I was feeling a little twinge of nostalgia recently and when I tried to figure out what exactly it was I was feeling nostalic about, it turned out to be fabric. Yeah, weird. Especially for a non-sewer.
At first I thought it was a bit of fashion nostalgia, but since fashion is cyclical, that is just silly. In point of fact, I recently saw a pair of bell bottom jeans in a boutique downtown. Whoa! There's a fashion that did NOT need to come back. So no, it wasn't style nostalgia. Took me a bit to pin it down. No one was more surprised than I to discover the truth. It was about Fabric. Interesting. Some fabric does cycle like fashion does. For instance gingham. There are years, literally years, when, unless you are shopping at a recycle clothing store, there is not one little cotton check to be seen anywhere in any store. And then other years where it's everywhere! There was a fashion season when they brought checks back not not the tiny little cute ones associated with gingham but great giant checks, usually in red/black/cream, and they called it Buffalo Check. It looked good on maybe 30 people in the entire country. The rest of us suddenly had fannies that looked the size of the back of a bus. Buffalo checks were not a good idea. I understand that tiny little gingham checks are in the mode once again. Hurrah for that. Lace is another fabric that seems to swing in and out of favour. I am a huge lace fan. Which makes it odd that own very little of it right now, sadly. But that is probably because it is not in style right now and therefore it's hard to find. Lace used to be one of those things that could be terribly expensive because it was hand made (and beautifully done). Now it's all manufactured, machine made, and not costly at all. It's a pretty feminine little detail that I adore. And it doesn't have to be an entire dress or blouse. Maybe just a bit of trim, a collar or cuff. Hard to find right now. Not to worry, if I wait long enough I'm sure it will come back. I haven't seen dotted swiss in a long time either. That is another old favourite of mine. When we were very young, our Nana made Joy and I dresses every spring - just in time for Easter - out of dotted swiss of some pastel colour. We wore petticoats under it so we had very full, slightly itchy, skirts that rustled a bit when we moved. We felt very fancy. As we got a little older dotted swiss was no longer in pastels and it was usually either reserved for dress sleeves or blouses - which had to to either be lined or worn with a slip underneath due to it's sheerness. Later still it was only used for curtains! Curtains! Now it is beyond rare to see that oh so very feminine fabric used. Corduroy is another favourite of mine. I think I always had something corduroy in my wardrobe until maybe 10 years ago? Suddenly, it disappeared. I favoured pinwale corduroy but I would take whatever I could get, y'know? I vaguely recall wearing a pair of dark green corduroy overalls as a very little girl. But as I grew I had trousers, skirts, even a dress made of corduroy and as an adult I had a wonderful gold corduroy jacket that I loved. Now? No corduroy anywhere. Dang. Maybe it'll circle around, maybe not. Seersucker was the perfect summer fabric. It was lightweight, easy to care for, airy and versatile. It was seen in everything from ladies dresses, to children's rompers to men's summer suits. And at one time, it seemed to be in nearly every colour of the rainbow. Then it disappeared. I recently found a shop with one style of blouse in seersucker but in only two colours, navy/white or grey/white. So Boring! But sometimes, it's not that the fabric isn't popular anymore, it's that the materials used in making the fabric has changed. I thought at first it was me. For example, Velvet is another old fashioned fabric that I love. So there I am in a high end ladies clothes store, not trying on anything, just looking around and to my surprise, I see velvet! Of course I have to feel it! Of course! Don't you? Doesn't everybody? Anyway, I sidle up to it, peer around to see if anyone is looking, slowly reach out to touch and wow, disappointing. It just doesn't feel the way I remember velvet. Naturally I assumed the fault lay with me. It must be that my memory is flawed. I did a little research and nope, this time it's not me. They way most velvet is made now has changed. I remember silk velvet. It felt almost like fur. Yummy. Now sometimes it's made with cotton but in an effort to keep costs down, most velvet is made from synthetic fibers. ARGH! Synthetic fibers have ruined fabrics. At least the feel of them. I understand why spandex and things like spandex have been added to almost everything and there are days, trust me, when I am so very grateful for that little bit of extra give. Still the trade-off is that nothing feels like itself anymore. Cotton, once a perfect breathable summer fabric that was crisp and cool now has spandex in it for "give" and something else that makes it 'wrinkle free' and it's just as hot as polyester. Bah. It doesn't look the same, feel the same or function the same either. Satin is another luscious fabric of the past. I mean real satin. I know it's out there, but only for those in the rarefied levels of existence because it's so dang expensive now. Costly, but worth every penny. Real satin has a luster that is unmistakable. And when you are wearing it, it feels almost like you are wearing butter. That sounds odd but it's true. Real satin is always cool to the touch and oh my gosh, it drapes so beautifully. So yeah, I'm odd. I miss certain fabrics. Sigh. And dressing up. I miss having the occasion, once in awhile, to dress up. I mean REALLY dress up, era 1940 dress up. Heels, stockings, dresses, gloves and hats. And that's even before My time. I came in just on the tail end of a little bit of it. When I was very little I remember wearing little white gloves and a hat when I'd be in my Sunday Best. (and black patent leather shoes all shined up with Vaseline). But it didn't last long. Things changed as they always do. I recall a time when a lady didn't so much as go to the grocery store if she wasn't looking sharp. Now I see people shopping in pajamas and bathing suits. It's a casual world now, so perhaps casual fabrics that require no ironing, no fussing and no dry cleaning are better suited to it. But gosh, sometimes I miss them. Whatever your fabric choices, have a lovely weekend, ya'll
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AuthorYup, this is me. Some people said, "Sam, you should write a Blog". "Well, there's a thought", I thought to myself. And so here it is. Archives
May 2024
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