampAHC7mI/AAAAAAAAAQw/jnS98gkNjbU/s1600/IMG_6148.jpg" height="320" width="160" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hXZ3l8a5wZ8/VNPcS3olGII/AAAAAAAAAQE/Cqu1HIIxDW8/s1600/IMG_6150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hXZ3l8a5wZ8/VNPcS3olGII/AAAAAAAAAQE/Cqu1HIIxDW8/s1600/IMG_6150.jpg" height="320" width="160" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Appropriated Edge has been woefully silent for a month or so, during which I've been learning some valuable lessons in the art of community engagement, an essential life skill for an aspiring blogger. Here on the Internet, we all have the potential to become part of a shared global conversation in which we are both content providers and audience members, an ideal which collapses when all that time you spent engaging with the community has kept you from updating your blog. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So I've decided to begin again with the garment which in a roundabout way inspired me to start this enterprise in </span>the<span style="font-family: inherit;"> first place, a project which I began as 2014 was drawing to a close. T</span>his is the <a href="http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v1073-products-9193.php?page_id=315">Ralph Rucci pin tuck dress</a>, <span style="font-family: inherit;">a notoriously complicated piece of home couture which I would probably never have attempted without the inspiration of <a href="http://blog.cyberdaze.org/">one particularly talented sewing blogger</a>. </span><br />
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I sew for all kinds of reasons, chief among them being that I get to make things like this. My lifelong fascination with all things sartorial is due in no small part to three decades of sewing experience, and a great deal of what I know I owe to <a href="http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/patterns-by-designer-pages-176.php">Vogue McCalls' designer patterns</a>. Rucci's designs have long been a feature of this collection, which has in the past published couture by such luminaries as Oscar de la Renta and Alexander McQueen for Givenchy. At their finest they challenge in the making, reward in the wearing, and are one of the best ways for the non-professional to see inside the process of high fashion garment creation.<br />
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The Internet has radically extended the possibilities for individuals to take control of production, and it's no accident that its rise coincided with a resurgence of interest in the craft of dressmaking. We now have the potential to communicate, share tips and source materials in a way that was impossible twenty years ago. The knock-on effect of shows such as <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03myqj2">The Great British Sewing Bee</a>, which began again this week, pushes it ever further into the mainstream.<br />
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Big business can't help but recognise this as a threat and attempt to work around it. In an unparalleled feat of mansplaining, Fortune 500 alumnus Stefan Engeseth has recently been pontificating on how <a href="http://www.style.com/trends/industry/2014/ikea-fashion">Swedish flat-pack giant Ikea</a> might <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2014/nov/03/could-ikea-style-flatpack-clothes-be-the-future-of-fashion">muscle in for a piece of the action,</a> as if repackaging entry level sewing like a piece of self-assembly furniture wasn't reinventing the wheel and would actually fill a gap in the market. This idea demonstrates a fundamental lack of appreciation for the basics of garment construction (for a moment I even wondered if he wore clothes) and possibly a misanthropic desire for the total commodification of creative expression in personal style.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.weburbanist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/ikea-help.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://img.weburbanist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/ikea-help.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ikea Germany send themselves up, via <a href="http://weburbanist.com/2012/04/23/ikea-culture-20-fanatical-fan-ads-art-design/">weburbanist</a></td></tr>
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Engeseth's bizarre proposal also disregards the fact that for many people sewing is an addictive end in itself. We sew to make things we can't buy in the shops. Mass-produced prepackaged kits are unlikely to deliver much more than a grim appreciation for the monotonous, back-breaking work that goes into fast fashion and would most likely serve as a gateway drug to the harder stuff. It doesn't take long to tire of two seams and a waistband and move on to intricate patterns and fine materials. Many of us will take on the laborious construction of garments we have no prospect of ever wearing purely for the challenge, the sense of achievement and the subsequent Internet bragging rights.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://showstudio.com/img/images/56201-56400/56391_960n.jpg?1332063729" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://showstudio.com/img/images/56201-56400/56391_960n.jpg?1332063729" height="320" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://showstudio.com/project/design_download_alexander_mcqueen/image_gallery">Alexander McQueen's kimono jacket</a></td></tr>
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There's no better example of this than <a href="http://showstudio.com/project/design_download_alexander_mcqueen">Alexander McQueen’s kimono jacket</a>, inspired by a garment from the late genius's 2003 collection. This pattern, available for download, is notorious for the complexity of its pleating detail, the paucity of its instructions, and its tiny one-size-fits-nobody dimensions. This hasn't stopped hoards of seamstresses taking it on, posting the results and <a href="https://blithestitches.wordpress.com/tutorials-tips-and-tricks/tutorial-de-mystifying-alexander-mcqueens-kimono-jacket/">crucially improving on the construction manual.</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://showstudio.com/img/texts/1-200/143_480n.jpg?1311439960" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://showstudio.com/img/texts/1-200/143_480n.jpg?1311439960" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the haute couture sausage making factory</td></tr>
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But if Alexander McQueen’s kimono jacket is the Mount Everest of home sewing, the Pin Tuck Dress must surely its Siula Grande. This is the road less travelled, the one that’s defeated armies of experienced dressmakers, the one where no-one has posted a picture of a completed garment. Blog posts tackling the project peter out ominously before the end, never to be seen or heard of again.<br />
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<a href="http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v1073-products-9193.php?page_id=315"><img border="0" src="http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/filebin/images/product_images/Add_2_Full/V1073.jpg" height="400" width="378" /></a></div>
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This pattern makes you wonder who might be foolish enough to try it. You buy it out of curiosity and get it out to look at occasionally, asking yourself who on earth has the skill and patience to sew all those pin tucks. Then one day you discover that someone has actually made it. <a href="http://blog.cyberdaze.org/2011/09/25/the-ultimate-sleeves/">Her brain is melting</a>. <a href="http://blog.cyberdaze.org/2011/10/09/winter-white-vogue-1073-pictures-at-last/">She hasn’t talked about anything else for a month.</a> But the dress looks amazing. And that’s the moment you realise that the next deranged sewist to try to conquer those dizzying heights will be you.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.23hq.com/6812795/7350358_a8f8d4ba530d0a10b91555ceedfe4496_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.23hq.com/6812795/7350358_a8f8d4ba530d0a10b91555ceedfe4496_large.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The amazing <a href="http://blog.cyberdaze.org/2011/10/09/winter-white-vogue-1073-pictures-at-last/">Ms Daze</a> and <br />
her all-conquering pin-tucks</td></tr>
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If you're here for my musings on style and identity and have no interest in nerdy construction details, you can stop reading now and watch this video of Ralph Rucci's Spring 2015 show. This spring's Vogue collection <a href="http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v1437-products-49519.php">features a look</a> from his <a href="http://www.style.com/slideshows/fashion-shows/spring-2014-ready-to-wear/ralph-rucci/collection/26">2014 collection</a>, so I'm very curious to see which if any of these models will show up next in next year's catalogue.<br />
