Heirloom fabrics can tell the story of our lives .... Repurposing fabrics is something new to even my generation, let alone those younger, but not new to older generations who did so out of necessity. Thought all age groups might find this blog interesting! A time honored tradition has now become haute couture!
Linda
Our 2012 Fall Fashion Preview Email headliner read as follows:
"NY Fashion verdict is in from Harper's Bazaar! Your grandmother's closet will be at the top of your shopping list this fall with a retro mix of florals and lace, knit tweeds and shawls, fur accents and elegant embroidery, all making the sartorial cut."
No sooner than we had put this in print, a designer customer of over 30 years walked into our store. Actually it was the second time in two weeks, after not seeing her for at least 15 years. Life does get in the way, doesn't it?
Picture a slightly shorter Sara Jessica Parker - same high energy New York style, same passion for what she does. But this visit was different. She carried with her a sweater she had made from some of my vegetal dyed Romney yarns done 25 to 30 years ago. The variegated indigo dyed yarns reminded me of the blue denim ikat and tie dyed scarves I do today. The intricately knit pattern showcased a wonderful range of soft muted colors - really an exceptional sweater, but one she had outgrown years ago, lovingly and carefully stored away. The Romney yarn now felt harsh to me after discovering the softness of alpaca, suri llama and yak, but the intricacy of the knit and the wonderful play on colors was fabulous.
Today, she was bringing that sweater into the store to match it with alpaca hides - the new garment would be a knit fabric and fur vest - the knit fabric re purposed from the size 2 sweater which no longer fit her, although I am betting a gusset to expand it to size 6 would have done just fine. She planned to take the knit fabric and combine with pieces of alpaca fur into an outdoor, uptown vest. I marveled at how "on point" she was with the fashion gurus who set the trends.But then knowing her, why was I even remotely surprised?
The store was bustling with people, and as I often have to when being very busy, I tried to record a mental image of the sweater to mull over later. (My good friend Jen and son will tell you I am NOT a photographer!), but I am very color retentive, so mentally recording color is easy for me. As I write this blog, I am absolutely gaga over what possibilities exist when you tear into your cedar trunks and closets, and merge fabrics from the past with styles of the present.
So to all those of you who take the challenge - send us your photos of how you combined fabrics from the past with those of the present. The story is no longer about your family heirlooms, but about combining old with new. In New York, it's called American Haute Couture.
