A quick look at the quality of work I can give you.

It's been a while since I posted this link, and I hope it still works.  These great pictures were taken some time ago by my photographer friend, Rita Finn, who has since tragically and unexpectedly passed.  It's nice to have her work live on.  Unfortunately, there aren't many pics of more formal pieces designed - but I've certainly done a myriad of them!  I'll try to get organized and find some to post.


https://www.flickr.com/photos/ritafinn/sets/72157624908739311/?share=mail


Here are a few more pics that I happened to think to snap myself.

 On the right is a Pinterest photo of a Valentino coat (in Valentino red, no less!) sent to me by a client. She wanted a slightly larger bow, which you can see on the final result on the right, done in a gorgeous wool cashmere form B&J Fabrics in NYC.

                                                         Another wool cashmere piece.

A classy update on a wrapped, buttoned and belted trench coat.  And a  close-up of the bound buttonholes you should expect in a truly custom garment and the kind of beautiful lining you can opt for (and will never see in ready to wear!) when you have something made we've designed together.

Great news coming soon, but in  the meantime, please bear with me and consider this blog in the midst of remodeling.  In a short time I'll have all kinds of new photos and ideas and ways to reach me when I can be of service.  I've really let time slip away and have ignored my blog, but soon  I'll be up and rolling with lots of inspirations.  Hang in there with me, please!


Lynda

Let's talk mother-of-the-bride

Face it.  Finding the right dress for the "mother ofs" in a wedding can be every bit as daunting as finding the perfect dress for the bride. We've all been  to weddings where the mother looked like she must have "settled" for the dress she's wearing.  And then we've all been to weddings where mom looks painfully dowdy, or even worse, like she decided to compete with the bride  (WAY worse).  It can become a huge task to find a dress off the rack that is appropriate, suits the bride, that is the right color for you, the right color for the wedding, the right style for your individual shape, and - almost an afterthought - fits!  A mother can find herself wishing if only I could have those sleeves, on this silhouette, with that neckline, in this color and that length, that actually fits like it was made for me.  Well, it is possible  Time to look into custom dress making.  Together we will create the perfect dress - that fits......like it's made for you, because it was. 

A (Very) Brief Video on How a Chanel Jacket Is Made

http://jezebel.com/5893921/see-how-a-chanel-jacket-is-made 


 I love this little video.  It quickly justifies the cost of all well-done custom made clothing.  Though no doubt very expensive, this little Chanel jacket is "hand" made not custom made.  To me custom implies that a garment is a one-of-a-kind piece made for a specific individual.  That's what I do all day long - everyday, for more years than I want to count.  It's just nice for me personally to see it in a condensed version that gives others an idea of the knowledge and techniques required to pull it all off.

Downton Abbey's Influence on Current Fashions

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/downton-abbey-fashion-from-costume-to-the-runway/2012/01/05/gIQAkrrZfP_gallery.html

A Great Lesson from Kim Crow of Cleveland Magazine

I've always told clients to enjoy their clothing a little more.  Sometimes they agree, but still find it very hard to move away from their clothing-as-camouflage thinking.  I still find it hard to explain that I can give them fabulous clothes that truly fit, but their body is their body.  Sort of that wherever-you-go-there-you-still-are logic that escapes most of us as we continue to do the fight-or-flight search for that perfect style that will FINALLY totally alter our lives - if we can just find it!
This wonderful article by style writer Kim Crow was in the most recent Cleveland Magazine.  Please take a moment to read it and I promise you'll be as touched and humbled as I was.  Kudos to Ms. Crow.  I for one appreciate (through the tears) this subtle reprimand.  I might renew my subscription afterall.

The Mirror Image Shoulder-length brown hair frames her heart-shaped face. Her T-shirt is pink, her leggings pink and white striped, and her jumbled teeth speak of orthodontia bills to come. Kim Crow

