Amor by Valentino

Love.

That's the muse for my absolute favorite Haute Couture collection for Spring 2015.  I warn you though, I am a hopeless romantic...an optimist...a bright-sider...an aesthete...

Inspired by Shakespeare, Dante's Inferno and the poetic paintings of Marc Chagall, Valentino designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli put together a collection of needle artistry for their Spring collection that will warm your heart and soul.

Simple linen silhouettes reminiscent of Russian peasant embroidery with smocked collars and sleeves...

Covered in red embroidery similar to Assissi work...

This show was chock-full of needle goodness...

With embroidered vests and jackets over embroidered gowns of organza, tulle, charmeuse and lace...

The drool factor on this one is off the charts...

Oh...what I wouldn't do to own this amazing jacket or the unbelievably exquisite sheath beneath.

Feast your eyes on the detail...

It makes me want to run to my needles to create such a masterpiece.  If I ever get it done, make sure you bury me in it...

In fact, if I had been the model wearing this baby, I would have made a run for it and crossed the nearest border!  It would have saved me a lot of work.

It is, by far...my absolute fave in this collection...well, for every-day wear and burial...

My other absolute fave is for date night.

Check out this fabulously romantic, float-y number...



This show's about love alright because I love absolutely everything in it.

I love these flowers...

And the lettering is pure poetry...

So feminine yet so modern...

Honestly, there is too much embroidered exquisiteness to show it all here so check out the video of the Valentino show below or view all the looks in exquisite detail here.

It's sure to brighten your day...

And fuel your embroidery passion...

Amor Vincit Omnia...

Love Conquers All.

As for embroidery?  It's a close second.

The other haute couture shows didn't hold a candle to this one.  Sorry.  

I have eyes for Valentino and Valentino alone.

Starting Again

Where to begin?

It's a new year so I already feel thirteen days behind.

In 2014 I was a sporadic blogger, missing the flow, the partnership and the clarity that comes from regularly showing up here.  Sometimes you don't really understand what you gain from a habit until you fall out of the routine.  Who knew?  Absence makes the heart grow fonder...even when it comes to my blog!

After seven years,  I've come to love my relationship with my blog. And I must admit that I have quite a soft spot in my heart for all of my needle friends who show up here to share in my life, loves and creative efforts.  So, let me just say, I have missed you.

So, where to begin?  I can't possibly fill you in on all that's transpired in the past couple of months...that blows my mind just trying...just know that all is well.

All is well.  

Isn't that a beautiful saying?  So grateful that I can say that and hope that you can say the same.

In thinking of where to start and what to post today, I remembered the wisdom from one of my favorite books of all time, Improv Wisdom by Patricia Ryan Madson...



She writes of thirteen maxims starting with:

1. Say Yes 2. Don't Prepare  3.  Just Show Up.  And...

4. Start Anywhere.  

I've almost memorized them all, I think of them so often.  I've blogged about the book before, remember the day when I tried saying "Yes" all day to Jack??

Here's what she says about maxim four ...

There's no need to find the right starting place.  With a big task or a confusing problem, when you don't know where to start, begin with the most obvious thing, whatever is in front of you.  The notion that there is such a thing as a proper beginning, and the search to find that ideal starting place, robs us of time.  We distance ourselves from the task, and the vision of what it will take to do it makes tackling the job seem mountainous.  Once a job is under way you have a new and more realistic perspective. You are inside the problem while looking at it, rather than standing safely at the perimeter.  The Start Anywhere rule is liberating.  It means that you can begin to make progress on some dream or dreaded task at any time.

How often I have robbed myself of time by thinking I needed to have all my ducks in a row before I could begin a project.

So let me begin as Ms. Madson suggests...with what's in front of me.

A couple of embroidery examples from the Golden Globes last Sunday night.

When Sienna Miller crossed the stage to present, she was wearing this dress...

As she walked, the light danced over the beading and embroidery and made me sigh with delight.  Her dress dazzled; and though I can't say I cared for the missing middle of her bodice, I thought the embellishment on the cloth was lovely.  Not too much...and just right.



The second dress that caught my eye was this piece by Chanel that a pregnant Keira Knightley wore...

It left me searching online trying to find close-ups.  Was it hand-painted?  Was it embroidered?

Though I didn't care for the ruffles top and bottom...I found the feathers and butterflies delightful.

The search for more...led me to this video...which I hope you will enjoy as much as I did.

It was produced for Chanel's eleventh Métiers d'Art show held in Salzburg, Austria this past December.  The event celebrates the fine craftsmanship that its artisans bring to the Chanel collections.  I think you'll recognize these butterflies at the very end...



Happy New Year everyone.   Let us get to know each other once again and go on wonderful adventures in 2015.

Les Papillons de Paris

Last week was the Spring 2014 Haute Couture Fashion show in Paris.

