Solved Mysteries of Dressmaking and Caffienated Beverages

Holla!

It's been amazing not being in school anymore. I've had time to spend on small details of my commissions and have started thinking about a lot of new endeavours regarding Petey and where we should pick up after that horrifying 6 month hiatus. I watched Coco Avant Chanel today to try and get some inspiration, and I'm feeling pretty good about the whole thing.

I recently posted a bunch of photographs of the progression of a prom dress I'm working on on

Facebook for interested parties to see. I got a lot of positive responses because I have fantastic friends, but truly, this dress has gone from being something I had to rush through because I

was i

n school and short on time - to one of the best pieces I've ever made and something I'm really proud of (and hallelujah if it fits...)

One of my friends, a fantastic woman I met when I worked at Fabricland years ago, and also a wonderful seamstress and artist herself, comments regularly on my work. Although every comment I

ever get on anything are so greatly appreciated, it's different when the comment is coming from

someone who knows the trade and could see the flaws that the untrained eye would likely miss. I

thanked her on Facebook, with a little wall post, and added that I continued to use her zipper trick on all zippers I'm installing, with the exception of the invisible zipper. Her response was lovely and on the end she

attached that even she was perplexed by the installation of an invisible zipper.

First I just was going to message her with a step by step guide to installing one from my own experience, but then I thought - WAIT. I have a blog for this kind of thing.

So here we are.

How to Install an Invisible

Zipper - By Vanessa Petey

1) from the hem of the fabric up to the zipper notch, stitch. backstitch.

2) open the zipper and match the top closure of the zipper to the top edge of the fabric. the outside edge of the zipper should be level with the edge of the fabric to the notch with the teeth of the zipper facing inward.

3) baste stitch near the edge of the zipper with regular sewing machine foot. sew the entire length of the zipper down to just past the zipper notch where the two fabrics meet.

-when the foot reaches the slider of the zipper, leave the needle down in the machine and raise the foot. slide the zipper closed and continue

4) do the same to the other side, making sure to match the tops of the zipper sides.

5) switch

to a zipper foot on the machine (an invisible zipper foot is good too... and some seamstresses will swear they never use anything else for an invisible

zipper, but I much prefer my method, so take your pick.)

6) press apart the teeth from the tape of the zipper and lower the zipper foot as close as possible to the teeth. sew down from the top repeating the method of moving the slider with the machine stopped and the needle down.

7) when the machine reaches the bottom of the zipper, simply veer the stitch off of the edge of the fabric leaving a tail.

8) repeat for the other side of the zipper

Done!

I actually find it more simple than any other sort of zipper in dresses, to be honest.

So anyways that's what i thought I'd explain today, so if you're a sewer, you might have found it interesting... if not... well... see ya next time with something less painfully boring.

LOVE!

- V

Confessions of a Design School Drop-Out

“I don’t design clothes, I design dreams,” says Ralph Lauren, millionaire fashion business mogul and founder of the design label by the same name. Ralph Lauren started from nothing. He was the son of Jewish immigrants, growing up in the Bronx in New York and the only thing he knew he wanted to be when he grew up was a millionaire. In the 70s he enrolled in a local college for business with a specific interest in fashion design and after 2 years dropped out of school. As a result of his own lines, Ralph Lauren Polo and Club Monaco as well as his countless investments in a long list of other American labels, the man is now worth $8.5 billion.

I came to a decision after much thought

and consideration to leave design school, yesterday while I was sitting in class. The truth is, I lost interest in the program some time ago and have since been struggling to keep my attention on anything school related for any length of time. I knew it was time to leave. For months now my physical health, social obligations and overall creativity have

suffered in a seemingly irreparable way, which was something I could handle, if I felt that I truly needed the program or that it would benefit me to stay in it.

The straw that broke the camel’s back for me was when I realized how much I missed working on Petey the Troll. Meaghan and I had serious plans when we arrived in Toronto this past January – none of which have even begun to come to fruition. For me this is a problem that I can’t not fix.

So now I have a few directions I can take and things I can do in order to more directly achieve the goals I wanted to achieve 5 months ago. Over the next few months I’m going to be moving very quickly, releasing new info and items and photographs all the time.

My next project is a sea foam green prom dress for a lovely young girl by the name of Thyra. Tomorrow I’ll post a few pictures of the progression of a dress such as this (it’s chiffon!!) with

some comments on why I chose to use certain techniques or methods.

