 The lady-boss of the House of Chanel: Did you know that Coco Chanel was not only very different from most designers, but that she also worked very differently? She did not design on paper and did not have a sketch book. Unlike her successor, Karl Lagerfeld, who designed ALWAYS on paper. When Coco Chanel started her fashion house, she actually had very little couture sewing techniques. She had taught herself almost everything herself and worked mainly from her feeling and instinct. She had a great sense of how fabrics could be draped around the female body. Nice lady or a demanding lady-boss? When she founded her Fashion House and became more and more successful she got assistants and employees....   One of the most read blogs on this website is the article on how to recognize a real vintage Chanel jacket. Imagine; suddenly you spot a jacket between all second-hand clothing that looks like a Chanel jacket. Is it really possible? But the labels are cut out, and there are no Chanel buttons on them, but it can be a really authentic Chanel jacket ... Tricky to find out, especially since the labels and buttons can confirm the authenticity of a Chanel jacket. But there are other things you can tell from it. Read our article and who knows, maybe that jacket in the mother's closet is a real Chanel jacket or you accidentally bought a real one via Marktplaats, ebay or another second-hand clothing online store. Let us know, we would like to sympathize!  How to recognize Vintage Chanel couture?
How do you know you have find a real Vintage couture piece of art or just a fake copy? On first sight they look exactly the same, they feels the same and it seems too good to be true. It is quite difficult. These days fakes are on first sight as good as the real onces. There is a whole (black) market on luxury brands on couture, jewelry, toys, games and even make-up. Even Vintage and authentic goods are made with such an knowledge and technical materials; it seems almost impossible to recognize real Vintage these days. We talk about couture on this website/blog and specific the French Chanel Couture. More specific the famous jacket and skirt. READ MORE:  We love this little book about the 50 modeclassics, their history and styling tips. Unfortunatly it is written in the Dutch and German language. For those who can read it: herby the book review and hopefully you will enjoy it anyway... Book review   Oh HOW WE LOVE Chanel Vintage ! Do you want to join us? @ SewingChanelStyle on Pinterest -> Chanel Vintage ! Join our Pinterest Collection and help us to collect the most beautiful pictures ever! Together we will honor these wonderfull pictures forever !   The Lora dress by La Maison Victor has quickly become a classic. The Lora dress was in one of the magazines in recent years and was sewn with enthusiasm by many seamstresses and shown in photos. Why was the dress so popular? Mainly because of the feminine shape that is just right in all sizes. From size 30 to size 48; the dress is beautiful and flatters the feminine shape through the figure seams that emphasize the waist but also hide a tummy. The magazine was no longer available. "Do you still have the pattern of the Lora dress?" was a question circulating on sewing forums. La Maison Victor must have picked it up because suddenly the pattern was available, in a beautiful edition via the website and via all other sewing pattern shops. The sewingpattern is designed in a folder, which contains a booklet with instructions and the pattern on a radar sheet. The instruction booklet comes in five languages: Dutch, French, German and English. The booklet has no less than 60 pages and is easy to read and work. The instructions are clearly explained, just like in the La Maison Victor (see our blog about sewing magazines) and we work with colors, clear drawings and schematic representation. The booklet is very complete: it even contains an explanation of sewing terms and abbreviations used. The design is beautiful and a nice handy A-5 format. Ideal gift!   Vogue V8959 is a pattern of a cape and would be part of our website under 'the Classics'. It is not really a Chanel style jacket, but fits well within the concept of our website. A timeless classic, which is also easy to make in the Chanel style. Read our review about the sewing pattern! Do we have any comments or remarks, yes one: at Vogue it falls under: VERY EASY. We doubt this. But with a little help from another, a beginner can make this cape just fine. Don't underestimate it, however, because cutting the fabric, making the collar and sleeve openings tidy and finishes in particular requires a bit of sewing experience. The cape is a wonderful piece of clothing, timeless, and ideal for all seasons. Good luck! Vogue V8959 review