Those who have read my prior fashion posts understand that I don't look at fashion the same way most of the world does.  I'm not very concerned at all as to whether or not something is wearable or will sell.

What interests me most is the craftmanship and artistry of the designers, embroiderers, stylists and dressmakers.  To me, haute couture is one of the greatest textile "art shows" and it's free for us to view. 

Embroidery, beading, sewing and embellishment, all combine to tell a story or deliver a point of view.

To be called a haute couture house, a business must belong to the Syndical Chamber for Haute Couture in Paris, which is regulated by the French Department of Industry.

Members must employ 15 or more people and present their collections twice a year.   Each presentation must include at least 35 separate outfits for day and eveningwear.

What I love most is that the entire look from hat to shoe is hand constructed and we can learn a lot about construction and the combining of textile art forms by studying these works of art.

This Spring is the season of the butterfly...

And it was the collections of Jean Paul Gaultier...

and Valentino that captured my heart the most...

There were wool applique coats with organza dresses floating beneath, covered in feathery butterflies.

Eye witness accounts of show attendees marveled at the butterfly coat below when the butterflies quivered as the model walked the runway...

My favorite Valentino dress was this Garden of Eden number...

Check out its stunning embroidery and how the choice of a sheer gray fabric was the perfect complement to the muted shades of olive, ombre and peach...

Did you notice the feather boa that was draped across Eve?

Gaultier took the theme to its most literal conclusion and the result was captivating.  I enjoyed seeing the use of feathers combined with stiffened net to make these butterfly headpieces...

And the collection seems to use a lot of netting that gave the appearance of woolwork or cross stitch.  Combine the gridwork of the netting with sequins and crystals and you get a pretty cool effect...

My most favorite dress being this example below...

I absolutely love how the grid was used to make a pattern with sequins and crystals but still has an overall casual effect.  

Now this is something that we absolutely could replicate...you can bet your last dollar that I'll be looking a grid fabrics in a whole new way...

I'd wear that one in a heartbeat.

This last example from Gaultier caught my eye because of the three rhinestone butterflies on the shoulder, waist and hip of this model...

It reminded me of the stumpwork butterfly I made for my Breakfast at Tiffany's piece...

I have plans to make a few more versions of this beaded butterfly later this Spring.

Happy Monday everyone.  Spring is coming and so are the butterflies...

Scotland and Chanel

The House of Chanel has had a long love affair with Scotland that dates back to the time of Coco Chanel in 1920s when she loved the über wealthy Duke of Westminster and spent much time at his varied estates in the Sutherland region of the Scottish Highlands in between her shows in Paris.

She was influenced by the Shetland wools, tartans, fair isle patterns and tweeds of the Scots and incorporated many into her designs.  In fact, it was her interest in the tweeds woven in the Scottish Highlands that led the Chanel house to develop their own signature tweed.   This love affair has continued to the modern day with Karl Lagerfeld's continued use of tweeds, tartans and fair isles in his collections.

From Chanel's Fall 2013 Couture Collection

In October 2012, Karl Lagerfeld and the House of Chanel saved close to 200 jobs when they purchased the prestigious cashmere manufacturer, Barrie Knitwear located in Hawick, Scotland.   This continued the tradition that Chanel started in 2002 when it launched its strategy to protect -- and if necessary, purchase -- their most valuable suppliers.

This acquisition means Chanel now has 10 artisan manufacturers under the Paraffection (for love) umbrella - as well as Barrie Knitwear there is embroidery firm Montex, the embroider Maison Lesage (who created those eyebrows for Chanel's autumn/winter 2012 show), gold and silversmith Goossens, shoemaker Massaro, hat maker Miason Michel, feather house Lemarié, button specialist Desrues, flower house Guillet and glovemakers Causse who joined the group earlier this month. All of them continue to supply both Chanel and its rival couture houses. (Telegraph.co.uk, October 16, 2012)

Every year since 2002, Karl Lagerfeld/Chanel has held a Métiers D'Art (translated "Arts and Crafts") show, which highlights the incredible craftsmanship of the artisans under the Chanel umbrella.

 I thought that he could never top the show that was held in the Palais Royal in 2011...

Until Chanel decided to hold last year's 2012 show in Scotland at Linlithgow Palace, the birth of Mary Queen of Scots...

I have been pouring over this images in the last several weeks, and find myself very inspired by the combinations of Scottish tweeds, argyles, tartans and plaids.

This inspired my desire to have an Embroiderers' Travel Journal so that I could capture all of the colors, textures and cloth that I experience while I am there.

So that I can play with the combinations of patterns and textures when I return home.

You can see the entire Scotland collection here.

And the 2013 Métiers D'Art is coming to the United States and will be held in Dallas, Texas.

Until next time...