Oh ps. my fabulous friends and I are having a Mad Men costume party and I'm working on a few vintage dresses that i'm so friggen excited about I can't contain myself. There will be photos soon.

And o m g! We'll be getting an industrial sewing machine for our apartment really soon so production is about to go through the roof. You know what that means gurrrrls ;

Until next time, I’m Vanessa Petey, and I’m glad to be back.

LG Fashion Week - Photo Diary of Vanessa Petey

Hey guys!

As you know, LG Fashion Week here in beautiful Toronto has come to a close for this season. The last time I blogged I told you about y first day and how excited I was to see what the rest of

the week had in store. I must admit, despite the fact that we spent a lot of our time moving benches and taking orders, it really was ridiculously cool being backstage and seeing all the fashion drama happening right up

close. Of course, the entire time I had my BlackBerry in my hand and I took asmany pictures

and videos as I possibly could. :)

We'd get there in the morning

(12:45pm...if you stopped for a grande nonfat half sugar free caramel white mocha withwhip and caramel drizzle... I know I'm out of control, no need to remind me) and then we would have an

hour or two at the most to arrange all of the seating, place cards and gift bags in the studio before the shows. Every detail mattered. We had to measure the spaces between the benches to make sure they were exactly straight and aligned with one another. The place cards themselves were a big deal - all having to be lined up and taped down to ensure it was as visually appealing to the industry people as possible.

Obviously the stuff I really loved seeing was the sometimes

outrageous behaviour of the people in the industry backstage . Like for example, Jeanne Becker had a special seat at every single studio show, but she didn't actually show up to any of them. There were 6'11"

models running around everywhere in shoes that I'm sure they needed special training to walk in, not to mention the people running the show who continued to insist that the "socialites" be taken care of first and foremost. :P Love it.But that's so boring.So here are some pictures for you to check out of my backstage fashion week adventures! Some of them are horribly blurry or grainy, but forgive me, it was a panicked situation at

best.

Thanks!!

London Fall 2011 Fashion Week: Geometry, Colour and Prints

London!
Hey cats, I've been ill and out of commission this week, but luckily, it left me a lot of time to sit around and watch fashion shows!! London fashion week is often one of the most highly anticipated events in the industry, in the past featuring designers such as Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood. This season the three most outstanding of the week in my humble, yet meticulously well informed opinion, were those of Mary Katrantzou, Christopher Bailey for Burberry Prorsum and the delightfully unique Holly Fulton.

Mary Katrantzou is not the most well known designer in the world and her creations are far from average. Her Spring/Summer collection featured cocktail dresses made of interior design fabrics, depicting printed and embroidered images of interior scenes and imagery. If not terribly wearable, the clothes are in the very least quite unique.

This season’s line was not far out of that range of description. It was a beautiful show, featuring extremely bright, powerful, Asian culture inspired prints. There were coi fish dresses coloured with bright orange and bright aqua marine. There were also somewhat more muted flower prints in softer colours, but always with the high contrast.

The thing about designers such as these, are that even though they are perhaps not the best sold designers in the industry, they have contributed something very important to it. By contributing to the ever growing fashion dialogue is to perpetuate the existence of the industry itself. Why make a lamp shade shaped dress that no one will ever wear with a giant coi fish on it? Why not?

The Burberry Prorsum collection was shown in the same week that the designer, Christopher Bailey discovered that the company made 13^th place on a list of the world's currently most innovative companies. One would expect with news like that that the collection would have been over the top, bold and, well, innovative. However, the Fall 2011 line was much more muted than that, and represented the classic style of the company, paired with Bailey’s use of colour and line movement. Basically, if you’re into coats, (which I soo am,) this is the collection for you.

Some of the key features of the collection are the military influences that are so very British, and the solid colour scheme of orange, black and some simple greens, blues and yellows.

Then came the plaids! This collection shows a bunch of coats using an over-sized, bold plaid that used to be reserved for your common lumberjack, but can now be seen walking down the runways of London. Burberry never disappoints and there is no doubt that this label has not even reached the peak of its greatness at this time.

One of the distinct things I’ve noticed about this season’s collections was the common use of very bold patterns and geometric shapes. Holly Fulton took this idea and ran with it coming up with some of the most spectacularly printed and designed gowns of the season.

