Hats By Katrinka

Seeing Red (for my sewing pals)

Elizabeth, from my Paris trip, asked if I’d started sewing up the fabrics I purchased there. Faced with packing and moving, not to mention Christmas, my answer is an emphatic YES!

After much debate over whether to make a jacket or a skirt I made the decision and cut into this beautiful Lacroix wool tweed. It has just a bit of brown thread in it so I thought it would go well with this Ralph Lauren jacket I bought last year. Being fabric frugal, I figured by making a pencil skirt I’d have enough left to make a hat. This toque was also intended to brighten up my black coat. (I made the tassel by unraveling some of the wool.) However, I’m thinking this style is not my best. Let’s face it I look better in a brim. Fortunately, I think I might have just enough left of this to whip up my Beryl Trilby in it or, if not, a beret.

Here is another remnant of Lacroix Haute Couture silk. There was only about a meter of this and so it was very reasonably priced and I knew what I wanted to make as soon as I saw it. This is my Marie pattern (the reverse Souwester) and the hatpin will probably have to remain here permanently. The silk is very, very delicate. Many of the threads lay on top and even a rough cuticle pulls them out. It’s definitely dramatic - almost piratical (perhaps if I ever make it to Ascot). My Sweetie will likely hate it but then when he found me I was working in the theater. What does he expect?

Next I took a break from the Paris fabrics and headed to Zürich to a bigger fabric store. We have a wedding to attend in Washington on December 22. It’s at 3 in the afternoon with a formal reception at 6:30. So what do I wear? I have my Inga hat I’ve been holding for the right occasion and I think a winter wedding is it. The hat will go nicely with my black coat. So my dress color options were red, green, black or gold. I don’t like wearing black to weddings so that was out. It being Christmas, I opted for this red Dupioni silk - not a bright red but with a black thread in the weave. I hope that this is suitable and that I’m not breaking *The Rules* wearing red to a wedding. Well, it IS Christmas...

I found this lace at Bischoff Textil last week and added it to the lining to peek out under the hem. I’ll wear black sheer stockings and dressy black shoes (not purchased yet) and will probably check the hat with my coat at the reception. After all, we’ll be dancing.

So that’s enough red for one week. I’ve made up the Lacroix brown fancy weave wool into a shrug but don’t have a picture yet. Next will be the two gold Chanel Haute Couture pieces and the black and white tweed.

K Q:-)

Paris Miscellany

Here are a few more pictures from throughout our week.

Great outfit

Great boots that we saw all over Paris

Hats in a boutique near our hotel

Lobby of our Hotel Le Royal

Carolyn’s vest which she made of placemats

Philosophy on the walls of the Concorde Metro Station

Arte Amusante

One red dress among the black

Street chic

Perfume display at Shiseido

Doorway in Paris

Restaurant

Lovely jacket

Interesting coat

Swim caps. Remember these?

Lamp made of Declerq passementerie

K Q:-)

Sunday and Monday and Au Revoir, Paris!

Our two main events for Sunday were the guided tour of the Lacroix Exhibition at the Louvres and our Gala Farewell Dinner.

No pictures were permitted at the Lacroix exhibit so I didn’t miss my camera. We had an adorable and knowledgeable English speaking Frenchman for a guide and my only mistake was going for chic instead of comfort. I’d forgotten how hard museum floors can be when I am wearing even modest heels. Oh well, I trudged on.

The exhibit was interesting and the Lacroix clothing gorgeously theatrical. He’s never been one of my favorite couturiers as I think his designs are beautiful but mostly unwearable. Maybe I’m just old but I far preferred the Golden Age of Couture clothing that had the result of trickling down into fashion departments and patterns for everyone to emulate. The Lacroix pieces were elegant and inspiring in terms of color and fabric combinations but I couldn’t even imagine the gowns on a Hollywood red carpet. Even a star would be lost in these extravaganzas. Most interesting to me was that the Lacroix pieces were displayed in the front of racks of vintage couture clothing from the archives of the Louvres showing the influences and inspiration on the designer. So many of these pieces were inspiring to me.

After our guided tour, Elizabeth, Susan Z. and I had a delicious Triple Hamburger* lunch at Le Saut du Loup, one of the museum cafes, then went back to pour over the details. For me the many, many vintage French hats scattered about were particularly fun to see, Albouey and Paulette among them.

