On style, creativity and all things beautuful

Monday, December 28, 2015

Masculin - Féminin. "Le Smoking" Dress.

The idea to make a tuxedo dress appeared a couple of years ago, when I was invited to attend a book signing event in London.

The usual story: none of my dresses seemed to work for this special occasion – some were overly feminine, others were too bright… and my usual little black dresses appeared too common. Men would normally wear a suit in these circumstances… And it occurred to me that a tuxedo dress would be just right!.. This genius creation, "le smoking" of Yves Saint Laurent will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year, yet the smoking and its variations seem to have never looked so modern as it does today and it is not surprising that it is one of the coveted pieces of wardrobe right now.

Идея воплотить это платье-смокинг появилась еще 2 года назад, когда мне предстоял один интересный выход с мужем.

Ни одно из имевшихся платьев не казалось мне достойным – они были либо подчеркивающе  женственные, либо слишком  яркие, а маленькие черные варианты казались обыденными...Мужчины в таких случаях просто одевают костюм, а я вдруг подумала о платье-смокинге... Гениальное изобретение Ив Сен Лорана, которое в следующем году как раз празднует свое 50-летие...


Le Conte d'Hiver. Winter Fairytale.

I made this fur coat for my daughter last December as my special gift with a personal touch to her for Christmas. The inspiration came from lovely children collections from Chloé and Dior seen in Galerie Lafayette, from the fabric that I was lucky to find the same day, and of course, from my daughter herself. And the coat was ready just in time for our visit to see “The Nutcracker” in Paris Opera.


Эту шубку я сшила для дочки незадолго до Рождества, как раз к праздничному выходу в Оперу на балет «Щелкунчик». Вдохновением же послужили зимние детские  коллекции Dior и Chloé, тут же попавшийся нежнейший искусственный мех, и конечно сама дочка. 

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Tendance Ecossaise

It is that wonderful time of the year, when we decorate Christmas trees and wear comfortable wools. For me, the fall and the winter are definitely the seasons of this cool pattern originating from Scotland.

Plaids and tartan have been one of the major winter trends for a couple of seasons now. Inspired by the abundance of this checkered pattern on the runways, I made this skirt two years ago. It is still my favorite winter staple when it is grey and cold outside: it inevitably adds a spark to my winter routine.


Вот и подошло время зимних праздников и уютной одежды из шерсти, твида, кашемира.  Для меня осенне-зимний сезон – это еще и непринужденный шарм шотландской  клетки, в одежде и в интерьерах. Вот уже который сезон коллекции дизайнеров служат прекрасным примером, каким разным и неповторимым может быть tartan,  и сколько стиля и характера он придает одежде... Озорные костюмы Moschino и интеллошик Прады, грандж Сен Лорана и  эклектика текстур Sacai...




Thursday, December 3, 2015

Timeless Classic: My Take on Trench Coat.

Trench has been on my «things to sew» list for a while now. This fall, despite the plunging temperatures of the early September, I decided to give it a try. After all the time-consuming experimentation with the model, the trench was ready in October and I still had time to enjoy wearing it a few weeks this fall.

Тренч был в моем  Списке уже давно, и этой осенью неожиданно холодный сентябрь подтолкнул наконец осуществить давнее желание.






This month my trench has been featured on the front page of www.BurdaStyle.com



My points of departure were deep navy blue color, shiny gold buttons and a military feel of the future trench. 

Несмотря на обилие других заготовок и запасов тканей, на этот раз отправной точкой стал темно-синий плотный хлопок. Что касается фасона, виделась форма редингота или мундира и непременное наличие золотых пуговиц.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Green Suede Blouse

I had been dreaming to make a piece in suede or leather by myself for a long time. But since it is quite difficult to find several skins of the same color and quality, all of my ideas and projects kept being postponed. Until last winter, when I finally found four beautiful suede skins of excellent quality and of generous size.
By then, my wish list of leather or suede projects was quite extensive, but I decided to try my hand with this tunic with a ruffle from BurdaStyle №1/2014. 





This project was picked by editors and featured on the homepage of the

 fashion and sewing site Burdastyle.com

Suede is such a marvelous material. And it is so versatile. It can be chic and luxurious or on the contrary - very bohemian and casually laid back. And despite its fragility and requirement of special care, suede allows you to cut and sew it in a way that would not be possible with other fabrics. For example, a detail constructed of several patches of fabric. Extra seams and patchwork effect only adds more charm to pieces in suede. Thanks to the generous footage of my suede, I had enough material to cut all the details of my garment in full. Only back detail of the ruffle on my tunic is made of four pieces.