I also totally loved the models taking off their shoes in the middle of the catwalk. I prefer unconventionality in my fashion shows, what can I say. This collection was androgynous, it was punk rock, and it was the tops of elegance. She knew it was both important to show pieces which pushed the envelope in order to get critical attention, but she is also evidently aware of the power of the simple black dress. This collection definitely has it all.

I’ll be writing more this week about the new Gucci collection and many other beautiful Italian labels as we drift over for Milan Fall 2011 Fashion Week.

Until then, do check out the above collections, they are quite fab.

Peaceskies,

V

Neo-Hippie-dom: The Fashion Rebellion You Can't Help But Love

They're a little bit hidden by the snow right now here in lovely Toronto, but they're there. we all see them on a day to day basis at the park, at the local organic food grocer, at the Kensington Market consignment shops. They're the neo-hippies, and they've taken over.

I love them personally. I see the chick with the braided hair carrying her baby in a sling wearing a full length tiered skirt and I say, yes ma'am, you've got it right. They aren't afraid of the great and powerful "INDUSTRY" and they've been wearing the same types of clothing for years and years. This is the opitomy of a trickle across effect occurring with a particular trend in fashion. There have always been and there always will be groups of people who believe the trees should be saved and eat vegan and would NEVER drive and they carry large paintings or awkward rulers on the streetcar (Okay. I may be known to carry large bags of clothing and awkward rulers on the streetcar... but I'm in fashion, so it's better... right?)

You can call them hippies, tree-huggers, flower children, bohemians or beatniks. Or perhaps you're more partial to the close social type cousin of the hippie, the hipster. Often these types are slightly more booky/arty than earthy/natural-y.
Remember those amazing Guess ads with the chicks in fur and the hippie garb? Nothing like a brown suede fur lined, leather trimmed fitted military jacket to really finish an oufit off. Not to mention the fabulous dresses and bags that came out of that hippie-chic inspiration.


So why has a trend like this lasted so long? Why are there still thousands of people who smoke lots of weed and wear maxi dresses and get dreadlocks and don't bath for long periods of time? Maybe they see the nostalgia of the 60s as something desirable and they try to imitate what they admire. Or further yet, maybe they are under the impression that what they're doing is actually original and unique and they are proud of their hippie-dom and pronounce it with their style. Either way, it has showed up on runways periodically and it will always be one of those trends that comes back around again and again.
Did you ever hear your mom say "Aw i shoulda kept those old jeans I had, you'da loved em Ness."
Perhaps not exactly like that, but close.

The First Week In: Petey in the City

This week has been psycho, but here we are, still alive, and ready to pick up the pace to 200%. Things are starting to fall into place. Meaghan and I are now proud employees of two local Starbucks’, which is an excellent response to the problem of “How are we gonna pay for food this month?” and also the supplier of delicious, life sustaining coffee at every available opportunity. We’ve discovered the best ways to get to school and work by using the Toronto Transit Commission and the commute isn’t even that bad. Things are coming together alright.

Meaghan and I have fallen into a state of almost complete focus on how we can use every aspect of our lives t further the reputation, quality and success of our little company. We still don’t have the internet, so social life hasn’t really begun at this point... but we’re preparing to push ourselves as hard as we can to make the opportunities happen. One of the good side effects of this devotion for me has been my sudden desire to become as healthy as possible. I’m using the logic that the more healthy I am, the more energy I’ll have, the more hours I’ll get out of the day, the more money I’ll make. Time is money, time is money. Time is money.

Did I mention we’re in Design School now? It’s pretty amazing, actually. Aside from the fact that some of the first semester courses are a little on the basic side, and are thus quite boring, the professors are very impressive. Each professor we’ve encountered thus far has either worked in the fashion industry in the past or continues to be very involved in it today. Our entire class, on a whole is a little on the older side. Most of us have had previous degrees or careers and are starting over with this program. We’ve got only one dude in the class and he’s this absolutely hilarious guy from Taiwan who has like eight degrees and certifications and is just trying out fashion design for fun. We’ve also got a couple of older lady- moms who are by far the coolest people in the class. I’ve been really impressed thus far with those aspects of the Academy and I seriously look forward to what these very awesome profs have to offer with these courses.

Wanna know our courses? It’s neat, there’s Introduction to Fashion, taught by a former buyer in the industry, which focuses on the business side of the fashion world as opposed to just the creative. Another is Textiles, which i’m sure I’m one of few who finds it insanely interesting, and is taught by a woman who designed and sold clothes for her own small fashion house in Toronto and nationwide – super cool. Then there’s Clothing Construction 1, which has an amazing instructor, but is slightly below my level of ability with sewing and is therefore a bit of a yawn. Tomorrow we’re having Pattern Drafting 1 and Elements of Design, which I don’t really know what that means, but i’m sure I’ll catch on quick enough. We’re going supply shopping this weekend down on Queen West and I’m super excited.