How does the world of fashion look after the Pandemic?  It is clear that the world is going to change. No one had seen the size of the Pandemic approach. And no one expected this to have such an impact on the whole world, as it turns out now. We are working hard to limit the deaths and economic damage, but we are also looking into the distant future. How will we continue later? Are we all going to travel en masse again? Do we board the plane three times a year to visit sunny faraway 'bach paradises' and especially to take a lot of selfies? Or will these journeys, as before, only be possible for the rich and the famous? Do people take bicycles and trains more often, or will we soon be stuck in traffic again and will we accept air pollution and the negative effect of this on our lungs? Are we mainly going to invest in alternative energy sources or is this not a priority? Are we going to continue with the mass production of goods (clothing!), as cheaply as possible, with the expressed suppression of third world countries? How do we continue with the gap between rich and poor that is widening? Or do we take our responsibility on a global and local scale (and personally!) By dealing better with the environment, with sustainability and with the division between rich and poor? All difficult and VERY difficult questions, but I think that especially the people from the sewing world have a long and broad opinion about this. Making clothes and stuff yourself makes you more aware of the raw materials, the time it takes to make something, and the value it has personally but also economically. We wish you a lot of strength in the coming times and hope that everyone will find their (new!) way. Keep sewing and make mouth masks for each other. Help people learn to sew, help repair clothes. Stop waste ... Living more consciously, appreciating smaller things and, above all, not only thinking about your own gain. Maybe Covid taught us this. Perhaps we will soon all be more NEXT to each other to tackle the problems of the near future: climate change, migration flows and the gap between rich and poor. An interesting article from the Fashion world: Could COVID-19 Usher in a New Era of Responsibility in Fashion? An Urgent Opportunity for Sustainability and Ethics   We have tested and created the sewing pattern of the Butterick B6378. This blouse, or tunic, is easy to make and an ideal, timeless classic. The blouse is not only very casual (the tunike closure) but is also chic because of the bow and our extra added edge à la Chanel. Many blogs have been written about tunics. It is a simple garment, ideal for summer, nice and wide and easy to put on and take off quickly. However, we have the tunic more among our 'favorites' because the blouse (especially without sleeves) is ideal for under a Chanel jacket, the bow makes the round neck, often without a collar, more 'complete' and looks very young (er) but also chic and timeless. The blouse can be made in many types of fabric. However, we recommend especially supple fabrics, such as viscose, georgette and chiffon. A polin cotton or linen is possible, but the blouse will then look a bit 'bulky' very quickly. The ultimate in chic: white silk!   Shopping until you drop? Theslogan certainly does not apply now. But for seamstresses and creative people, it probably didn't apply at all. The average seamstress probably loves shopping, but we often hear that they are very critical about the quality of clothing. Or they think: Oh, I will do a better job! Especially when it comes to cheap, mass production clothing. The finish is often lousy, the fabric is cheap and probably survives only a few washes and the clothes are by no means unique or personal. Many reasons to start (learning) sewing yourself. But where do we shop? With these search terms on Google you will find what you are looking for:
 
A Chanel-Style jacket without trims or fringes? Impossible !
Coco Chanel made her signature trims and fringes longggg time ago and they are still famous and SUPER modern ! Let's start making trims and fringes and be creative as never before!
Read the book: Making designer trims by Claire Schaeffer
 We have selected sewing patterns for reviews. These sewing patterns are all suitable for making the Chanel-style jacket. Our reviews are based on actual testing, ie: cutting, sewing, wearing the results. If you click on a sewing pattern and no new page appears: it is work in progress! Most sewingpatterns are available at SewingPatternsShop or Naaipatronen.nl. But some sewingpatterns are not for sale (anymore) or are even real collector's items, which we will mention in the blogs and reviews. Sewingpatterns reviews by number  Sewingpatterns - More info:
How to choose the right sewingpattern? Different types of sewingpatterns Which sewingpatterns did we use? More suggestions to review other Sewing Patterns or to add some ideas? Or your sewing product on review? Just contact us.  Buying a handy sewing machine is now a good plan! The worst thing in this bizarre time is that we don't know how long our #staythome will be necessary to stop the virus Corona. We look at the situation from day to day and hope that we can all go out again soon. Enjoy spring, family at home and try to enjoy the ordinary things in life. In the sewing world, there is a lot of anticipation that many people will now have time for their hobby. The fabric shops come with nice offers, the sewing magazines have interesting blogs and even patterns of mouth masks come along. Many reasons to start sewing! It might be an idea to finally make a decision and buy a sewing machine or maybe one more. Take a look at our reviews! The Toyota TSEW2 ERGONOMIC  Toyota TSEW2 Ergonomic (EN)We are happy to test the Toyota TSEW2 and came to the conclusion that this is an ideal machine for, for example, taking it to a sewingworkshops (if it continues in limited groups, or private lessons) or to sit outside. Table on the terrace or balcony, and enjoy the fresh air and creative sewing.