She’s about 8 years old, and she holds her mother’s hand as they walk into my Tremont boutique. “This is going to be a nice place!” she proclaims. “It smells so good!” Her voice is loud and very clear. It’s a busy afternoon. One customer is looking for dresses that won’t cling to her belly. Her friend will not wear anything sleeveless. Another gal is after new jeans but is sensitive about the shape of her derriere. The knowledge that most women hate their bodies is as fundamental to the American psyche as the world is round and Donald Trump has ridiculous hair. I understood this when I opened my store last fall. But I could never have guessed the sheer pervasiveness and depth of this self-loathing until I got a daily glimpse behind the fitting room curtains. Nearly everyone wants to lose weight. Those who aren’t actively dieting still crave ever-firmer bodies. Upper arms, tummies and rear ends are easily America’s Most Hated Body Parts, but even minor frets, such as toe length and freckles, come into play. We all feel an obligation to be supermodels, as if anything less is an enormous personal failing. I have come to realize that when most women go shopping, it’s not really clothes that they’re after. Rather, it’s simply to not hate what they see in the mirror. Little Pink Leggings stays close to her mother’s side, stroking a jersey dress here, a silky top there. She sometimes plunges her entire head into a row of clothes, rubbing her cheeks from side to side. I flinch inwardly, trying not to think of what she might be leaving behind. “These feel nice, Mommy! I think you should try this one on!” Mom smiles and tells her daughter she always finds the best stuff. Soon, I lead them back to the fitting rooms. Hates Her Arms tells Looking for Jeans that she is planning a cayenne pepper cleanse because “you can lose 10 pounds the first day!” Both wonder if denim whiskering makes hips look “even huger.” Little Pink Leggings flings herself in a chair. She jumps back up, pulls the chair screeching across the floor a few feet and resettles herself. “OK, I’m all set, Mommy! Tell me about everything! Show me your outfits!” Mom does just that. “There are four small rooms back here, hanging with long white curtains. There is a big mirror on the facing wall,” she says, her voice practiced and smooth. It is only then that I realize Little Pink Leggings is blind. “This dress is pale green, and it has a long ruffle down the right side. It has a straight skirt; the fabric sparkles a bit …” She emerges in the dress and pauses before her daughter’s chair. Little Pink Leggings reaches forward and runs her hands down her mom’s side, her head cocked intently. As Mom gazes in the mirror, she decides she needs a different size. After petting the dress again, Little Pink Leggings declares, “I can find it! I know exactly where we got it!” “OK, honey. Ask the lady if you need help.” I follow her as she races out to the sales floor. After some hesitant steps, she heads to the correct rack. Within a few touches, she has the right one. I make sure it’s the desired size, and Little Pink Leggings triumphantly takes it to her mom. “This one fits a little better,” she soon tells the girl. “I might be too hippy for it, though.” Little Pink Leggings sighs. “You always say that, Mommy,” she answers. “I sometimes think it’s good that I don’t know what I look like.” Her innocent sentence, in that clear voice, falls as softly as frost on the hothouse atmosphere of the fitting rooms. There is a moment of utter stillness, a snag in the fabric of our personal truths. I see discomfort of a different sort on the women’s faces, and in my own reflection in the big mirror, the silent witness to so much self-induced misery. With the tiniest catch in her voice, Mom makes a joke. “So is that your excuse for all the jelly on your face?” Little Pink Leggings goes off in a gale of giggly protests. The moment passes, but the frost lingers. Looking for Jeans chooses a pair in whisker-free wash. Hates Her Arms settles on a top without another word about how the sight of her upper arms will surely invite society’s scorn. Little Pink Leggings leaves with her mother, carrying the green dress, the striped shopping bag swinging merrily from her arm. After everyone leaves, I return to the fitting rooms to put them back to rights. But I leave the chair where Little Pink Leggings dragged it. Perhaps she shifted it to a better place.

 

How About Some Summer Colors Nostalgia?

1950's Suzy Perette

1980's Valentino

1960's Thea Porter

1980's Pauline Trigere

Vintage Scaasi

1980's St. Laurent





1970's sunburst pleat





1980's Halston

 


1980's  Laurent

 



1990's Laurent

  



 
 


1960's Cardin






1960's silk "garden dress"



Vintage Chanel denim

 



1970's Laurent

 


  

365gratitude: Thank you, Lynda ...

365gratitude: Thank you, Lynda ...: "Today I sent a thank you note to a woman named Lynda, who creates magic. Dear Lynda, About eight years ago, I walked down the aisle in wh..."

Marfy Patterns from Italy

I'm still amazed by the number of people (clients as well as seamstresses and dressmakers) who have no knowledge of Moda Marfy, a high fashion Italian paper pattern company.  I'm not denying that the designs require more than a passing knowledge of clothing construction - there are no layouts, no construction instructions, and a very strange translation of the few English words that do appear on the pattern pieces.  Added to these considerable hurdles, there is no picture of the garment included with the pattern and - horror of horrors - yardages are given in meters.  All of this is preceded by a long wait for the patterns to be shipped from Italy, though ordering, at least, is easy online.  But I gladly cast aside these issues in order to work with these interesting and often intricate Italian designs.  Take a moment to check them out sometime at the website below, or at http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/ under "other patterns".  If you're really wowed, spring the $50 for a seasonal catalog to see the additional patterns that are not available online.  The catalogs usually come with 10 free patterns - but be forewarned!  The 10 patterns are considerately printed with all available sizes, but they are printed one style over another with all 10 designs printed on just two sheets of pattern paper!  Sometimes a challenge is good.  Sometimes it's just a headache - literally.  But in the end, the desire to produce these beautiful styles wins out, and I know my clients are grateful.