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Are they distracted? Good. Sewing geeks gather round. What I’m about to share is all about helping you avoid PTSD, aka Pin Tuck Stitching Disaster.<br />
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What makes this pattern so daunting and so seductive are the pin tucks that wrap around the dress giving it such a graceful form and structure. Nothing else about the project should be particularly challenging to the skilled dressmaker and when it comes down to it the pin tucks aren’t that difficult either. But the pattern instructions are woefully inadequate in this regard, and the blogosphere rings with the sound of silence, so I’ll describe in detail the process that worked for me. All depends on making the right choices and no shortcuts, because there really is no place to hide.<br />
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<h3>
Choice of fabric</h3>
I used poly-viscose scuba knit, a very dense, fine-gauge elastane double knit fabric with a generous two way stretch and 100% recovery. I think this choice more than anything was crucial to success on this project because it’s very forgiving. It didn’t pucker around the pin tucks, it recovered its shape after sewing and it took a fair amount of punishment when I needed to unpick and rework. I wouldn’t want to try this with a material that doesn’t have these properties and all the tucks came out looking like ribs in the best possible way.<br />
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Preparation</h3>
I marked out the tucks with tailor tacks from the paper pattern and then thread traced them using these markings. This was time-consuming but well worth the effort, because the fabric always folded easily and accurately along the line of thread.<br />
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Shaping and sewing the tucks</h3>
To form the tucks I folded along the traced lines, pinning transverse to the longer tucks on the sleeves and dress body and basting them on the shoulders. Then I pressed before stitching. All tucks were stitched with a single needle and an edge stitching foot. I don’t think a double needle would be any help here, certainly not on the tight corners.<br />
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Crossing the shoulder seam</h3>
To sew transverse to the shoulder seam, I cut a notch into the seam allowance directly underneath the line of the tuck. This gave the space to fold the fabric perpendicularly, eliminating undesirable bulk without compromising the integrity of the seam.<br />
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Tight corners!</h3>
The hardest place to sew the tucks is where they curve tightly over the collar bone on either side of the shoulder. I tried a few different methods on remnants before tackling them on the garment pieces (practise, practise, practise!) and this is what seemed to work best.<br />
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I sewed the tucks on either side of the corners before sewing the corners themselves. Then I carefully folded the curve, stretching the fabric as far as I could around the inside of the corner while guiding it gently under the foot, and using the tucks at either side of the corner to guide me.<br />
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Catherine’s tip of <a href="http://blog.cyberdaze.org/2011/09/21/can-haz-pintucks/">sewing with the inside of the curve uppermost</a> didn't work at all with this bulky material, and I found it easier the other way around so as to control the fullness of the fabric and prevent wrinkling. I think it's worth trying both ways and seeing what works for you.<br />
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Pinning or basting didn’t seem to help much here either, in fact it seemed to make wrinkling worse, so in the end I sewed these tucks freestyle. They are not terribly accurate but I am fairly happy with the result, particularly given how much unpicking and reworking was needed.<br />
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I've posted a <a href="http://sewing.patternreview.com/review/pattern/107794">supplementary review</a> on sewing.patternreview if you want to know more. <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779209455660598939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5859950036843243879.post-1714345804094541942014-12-23T04:55:00.000-08:002015-02-23T06:13:04.158-08:00Thing #6: Artisanal Tartan Jumper, purchased 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lqMnVUzdxsY/VJiovUK4DRI/AAAAAAAAAPU/REZ72pe9pDk/s1600/IMG_5732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lqMnVUzdxsY/VJiovUK4DRI/AAAAAAAAAPU/REZ72pe9pDk/s1600/IMG_5732.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After my <a href="http://approprio.blogspot.nl/2014/11/thing-2-pringle-1815-jumper-circa-2007.html">investigation of Pringle</a> and its reinvention as an international fashion brand, I decided to show you the real deal. A genuine Scottish jumper, tartan no less, knitted in East Lothian and purchased last year at <a href="http://ww.facebook.com/pages/Macraes-of-Edinburgh/">Macraes of Edinburgh</a> at the bottom end of the Royal Mile, where <a href="http://www.scottofficer.com/">Scott Officer's</a> gorgeous hand-framed intarsia sweaters had a small cult following among the neighbours. I later discovered on a subsequent trip that its riff on the <a href="http://www.scotlandshop.com/tartan.aspx/Macleod-Hunting-Modern-Tartan-12801">Hunting MacLeod tartan</a> appears on more or less every carpet in every guest house in the country, making it the perfect nominee for the title of Appropriated Edge Christmas Jumper 2014. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This wool-silk mix jumper is so far removed from the vagaries of high fashion and the ubiquities of the high street that it probably shouldn't exist at all. In fact, it's tempting to say that it lives outside of fashion entirely and any attempt to recontextualize it as an objet de la mode is bound to be fruitless. But I'm going to try anyway.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/1/1/2951-scottish-tartan-wool-sweater.html">Buy the jumper!</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For the sake of bloggage, I discovered it <a href="http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/1/1/2951-scottish-tartan-wool-sweater.html">improbably on sale on the National Geographic website</a> for the bargain price of $60 (marked down from $180). I wish I could send you off to buy it, but it's only available now in a ginormous size XXL. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It is </span><a href="http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/1/1/2951-scottish-tartan-wool-sweater.html#ReviewHeader" style="font-family: inherit;">helpfully reviewed by blokes with names like Charles the Banjoist</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, who uses it during cold days, and Joe, who declares Anythig Scotish is Good (sic) with which I cannot argue.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The </span><a href="http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/blog/scott-officer/" style="font-family: inherit;">accompanying blog post</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> calls to mind an image of pre-industrial pastoral manufacture in which each jumper is lovingly framed on hand-operated machinery in a crofter's cottage rich with the fragrance of wood smoke and winter leaf mulch.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A few miles down the road in Hawick and a world away in fashion terms, <a href="http://www.businessoffashion.com/2014/07/new-state-scottish-knitwear.html">Scotland's luxury knitwear industry is radically reinventing itself</a>, adjusting to a reality which now expects high fashion in place of grand heritage. </span>The skill and quality on offer in these small factories lends itself perfectly to the demands of haute couture, along with the<span style="font-family: inherit;"> commitment to artisanal production which is now integral to the operation of what's left of the country's textile industry. In the aftermath of the race to the bottom that caused the demise of Pringle and others not so long ago, it</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">leads to higher standards all round and, one would hope, a more authentic product.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One such example are </span><a href="http://www.barrie.com/en/" style="font-family: inherit;">Barrie Knitwear</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, who have long worked with Chanel to produce their iconic two-tone cardigans and are now a fully owned subsidiary of the French couture giant. This year saw Barrie produce tricot for the double-C's much-vaunted </span><a href="http://www.stylebubble.co.uk/style_bubble/2013/05/the-paris-edimbourg-knitwear-trail.html" style="font-family: inherit;">Paris-Edimbourg line</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> as well as their eponymous range, both under the creative direction of Karl Lagerfeld. The Highland inspired </span>collection<span style="font-family: inherit;"> featured plaid, Argyle and fair-isle designs worked into </span>sumptuous<span style="font-family: inherit;"> luxury knits for the delectation of Chanel's moneyed clientele. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's well known by now that modern tartan and its association with the clans is in fact a nineteenth century invention fuelled in part by </span><a href="http://plaidpetticoats.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/the-spirit-of-waterloo-tartan-in.html" style="font-family: inherit;">romantic notions about Scottish identity as propagated by writer Walter Scott</a>. I<span style="font-family: inherit;">t's not such a huge leap from there to yet more reimagining of an elite heritage which never really existed into a froufrou confection as seen through the gimlet eye of King Karl. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kilt - real tartan for real men.</td></tr>