Making an Easter dress, sewing mouth masks or making summer clothes ... Very good things to stay positive in difficult times. This lightweight sewingmachine is just part of this. Especially as a beginner, it will be a great sewing machine and as a medium advanced seamstress you can have just as much fun with it. Read our test report and make a decision!  The Chanel booklet is a treasure. Written by; Isabel Sánchez Vegara and illustrated by Ana Albero. It summarizes her life in a nutshell and has an eye for detail and her unique style. "Gabrielle was different. While the other girls played, she liked to sew with a needle and thread" We read and see how Coco Gabrielle Chanel built her empire through her unusual and renewed style. She created outfits for women that were stylish but above all gave the woman more freedom to move. The hats were practical and minimalistic, and the corsets were banned. Coco designed clothes for the modern woman who was not standing still in life but on the move, perhaps working (this was very unusual at the time). Her choice of colors, minimalist style and specific accessories such as the famous Chanel 2.55 handbag are still very popular and expensive 'must-haves'   'Couture Classics by Margaretha' is an old fashion label renewed by Marga. At the moment Couture Classics is designing dresses for photographer: Erik Bolding. As soon as Erik Bolding continues his model-photoshoots, the models will be able to wear these dresses and to be 'fairytale' beautiful. The photoshoots are a complete concept: a Make-up artist is included, a styliste and the use of the exclusive dresses and skirts of 'Couture Classics by Margaretha'. The dresses, skirts and bolero's are all made of real silk, cotton blends, velour de panne and exclusive lace-fabrics. They are also made for fitting various sizes: size S - L A few dresses in production:  More information: Couture Classics by Margaretha
 We are staying home ! Show solidarity and stay at home, help to survive this bad time. Tips to read: How to choose your right sewingpattern for making a Chanel-Style jacket Sewing Products Reviews Book Reviews Reasons why you should sew your own Chanel Inspired Jacket Advanced Sewing Projects   It is not (yet?) the time to go to Paris. It is not time to travel at all. All cities are closed and Social Isolation is an emergency to get the Corona virus under control. But we have a different idea for you. To feel a bit of spring in Paris, we recommend a few nice books. Enjoy the beautiful photos, the terraces, the beautiful boutiques and especially all the tips and tricks to be stylish as a Parisian! Everything will pass, and sooner or later we will enjoy Paris even more than ever. Paris je t'aime ... How to be Parisian wherever you are   Now it is time for sewing, reading books and watching a movie in the evening. have you already sen the movie 'Coco before Chanel?' Read our review. we absolutely loved the movie because of it styling, the wonderful clothes and the story. Just enjoy the movie and get inspiration for sewing a Chanel-Style jacket. We are very sure you won't regret.  A Chanel-look long summer coat  Burda offers us a sewingpattern that's a great summer jacket/coat. as it is made of the Bouclé fabric, it has the typical 'Chanel look'. The jacket is sewn according to the pattern in a summer Bouclé fabric that is ideal to wear in the summer as an inner and outer jacket. The long coat is long enough to wear over a summer dress or skirt. We have used the pattern for a green Bouclé fabric and have noticed all the positive points of this sewingpattern for you. We have also mentioned the slightly fewer points and written down suggestions to possibly change or adjust the pattern. The pattern is available: Sewingpatternshop.nl Read our Burda 6248 review
How do you make a mouth cap yourself?
Mouth caps are now hard to buy but we need them to protect us against the Corona virus.
So, maybe an idea to create them ourselves. We found the best videos for you. . Making a mouth cap without a sewing machine:
How to sew a mouth cap:
Buy a real Chanel mouthcap? That will be difficult. Better to make one yourself. A real 'Chanel-Style' mouthpiece, indeed.
We are already working on it and will come back to it soon. Take care of yourself!  "International Women's Day contributes to making the importance of International Women's Day visible. Equality between men and women and therefore a basis for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. Women must be given equal opportunities to participate in politics, economics and public life. Violence against girls and women such as human trafficking and sexual exploitation must be stopped. " This is the objective of the International Women's Day, which we at SewingChanel Style fully support. We therefore wish every seamstress, designers, fashionata, Chanel-lovers, bloggers, shopowners or co-stasr, artists, workshopowners and all those other thousands of women we have not mentioned, a nice day! Read more about ALL (women) people behind the Chanel couture: Chanel: The Making of a Collection Read more about Sewing ChanelStyle supports small female businesses: Sewing ChanelStyle supports female businesses   Chanel-Style, Pink and the snow.... But to be honest, we have not had any winter in the Netherlands in recent months. No snow, just rain, lots of rain and too hot temperatures. Not good.... , but we won't talk about that on this website. Let's focus on the jacket: The pink Chanel-style jacket is made of lovely woolly Bouclé fabric with a silk lining. If you make a Chanel jacket a bit more spacious, it is also often very suitable to wear outside. Even in the snow;>)
The little black dress, by Simon Henry
No woman in the world should be without a little black dress! And that's an understatement... The little black dress is always chic, always classy and ideal for styling for different occasions: an evening party, a formal business-meeting or just a nice casual day. Add some accessories, handbags, a coat, shoes or boots or combine it with sneakers. Everything is possible and timeless beautiful. But where to find a little black dress that really fits? Read all about this book,
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