Friday, October 30, 2009

Because enough is never enough

And because you all should have to suffer right along with me!

First up, the tailoring window at Ermengildo Zegna. I can't tell you how much I appreciated seeing the jacket mid-construction. Between the camera and the window glass, I couldn't get a close enough shot of the lapel, but the pad-stitching was a little miracle.

And note the box at the bottom - it's full of collars. Detachable? Or just waiting to be sewn to some lucky shirt? I didn't get a chance to find out.

This gray coat here was beautiful from a distance, which is where I took the first shot. I love a good coat, and this had great lines. The collar looked intriguing, though, so I went closer.

It's beaded!

The entire underside of that flipped-up collar is hand-beaded in silver herring-bone bugle beads. It made me dizzy to think about.

It also made me want to start beading again.

Can you imagine the weight of that collar? But what attitude, to be able to flip up your collar and have something like that. (It would also require a seriously kickass short haircut, which I would consider once I made that coat and beaded the collar).

And what about the pleated blouse? I don't remember whose it was, and I wish the photo was better but I couldn't do anything with the reflection.

Those pleats take more patience than I have, but I think it's an amazingly flattering piece. You would think by looking at it that it would make you look shorter and thicker, but I think because of the angle of the pleats, and that wonderful collar, that it would actually do just the opposite and make you longer and leaner.

I also really like cut-in shoulder and the way the blouse is constructed. And I would have loved to have seen the back, just to see if the pleats continued back there or if it turned plain. I'm assuming plain, but you never know.

And that's most of my fashion photos from vacation.

Other things I noticed: purple is huge. Huge, I tell you. Not only just because Florence's color is violet - which I noticed when the Florentine soccer team passed us by in the airport - but it's just in. Purple, violet, plum, mauve, and any other shade you can think of. In clothes, coats, shoes, leather jackets, bags

Also, there's a lot of patchwork and mismatched fabrics. I saw a girl on the street in a coat that I wanted to remove from her back. I settled for taking her picture. Later in the trip, on Saturday, I saw a very similar coat in a street market and took its picture. Maybe one of these days I'll do something about it.

5 comments:

Vicki said...

Thanks for all the posts and great photos of Florence and the fashions. And the food.....

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Sigrid said...

Great pictures. I especially love the coat with beaded collar, can imagine you wanting to make it and adapt your haircut to it ;)
And yes, purple is everywhere, I too have bought some purple fabric.

Rose said...

I could never get enough of those great fashion pictures you took! My fingers hurt just thinking of all those beads on the collar, but what is a little pain for such beautiful results.

Anonymous said...

I love that pleated blouse!!! Thanks for posting all your pics. I can't wait to get to Italy someday.