Just four of the many Marfy styles I've used.

http://www.marfy.it/eng/activenews.asp?idcat=&idart=63007&azione=detailcataloghi&layout=&CID=A151L156L220110110230327DWHCXFKBBUO00840091

Clevelanders - Visit the Open House at Murray Hill Bolt and Spool

http://event.pingg.com/GrandOpeningOpenHo

For Those of You Asking for Rita Finn's Flickr Slideshow of My Work

And thanks so much for being interested enough to keep trying!  I know some of you have told me you're having trouble getting into my blog and/or signing up to be a follower.  I'll try to check into things to see what the problem is.  So sorry!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ritafinn/sets/72157624908739311/show/
Remember - these photos represent just the tiniest fraction of my work (from two wonderful customers who were kind enough to lend me some things for a photo shoot).  I'm afraid I've always just let things slip away before I ever thought to have them photographed.  So let me know what I've done that you'd like to know about.

My First Visit to Murray Hill Bolt and Spool

Despite the icky gray day, I made it to a happy, sunny place - Murray Hill Bolt and Spool.  I found the address to be a wonderful old two-story school that has been refurbished to house lots of small "artsy" boutique businesses.  Bolt and Spool is a very cool space on the first floor in what looks like it could have been the school administration office once upon a time.  Though owner Nan Webb is not quite ready to be officially opened, I had a blast going through the stock that's in so far.  High quality stuff.  Hurrah!  Beautiful, unusual cotton prints and scrumptious silks.  Always in style wool tartans from Scotland as well as soft-as-butter wool solids.  A grouping of embroidered ribbons to die for and THE cutest little notions.  High end buttons for adults and children, tons of unique trims.  Not the usual (re: Simplicity, Butterick, McCall's) pattern brands for children with wonderful classic designs.  I'm making up some sample dresses for the store and will share them with you soon.  Stay posted at boltandspool.com and leave any ideas for Nan about what you'd like to see carried there.

Hey everybody - a new fabric source is on the way!

Here in the Cleveland and Columbus areas we are starved for REAL fabric stores.  Seems like every year has brought the closure of another fabric store until there are just none left anymore.  Through a really smooth (and kind!) move by my sister-in-law, Kathleen DePompei Santabarbara (by the way, check out Kath's gorgeous artwork on Facebook) I have had the good fortune to speak with new store owner Nan Webb.  Nan has the knowledge (and guts) to be opening a wonderful little shop In Cleveland's totally cool Little Italy.  Keep tabs on her website, http://boltandspool.com/. I'm sure she'd love to hear ideas and have you all visit.  And I'll keep you updated on what I know is going to be a great relationship.  Best of luck, Nan - we need you!

Inner Workings - the unseen but necessary parts of a successful custom garment

Things in-the-making can look really odd.  I often tell clients, "Sometimes the first fitting is just for me - close your eyes!".

Things are usually further along (than in is these pictures) before any fitting is done, so not everyone gets to see the unattractive "innards" that result in a beautiful garment.  They are a little scary, aren't they?

 .

It takes a good deal of planning on the paper pattern to be sure that buttonholes are pleasingly placed in a plaid

I always breathe a sigh of satisfaction when the lining goes in. A "rough" garment is suddenly finished- looking.  In this case, note how the silk jacquard lining echos the plaid of the wool/cashmere.  One more of those fun things YOU get to choose when clothes are custom made.






One last trip to the dressform for a final steaming and detail check.

 

Other clients start with a picture...............

It all began with an online ad from a boutique.  Pictures of a really dramatic coat - but maybe too dramatic.

The  client is a small person, and though she loved the silhouette and color of the coat, that collar was going to be overwhelming on her tiny frame and that "bib" overlay was just too much. Time to customize! So let's lose the drama queen details, I suggest, and you'll still have a fabulous coat. Let's keep the color, the covered buttons, improve the fabric quality, and taper the rows of giant pintucks for a more flattering effect. Off she went with pictures in hand. A fabulous light blue wool /cashmere blend was the perfect find - another plus of custom made clothing - your items can be made in finer fabrics than the "inspiration" piece. Now we had a truly a luxurious piece underway, so we decided to take it over the top with powder blue silk charmeuse lining.  Scrumptious!



