I feel like I should be on "What Not to Wear"

[humblestumble]

I feel like I should be on "What Not to Wear." This isn't to say that others think I dress out of style due to the 40s and 50s being so far away from this era; in fact, I'm saying it because I seriously have wanted to dress retro and vintage for a LONG time, and I still haven't. I still only own t-shirts and cruddy pants (like sweatpants and jeans and khakis which are falling apart).

It actually depresses me that I do not " look the part, " or look how I FEEL inside. I feel such a strong connection to the Golden Era, and I long to dress that way. Does anyone else feel this way?

All of this has a lot to do with trying to teach myself how to sew and adjust patterns, alter clothes. But having no one around to show me is taking a toll. It really bites. I do like to sew, but garments never come out how I want them to. (They don't fit or something ends up screwing up). I can make cat beds and whatnot, but not clothes yet.

And I feel like I'm wilting away because there are no vintage or real retro shops here.

Ugh! I don't know what to do! [huh] And I don't know who else to share my rant/whine with.

Does anyone know where I can get some cheap halters, or dresses online with the retro look? Ones that fit Or have good return policies. Wardrobe staples (like shirts, pants, and shoes) I am not really rolling in dough over here (I get about 40 bucks a week). I am only 19 and 3/4 years old, but I feel SO 'frumpy'. I long to look glamourous in a reasonable budget since I feel like I am getting nowhere fast sewing for myself (eventually I will get it -I hope- , but I am getting desparate for some decent retro or vintage clothes).

 

[resortes805]

Even though your not 21, I recommend going to the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender in April. You'll see quite a diversity of looks from the late 40's to 50's that somethings bound to inspire you. Plus the vendors area are open to the public during the day.

 

[Elaina]

You can also try simplicity's sewing for dummies series if you're having trouble with learning garment making. It introduces many of the techniques, and some advanced ones, through them.

I do understand, I spent all last year feeling that way: working from home, never getting out of jammie pants and seldom leaving the house gets you really blah.

Hope I helped a little here.

Elaina

 

[Lauren]

Go to the mall and check out Forever 21, or if you have an H&M go check them out- there's lots of cute retroish things out right now at those stores and the plus is that you can actually try them on before you buy them!

 

[LizzieMaine]

Humble,

Just a few words of encouragement about sewing here -- it's very easy to get overwhelmed, especially when you're trying to tackle a complex project with a lot of fancy detailing. I've been sewing since I was eight years old, and I *still* find myself reaching for the stitch ripper to pick out mistakes. Sometimes the best thing you can do when you run into a tough situation like that is just put the project down and walk away for a bit. You can always come back to it later, and the break will often help you to look at the challenge from a different perspective.

I'd also suggest keeping a specific eye out for vintage patterns specifically marked as "Easy to Make." Simplicity and DuBarry, especially, put out a lot of these in the vintage era, and they make up into simple but very attractive garments without a lot of frustrating fussy features. And they're very good for learning basic techniques of garment construction and fitting, and they tend to be very forgiving of mistakes and easy to fix if something does go wrong.

So don't get discouraged. Sewing is like any skill -- the more you do it, the more you keep at it, the more you learn, the more confident you get, and the better the final results!

 

[humblestumble]

Hey guys, thanks for the responses.

The Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender looks awesome, but unfortunately, I have no way of getting there. Eventually I do want to be involved with that culture and really just get into it, but with that being so far from home (I can only pretty much be at home, local surrounding areas or Austin, TX for events due to money and time constraints) I've heard lots of great things about VLV! I can't wait until I have a way to get there

And unfortunately, I looked up Forever 21 and H&M and I used their store locators only to find, what I thought was coming - there are no stores even 100 miles from here of that name. I'd heard of them, but I guess we are not a big enough city to have those stores? (Even though we have about 300,000 people) Ugh, so frustrating! I really need to go take a vacation to Austin to see if they have anything awesome and within reason.