I’m planning a trip to Windsor for the weekend of the 22^nd, the last weekend before I start work, so if anyone wants some clothes while I’m there, let me know and I’ll do my best to help you out!

Otherwise, I’ll keep you posted on our Design School adventures and what’s happening in the Toronto fashion industry over the next few wintery months of the season.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Hello Toronto!!

To all Petey blog readers!!

Here we are in Toronto!!!

This has been a dream come true for me in the literal sense. Ever since I started university I’ve been looking at apartments, making plans and dreeeeeaming of the day when I could really do it. Finally, with Meaghan and I’s decision to go to Design School, it gave us the opportunity we needed to get out of Windsor (as much as I love and will miss it) and get onto bigger and better things. We’ve been here only one day thus far, but already the improvement in positive energy and motivation is proving that has indeed been all worth it.

The closest subway station to us is St. Clair West, a lovely little location on the edge of middle town, with an ice cream store on the corner and an occult shop across the street. We’re five minutes on foot from groceries, banks and transit, and I’m currently sitting in a Starbucks about two seconds from our apartment. (By the way, a chick just walked in with a totally fab gray pull over coat with epaulettes and a big floppy collar – awesome.)

I spent a summer here two years ago doing some freelance stylist work and got to know the city really well. It was summer so I walked everywhere and my lodging was right on the corner of Queen West and Bathurst, which if you know anything about Toronto, is pretty much the busiest, most insane part of the city, with the exception of Dundas Square...which is just a zoo. I grew to love it quickly though, seeing very clearly that this was a place where I could be successful and happy living in the fast paced, high energy environment Toronto is known for.

We’re taking this week off to get out apartment together and get prepared to begin school and work. But starting January 6^th, 2011, we’ll be taking orders, doing alterations and getting back to it. Contact vanessapetey@gmail.com for any information you might need about Petey the Troll Apparel’s goings on in this great city, Toronto, Ontario.

Until then!

Petey Couture Photoshoot in Detroit City - The Adventure

Hi Petey followers!!
Today I'd like to use this blog post to talk about the adventure that was the preliminary Petey Couture 2011 photo shoot this afternoon, December 14, 2010. As I mentioned in my last post, this shoot was for our application to Toronto Alternative Fashion Week showing this April 2011. We had one photographer - Justin Bondy of Wet Fresco Photography, two models wearing two couture outfits and two designers preparing for a shoot of epic proportions...at least for Petey the Troll. The five of us piled into the car with our double doubles and our high confidence and we headed off toward the Ambassador Bridge - one way to Detroit City.

Michigan Central Station is a Beaux-Arts era structure built in 1913 by the architectural duos Warren and Wetmore and Reed and Stem, the architects behind New York Grand Central Station and a variety of other similar train stations across the United States. It was built at a time of prosperity in Detroit, when Henry Ford's new "assembly line" style of making cars became all the rage, and every average joe could get a well paying job in a factory. With so much money flying around, the people of Detroit built the Michigan Central Station to be among the most grandiose, most luxurious buildings in America. Of course, in 1913 the prolonged dominance of the vehicle in Detroit had not occurred to the designers, who assumed the majority of passengers would be arriving by streetcar or some other form of public transit. Thus, when the state built the massive freeways across Detroit City and made it impossible to live there without a car, the use of the old train station became unclear. As the majority of the population moved to the suburbs, leaving their formerly beautiful city to ruin, the station went with it. In 1988 the last train left the station and they closed their doors, abandoning the building to the elements, scrap collectors and homeless of the area.