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The reality of tartan as signifier of a more quotidian national self-image is <a href="http://theconversation.com/thistles-and-tartan-the-fun-and-games-of-scottish-identity-29026">somewhat more contentious</a>. Scotland's status as a nation is bound up with its complicated, conflicted relationship with Westminster and the rest of the United Kingdom, as came into sharp focus during 2014's closely fought referendum. In this context, the kilt, and by extension tartan itself, becomes a form of battle dress and a universal symbol of rebellious masculinity.<br />
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Which brings me to the many, manifold reasons a woman has for shopping the men's department, particularly when it comes to knitwear. While womenswear offers endless variety and all the possibilities for role-play that brings with it, men's knitwear delivers no-nonsense quality, practicality and bang for the buck, perpetually at odds with the effete affectations of high fashion. In short, if you can pull it off without feeling frumpy, dressing like a man will make you look tough.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ernest Hemmingway and woolly jumper</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A chunky jumper like this one is the very antithesis of the sleek, luxurious cashmere manufactured in Hawick. It is <a href="http://www.theblogazine.com/2012/11/the-fisherman-sweater-from-function-to-fashion/">the grandaddy of performance wear</a>. Long before we had Gore-Tex or recycled plastic fleeces, waterproof Aran and Guernsey jumpers <a href="http://gansey.blogspot.nl/2011/09/spinning-and-knitting-in-grease.html">knitted in the grease</a> were a protective essential for fishermen braving the arctic conditions of the North Sea. This is Original Gear for Real Men, hardened outdoorsmen risking their lives and pitting themselves against Nature knowing they may perish in the process.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ernest Shackleton and friend</td></tr>
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A woman who puts on such a garment sidesteps any reference to her sexuality and declares herself ready for anything. When <span style="font-family: inherit;">Sofie Gråbøl (it rhymes with trouble) chose a </span>traditional Faroe sweater by <a href="http://www.gudrungudrun.com/">Gudrun & Gudrun</a> for her portrayal of<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2011/mar/10/the-killing-sophie-grabol-sarah-lund">tough-as-boots detective Sarah Lund in The Killing</a>, she channelled the police officer's boundless self-confidence and fiercely idiosyncratic nature. This was a fearless jumper, one that would walk into abandoned buildings with no backup and only a sidearm for company.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah Lund and sidearm</td></tr>
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But as Gråbøl points out, the sweater also tells another story of comfort and security, with a pattern which denotes a collective identity very much like the tartan.<br />
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"I wore this sweater and so did my parents. That sweater was a sign of believing in togetherness. There's a nice tension between those soft, human values and Lund being a very tough closed person – because to me it says that she's wanting to sit around a fire with a guitar; it gives a great opposite to her line of work and behaviour."</blockquote>
Little wonder then that the jumper really was the surprise star of the show. Armoured on the outside and soft on the inside, Sarah Lund proves that a winter woolly can be a symbol of a very female kind of toughness. She doesn't need to telegraph her authority, she just has to show up to the game.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779209455660598939noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5859950036843243879.post-88668441883048431512014-12-15T02:33:00.000-08:002014-12-15T02:35:16.315-08:00Thing #5: Vintage Andean poncho, acquired 2003<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This poncho is the sartorial equivalent of a holiday snapshot: a traditional textile purchased on vacation in Peru. We walked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, ate piranha ceviche on the Amazon, and went shopping for blankets in Cusco.<br />
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In the space of a few seasons, wearing a blanket has gone from fringe (ahem) trend to completely normalised in fashion land, thanks to Louis Vuitton's <a href="http://us.louisvuitton.com/eng-us/products/monogram-blanket-001343">eyewateringly expensive throws</a> and Burberry Prorsum's faintly ridiculous <a href="http://www.bohomoth.com/2014/02/18/lfw-fw-2014-the-most-ridiculous-must-have-item-this-year-is-monogrammed-ponchos/">monogrammed security blankets</a>. Suffice to say that this was absolutely not the case when I bought this over ten years ago.<br />
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But I'll say it upfront, if my wardrobe were to catch fire, this unique piece would be one of the first things I'd rescue. Its controversial status as a fashion item has never bothered me particularly when for every snide remark from one onlooker there's always been a gasp of admiration from another. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and this is no ordinary blanket.<br />
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The textiles of Peru are among the most prized in the world, not least due to their cultural significance which is tied inexorably to a history that goes back thousands of years. Weaving as an art form survived colonisation by the Spanish and the incorporation of European motifs, and continues to be central to the identity of indigenous communities in the Andes. Throughout the continent, the <a href="http://www.thesartorialist.com/?s=peru">colourful clothing</a> of Native South America serve as a reminder of a pre-Columbian imperial heritage and a powerful expression of the past.<br />
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These intricate textiles have long been used as clothing, furnishings, status symbols and trading goods. Spinning and weaving skills, handed down through generations, were a route to economic and cultural empowerment for women providing income for their families, and among the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mapuche#Textiles">Mapuche people</a> of Chile, an expert weaver could receive a larger dowry from her suitor than she would be expected to pay herself.<br />
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Yarn spun from the fleece of the alpaca is hand-dyed with vegetable pigments. The cochineal beetle is the source of the vivid carmine red which dominates the designs. The manual weaving process uses a primitive back strap loom and a poncho like mine would take many, many days to produce.<br />
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From outside South America it's all too easy to dissociate the imagery of these pre-Columbian art forms from the realities of contemporary life in the region. Away from the context of their extraordinary legacy, the rich patterns of Andean textiles can appear quaint, like picture postcards or museum pieces rather than vibrant expressions of a living culture. They become a commodity of fashion, as desirably ephemeral as a souvenir of a winter vacation and they proliferate on an industrial scale.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sneakers.fr/vans-era-inca-pack-disponible/">Vans Inca Era Skate Shoes</a></td></tr>