As for sewing - my frustration really comes from seeming like I have a fair amount of knowledge on the subject, but not being able to execute it properly. I have the knowledge and availability of finding out how to alter and adjust garments (via books), but they still come out a little too small sometimes. However, usually before I even get to the fitting part, something else happens which I don't expect. Case in point- there's a halter top I wanted to make, it's a v-neck of course, and I sewed it just like the diagram showed (should be easy right? It's a Simplicity Junior Pattern even!) and I turn it right side out and it puffed up in the center front (there is also a center front seam) It just would not make the "V" shape! There have been other problems which seem like they can be avoidable, but are just totally unexpected - I follow the pattern to a T and something messes up, but there's no one here to show me what I did wrong, and I am left clueless.

I will certainly look for vintage patterns markes as Easy! I love vintage patterns- havent used any yet though. They are actually repro from evadress.com, and some are repros via the big names - Vogue (got a ton of them) and Simplicity (I have all of their vintage and retro recents - even wedding dresses). I certainly hope it gets better from here! I am very determined about sewing, but get so discouraged when I spend money on scrap fabric and can't get it to work out right. It costs less than fashion fabric, but it's still money that I barely have, you know?

 

[MB5]

If you do visit Austin, be sure to check out Congress Ave. There were several vintage shops in close proximity to each other somewhere along it. I think they were near the capitol, on the left side of the street if you are facing the capitol. Consulting the yellowpages would probably be a good idea though. I think I was there four years ago.

Did you try ripping the seams out around the base of the "V" and put it on again? If it hangs right, pin it together while you are wearing it and sew it back together. It sounds like the problem might be being caused by the way the fabric is overlapping at that point.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Do youhave target or Eddie Bauer nearby? what's in your area?

There is always time to start looking for the look. I'd also say scour Ebay and check out Target for things that look dressier than the norm. Target often has some nice women's staples.

Pair the button up blouse with the sweater and pull the collar out.
Eddie Bauer has dressier trousers. What's your opinion on skirts?


Khakis and a t ay? Well for golden era, if you were a man back then you'd fit right in on an assembly line. Though you're a gal. So feminine apparel is the key to looking more classic. I see you do the hair... much easier to lean toward the 50's in general than to go for the 40's or 30's. Trim jeans and rolled up cuffs help with the rockabilly look on occasion. We need a new thread here which will help you shop on a dime showing the stores which have the stuff available right now.

I'll get back to you.

 

[Lady Day]

Oh my dear, you have reached a crossroads.

Your comment on how you want to look like what you feel inside really hit home with me. I sometimes think people see what they 'think' I am, but then I have to realize I cant change what people see me as, I can only make myself as presentable as I am able to.

So if you dont like how your golden era ascetic isn't showing on the outside, go for it and do it right!

For me it was throwing out all the clothes I felt 'held me back' and I mean some stuff I liked, but didn't fit my old school style. I had to commit, and stop saying I was gonna. Thats the biggest hump to get over.

As far as sewing, I NEVER sew anything that does not say 'easy' 'simple' or 'a blindfolded chimp could do it'. Less mess up on a super safe pattern, and way easier to experiment with.

Dont jump the gun on sewing, take baby steps. Even if you know how, take a class, being around others that do the same thing can teach you a different way of doing something.

So, take a deep breath, have a hot cup of Lipton (lemon, no sugar ) and know that you have community here who is MORE than willing to be supportive, cheerful, and humorous in helping you reach your vintage ideal.


LD

 

[Miss Neecerie]

Trust me...I feel like this a lot too.

I second Matt's recommendation of Target. They have cute and cheap cardigan twinsets all the time, I have like 5 different sets of them from there, all have lasted fairly well and are quite retro in styling.

I actually do the vast majority of shopping there, you just have to hunt and peck for the items that can be worn in a 'vintage-retro' way.

Start slow and just get one good outfit that makes you feel like a vintage million bucks....and go from there.

