The Paralian

11/13/2022

Antione Raspal painted this singular work around 1781. It is now in the care of the Musée Réattu, Arles, France. Titled, “L’atelier de Couture” it is a wonderfully detailed depiction of the environs and people of a dressmaking workshop. Rascal is noted for his attention to detail, and nothing here has been missed. While these women work on clothing for fashionable clients their own clothing is far simpler. They are all similarly dressed in un-ornamented skirts, sleeved stays, fichus and scarves over their hair or caps.
The woman to the left is clearly the directrice and she appears to be giving orders to the woman to the far right holding what appears to be a nearly finished item. The person seated in the foreground looks like a young girl, and it seems she is working on a quilted petticoat.
I love the addition of the small fabric scraps on the floor and the thread spools. Finally I also love the charming choice of having one of the women gazing directly at us, as though she has just noted our presence in the room. Her gaze is calm and slightly questioning. As though she wonders what we want.

11/02/2022

I think this book is just what I need to beat the post-Halloween blues!

The following is a public service announcement from Killer Fashion author Jennifer Wright: If you wrap a piece of fabric around your neck—whether it's a...

10/26/2022

It's my favorite time of year, SPOOKY SEASON! Sending good vibes to all who are scrambling to finish up their Halloween costumes this week.

09/22/2022

09/21/2022

Totally in love with this new Richard Quinn collection - and not just the first half which is ALL BLACK EVERYTHING mourning-adjacent gothic dreamwear. Every piece is beautifully textured (feathers with rhinestones with polka dots and latex! beads on embroidery on lace!), with big bold shapes reminiscent of classic Balenciaga. Not for the fashion fainthearted! Gimme 🤩

There are so few of them in here.

08/25/2022

Fabulous all black historic costumes? YES PLEASE! 🖤🖤🖤A look at the looks in S1E6 of The Sandman (aka my favorite episode of the season). I tip my many hats to the show’s assistant designer Dominique Arthur - love your work boo! *SPOILERS AHEAD*

Before we get started, let’s just understand one thing: Racist bu****it regarding the casting of Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death will not be tolerated. The end. Now that that’s out of th…

08/15/2022

RIP to the legend. "Rather than fantasy, Miyake gravitated towards technical fabric innovations that yanked fashion, and even style, forward. His clothing was about movement, change, and excitement. Joy was his conviction."

The Japanese designer, who broke through the rigid confines of the Eurocentric fashion world, died last week at 84.

08/03/2022

07/06/2022

When you put a goth in charge of naming stuff 🤣🖤 Reminds me of when Urban Decay Cosmetics launched in the 90s!

  Well, that’s what folks on Twitter and reddit want to know, anyway. Is she or he okay, dammit? I mean, just look at some of these names for yarn colors, “Rotten Pistachio Cream Macaron,” “Crumbling Brick Ruin,” “Rain in a Graveyard” or “Bat in a Dark Mood.” You can click on each...

07/05/2022

😆

by Madman

06/29/2022

GUILTY 🛒🖍🖌✒️✂️🧷🎀

🧶 ✂️ ✨ 😬😬😬✨🧵📏

06/17/2022

Unsurprisingly, I LOVE THIS SHOW 🏳️‍🌈🏴‍☠️
Here's an interesting look at historical men's fashions of the early 18th century vs. what appeared in OFMD.

Frock Flicks note: This is a guest post by Vincent Briggs, a part-time alterations tailor and part-time dinosaur cartoonist who is very fond of 18th-century menswear and has been sewing for over a …

06/14/2022

📺😍This is hitting my nerd+fashion sweet spot! The show has been a great watch and I loved learning more about it's costume design process.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, a show that takes place on the Enterprise before Captain Kirk took the ship’s helm in The Original Series, had to strike a difficult balance between honoring the loo…

06/03/2022

The intersection of music and fashion is one of my favorite places to be. RIP May Routh, costume designer on The Man Who Fell to Earth and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 🖤

Costume Designer May Routh's career began in St. Martins when it was an art school. She was in fashion six months, then transitioned into modeling and fashio...

05/24/2022

I am with the "Jibaro" episode of Love, Death & Robots. It's gorgeous and confusing and brutal and magical, and I am super impressed with the textures and aesthetic, particularly the "Golden Woman" . I haven't been able to find a credit online for the costumes, but I tip my entire vintage hat collection to the folx who put this episode together. Obviously I need her outfit.

Now, if you need me, I'll be daydreaming about lounging in a picturesque pond, draped in sequins and too many necklaces, screaming at any agro dude who approaches. 🏞

05/03/2022

I want that Valkyrie outfit 😍
https://www.vogue.com/article/the-northman-costume-designer-linda-muir-interview?

In Robert Eggers’s jaw-dropping new Viking epic, the costumes are the jewel in its (historically accurate) crown.

03/11/2022

"Style with Elsa Klensch" was one of my first windows into the greater world of fashion, and an eye-opener for a bookish child living in a small southern town. Her show introduced me to international designers and models, and gave a first hand look at the power that clothing can have. RIP Elsa. Thank you for sharing so much beauty with us and celebrating the makers of the world.

She was one of the cable channel’s early stars, covering designers, models and trends in a weekly show that brought the industry to a mass television audience.

02/22/2022

Finally got these PITA sleeves set! Loving the fringe tassle trim on the flounces. Once I get the lace undersleeves made this will be fabulously foppish.

02/22/2022

Fitting on a standard size dress form when you are extra large and extra tall makes sewing a challenge. Lots of adjustments to be made, including taking up the shoulders, cutting down the neckline and deepening the arm scythe to fit my redrafting sleeve pattern.

02/22/2022

Initial dress form fitting of the fashion fabric (outside layer) of my MG2022 bodice. Made from a thrifted fabric - upcycling for the win!

02/22/2022

I seemed to have lost all my corsets and waist cinchers when we made our last move. I had to convert a partially constructed vest that was in my works-in-progress pile to an 18th century-ish corset to get the right shape. It's made from stretch denim in my stash (an old pair of jeans) and b***d with steel and plastic. Also please appreciate the original artwork by my husband in the background, "Ass-bat" 🤣

02/22/2022

Initial costume design sketch for MG2022. Using Reconstructing History Pattern # 822 as a starting point. And I'm only using materials I have on hand, so the final result will be a bit different. The black brocade thrift store shower curtain I'm using for the bodice fashion fabric was a bit smaller than I anticipated, so I went with a caraco style rather than polonaise.

02/22/2022

Some guidance for this year's MG costume!

02/11/2022

Always looking for inspiration ⚜️💜⚜️💚⚜️💛⚜️

01/11/2022

Love this glimpse of Mardi Gras history 💜💚💛 The right foundation garments make an outfit!

11/11/2021

I just preordered my copy of "The Art of Bob Mackie" 🤩

10/05/2021

☀️✂️🧵🪡 I've chosen my Halloween costume theme for 2021 (better late than never!) Inspired by this 19th century French fancy dress ensemble, "Messire Soliel", I'll be going for big golden goddess vibes. I've got oodles of gold lamé in my stash, which I plan to mix & match into a gaudy couture costume confection! I picked up Simplicity 8629 over the summer, and I think it will make a good starting point for my version of "Mr. Sun".