Мне давно хотелось попробовать сшить что-нибудь из кожи или замши. И прошлой зимой мне наконец попалась великолепная замша глубокого цвета зеленого леса. Отличное качество, ровный цвет и наличие сразу нескольких шкурок в отделе кожи отмели все последние сомнения, и я решила попробовать реализовать одну из давно понравившихся моделей из журнала BurdaStyle №1/2014.

Sunday, October 18, 2015

My Boho Autumn Dresses

I love to wear chiffon dresses in the fall. To me this flowing delicate and transparent fabric is destined for this romantic season be it the mellow Indian summer of September or the  warm colorful mosaic of the changing leaves of October. And I like to emphasize its beautiful qualities by layering chiffon with other textures: velvety suede, thick fur, crocheted wool or slick leather.

I made this dress two years ago and it is still my fall favorite. The pictures were taken by a dear friend of mine on Montmartre, Paris, where we met symbolically in the historical quartier of artists and near the famous Parisian fabric market - Marché St.Pierre.




In October 2015 my Boho Autumn Dress was picked by editors and featured on the main page of BurdaStyle.com

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Pleats Please!

Pleats have been on my mind for a couple of seasons now.  How can one not fall under the charm of this feminine and flirty detail with a hint of restrain? 
The volume, the graphic lines, the movement… The pret-a-porter collections of recent seasons is a wonderful proof and an endless source of inspiration for that.

Складки как декоративный элемент в одежде захватили меня еще прошлым летом. Увлекшись этой незатейливой игрой в оригами с моей юбкой виши Vichy skirt, я поняла еще тогда, что складки значительно пополнят наши с дочерью гардеробы... Коллекции последних нескольких сезонов дарят массу примеров, как складки и плиссировка мгновенно преображают знакомые силуэты и привычные модели. Объем и графика, движение и визуальный эффект...Сдержанные и одновременно кокетливые, строгие и романтичные, складки выглядят сегодня очень современно. 


As to this dress, I loved this model from the moment I saw it in my favorite magazine in 2012. But I did not have the appropriate fabric back then. You know how it always happens… when you have a sudden splurge of inspiration and  ... And it is particularly difficult to find the right shade of red. For this strong and beautiful color you need to be sure that the tone suits your color type to make it work for you.

Это платье в любимом журнале за 2012 год понравилось мне сразу, но, как это часто бывает, сразу не нашлось подходящего материала. Чем больше я работаю с красным цветом, тем больше понимаю, насколько важно найти нужный оттенок этого яркого, заявляющего о себе цвета.


This spring I came across a couple of cuts of a nice costume blend in red. It seemed to be perfect for my small shift dress with pleated hem panel. The fabric had a bit of a stand and elastic stretch. It did not wrinkle. In a nutshell I finally I had everything to make this dress come true.

Этой весной мне попалось два отреза чудной плательной ткани. Достаточно пластичная, но все же держащая форму, почти не мнущаяся, и с хорошим содержанием эластана, она идеально подходила для такого платья.


The silhouette of the finished dress turned out to be rather loose and looks more like an A-line dress. The pleated hem panel is attached to the lining of the dress and not to the hem of the main fabric. Sometimes it makes an impression of an ensemble of a long tunic and a little skirt underneath it. And I like the movement that this narrow panel of pleats adds to this dress. 


Силуэт готового платья оказался скорее А-образной формы, подобно маленьким платьям 60х годов. Нижняя панель со складками пришивается к подкладу, что позволяет ей скользить независимо от основного платья и придает больше движения. В дополнение, это придает неожиданный эффект ансамбля из юбки и туники.



Instead of a pression buttons opening on the left shoulder, I just added a short 
(22 cm) invisible zipper in the left side seam.

Вместо предложенной застежки на кнопки на левом плече, в боковой шов я добавила невидимую короткую молнию длиной 22 см.


It was not my first experience with pleats (see my Vichy skirt), but this time I wanted to make a real plissé using a special solution. I found a lot of recipes of making pleats but the solution for fixating the pleats seemed to be the same no matter the fabric or the design of the garment.