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On the surface, the sleek finish of performance textiles echoing traditional designs appeals to the discerning consumer's eye, further exoticised by the implied rebellion of youthful skate wear. It invites comparison with an age old art form and becomes preferable in its modernity. But far from being prized and cherished like its handwoven ancestor, this is disposable footwear to be worn to death for a season and then discarded.<br />
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Like Cusco's rickety colonial church balanced precariously on massive earthquake-resistant Incan foundations, the reflection of the master weaver's exquisite craftsmanship on inexpensive mass-produced trainers is an incongruous symbol of Western imperialism, entirely indifferent to the vicissitudes of life among the colonised in developing countries. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Cusco_Coricancha_Inti-Huasi_main_view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Cusco_Coricancha_Inti-Huasi_main_view.jpg" height="273" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Qurikancha, Cusco</td></tr>
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The pattern of plunder and trade-off by white power repeats itself throughout modern history and when we <a href="http://racerelations.about.com/od/diversitymatters/fl/What-Is-Cultural-Appropriation-and-Why-Is-It-Wrong.htm">take on the trappings of another culture without respect or consent</a> we are unwitting participants in this cycle. Then again, an advanced society that supported its artisan class was bound to spread its influence through traded goods, and textiles have always played a unique and important role in that cultural exchange.<br />
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So where does this leave me? Is my choice of blanket an act of <a href="http://everydayfeminism.com/2013/09/cultural-exchange-and-cultural-appropriation/">appropriation or appreciation</a>?<br />
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<a href="http://iheartthreadbared.wordpress.com/">Minh-Ha Pham</a> poses a thoughtful critique on the <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/05/cultural-appropriation-in-fashion-stop-talking-about-it/370826/">limits to discussion on cultural appropriation</a> in which I think I might have been exonerated. I paid a fair price for a heritage piece in a reputable shop, and judging by the craftsmanship, I hope whoever made it would have been well remunerated. Nevertheless, I'm well aware of my white privilege, prancing around town like Lady Muck in an heirloom textile that for all I know could have been sold to make rent.<br />
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The fact remains that any nameless hero who puts on a poncho immediately marks out her status as the rough-riding outlaw among duster-wearing cowboys. Clint Eastwood's iconic performance ensures <a href="https://www.mexicanponcho.com.au/costumes/clint-eastwood-poncho/">an inevitable market for reproductions</a> of "authentic" artefacts in which the Mexican version of the garment is completely recontextualized as a costume for play-acting, barely paying lip service to the rich heritage that birthed it.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.mexicanponcho.com.au/costumes/clint-eastwood-poncho/">Clint Eastwood's poncho</a> - yours for $149.95</td></tr>
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But lady badassery doesn't need to channel The Man With No Name and a quality Andean poncho is surprisingly easy to wear. It packs very easily, layers over almost anything and I'm told the dense fabric is completely waterproof, although I've never dared test that. I can well believe it because the traditional technique looms the wool with its natural oils intact. <a href="http://threadsofperu.com/product-category/alpaca-clothing/alpaca-ponchos/">Threads of Peru</a> has a small but varied selection of luxe fair-trade alpaca ponchos, but if your budget doesn't stretch that far you can source a handsome example from eBay trader <a href="http://www.ebay.com/usr/mariadeperu?_trksid=p2047675.l2559">Maria de Peru</a>.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angelina Wrap from Threads of Peru </td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779209455660598939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5859950036843243879.post-56240917975233214342014-12-08T02:45:00.000-08:002014-12-08T02:47:40.092-08:00Thing #4 Pitagora plaid cardigan, 2014<div style="min-height: 15px;">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X4g50-eotXo/VHNEbMOJOlI/AAAAAAAAAEg/zC3gQtDhcww/s1600/IMG_5568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X4g50-eotXo/VHNEbMOJOlI/AAAAAAAAAEg/zC3gQtDhcww/s1600/IMG_5568.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This cardigan was an emergency purchase prompted by bad weather at <a href="http://www.primaverasound.es/?lang=en">Primavera Sound</a> in Barcelona last May. It caught my eye while I was traipsing the obligatory festival market, but I might not have gone for it had the skys not opened and rendered my optimistically lightweight weekend wardrobe inadequate. When the storm kicked in I knew <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Pitagora.bcn">exactly where to look</a> for that much-needed extra layer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A festival market might seem an unlikely source of alternative fashion but it can be a good platform for small local brands and independent designers looking for a foothold with a hip young audience. Among the knit-your-own sandals and Joy Division t-shirts there's often treasure to be found and at prices accessible to a crowd of impovorished twentysomethings a long way away from the crass commercialism of the high street.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://iconosquare.com/p/823853310438236893_51118287">A typical Pitagora pop-up shop</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://dresscodebcn.wix.com/pitagorabcn">Pitagora BCN</a> are occupying this niche with their trendy basics. Their racks of minimalist geometric designs in bold colours packaged up with a rough-and-ready aesthetic have become a regular feature of Barcelona's urban party scene, where they sell hand made, locally produced unisex clothing with a commitment to quality and affordability.</span><br />
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We're very much accustomed to seeing masculine clothing for women, but it's relatively uncommon to see designs crossing the other way. If a garment is considered conventionally unisex, you can bet your last pound that it's essentially men's clothing that women are allowed to wear. A clear line is drawn, with unisex firmly on the masculine side.<br />
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<a href="http://seriebbilbao.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/camiseta-tric3a1ngulos-nueva.jpg?w=500&h=666" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://seriebbilbao.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/camiseta-tric3a1ngulos-nueva.jpg?w=500&h=666" height="320" width="237" /></a><a href="http://seriebbilbao.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/camiseta-tric3a1ngulo-rojo-fondo-gris-oscuro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://seriebbilbao.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/camiseta-tric3a1ngulo-rojo-fondo-gris-oscuro.jpg" height="320" width="220" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">via <a href="http://seriebbilbao.wordpress.com/2013/09/27/pitagora-camisetas-de-edicion-limitada-desde-barcelona/">SerieB Bilbao</a></span></div>
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This takes a radical turn when the <span style="font-family: inherit;">androgynous interpretation takes its cues from womenswear. Pitagora are interesting in that they position themselves as a menswear brand while <a href="http://seriebbilbao.wordpress.com/2013/09/27/pitagora-camisetas-de-edicion-limitada-desde-barcelona/">on the hanger their designs tend to read the exact opposite.</a> The lines of the clothing are soft and fluid in direct contrast with their bold geometric patterns. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The design of this draped front jacket has been so thoroughly entrenched in womenswear for so long that at first glance it's astonishing to see it modelled on their website by a bearded man in a wolf mask. But looking again at the form in a masculine context prompts the question: why not? Why wouldn't he wear a jacket with no buttons and a drape at the front? It's comfortable and practical. It suits him.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Androgynous fashion by <a href="http://dresscodebcn.wix.com/pitagorabcn#!product/prd1/1384973501/cardigan-negro-blanco">Pitagora</a></td></tr>