Our refined design



Bound buttonholes are a must!

 

Photos courtesy of Rita Finn














                                                  

Some clients start with the fabric...........

Photos courtesy of Rita Finn

This is a good project to discuss because it illustrates how a client can be inspired  to create her own design - making me the craftsman who simply carries out her wishes!  These garments are courtesy of Jeanne Reed, Bexley, OH.  Jeanne is a long-time client and is adept at the brainstorming game that creates wonderful clothes. (It's an acquired skill, but everyone catches on.)  I'll be showing you more of her things in the future.

Jeanne first showed me this newspaper clipping of a Chanel jacket. The multi layers of fringe at the neckline were what really caught her eye. You can see that we didn't copy the design, that wasn't really the goal. Jeanne wanted a jacket with full length sleeve and a lapel line that would show the blouse, but we still kept the overall "feel" if the Chanel with the fringe and pastel tweedy fabric.  Jeanne already had already purchased these fabulous coordinating fabrics from Banksville Designer Fabrics, so we just took it from there.  http://banksvilledesignerfabrics.com/  Banksville, by the way, is my favorite fabric source.  Jeanne first introduced them to me several years ago, for she had a long-standing relationship with them from her years as a Connecticut resident.

The floral silk crepe-de-chine is beautiful with the light weight silk and linen suiting, and the luscious fringe (I believe from MJ Trims, http://www.mjtrim.com/, a great online source) pulls it all together. The suede trim  (Ultrasuede, that is - keep those dry cleaning bills down!) beefs up the delicate suiting, especially the sleeve edges.  Buttons were proving to be a problem because of all that was already "going on" in the design.  Jeanne had the great idea that I could make Chinese ball buttons from the suede.  Now, I have to admit, the first few were an agony and I was ready to call her and say forget it. I ended up spending quite bit of of time just figuring out the right size to cut the suede pieces for knotting and then learning how tightly to pull the strands, but the end result was worth it. 

I should add, that there are several more pieces to this grouping. The jacket coordinates with solid blue slacks and skirt,  as well as a skirt  and dress in the floral silk . Jeanne is always traveling, so having several pieces that work together is important. Having multiple coordinates created is just one of the reasons to have clothing custom made.

Some recent projects: Photographed by Rita Finn

CLICK HERE A slide show of garments - created and photographed by Rita Finn.  These photos will give you an idea of the kind of garments I make.  My photographer friend Rita has included wonderful close-ups of some of the details I use.  My thanks to the clients who allowed me to borrow their things for the photo session.

Start with an idea, then tailor it to your specific needs

Welcome to my blog! I hope to share with you some of the amazing custom couture projects I've been fortunate enough to work on, and invite you to share with me your thoughts, ideas, and projects of your own!  I've been making a living as a dress designer/dessmaker/women's tailor for longer than I want to say but am just now getting around to sharing the joys ( and, ok, sometimes frustrations) of custom sewing.

My clientele list consists of women at various stages of their social and professional lives; each are different in their tastes, means, body types, and goals. I try to meet them where they are comfortable, usually in their own home, for our consultations and fittings.   Together we create garments that are sometimes for specific occasion, sometimes something that is to be a wardrobe workhorse, and sometimes something that is just for the sheer joy of utilizing a must-have fabric.   There is always a special joy in making a garment in a style that a woman thought she couldn't wear - until she sees it done in her own proportions!  Fit is the key to it all, and nothing makes a woman feel more beautiful than wearing a garment made expressly for her.

Let's start with a little red silk fitted jacket.  ( See our work-in-progress sheets below.)  The inspiration came from the client herself, a jacket she had seen on Ralph Lauren's website. She had a formal speaking engagement and wanted to wear evening wear but slacks.  We made a few design changes, like raising the lapel depth, but stuck to the same overall silhouette.  The client is often in NYC, so took the photo to B&J Fabrics in NYC( http://www.bandjfabrics.com) and came back with the beautiful cardinal red silk ottoman for the jacket, black silk and lycra satin for the skinny pants, and an alencon lace for the blouse.  I picked up the great black jet buttons at Joann - go figure. The jacket is very tailored to her tiny waist (no, I do not expect all clients to be tiny! )and has a super-pointed winged lapel that was absolute mayhem to create in that ravelly ottoman, but the end product is spectacular.

If you need something special for an upcoming engagement, or would simply like your everyday wear to be in richer fabrics and more innovative in design, contact me at LyndaDePompei@aol.com.

And stick around for more lovely designs!  I have years of projects available to discuss - let me know what you'd like to hear about.