I can't stress enough the beauty of this building we saw today, even in the state in which it currently exists. The oversized arched front windows are all broken, and there are bits of the ceiling all over the floor, but generally, the place is not in the worst possible shape. I mean... it's no Grande Palais, but it isn't caving in or anything. The graffiti covers every available surface in a free floating dialogue in which some of the most reputable taggers are involved. Aside from the graffiti, there is evidence of human life throughout; empty pop bottles, cigarette butts and footprints are scattered about the floor of the main room. We got in with no problem under the fence and through one of the broken windows. The shrill cold seemed even more bitter in the shade of the hollow shell we were standing in and Meaghan and I worked hard to keep the models from freezing their fingers and toes off for some of the shots. For the duration of the time we were in the building - not more then 30 minutes - we saw no one else inside. No homeless, no other explorers, no one to bother us or even say a word. And it was fine. :)

It was upon exiting the building that we came to realize that it wouldn't be that easy after all. I hopped out the window and spotted a truck watching us on the other side of the fence demanding that we come to him, lest we be arrested. It was a Border Patrol officer and he was not in a good mood. He unlocked the gate of the barbed wire fence and we huddled out like teenagers caught smoking a j on school property. He lectured us for a while about all of the horrible things that *could* have happened while we were in there etc etc... then he got on the phone. Before we knew it, there were SEVEN Border Patrol vehicles surrounding us: five little artists from Canada-land - aka NOT the United States.
"Is this going to be an international incident??" I thought on the inside, while trying to keep my cool on the outside to avoid panic.
Of course, after scaring the hell out of us and causing frost to actually form on body parts of ours from standing out in the freezing cold so long, they let us go without so much as a slap on the wrist. The dude was even flirting with one of the models at the end for Christ's sake. Ridiculous.
So we warmed up, drove home and breathed a sigh of relief upon entering our lovely Windsor, where there are a lot fewer abandoned historic structures, a lot less of a chance you'll be hasseled by a gaggle of international border guards for taking some beautiful pictures.

Peace!

Who Cares What VanessaPetey Thinks: Marc Jacobs Spring 2011

Marc Jacobs is the first of two designers I’ll review who’s collections as private labels far exceeded their lines under large fashion house names this season. DON’T get me wrong, Louis Vuitton was beautiful, but there is nothing like a “Marc Jacobs” fashion show to make you weep into your yogurt sitting on your bed at 11 am on a Sunday. I decided to post about this particular collection because I’ve just been dying to dissect it and also because I get to talk about the influence fashion in the 1970s has had on fashion in the modern world. Dig?

Anyone who takes one look at this collection can see that the clothing could be part of Farrah Fawcett’s wardrobe circa 1977. The first thing that gives it away is that long slender 70s shape that all of the pieces accentuate. The dresses feature straight cuts and very bold patterns all in a wash of beautiful bright flowing colour. The dark purples and thick oranges glide down the runway – these are the clothes that models were meant to wear. The long thin, straight look on heels that stilt walkers would find challenging.

What I love about the idea of having a practically unlimited budget for a fashion show is that the designer can do whatever they’d like to do to convey the message they wish to convey. The Marc Jacobs show took place in a large, smooth wooden set, reminiscent of a ships’ hull. It reminded me very much of the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto designed by Frank Gehry. The rich colour of the wood complimented the palette Jacobs chose to work with perfectly. Not to mention that the feeling that wood gives me is one of warmth, thinking of my mom’s style of decoration. She was totally rad in the late 1970s and would have been all over this collection. The thing about the 70s is that prior to that time there had always been great fashion movements like Coco Chanel – 1910s-1930s, Christian Dior – 1940s-1950s, and the introduction of the Twiggy, mini-skirt, hippie, jive looks of the 1960s that all came before the era of disco, Nixon and Women’s Liberation. The 1970s saw the creation of the celebrity, fashion life style that we know in the industry today. After the earthy, “natural” vibe of the 1960s, people were ready to dress up again. Discos like Studio 54 gave people a place to wear upscale designer clothing and the trend proved to be one of considerable longevity.

WOW I totally didn’t even talk about what a genius Marc Jacobs is for bringing back the glamour and silhouette of the 1970 without all of the tacky detail and flash we’ve come to know and abhor about fashion in the decade. Jacobs is the Creative head of three major labels currently, his own self titled line we are discussing here, an offshoot line titled “Marc” by Marc Jacobs and of course the legendary French luggage company turned glamorous fashion house: Louis Vuitton. Jacobs is one of those designers who’s just been doing it since he was born and will never not be making beautiful, unique clothing.

I think this is a very exciting and impressive time in the history of the fashion industry and we’re all very lucky to be a part of it. Fashion designers like Marc Jacobs or many of the others I’ve discussed or will discuss soon now live like celebrities and make as much of a contribution to the world of art and beauty as any other medium available in this high technology world we live in. No matter how high tech our world gets, people will always have a need for clothing and women will always desire to look beautiful.