Denise

 

[Snookie]

Your frustration is something we've all felt - especially those of us who got into vintage when we are/were poor! It's so much harder to let go of a failed attempt when our resources are limited, or to start fresh from zero.

Remember that a classic item will still look good in 5 years. Hair, make-up, and accessories can go a long way in changing your look, and they are cheap!

For sewing, try to perfect one or two patterns. Do mockups in super-cheap fabric that you don't even intend to finish, then fit, and make your changes (give yourself 1" seam allowances instead of 1/2" if you think it might be too small). Then make that pattern 5 times, in different fabrics, and maybe different sleeves/collars/hemlengths. It goes really fast if you do it assembly line style (use the same color thread for everything, who really cares if it matches?) The extra time fitting the pattern at the beginning is worth it if you end up with an instant wardrobe.

Take pictures of your sewing problems and post them. I'm sure you'll get tons of help.

 

[humblestumble]

Wow! My goodness, thanks again for all the support and help, it is really boosting my esteem and my attitude.

I've been to one vintage shop in Austin back about 4 years ago. The clothes were really expensive (to me - like 100 dollars for a poodle skirt, but it was vintage!)...and I guess it was more like a costume shop. There were a lot of vintage items, but they had a lot of weird costume stuff too. I will definitely check out Congress Ave next time I go over there. I have never heard of it, but I take your word. My aunt and uncle live up near Austin and my aunt would be glad to take my shopping

I ripped out the seams in the V of the halter, but i got very frustrated after already having clipped the seams of it, that I just put all my sewing down for a few weeks. Everything I sewed, something went wrong that I just couldn't figure out. I am getting more inspired, so I will probably cut down the seam allowance and sew that part of the V again to see how it sits. The same thing happened to a crossover tie halter dress that I made a while back, but it was less noticeable - a bit of bulk in the front center seam made it kinda pucker.

You know, I never even thought of looking at Target, though I do go there on ocassion, I just usually never shop for me (really, I hardly ever go shopping for me because I usually hate all the clothes lol). I will go there and look around. I don't see too much use of cardigan twin sets, but I think having one would be good. I live in South Texas so it's HOT here (Even winter is usually only in the mid 60s to 70s) I never thought of looking for clothes that could work as a vintage style, hmm, I think I shall try it! ...

I don't know if we have an Eddie Bauer. That name sounds very familiar...Well I looked it up and turns out we don't have one. Man, our town is growing and we have a Kohl's and whatnot, but we don't have any real cool stores! We have a brand new freeway though - bah.

I definitely want to look more feminine. I really love the 40s and the 50s and even retro/rockabilly style. I don't do my hair up that often because I feel like it doesn't match my clothes, and I feel like I'd look mix-matched, you know? And I haven't been motivated enough to try doing 40's styles because my clothes don't match, and I would get discouraged probably.

I love skirts! But I need a girdle or something, lol. No need to delve futher there, but I have a pattern for vintage skirts from Simplicity. I just don't have any retro type skirts. I think I own one skort, lol. No A-lines, pencil or circle skirts here (yet,... well I have one circle skirt).

Lady Day, what you said resonates with me so much! I have been throwing out more and more of my clothes, thinking it will help me just jump into it and get retro and classic clothes. I've gotten rid out about 2/3 of my wardrobe, but it hasn't seemed to really do much - case being that my main point was to sew all my clothes, but it hasn't come to fruition yet because of my frustration. See the cycle? I really thought that the patterns I picked would be easier, especially because some of them are designed with teens in mind, so I thought maybe it's also for teens to sew them?[huh] I am definitely trying to take baby steps with the actual sewing, but I want to have the knowledge in my mind before I do anything, so I'm trying to read up on all things sewing so that way I hardly have to do any looking up when I come to a potential "huh?" situation. I've looked around for sewing classes, and I took one in high school, but it sucked. And a few years ago they closed the local college's class, I was so bummed to hear that. But there is a sewing guild here that I was thinking of joining ... I should look into it.