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Mainstream men's fashion is at best ambivalent about departures from the norm, but traditional forms such as kilts, sarongs or kurtas leave room for manoeuvre. The art of sensual display finds expression in the most macho of sports, <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/mariamaria71319/la-tauromaquia/">la Tauromaquia</a>, where masculinity, violence and death are eroticised in the bullring through the matador's elaborate costume. Could this rich heritage create a willingness to adopt more flamboyant urban styling?<br />
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Regardless of cult branding or street style, gender boundaries continue to be strictly policed. The very idea of cisgendered heterosexual men taking on clothing that might conceivably read as effeminate is unthinkable in some quarters, so it seems inevitable that this garment has made it onto the Internet predominantly on the backs of women.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'd be </span>remiss not to mention that<span style="font-family: inherit;"> "hand made" is more synonymous with "home made" than "petits mains" in this instance, but as a </span>sewist this doesn't bother me at all.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>I recognise the details of small scale production and I feel a camaraderie with the person who made it. <span style="font-family: inherit;">The </span>open-ended construction belies the anonymity of the factory finish and brings the wearer closer to the manufacturing process. What's lacking in finesse is more than made up for with attitude and authenticity.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="http://iconosquare.com/p/850733509890270574_247150504"><img border="0" src="http://scontent-b.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xfp1/t51.2885-15/10802707_1536441896573990_1969333225_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.mimiradalmundo.com/">MIMIRADALMUNDO</a></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On the face of it this seems like an ideal model for sustainable fashion: small scale, localized production units turning out unique pieces their clientelle can afford, in direct contact with them at point of sale guerilla-style. But c</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">ontrolling price and operations at this level presents problems for young, ambitious designers. A small business </span>depends<span style="font-family: inherit;"> on growth in order to thrive and it's hard to see how manufacture can scale up without </span>raising<span style="font-family: inherit;"> costs or defaulting to mass production. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The challenge is establishing a supply chain that can deliver the same quality at the right price, while allowing hands-on access to the production process. Invariably, the choice for the garage brand is to go big or go home.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hvR-mccCbKw/VHNKxU4JLTI/AAAAAAAAAE4/EycNqz2IqBo/s1600/IMG_5562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hvR-mccCbKw/VHNKxU4JLTI/AAAAAAAAAE4/EycNqz2IqBo/s1600/IMG_5562.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But none of this feels relevant to the </span>exuberance<span style="font-family: inherit;"> of the garments themselves, or </span>the improbable<span style="font-family: inherit;"> thrill of finding a rack full of genuinely beautiful clothing in such an </span>unexpected<span style="font-family: inherit;"> location. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pitagora know what they want to achieve stylistically and have created some fine designs in quality materials. If the finish is a little rough, so what? You get what you pay for and a €50 mass-produced jacket from a chain store isn't necessarily better value, particularly when you factor in the human cost.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My cardigan languished in the closet all summer but when winter </span>kicked<span style="font-family: inherit;"> in it came into its own in the chilly weather, layered under Mr Edge's black leather jacket when I felt like appropriating a little moto chic. And </span>when I'm next in Barcelona,<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I'll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled to score one or two of those striking t-shirts. Can't get enough of this solid geometry.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779209455660598939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5859950036843243879.post-42989011338901536842014-12-01T02:45:00.000-08:002015-02-09T02:37:36.404-08:00Thing #3: Margiela Sock Sweater<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ML_6hxWbnj8/VHtLEQ5pVII/AAAAAAAAAOw/vZF3zS-WUv0/s1600/Last%2BImport%2B-%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ML_6hxWbnj8/VHtLEQ5pVII/AAAAAAAAAOw/vZF3zS-WUv0/s1600/Last%2BImport%2B-%2B3.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Martin Margiela is known as the master of deconstruction, and it doesn't come more deconstructed than a sweater made out of socks. This design dates back to the early 1990's, and is something of a classic. It makes ingenious use of the heels of the socks to shape the jumper at the shoulders, elbows and bust. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've made a few of these and it </span>is one of my favourite quick patterns. It<span style="font-family: inherit;"> comes together in an afternoon and it's a good way to develop skills with the overlocker. It's the perfect project for the festive season, combining as it does those two essential ingredients of the fashionable family Christmas, socks and jumpers. Make them as presents for your favourite chic relatives or use up those gifted socks that nobody needed or wanted on Boxing Day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My version uses four pairs of socks and proposes some changes that I think improve the construction and fit, using the the toes of the socks in the side panels as gussets under the arms (a weak point) and rotating the socks a quarter turn in the sleeve to follow the line of the elbow.</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="http://shesgotplenty.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/margiela-sock-sweater/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://shesgotplenty.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/mmm-sock-sweater-11-collage.jpg" height="249" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The original, via <a href="http://shesgotplenty.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/margiela-sock-sweater/">She's got plenty</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I found out about this pattern from the lady who was queuing next to me at the MMMxH&M launch on Amsterdam's Dam Square. I'd already seen the original at an exhibition in London, but I had no idea that <a href="http://www.stopitrightnow.com/2009/06/today-is-my-real-birthday.html">instructions had been made available online</a>. The superstore's collection featured this design, but we both agreed that since it wasn't made out of actual socks it was a bit pointless. I can't remember her name, but whoever she was I'm indebted to her for introducing me to this pattern. If you're reading this and you happen to remember talking to an English woman in the queue about sock sweaters, I'd love to hear from you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Far from being a novelty item, the sock sweater is great all-round base layer. It's particularly good for winter sports because quality outdoor socks are well insulated with excellent wicking properties. I've long nursed a suspicion that someone in the Hema sock department knows about this pattern, because their lovely wool-mix ski socks always sew up a treat.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tWXjb-vI7VA/VHtLFZb-a6I/AAAAAAAAAO4/J9VcTZ8tgYQ/s1600/Last%2BImport%2B-%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tWXjb-vI7VA/VHtLFZb-a6I/AAAAAAAAAO4/J9VcTZ8tgYQ/s1600/Last%2BImport%2B-%2B1.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sh5Og9WL6t0/VHtLFJcRjII/AAAAAAAAAO0/ENRm7WPfsSE/s1600/Last%2BImport%2B-%2B6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sh5Og9WL6t0/VHtLFJcRjII/AAAAAAAAAO0/ENRm7WPfsSE/s1600/Last%2BImport%2B-%2B6.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This season I'm making them with regular knee length cotton socks from the men's department. making a supportive lightweight layer for under a short-sleeved dress or button-down shirt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fits up to a 38" bust, depending on how stretchy your socks are. Add more socks for larger sizes and easier fits as required.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Margiela Sock sweater</span></b></h2>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You will need:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Four pairs of socks, size xlarge (42-46)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>IMPORTANT</b> All seams are sewn with a scant 3mm seam </span>allowance.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Body - 4 socks</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cut toes off socks for front and back. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cut the front sock open through the heel, so that the turn of the heel forms the shaping in the bust.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cut the back sock open along the top of the foot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Measure and mark the center front and back</span></div>
