31 July 2008

What I've been reading

A brilliant blog about fashion and representations of women (and feminism and race and other cool stuff) is Threadbared, written by 'two clotheshorse academics who write and teach the politics of fashion and beauty'. They discuss all sorts of stuff from the politics of designer knock-offs to the black Italian Vogue issue.

I really like reading about feminism and fashion: the two are connected. Here's the bit from The sceptical feminist by Janet Radcliffe Richards which I'm always quoting (in a garbled way) to justify being a feminist who likes clothes and fashion:
People have to choose their clothes whatever they are, and a feminist whose main motivation was to put as little time and money into them as possible should presumably go around in the first and cheapest thing she could find in a jumble sale, even if it happened to be a shapeless turquoise Crimplene dress with a pink cardigan. No feminist would be seen dead in any such thing. Obviously, therefore, the aim is not just to take what is cheapest and easiest, even though consideration of that sort must come into the matter to some extent. Style is important.
At some point I'll post a review of It's so you, and when I've finished it, the other fashion-feminism book I'm reading, Linda M. Scott's Fresh lipstick.

16 July 2008

Long posting pause! I've been busy. Doing exams, moving house... you know how it is. And we don't have internet at home yet so I can't update from there. But when I do I have photos of the things I've made recently.

Here are my possible next projects: Burdastyle are having a sewalong project for the Anda dress, which looks like a nice simple pattern to make up before I go on holiday. I also want to make this pinafore dress in cord or heavy cotton for the autumn. I've also got plans for Vogue 8511, which I'll write more about later...