I have over 100 patterns since I've had my sewing machines and serger, but I haven't made a lot of them, and I'm just now deciding to do just that, Snookie. I am going to start to try and sew my vintage wardrobe patterns. I have one from the 50s - top, sash, skirt, jacket, capris; and one from the 40s - high waisted pants, skirt, and jacket. I think these two patterns alone could revamp my entire wardrobe. It really is a genious idea that I've also been thinking about (great minds think alike ) And I've also thought of using one color of thread - they do it with sergers all the time! All you need is rose, cream, and navy blue to blend into pretty much any color fabric.

Whoa - sorry for the post and a half! but I felt I had to respond to everone's input

 

[Lauren]

I agree with the baby steps thing posted. It took me a long long time to be able to sew more than just beginnner patterns! It's best to take your time and do a mock up in muslin. I echo the sentiments of the ladies here. It takes time but it's fun and worthwhile once you get the hang of it!

Also, if you're in a pinch, I've done a lot of my shopping at thrift stores for basics like button up shirts and even sweaters and skirts. It takes a bit of digging, but some of my favorite things to wear have come from the Salvation Army, and occasionally you'll even run across something vintage!

 

[Miss Dottie]

Hey HumbleStumble!

We've all felt that way at some time. Even though I have quite a few vintage dresses, it sometimes takes me a bit of guts to get the whole outfit on. Every day just adding a little bit more can help.

Now as far as sewing I have two suggetions:

1.) Keeping with simple patterns is a huge help. Let me recommend this one: Butterick 7490--it is the easiest pattern. A lot of people have made it on the sewretro blog (www.sewretro.blogspot.com)

See--here are some finished ones from people on the SewRetro blog:

Isn't it cute? A tad more rockabilly than golden age, but wearable down in Texas. And I've heard it takes most people--even the neophyte sewer about an afternoon to put together. I think once you accomplish something and see you can do it then your pep will just take off! Heck you can even make it out of an old queen size sheet!

2.) There is this book that has been getting a lot of buzz from the sewing community called: Sew U. You can read more about it at one of my favorite blogs called A dress a day: http://www.dressaday.com/2006/09/sew-u.html

Good luck and we are all rooting for you!

 

[humblestumble]

As for thrift stores... the ones here really don't have anything. Everything that I find is like from the 80s, or sweaters. I don't think I'd be lucky enough to find a button down. I guess I could go look there again sometime though or I'll never know.

I guess I was just really ambitious about sewing. I am usually a fast learner, and it's frustrating to not have that extra umph in the beginning. I think the hardest part is not knowing anyone around who can help me sew.

I actually do own that pattern though! I will make it soon, maybe with the money I just got. I wonder how alterations would pan out. And THANKS SO MUCH for those blogs! I never knew about them! It's so great to have more sewing resources, especially those that relate to my particular situation. Well, maybe not so much resource, but a community to help with retro sewing, that's really awesome.

 

[Brooksie]

Hi Humblestumble,

I know how you feel... I lived in a very small town in East Texas for about 8months, I did not even own a computor and the closest major shopping was at Wall Mart which was about 30 miles away, there were no vintage shops anywhere. I have some very dressy vintage clothes but I did not ever go any place to wear them so they just hung in my closet.

I live back in Oregon now in a very small town on the coast and nobody seems to ever dress up and I love to dress up. At work (I work at a pub and our dress code is jeans or dockers and tennis shoes or Clogs and a pub T shirt) So at work I wear Levi's and converse... but it is really hard to wear vintage at work but I try to sneak it in when I can... I wear a vintage hair style and vintage make up. I like to wear handtooled leather belts with vintage western belt buckles and I also have some handtooled leather purses ( picked up the handtooled belts and purses at thrift stores and garage sales for between $3.00 and $5.00).
One of my belt buckles I got sepparatly at an antique store and payed a little bit more for it. I have a few vintage looking flower hair clips and one of these days I will get the currage up to wear them to work also.