We explored the museum to find Mme. Lanvin’s boudoir then shopped for postcards, revived ourselves with café in the underground mall under the glass pyramid and I nearly lost my toque, having removed it for a momentary power surge. Fortunately, it was still where it had slipped off my lap when I returned 20 minutes later. Whew!

Then we headed back to our hotel to rest up, dress up and change our shoes. We crossed the street in front of our hotel to where we had Sophie and Pascal's tiny Michelin rated restaurant all to ourselves for the evening. Our chef Pascal had created a special menu using fashion terms for our amusement. It was a delicious and festive evening! Susan K. gave each of us a parting gift, an autographed copy of Didier Ludot's La Petite Robe Noire, to remember our lovely time together.

By Monday some of our group had already departed, Elizabeth and Susan Z had hopped a train for London and the V&A. Others had last minute errands to do. A smaller group of us visited Esmod, a fashion school, for their superb draping manual, Fil de Mille for French notions (I bought yet another French curve and a pin cushion like the one Julien used in our draping class) then Mode et Information, a fashion book and magazine store in the Les Halles area (where I found no hat books) and finally Mokuba, renowned for ribbons. I was shopped out so went along mainly to browse and enjoy the company and, of course, Paris!

We returned to our hotel at lunch time and I had a few hours left before catching the TGV back to Zurich so I ventured out to the Metro on my own to try to find Marie Mercié’s shop on Rue St. Sulpice. I never found it as the hotel map I was carrying had such fine print I couldn’t really read it without my new glasses (which are en route). No matter, there was plenty of fabulous window shopping including the Kenzo boutique and I’ve never seen so many shoe stores as are in Paris. Many of the boutiques also carried hats and I had the time to pop into St. Germaine du Pres for a quick walk through the oldest church in Paris. I will be back, Marie.

To tell the truth, by the time I had to leave for my train I was so exhausted and my brain so full that I was happy to be on my way home. I will NOT, however, wait another 35 years to revisit Paris.

Merci beaucoup to Susan Khalje for putting together a vacation full of delights and inspiration!

K Q:-)

* These were tiny hamburgers served with various salads on toast circles cut from sliced bread. Delicious - especially with French wine!

Friday in Paris

We began this day with a visit to Declerq, reknowned producer of tassels and passementerie. This, is a family owned company, several generations deep, that produces gorgeous decorative items starting from a single thread. We were fortunate to be there on a day when several of the craftspeople were in the shop so we could watch them work.

This man was weaving a tie back on a wooden loom.

Here are a few more sample tie backs. We thought they’d make nice belts too.

I was intrigued to watch this skilled lady covering tassel heads using only a needle and thread - no glue.

Some samples on her work table. (Click on picture for a close up.) Finished products.

I particularly liked this vintage sample.

Next we took the Metro to our draping lesson with Julien Cristofoli in his lovely Paris apartment/atelier.

Julien spent the morning demonstrating and explaining how to mark a mannequin with twill tape for crucial lines used in the draping process. He then showed us how he marks the muslin with corresponding lines for reference in the draping process. This is far more scientific than I had realized!

Then he began to pin on the muslin pieces, matching lines and showing us how the garment progresses.

We broke for lunch nearby and then Julien demonstrated the draping of a bustier.

Once draped, the muslin is removed from the mannequin, curved lines are perfected and the pattern can then be formed from the draped muslin pieces.

He also showed us a draped skirt,

a draped blouse (or dress),

and, after a delightful tea break of homemade treats,

a draped cowl neckline.

By this point my camera battery had died and I was dismayed to find that my spare was also dead. I’d forgotten that camera batteries will deplete even when not in use. I am apparently still a travel amateur. Ah well, it was the end of our fabulous day and this one, for me, was the most fascinating.

Note to self: Next time don’t pack that extra pair of high heeled pumps. Pack the battery charger instead! I was sans camera for the rest of my trip (sigh).

K Q:-)

Thursday in Paris

This day we began by climbing the stairs to Legeron, maker of silk flowers and feather embellishments to the haute couture. They very generously allowed us to take pictures and also showed us pictures from their portfolios. All flower petals and leaves are hand cut, stamped, individually dyed and then assembled with the skilled hands of ladies who have been working at this (some) over 20 years.

First the notebook is consulted for the number of petals, colors and other specifications for the flower. This family has been making flowers and feather fancies for several generations.