For ½ l of soapy warm water I used a soup spoon of vinegar. Having soaked a cotton cloth in this solution, I put it on the top of each pleat and then pressed these two layers (the cloth and the main fabric) with a hot iron without steam. 
 If you decide to do your own plissé at home,  I’d suggest using an old iron for this, or you might need to clean the sole of the device afterwards.



Для фиксации складок мне хотелось использовать настоящий раствор для плиссировки. Просмотрев массу рецептов, я остановилась на мыльном растворе с добавлением уксуса. В ½ литра теплой воды я растворяла мыло и добавляла 1 ст. ложку уксуса. Каждая складка проглаживалась  с двух сторон сухим утюгом через хлопковую ткань, смоченную в растворе. Складки отлично зафиксировались, а рецепт раствора уже проверен и на последующих изделиях.


The model of the dress is designed for short women and I had to do some adjustments to the length of the dress and had to fit it a bit closer to the body in the top part of the dress.


Модель платья была сконструирована на женщин небольшого роста, поэтому в мое платье были внесены небольшие коррективы при крое и последующем шитье. Боковые швы в верхней части платья были заужены и  добавлено около 1 см в высоту в проймах. Длина панели в складку и длина основного платья скорректированы на мой рост и нравящуюся мне длину.


For the lining of the belt I used dark blue popeline, the same fabric that I used for my Dramatic Ruffles dress . Two buttons (3,5 cm in diameter) fixate the belt and  added a few stitches to hold the belt in place on the back.

Для внутренней стороны пояса я использовала остатки темно-синего поплина от платья Dramatic Ruffles . Пояс зафиксирован крупными пуговицами (3,5 см в диаметре) и нескольками стежками на спинке платья.



I love the 60s silhouette of the dress and its details. It is sober enough for the city yet classy to make it work for special occasions. 

Платье очень нравится мне своим силуэтом и деталями. Оно достаточно сдержанно и подойдет  для города, но вполне может сыграть роль коктейльного платья для особых выходов.





The photos were made in Karlovy Vary◦, Czech Republic.
Фотографии были сделаны в городе Карловы Вары◦, Чехия, август 2015.

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Little Black Dress

Two years ago I was lucky to visit an extraordinary exhibition entitled “Little Black Dress” that took place at Mona Bismark American Centre for Art and Culture in Paris.

Ever since the little revolution by Mademoiselle Chanel, the little black dress keeps inspiring designers who reinvent it in their magnificent creations.  The exhibition showed the dress' evolution in the 20th and 21st centuries in 50 stunning variations from different eras… 50 versions of this little black legend…

I took the photos of some of them. Hope you enjoy them and become inspired to make another little black dress...

Carolina Herrera 2013, Yves Saint Laurent 1999, Ulyana Sergeenko 2012, 
Chanel (Karl Lagerfeld) 1986

Два года назад мне довелось побывать на выставке «Маленькое черное платье», которая проходила в Американском Центре Искусства и Культуры им. Моны Бисмарк в Париже.

Бесподобная коллекция платьев самых знаменитых дизайнеров 20 века и восходящих звезд сегодняшнего дня  рассказывает историю этого удивительного платья.  Со времен Шанель оно не перестает вдохновлять дизайнеров и заново перерождаться. И оно не перестает отражать в себе всю историю нашего времени. 

50 восхитительных платьев из разных эпох.  50 великолепных интерпретаций этой маленькой легенды...

Мне удалось запечатлеть отдельные из них...Надеюсь, что некоторые из них вам понравятся и возможно вдохновят вас сшить еще одно маленькое черное платье...

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Fucsia Dress with a Bow Belt

Those who follow my sewing projects or know me personally have already noticed how I like bows. And they also know that my wardrobe is quite colorful.

I made this dress two years ago and still love wearing it in the summer.


Thursday, August 13, 2015

Greek Coast, Embroidered Batiste

Today I wanted to show you the dress that I made last summer, but started to really enjoy it only this year during my summer vacation in Greece. White dresses, especially made of English Embroidery or stitched fabrics, are a great summer classic. They work well for the beach vacation or a long weekend in the countryside. With some smart styling, it can fit well for the summer in town. And besides, this year Broderie Anglaise made one of the season’s main trends.




Sunday, August 9, 2015

Vichy skirt


How can one resist the charm of classic gingham fabric: be it adorable children wear, irresistible swinging sixties dresses or chic American sports classics pieces? After the iconic vichy dress of Brigitte Bardot who popularized this fabric in the 60s, the designers keep coming back to these bright plaids. For a few seasons now this once utilitarian pattern turns any piece into of a statement in both summer and winter collections.