As far a sewing goes I have tried it and it always ends up looking like a train wreck. Something I have wanted to try is this... sewers are taking clothing items from thirft stores or items they have in their own closets - for example a plain skirt and embellishing them with a bit of vintage lace or a few vintage buttons or a ribbon. Or taking a shorter(plain solid color) skirt and adding length to it by sewing on a bit of lace or pleats from the bottom of a slip in the same color. I have seen an article about a school of fashion design that took a vintage slip and made it into a dress by adding on a few things to make it look like more like a dress and then adding a bolero jacket to it. A person could try altering existing dresses or blouses or any number of things.

Also in the latest issue of Bust magazine it shows how to make a fun vintage looking apron with no sewing out of a large shirt and a pair of sissors. And a circle apron that looks very 40's or 50's ish with a very minimal amount of sewing.

Brooksie

 

[Miss Dottie]

Great point Brooksie about taking wonky stuff from thirft stores and using a bit of creativity and snap to create a new look out of old clothes.

And check out www.craftster.com. Such smart kids over there making skirts out of pillowcases and such. So clever!

 

[humblestumble]

I have actually been a member of Craftster.org for some time I'm humblestumble over there too I love it there - so much inspiration! I host a craft-a-long there for procrastinators. lol

About the thrift store thing, I just don't know if I'd find anythnig there worthy of having. The one we have here is really not that great at all. And I have to make a guilty plead here of hating shopping for clothes So having to dig for the really good ones in a warehouse like that is like a heart attack. Seriously, most of the clothes there are just bonkers. I will make a trip over there one of these days though and look again. It is the cheapest place to go for clothes. I do think the embellishment idea is a really good one though, I've thought of doing that to some of my wardrobe before, but I don't know how to go about it really. I don't have 'the vision', you know?

 

[Lady Day]

Hey HumbleStumble!

We've all felt that way at some time. Even though I have quite a few vintage dresses, it sometimes takes me a bit of guts to get the whole outfit on. Every day just adding a little bit more can help.

Now as far as sewing I have two suggetions:

1.) Keeping with simple patterns is a huge help. Let me recommend this one: Butterick 7490--it is the easiest pattern. A lot of people have made it on the sewretro blog (www.sewretro.blogspot.com)

See--here are some finished ones from people on the SewRetro blog:

Isn't it cute? A tad more rockabilly than golden age, but wearable down in Texas. And I've heard it takes most people--even the neophyte sewer about an afternoon to put together. I think once you accomplish something and see you can do it then your pep will just take off! Heck you can even make it out of an old queen size sheet!

2.) There is this book that has been getting a lot of buzz from the sewing community called: Sew U. You can read more about it at one of my favorite blogs called A dress a day: http://www.dressaday.com/2006/09/sew-u.html

Good luck and we are all rooting for you!

Good Cheese and crackers, that looks like a dress I made (cept the back was the opening) that I posted back in the show us what you made thread. Super cute dresses dottie!

LD

 

[Elaina]

I hear you on the whole "I'm not digging through that trash when I can go get coffee at the 50's greasy spoon down the street."

It does help to go with a friend (not a boyfriend, husband or son who'll roll their eyes and not be excited when you DO find something. Female friends are great for this.) Make a day of it, hit one or two places...or do it on a garage sale day.

I was jusy given a 1926 chantilly lace wedding gown from a yard sale. The woman had to be a midget that was as big as a twig too. Needless to say, I can't fit a thigh in this thing, so it's just...yes more fun with someone else. I ohhed and ahhed and petted this dress, my son said "Mom, are you feeling the heat? Do you want me to get you something to drink?" "No, look at this dress? Isn't it awesome?!" "Uh, it's a DRESS. With LACE. Ew!"

Kind of bursts your bubble there.

Elaina