 Who is Karl Lagerfeld? Everyone "knows" this man or at least recognizes his portrait. "Isn't that the Chanel's man?", perhaps most people will answer. Or: "Isn't he the fashion man with sunglasses and ponytail?" His name and appearance are known. But who was Karl Lagerfeld really?
Karl Lagerfeld, the person behind the fashion icon As a Chanel lover, I could not let this book pass me by. After all, Karl Lagerfeld has for many years been the brain behind the Couture house Chanel and ensured that Chanel did not fall into oblivion but became an unprecedented - timeless - success. Karl: I try to bring Chanel style evolution by thinking of Goethe's saying: "create a better future by building on the past." The designer liked to quote philosophers and writers. He was a well-read person and owned a few hundred thousand books. Karl was a great talent with a big ego and a completely own created image. Quote or be quoted Karl (German by origin) started his career as a fashion designer in Paris around 1955 and it didn't take long before he became known and was quoted himself. His statements were always surprising, testified by great intelligence, but could also be hard and offensive. Such as a false remark towards an actress, who he thought was "too fat". Or a kick in the back of Ines de la Fressange (who turned his back on him after many years of collaboration). Not so nice... He was therefore a complex person, let's just say it, because we also know very well that statements by famous people are often pulled out of context and start to live their own life. A savant idiot Karl Lagerfeld was a genius with a vision. Like his friend Yves Saint Laurent, he was able to design clothes that the whole world loved for decades. He was hyper intelligent and had a sense of style, beauty and art. However, his intelligence made him difficult as well. Apart from all this, there were more things by Karl Lagerfeld that did not make him a beloved personality. His extravagant life also disappointed many people. Spending a fortune on a cat, deliberately not wanting children (supported by yet again 'surprising' statements) and living a life of extreme excess and opulence ... It made him as cold as his flawless appearance. Read after all, get inspired and enjoy However, this book was an eye opener for me. It is so easy to judge a person by his or her image. But you can only understand what lies behind an image, if you take a look behind the scenes. Laurent Allen-Caron has made this book a simple, truthful and easy-to-read book. Laurent is a journalist himself and you notice that as a reader. He writes briefly and forcefully and stays close to the facts. His sources and notes are carefully mentioned. The quotes make the book lively, as if you hear Karl talking. The book causes a smile here and there, for example: "At the end of the sixties, fifteen years after his arrival in Paris, the press could finally spell the name Karl Lagerfeld flawlessly." To Karl or not to Karl? I just wonder if Karl Lagerfeld would have been happy with it... The book is compact, not too thick (240 pages) and is sober. Karl probably would have preferred a thick, heavy coffee table book, full of photos, luxury and extravagant photos of his creations and himself ... But there are more than enough of those books too. I love this book. This book is an honest and well-written portrait of an impressive life and man Karl Lagerfeld.
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 Almost every woman has a wrap dress. Mainly because it is a very easy to wear all day. Almost every seamstress has created a wrap dress. Mainly because it is an easy sewingpattern and the result always looks fabulous! THE wrap dress! In 1974 Diana von Frustenberg, a Belgian-American designer, invented the wrap dress. It has become an icon-status-dress. For over 40 years now, it is still fashionable, easy to wear and it survived nearly every fashion trend. Women just love it because it is so easy to wear at work but also during holidays or at the glamping. Above all: it looks flattering, versatile, and easy to wear for almost every figure. What is a wrap dress or a wrap skirt? A wrap dress is a piece of garment which looks like a shawl or stole or other fabric wrapped about the upper body. In case of a skirt: the fabric is wrapped around the lower body. The fronts are closed by wrapping one side across the other, and knotting the attached ties that wrap around the back at the waist or fastening buttons. This forms a V-shaped neckline and hugs the woman's curves. And a faux-wrap dress or skirt? The faux-wrapping is almost the same design except the closure: a faux-wrap dress or skirt it is not open but closed. You need to slip the dress over the head or step in the skirt. The faux-wrap or the normal wrap, are looking exactly the same, but the real wrap-dress is much easier to wear. All about faux-wrap skirts à la Chanel: The faux-wrap couture skirt. The wrap dress is a nice clothing item to pack for holidays. It is almost married with beachwear as women love the ‘beach wraps’. The sarongs and towels are worn in the same way as the wrap-dress, but the wrap-dress is a lot more sophisticated. The wrap-cloting is also a big favorite for balanced sports like yoga. It is easy to put it on or to put it off when you start heating up or you need a cover for the cooling-down last minutes of the sport-session. A special sewingpattern: Vogue 1548: Very Easy Diana von Frustenberg Original We tested the sewingpattern. Although it is not easy to get it in hands, you might have the luck to buy it on an auction site or a marketplace. The pattern is worth a lot! But of course any other sewingpatterns about the wrapdress, will do the trick as well.