Last summer this vichy skirt made a bright yet an easy-to-wear   addition to my wardrobe . 

The 3 m cut of cotton from the French brand Gerard Darel was a great find at the market of Fontainebleau a couple of years ago. With the rise of sport chic trend in fashion and following my passion for everything tennis (the sport itself and its esthetics), I decided to turn it into a pleated skirt. 



Thursday, July 30, 2015

Coup de Soleil

I came across this airy crepe de Chine and bought it by accident. It was not long before my summer vacation. Its luminous lemon color with grey polka dot print and a light breezy texture were hard to resist to. And it seemed to be ideal for an outfit for my coming beach vacation.

I decided to turn it into a flowing blouse with cool yet comfortable details - a cascading hood, loose roll-up sleeves, unusual hemline and a cinched drawstring waist.. The ideal pattern for this shirt was found in the fall issue of Burdastyle magazine for 2014.




Monday, July 20, 2015

Dramatic Ruffles

This dress immediately drew my attention in the fresh April issue of the BurdaStyle magazine. The Princess-style silhouette, the original shape of bustier with a little slit and its dramatic ruffle collar were just irresistible. 

I thought that this model would look lovely as a Little Black Dress.  But then shortly afterwards I came across a nice shirt poplin of a deep navy blue colour. Ooh la la!  Bleumarine goes well with any other colour and the dress looks great either with golden accessories for the evening or with white sneakers for the street style.

The dress is quite easy to make. I added two black cups for the bustier just by sewing them to the inside.

The dress drew lots of attention be that at the theatre or at the seaside resort during my vacation. I might cut it shorter to be able to wear it more often.

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Acqua



I made this dress for my last year  summer vacation. Everything started with the fabric.       
It was difficult to overlook this cotton of a beautiful color that seemed to have come from the advertising of Armani's perfume Acqua di Gio. The color made me think about the sea, the freshness of a swimming pool and about all the beauties of a vacation period. 
I immediately saw in it a little summer sheath for my coming vacation.

For me, the little sheath dress is an ultimate summer staple. Some find this classic dress boring but I think it is an excellent basic piece of wardrobe for any occasion and any style. 

I wanted this dress to be minimalist. A simple tank top-like neckline, moderate slit at the back, and close fit. The dress goes equally well with high heels, summer shimmery flats "Les Tropeziennes" or the white sneakers. 

Cotton with elasthane, no lining. I raised the neckline for about 1,5cm both at the front and on the back.


Sunday, June 28, 2015

Hermès Orange

Don't hesitate when you find a piece of original fabric from a Parisian fashion house while on a fabric hunting mission on Marché St. Pierre in Paris. Just take it!  Especially if it is a beautiful vibrant orange gabardine from Hermès. I treated myself to a cut of 1.5 m to make bright funky pants for that spring summer season 2014.

I do not make pants very often as I wear jeans almost all the time. But the new pattern in April issue of BurdaStyle magazine was very original and I was quite intrigued by the model. Gabardine was not the kind of fabric most suited for this model yet I wanted to play with the volume and liked how the pants eventually turned out.  They became my favorite last summer.



Thursday, June 25, 2015

L'autumne précose

This painting was inspired by the works of a famous american photographer David LaChapelle. His exhibition took place in Paris a few years ago. His other series of photography are a bit too provocative for my taste but at that moment I admired his series "Earth Laughs in Flowers" for the unconventional floral still-lifes.

Написать этот натюрморт меня вдохновили работы известного американского фотографа Дэвида Лашапеля. Я пропустила его выставку, которая проходила в Пети Пале в Париже несколько лет назад,  да и остальные серии его работ не в моем вкусе. Но в свое время меня восхищала серия его работ "Земля смеется цветами" за его неординарные натюрморты с цветами.


L'autumne précose
Oil on canvas, 50x60
January 2013

Ранняя осень
Масло на холсте, 50x60
Январь 2013






Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Camel Coat

This was the first coat that I made myself. The classic coat had to be of a timeless camel color, made of wool with cashmere. I was looking for something stylish and comfortable, and something that corresponded with my lifestyle. 