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Sides</h4>
Trim the seams off the toes, leaving the toes intact.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Spdkn5hN9rA/VHnkFh1KTWI/AAAAAAAAAL4/385BgXsvWTY/s1600/P1010850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Spdkn5hN9rA/VHnkFh1KTWI/AAAAAAAAAL4/385BgXsvWTY/s1600/P1010850.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cut the side panel socks open along the top of the foot</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JGcTARyzVIk/VHnkGLYt6YI/AAAAAAAAAL0/m03axowfFCI/s1600/P1010854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JGcTARyzVIk/VHnkGLYt6YI/AAAAAAAAAL0/m03axowfFCI/s1600/P1010854.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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Mark the center of each toe at the fold of the toe gusset.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yeyv_zjXbGk/VHnkGZKWooI/AAAAAAAAAME/Wj3-NemLUqo/s1600/P1010857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yeyv_zjXbGk/VHnkGZKWooI/AAAAAAAAAME/Wj3-NemLUqo/s1600/P1010857.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fold back and side panels in half along the turn of the heel, and sew the heel closed.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AhSbkD48jxU/VHnkG58dFsI/AAAAAAAAANM/rFRPL25zpe0/s1600/P1010861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AhSbkD48jxU/VHnkG58dFsI/AAAAAAAAANM/rFRPL25zpe0/s1600/P1010861.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h0DVo2QoAxA/VHnkHESXUkI/AAAAAAAAANI/rcwBId9v92Y/s1600/P1010863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h0DVo2QoAxA/VHnkHESXUkI/AAAAAAAAANI/rcwBId9v92Y/s1600/P1010863.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sew the side panels to the back panel</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QOzfdP-R-eg/VHnkH_KilCI/AAAAAAAAANE/ezSClv6aGas/s1600/P1010865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QOzfdP-R-eg/VHnkH_KilCI/AAAAAAAAANE/ezSClv6aGas/s1600/P1010865.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sew the front to the side panels, </span>stretching<span style="font-family: inherit;"> at the turn of the heel to ease in fullness.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>TIP:</b> sew from the hem of </span>the<span style="font-family: inherit;"> garment to the shoulder so as to make sure hems are even.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Shoulders - 2 socks</span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cut toes off socks. Turn one sock inside out and insert the other sock, matching at heels. With right sides together, sew socks together at toes. </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iHzcJqKvMNY/VHnkINCD7BI/AAAAAAAAAMo/oqXodymnMNo/s1600/P1010882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iHzcJqKvMNY/VHnkINCD7BI/AAAAAAAAAMo/oqXodymnMNo/s1600/P1010882.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Measure out the width required in shoulder section for the opening the body seam, about 8"/20cm either side. Mark the slash at either end.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_dRk3QV7X1M/VHnkIuWdtnI/AAAAAAAAAM4/2SE3t5Ws4NA/s1600/P1010885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_dRk3QV7X1M/VHnkIuWdtnI/AAAAAAAAAM4/2SE3t5Ws4NA/s1600/P1010885.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Slash the shoulder </span>section<span style="font-family: inherit;"> along the top of the foot for the body seam. </span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NMuN3SAUE2Q/VHnkI-Ti5vI/AAAAAAAAAMs/PU0RVP6MeX8/s1600/P1010886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NMuN3SAUE2Q/VHnkI-Ti5vI/AAAAAAAAAMs/PU0RVP6MeX8/s1600/P1010886.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Join the body to the shoulders, matching the markings at front and back to the center seam and to the toe gussets at the underarms. Stitch.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qXGbOXRmZNY/VHnkJrTtYzI/AAAAAAAAANA/4TeedjyB9bs/s1600/P1010889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qXGbOXRmZNY/VHnkJrTtYzI/AAAAAAAAANA/4TeedjyB9bs/s1600/P1010889.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mark your required width for the neck opening.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Slash between markings along the center of the soles of the socks for the neck.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vvO50mvIN5o/VHnkJ231atI/AAAAAAAAAM8/-iA1fYItdkw/s1600/P1010892.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vvO50mvIN5o/VHnkJ231atI/AAAAAAAAAM8/-iA1fYItdkw/s1600/P1010892.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cut the ribbing off the two shoulder sections.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yb4Lhix7LME/VHsU67a2cYI/AAAAAAAAAN4/QhB9vO7vgsE/s1600/P1010895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yb4Lhix7LME/VHsU67a2cYI/AAAAAAAAAN4/QhB9vO7vgsE/s1600/P1010895.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cut each ribbed section open, and stitch together to make the collar</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0e5H4qlDTzI/VHsU7VFSRXI/AAAAAAAAAN0/P4XyWtnIVEQ/s1600/P1010896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0e5H4qlDTzI/VHsU7VFSRXI/AAAAAAAAAN0/P4XyWtnIVEQ/s1600/P1010896.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ucrMbULZASY/VHsU7Ji7nuI/AAAAAAAAANw/HU6ThPL0gsg/s1600/P1010899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ucrMbULZASY/VHsU7Ji7nuI/AAAAAAAAANw/HU6ThPL0gsg/s1600/P1010899.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Attach collar to sweater, right sides together, matching </span>collar<span style="font-family: inherit;"> seams to markings.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aZX9EdEfmxQ/VHsU7v1apiI/AAAAAAAAAN8/5hAEVG3b954/s1600/P1010902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aZX9EdEfmxQ/VHsU7v1apiI/AAAAAAAAAN8/5hAEVG3b954/s1600/P1010902.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Sleeves - 2 socks</span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mark at each corner of the gusset above toes. Cut toes off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cut upper sleeves to the desired </span>length and mark upper and lower centre lines.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You might want to shorten the sleeves a little here, but I leave them long as I like to keep the </span>ruching effect along the length of the sleeve.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f3Al27Jyv_c/VHsU8jPG2AI/AAAAAAAAAOI/rnYzLNgbXcE/s1600/P1010905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f3Al27Jyv_c/VHsU8jPG2AI/AAAAAAAAAOI/rnYzLNgbXcE/s1600/P1010905.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Turn sweater inside out, and insert socks into upper sleeve section, right sides together. Match markings such that heel of sock aligns with back upper arm, so that elbows face towards back of garment. Stitch.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jPbKXIvQfoI/VHsU8uoqV6I/AAAAAAAAAOM/loGCd0J83p0/s1600/P1010906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jPbKXIvQfoI/VHsU8uoqV6I/AAAAAAAAAOM/loGCd0J83p0/s1600/P1010906.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Finishing</h4>
You may find that some shirring elastic escapes the ribbing in the collar and hem. If this happens, don't worry, simply pull it out and discard. It doesn't affect the integrity of the garment and actually improves the fit.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b-idUSB5wkU/VHsWi1sFEpI/AAAAAAAAAOc/8gtLNRi16qg/s1600/P1010907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b-idUSB5wkU/VHsWi1sFEpI/AAAAAAAAAOc/8gtLNRi16qg/s1600/P1010907.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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And here's the finished article. A plain and simple close fitting base layer, ready to wear in just a couple of hours.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779209455660598939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5859950036843243879.post-36111865089983576582014-11-24T03:06:00.000-08:002014-12-08T02:46:10.685-08:00Thing #2: Pringle 1815 jumper, circa 2007<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gyhfCMZpEk4/VGYovKD6FfI/AAAAAAAAADY/g0d6Nt5fVVc/s1600/IMG_5512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gyhfCMZpEk4/VGYovKD6FfI/AAAAAAAAADY/g0d6Nt5fVVc/s1600/IMG_5512.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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When the weather changes and darkness is drawing in, the breaking of the seasonal wardrobe is a consolation in the gloom. In dwindling daylight there's nothing more comforting than cosying up to a favourite woolly jumper.</div>