The pattern is indeed easy and fit almost every woman’s figure. Use stretch fabrics only! If you want a plain cotton wrap-dress, better use: Simplicity Amazing fit 1686. Tip: last but not least, wearing the wrap dress backwards, might be possible but does not look good: the neckline is simply to high-up and looks like it would reach your chin. Tip: be sure to use a locker for the hems and the seams. It will give the dress a perfect finishing touch.   If you are not able to find this collector's item sewingpattern, there is good news. There are enough sewingpatterns available which are almost or exactly the same.
Take a look here; we really love for instance Simplicity 8735.  A new header for the updated website... That's our wish. But how do we manage it? Creating a header for a website or blog is not as easy as it seems. But after a long time of thinking we suddenly had a great idea. What is Sewing Chanel-Style? The purpose of our website and blog is to provide information about do-it-yourself couture. Specifically: jackets and couture in Chanel style. Information in general: testing and discussing suitable sewing patterns, discussing couture techniques, reviewing books, testing sewing machines and sewing products and providing as much information possible. But how do you visualize it in a header of a website which is very restricted in terms of sizes. All the elements together in one picture! We bring our jackets, a pile of books, a clothes hanger with beautiful fringes, sewing measures, tapes and a lot of tweed fabrics. Heading to the Studio where the photographer Erik Bolding from Fashionworkz has already built a setting. And after a few hours of work, the setting is ready. The lady and her sewing machine! Unfortunately, the sewing machines, the lock machine and even the overlocker-machine are not ion board. They were allowed to stay at home. But the other elements are there: the books, the sewing patterns, the self-made Chanel-Style jackets and lots of fabric, fringes and bindings which will become eventually our Chanel-Style jackets. Never underestimate a woman with a sewing machine! Our theme. Because we 'just' make couture ourselves. And we help you by informing you about everything you want to know. But the photographer should also not be underestimated. I would say: "Never underestimate a photographer with a camera", because a photo is more than a picture. This photo gets the place of honor as a header above the website. We hope that the message is 'captured' in the photo. And now ley's get back to work, we got work to do!  PureLite Handy lamp rechargeable.
The height of the lamp is ideal for use next to, in front of or behind your sewing machine or serger.This modern rechargeable lamp has 3 colors that you can set with the on and off touch button. Read our test !  I want to be a Parisienne ! I want to be as stylish as she is. As nonchalant, relaxed and always looking perfectly 'casual chic'. She is clever, well-educated and enjoys eating (but never too much, because she is she the perfect size 8). She knows all the interesting galleries, musea and the Tuileries Garden is her backyard.
But I am blonde and do not live even close to Paris.... read it all  We tested the sewingpattern Simplicity 1067, Model D. Ánd turned it into a real Chanel-Style long jacket or coat! This pattern is a fairly simple sewingpattern and very suitable for beginners. The pattern is ideal for applying all kinds of variations: trims, fringes, bindings, 2 or 4 pockets: time to become creative! Description: Simplicity 1067, Misses’ unlined coat or jacket with neckline variations. Sewing level: Easy-to-sew Fabrics: Brocade, Tweeds, Woolblends, Double knits, Fleece. Notions: Trims, bindings. We are enthusiast about these PLUS points:
We are a little less enthusiast about:
We created the jacket in white, Bouclé. We added a lining inlight blue 100% Silk. We transformed the assymetrical front into a straight-line front. This makes it perfect for attaching creative fringes. We made fringes out of the same fabric as the outer-fabric. And we used a thin ribbon. Creative ideas: trims en fringes. Extra options: We quilted the lining to the outer fabric, according to the couture sewing techniques described in the book: "The Couture Cardigan jacket" by Claire Schaeffer. This makes the jacket pleasant and comfortable enough to wear as a casual coat or long jacket. The result: a beautiful, stylish jacket that you can wear all day, both casual and formal.  If you are looking for the perfect shirt, take a deep breath for relief. We have found the perfect sewingpattern for making: The Perfect Shirt ánd easy to sew! Mc Call's M6076 A pattern is perfect if it meets a lot of conditions. We will just mention a few:
The sewingpattern is easy to sew for beginners, but does not have a cheap appearance or the appearance of a straightforward garment which is typically typical of patterns for beginners. Feel free to go ahead and vary in terms of fabrics and colors! Tip: The sleeves could be too wide. In linnen or cotton blends it looks great. In fabrics which are not firm, it looks a bit as if you have the wrong size... Mc Call's M6076 is a sewingpattern that you will often use as a basic pattern. The pattern is also timeless and classic. We love it ! |
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