The pattern from Burdastyle magazine that I eventually picked for my coat is one of the most popular ones. It is not very difficult for the novices who are eager to take on the challenge of making this substantial piece of wardrobe. This model has classy raglan sleeves. The pockets are situated in side seams. The original model was designed without buttons - and therefore without any buttonholes.  This spares an operation which requires a lot of experience and skills, if you want your coat to look good.

My version of the coat was slightly longer due to my height. I added two horn pression buttons, and could not help but to experiment with a contrasting lining with a print. Due to this silk lining, the coat turned out as light as a feather. It is perfect for the early spring, or the fall.  




Tuesday, June 23, 2015

My own Dior


This time around everything started with the photo of Natalie Portman on the cover of September issue of the French "ELLE". I liked the dress from Dior the actress was wearing so much -  I had to have it. While I was looking for an appropriate fabric, there appeared the fresh issue of the BurdaStyle magazine with a perfect pattern of a dress of the X-silhouette. The fabric -  excellent red wool with the right percentage of elasthane, fluid but with some body - was a timely find at the market of Fontainebleau.

The dress turned out quite versatile and goes well with many different accessories and for different occasions. 


На этот раз все началось с обложки французского ELLE с фотографией Натали Портман в платье от Dior. Меня не столько заинтересовали модные тенденции, освящаемые в журнале, и интервью с актрисой, сколько это красное платье (фото прилагается). И мне непременно хотелось иметь нечто похожее! Пока я подбирала ткань нужного мне оттенка красного цвета и выбирала модель, вышел ноябрьский номер Бурды с этой великолепной выкройкой. Я очень люблю X-силуэты, и уже не раз шила такие платья, поэтому выбор был очевиден. Ткань - костюмно-плательная шерсть с эластаном, достаточно плотная, но эластичная, хорошо укладывающаяся в складки и держащая форму.










Sunday, June 21, 2015

Flower Power

The creation of this dress was a special experience for me back in 2010 as the fabric that I used for it was the exact original of the dress shown in the February issue of Burdastyle magazine. How could I not fall in love with these dramatic poppies and with the little sheath dress with an open back?


Saturday, June 20, 2015

Inspired by Gucci

The inspiration for this coat came from an unusual source - the blouses and dresses of spring-summer 2013 collection of Gucci. Airy and romantic ruffles in vivid colors seemed to be everywhere I looked that spring - in my daily copy of New York Times, in the showcases in the streets of Paris, in the magazines that I grab from a newsstand before taking a train...And since the summer with light fabrics and open neck lines was still quite in a distant future, I decided to turn this ruffle-mania into a comfortable spring coat.

Wool loden-jersey
2013




Сшить этот жакет меня вдохновила весенняя коллекция Gucci. Яркие цвета и изысканные воланы коллекции весна-лето 2013 просто не выходили из головы, и так как лето было еще очень нескоро, то я решила сшить такой вот жакет на раннюю весну. 


Жакет сшит из мягкого шерстяного джерси-лодена, который как раз в ту весну в изобилии всевозможных оттенков  появился в моем любимом магазине тканей на Монмартре "Tissus de la Reine". как и любой лоден, он не требует обработки срезов, но гораздо мягче и поддатливей в работе и носке. Таким образом, жакет вышел без подклада. Подборта жакета проклеены флизелином, а проймы и горловина укреплены клеевой формбанд антрацитового цвета. Подгибка низа и рукавов выполнена вручную. 













Gucci Printemps/Eté 2013







Tuesday, June 16, 2015

PJ style


I made this overall a few years years ago. I was looking for something practical yet original to wear for my trip to the seaside with my 6 month-old son. This overall has a wrap top and very loose pants. Long ties wrap around the waist. The fabric, viscose crepe, is fluid and comfortable and I still love this busy and colorful print.







Tweed for spring

Three meters of this lovely summery tweed was one of those exciting finds on the market of Fontainebleu. After some consideration I decided to turn it into a dress for the coming spring season. This fine blend of silk and cotton was quite easy to work with but due to the grainy texture of this tweed many parts of the dress were hand-made.  I am happy that even three years later, I still enjoy the result.


Model 133 BurdaStyle 08/2012

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Vive les vacances!

The pattern for this blouse in the new issue of BurdaStyle magazine appeared just in time before my summer vacation. And the small piece of this tropical jersey that had been waiting for its time for quite a while  was just enough to make this shirt. the result matched perfectly my new COS skirt. 

May 2012