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I always look forward to putting on this oversized turtleneck for the first time in the autumn. Baby soft merino wool with skinny sleeves, a big pouch pocket in and nary a pill in all the years I've been wearing it. This big softie is a masterpiece of knitwear design by <a href="http://www.pringle1815.jp/">Pringle 1815</a>, the second line of Pringle of Scotland, the <a href="http://www.pringlescotland.com/">Argyle pioneers of the rampant lion</a>. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/nmtOdLUnMTQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Just in case you didn't know, the lion has escaped the Scottish Borders and is now living happily in the Far East where he's much more appreciated. As an emigre myself, I can easily see how this works, as I will explain below. But first, some history.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ipwVVVZZyTg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe>`</div>
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Pringle of Scotland has a claim to being the world's first luxury knitwear brand. Their innovations during the 1930's include the iconic Argyle intarsia pattern derived from the eponymous plaid and the twinset, which went on to become a wardrobe staple. Perennial style icon and Hitchcock blond Grace Kelly was a fan and has been <a href="http://en.vogue.fr/fashion/fashion-news/diaporama/pringle-of-scotland-pays-tribute-to-grace-kelly-s-style/12457">the inspiration</a> for a <a href="http://www.pringlescotland.com/pringleofscotland/search/PRINCESS_GRACE/Woman/tskay/BAD3B277/gender/D/collection_id/24400">current collection of tasteful tricot</a> designed by students of Central St Martins in London. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.vogue.fr/uploads/images/thumbs/201313/inspiration_jae_lee_455610763_north_545x.1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://en.vogue.fr/uploads/images/thumbs/201313/inspiration_jae_lee_455610763_north_545x.1" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace Kelly in Pringle cashmere, via <a href="http://en.vogue.fr/fashion/fashion-news/diaporama/pringle-of-scotland-pays-tribute-to-grace-kelly-s-style/12457">vogue.fr</a></td></tr>
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But it was not ever thus. In the late twentieth century, Pringle's reputation for sophisticated chic was besmirched by its lamentable association with golfers. As if this wasn't bad enough, during the '80's the label became notoriously popular with England's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casual_(subculture)">football Casuals</a>. The Casuals were brothers-in-arms with Skinheads and used their smart appearance in designer clothing as a means of avoiding police detection when doing violence. The distinctive diamond pattern was <a href="http://bobbyfc.com/?p=3747">a common sight on the football terraces</a> in much the same way as the Burberry check during the '90's, positioning Pringle squarely on the forefront of Britain's class war and disastrously impacting the brand's credibility.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bobbyfc.com/?p=3747" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://bobbyfc.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/CasualsPringle.jpg" height="310" title="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Stay classy, Pringle! (via <a href="http://bobbyfc.com/?p=3747">bobbyfc</a>)</span></td></tr>
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Pringle <a href="http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/13995_Pringles_Case.pdf">was rebooted as a fashion brand</a> in 2000 when the ailing company was acquired by the Fang family of Hong Kong and bulk production moved to Asia. The diffusion line Pringle 1815 was available briefly in the mid noughts and made a couple of collections of very wearable cutting edge knitwear at the not-cheap-but-just-about-affordable price point before vanishing from view. Mysteriously it's no longer to be had in Europe and now seems to be exclusively targeted at preppy Japanese youth, trumpeting out the Argyle diamond in a range of <a href="http://sanyo-i.jp/pringle1815-womens/disp/CSfLastGoodsPage_001.jsp?GOODS_NO=532778&dispNo=">blindingly fluorescent colours</a> of the kind Princess Grace of Monaco would never be seen dead in. </div>
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The murky provenance of this piece from a label in transition, which at the time didn't appear to know what it stood for speaks volumes about the strange fate of the British heritage brand and the global turn luxury fashion has taken in the last twenty years. My jumper, which carries a name long associated with quality Scottish knitwear, was in fact made in Hong Kong, and it has to be said, to a standard equal if not superior to the original article.</div>
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As family patriarch Kenneth Fang points out, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/russellflannery/2012/03/22/what-slowdown-china-textile-retail-pioneer-kenneth-fang-still-sees-growth/">establishing a brand is expensive</a>, but they have the infrastructure to deal with the demands of manufacturing and immediate access to an enormous and ever growing market. Pringle of Scotland maintains a tiny presence in Hawick and appears to be <a href="http://www.knittingindustry.com/pledge-to-keep-investing-as-pringle-losses-fall/">acting as a loss-leader for its more profitable overseas operations</a> in order to preserve the semblance of a heritage brand for the all-important Produced in Scotland mark, while shifting mass-produced units to Asian consumers through the 1815 label.</div>
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All of this raises questions about the authenticity of the brand. What does "Produced in Scotland" mean to the Japanese customer? What about my own prejudices about the "Made in Hong Kong" label in my favourite jumper? Is it a foregone conclusion that domestic brands are little more than museum pieces to be appropriated and consumed by tiger economies? Or can we discover a new creative identity in this globalised marketplace?</div>
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Sometimes you just need to pull up your roots in order to thrive. We Brits are nothing if not class conscious and fashion is ultimately a very elitist pursuit. It was never going to be easy for Pringle to escape associations with football hooligans and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PartridgeQuotes/posts/179903562208778">Alan Partridge</a> on home soil, so it makes sense that the label has found a radical new direction in a culture notoriously thirsty for overseas heritage product, which has famously <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/11204872/Scotland-loses-out-as-Japanese-whisky-named-best-in-the-world.html">improved on Scotland's most famous export</a>. </div>
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The outcome is a syncretic international collaboration: a creative vision which merges talent from Europe and Asia, with each drawing influence from the other. On the eve of the brand's bicentennial Pringle 1815 represents an icon of Scottish design filtered through a typically Japanese sensibility, with <a href="https://www.behance.net/gallery/18909947/Cosmic-Nuggets-VS-Pringle-1815">Japanese-inspired artwork</a> by Scottish artists <a href="https://www.behance.net/cosmicnuggets">Cosmic Nuggets</a> and <a href="http://davidgalletly.com/">David Galletly</a>. </div>
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Pure dead brilliant. Curious to see what they come up with next year.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pringle 1815 by <a href="https://www.behance.net/gallery/18909947/Cosmic-Nuggets-VS-Pringle-1815">Cosmic Nuggets</a></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779209455660598939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5859950036843243879.post-19759720976671021372014-11-17T02:18:00.000-08:002014-12-08T02:46:31.333-08:00Thing #1: Doc Martens Safety Boots circa 1994 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I once had a job that required me to walk around construction sites, for which I needed safety boots. (Actually it was several jobs and it was a career, but I've since fixed that.) At the time, stylish protective footwear for ladies was very much an oxymoron, so I had no choice but to use my imagination. I'd been through numerous pairs of fugly shoes by the time I discovered these beauties, Classic Docs from the time when Docs were still Made in England.<br />