The silk is stretched on frames with nails for holding the edges. Then a stiffening agent such as gelatin is painted on to the fabric and it is left to dry. Velvets are dipped in the stiffener and then stretched on to the frame.

Next the petals or leaves are cut with this hand press. Several layers can be cut at a time, depending on the type of material, silk, velvet, leather, latex etc.

Here are some of the die shapes for cutting.

Once the petals are cut they are individually hand dyed in front of a window to utilize the natural light.

Recipe cards are kept for future reference. There are no computers here yet.

Once dyed, the petals go to these ladies who use metal tools heated on alcohol burners to press shape into the petals. Then the flowers are assembled petal by petal using a touch of white glue, using skilled fingers to pull and manipulate the petals so that no two are actually alike. Stems are wrapped using paper floral tape.

A hand press is used for stamping veins into the leaves.

The final product. Oh la la!

We also enjoyed exploring the feather rooms. Susan, our fearless leader, tries her hand with ostrich feathers.

These are ostrich feathers, resist treated with acid to burn off parts of the feather giving it a unique look.

Here are some of the things that they do with feathers.

Of course, we then wanted to purchase a goody or two as a souvenir of our visit.

Ruth is very happy with her purchase, the very fleur we watched being made.

After Legeron we grabbed a quick lunch in a neighborhood shop then headed for more fabric shopping at Maupiou. This is fabric draped on a mannequin to look like a dress. Janssens was the last fabric stop of the day, Susan having saved possibly the best for last. The fabrics were fabulous but I had blown my budget at Tissus Edré so I enjoyed sitting back watching the others make their selections. It was quite restful.

We rounded off our afternoon spree with a special treat. Hot Chocolate at Angelina’s on Rue de Rivoli. You haven’t really had hot chocolate until you’ve tasted this extravagance! That’s thick hot chocolate in the little pitcher with my raspberry macaroon. As you can see, I’ve already dosed my chocolate with the bowl of whipped cream being passed around.

Did I say YUM?!

This evening I was treated to a delicious dinner by my friend Terezinha. She and her husband moved to the Paris area six months ago from Switzerland and I must say that it certainly agrees with her. I have never seen my Brazilian friend looking so happy! We were so busy visiting that I forgot to snap a picture. So sorry!

K Q:-)

Next: Declerq Passmenterie and a draping lesson with Julien.

Paris Trip - Wednesday

After breakfast at Hotel le Royal we used our weekly Metro passes to head for Palais Royal, former playground of Louis XIV, now surrounded with lovely little shops. We were headed for La Petite Robe Noire (the little black dress) shop and the world famous vintage clothing store owned by Didier Ludot. Ludot came up with the idea for the LBD shop and wrote a charming book on the subject as well.

We had a lecture on the history of the little black dress by the very colorful Dominique who wears only Christian Lacroix. She is a great friend of the couturier and despite her petite stature really stands out in a sea of black dresses. Tho’ the shop is tiny, she graciously permitted us to snap pictures and try things on.

La Petite Robe Noire features vintage couture LBDs some worn by famous persons. I loved the Chanel just under the bull dog portrait. Didier Ludot also designs a new dress line each year that is inspired by the vintage pieces. My choice was this one at only 1750 Euros. My friend Elizabeth found an LBD she liked and whipped out her credit card so I had the vicarious pleasure without ruining my budget. (Sorry for my shaky photography, Elizabeth. So much excitement!)

We crossed the park to Didier Ludot’s vintage clothing store. This tiny boutique was packed with the castoffs of the rich and famous and I seriously contemplated this cute little 1930s purse. Instead, it seems that I was spending other people’s money that morning. It didn’t take much persuasion to convince Kateri that she must have this petit chapeau.

By now it was lunch time and we were on our own so Elizabeth, Vida and I headed for a nice looking café close by. As we entered a man came running out scolding us Privé! Privé! It seems that we had mistakenly stepped into the employees cafeteria of the Comédie Française, the theatre where Moliere performed and died on stage. We walked a little further and found a corner bistro for French onion soup instead.

Next we headed over to Rue de Faubourg Poissonière to the haute couture embroidery house of Vermont where we watched ladies embroidering gorgeous motifs for couturiers. We were not permitted to take pictures here but we pored over magazines showing samples of their work and they very kindly brought out piece after piece of exquisite embroidery executed by this firm including an 18^th century man’s waistcoat. So inspiring!