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There's a lot to say about the role Dr Martens have played in Britain's vibrant popular culture, riddled as it is with the angry politics of class warfare played out to a soundtrack of the Clash and the Sex Pistols. Long before they rose again as a fashion brand, DMs were the go-to no-nonsense bovver boot of choice for policemen, football hooligans and political extremists of all flavours. Eight holes and a steel toecap spelled trouble, the kind of people you'd cross the street to avoid.<br />
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I can't deny this mix of sensible and threatening appealed to me but I wasn't going to mark myself out as an agitator so I chose the more subtle pull-on design with the elasticated sides. Nonetheless, the steel toecap brought with it the weight of confidence you gain knowing you can deliver a firm kick in the shins to anyone who thinks he can have a go.<br />
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Younger me was well pleased to wear them with cigarette pants and a tailored jacket when on duty and even happier when I figured out how to rock them with a short skirt and opaque tights at weekends. When there was real work to be done I was allowed to put on the overalls and get dirty and my boots earned a lattice of choppy scratches on the toecaps from kicking around among large pieces of sharp metal.<br />
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What I failed to appreciate in my youthful naiveté was what a radical statement a woman on a construction site could still be. This was after all man's man's world, and it functioned as if our grandmothers hadn't already proven otherwise. During WWII, Allied governments recruited millions of housewives to work in munitions factories on the home front to do what had until then been considered men's jobs. They learned to wear pants and demonstrated to the world that there wasn't much about men's work that women couldn't do and they looked pretty swell while they were about it. But the war ended, the menfolk returned and women traded freedom and independence for performative femininity and imprisonment in the home during the 1950's. </div>
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(via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosie_the_Riveter">wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
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By the time I joined the workforce in the late 80's, women in engineering were a rarity. I loved site work but the environment was thick with testosterone and populated exclusively by Real Men. Nobody would hire me for those kinds of roles and I ended up in a desk job.<br />
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It's good to see that Dr Martens, long since reinvented as a fashion brand, still make safety boots and my old boots are available as <a href="http://www.drmartens.com/uk/Industrial-Boots/Dr-Martens-Icon-2228-Pw-Boot/p/10289001">an icon of their industrial range</a> albeit no longer with the Made in England stamp. But far more encouraging is the fur lined <a href="http://www.drmartens.com/uk/Womens/Womens-Boots/Dr-Martens-Rosa-St-Boot/p/14705200">Rosa Rigger boot</a>, which stands on its own both as a practical work boot and as a fashion item. It's a small thing driven by the forces of capitalism, but it's a clear sign of progress. I think we can all agree that this is exactly what Rosie the Riveter should be wearing, instead of <a href="http://www.wikiart.org/en/norman-rockwell/rosie-the-riveter-1943">a pair of flimsy slip-ons</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosa Rigger boot, by <a href="http://www.drmartens.com/uk/Womens/Womens-Boots/Dr-Martens-Rosa-St-Boot/p/14705200">Dr Martens</a></td></tr>
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Somehow my boots ended up forgotten in the cellar until earlier this year when I unearthed them, cleaned off a decade's worth of dust, and brought them back into circulation. Lately I've been wearing them as minimalist rock&roll workwear with raw denim, a plain white tee and a slash of red lipstick. I've made no attempt to hide the scratches, they are a badge of honour. My boots have scars and so do I.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779209455660598939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5859950036843243879.post-83399043764622397202014-11-12T07:49:00.001-08:002014-11-24T04:48:59.453-08:00We are not invisible.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This blog is part of a research project in which I seek to understand how we use clothing to shape our identities. As I've grown older, I've come to view my own style choices as part of a bigger story that stretches back over time. I recognise the collection I've built up over the years as the continuation of something I began around thirty years ago and am still engaged with. It's a work in progress and it gets better every year.<br />
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Through my work as first as data designer and then as teacher, I've learned something of how our natural desire to understand the world we live in can be satisfied by gathering information and using it intelligently. Twenty years after the birth of the Internet, we're learning more and more about how this applies to the narrative threads that weave through our lives.<br />
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MetaFashion and Timeless Style</h3>
A popular strategy is to reduce style choices to simple formulae, a calculus of body shapes, colour palettes, arbitrary classifications (are you classic or boho?) and lifestyle requirements. All useful tools no doubt, but I think it's more nuanced than that. We're all in the thrall of aesthetic influences that we don't necessarily understand, operating on a deeply subconscious level. The only way we can make sense of them is by putting them under the microscope and looking for patterns.<br />
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I want to test the hypothesis that gathering data about our style choices can help us forge more authentic, sustainable methods of clothing ourselves. I've long been interested in the idea of documenting the contents of my wardrobe, but I want to go deeper than just counting things up and making a list. That's why I've decided to tell the stories associated with individual garments, the ones that continue to give me joy. What do they mean, if anything? Why this longevity? Why have I been wearing this old thing for so many years? Where did it come from and why does it still work? And why do I return to the same shapes and silhouettes year after year?<br />
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Appropriating the Edge</h3>
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In a culture obsessed with youth and beauty, I'm convinced one of the worst things we can do as we mature is make ourselves invisible. If fashion is owned by the young, then style is the dominion of the properly grown up, because there comes a time when trend watching takes a back seat to something altogether more personal and assertive. We can use the work of young designers, but we can't ignore our own style heritage. When you've been doing something for years, you can't help but get pretty good at it.<br />
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I believe the time is right for us to reconsider fashion as an art form we can all engage with and for individuals to move beyond the consumer models that are now in place. I don't believe that the fashion blog is dead, far from it. On the contrary, it now has the potential to become something altogether more personal and democratic. The high fashion/street style blog may be dying a death, but there are any number of platforms out there for hobby fashionistas to exchange ideas and trade goods, where notions of gender are being reinvented and standards of beauty reconsidered.<br />
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With this in mind, I'll be using this as an investigative space for the conceptual modelling of my own personal style with a view to using technology to enable others to do the same. I'll be looking at vintage shopping and home dressmaking as alternatives to the mainstream, but I won't be ignoring high fashion or the high street either. I hope to make space for body politics, gender identity, feminism and sexuality as part of this exploration.<br />
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Move over. It's time for something new.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11779209455660598939noreply@blogger.com