To cap off our afternoon we next walked over to Galerie Vivienne, one of Paris’ many covered walkways, and the Wolfe et Descoutis shop where we pondered selections of silk and wool shawls and scarves. Here Susan is trying out her color preferences. This is the one I finally selected though I am still thinking about the one with the large elephants. Maybe next year?

Scarf shopping completed, Elizabeth and I dashed back to the Shiseido perfume shop to purchase the scents that we had tried earlier in the afternoon. Our vendeuse had advised us to sample then walk around for 20 minutes before deciding on a purchase. It took us a little longer to get back to the shop but I chose Fleurs d’Oranger by Serge Lutens. I really, really wanted to shoot a picture in this purple jewel box of a boutique but, once again, pictures were not permitted. Outside after dark, however, I caught at least this little peek. It's considered the prettiest boutique in Paris.

Then it was back to our hotel to drop off our packages, a quick snack, a Metro ride and a small hike (since the Metro stop was closed) to the Tour Eiffel. It was fun to see it all lit up. Once an hour it sparkles for ten minutes. We were up at the top when the sparkling began. Here is a night view of Paris from the top. We were fortunate to be there in November and at night so the crowds were not onerous.

At last we headed back for dinner and sleep.

More tomorrow! K Q:-)

Paris - Day One and Two

A few more pictures of my first day in Paris. As mentioned in yesterday’s post, we visited Notre Dame then took an early evening Bateau Mouche to see the Paris sights at sunset on the Seine.

We’d worked up huge appetites so walked over to Crêperie Port-Manech near our hotel for a light dinner. Here is my entree, a buckwheat crepe filled with goat cheese, tomatoes and (Canadian) bacon. We all ordered but couldn’t finish dessert crepes as well. Here our friendly waiter lights the brandy on Susan’s dessert.

Monday, while the other ladies in our tour took a Lesage ribbon embroidery class, Vida and I took the Eurostar to London to see The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947-1957 exhibit at the V&A. I truly got the better end of that deal, having taken ribbon embroidery classes before. I saw two couture exhibits in my eight days abroad and I much preferred this London exhibit to the Paris one. I am more a fan of Dior, Chanel, Balenciaga and Fath than of Lecroix. Though Lacroix’s clothes are wonderful and theatrical they have little to do with being wearable, I think. More on that later. An unexpected bonus at the V&A was the number of Théâtre de la Mode dolls displayed at the beginning of the exhibit. I own that book but had never seen any of the dolls up close. Marveilleux! (Sorry but picture taking was not allowed. There is a book available on the exhibit at Amazon.) I had first class treatment on the Eurostar between Paris and London and highly prefer this train to flying. The Alsace countryside was so beautiful and the trip was only a couple of hours.

Tuesday we began our day with the Archivist at Tassinari et Chatel. This family owned firm has been supplying tapestries to royalty and others since the reign of Louis XIV. It was incredible to see their archived samples of woven silks that hang in Versailles and other French palaces. Here are two designed for Napolean Bonaparte. We were even allowed to touch!

Next we were off to lunch at the Musee Jacquemart-André, a lavish 18^th century home and art collection that has been turned into a small but delightful museum. Lunch was served in the ballroom and I had a delicious salad that included foie gras. Some of our party just had dessert. I was too busy eating to take any pictures.

After lunch came the biggest challenge of our day. This was making our selections of couture fabrics at Tissus Edré. This tiny shop carries end cuts from the couture houses and I must say that I got a little carried away. I was stopped only by my inability to carry any more. Here's what I bought. Lacroix and Chanel cuts mostly. Haute Couture, not Prêt à Porter,they emphatically stated.

We ended our busy day with dinner on our own at our favorite bistro just around the corner from our hotel. K Q:-)

On the Road Again

I’m headed back to Virginia and Texas tomorrow for most of October to visit friends and family, celebrate our 15^th wedding anniversary and hunt for our new home. So (Heaven help me!), I am in packing mode again.

Fortunately, I have my Paris Couture Tour in November to look forward to. Check out this link for the kinds of sights I can’t wait to see! Paris . What better place to wear my latest sewing projects? Will I get that Bischoff lace blouse finished in time? Stay tuned.

A bientot!

K Q:-)

P.S. The Sartorialist has been posting from Paris this week. See yesterday's post Sartorialist for a hat!