I was foiled in my attempt to go get the mulberry sweater knit that I can’t stop thinking about since I left it on the bolt at Mood because as it turns out, Mood was closed on December 24th. (What! Do they not realize how short my time in New York is??) Fortunately, on my way there, I bumped into the Japanese bookstore Kinokuniya (more on that expensive and unexpected happening later) and Paron. Having filled up on basics already, I perused their extensive 50% off heaven/annex for things that caught my eye, and fixed on this nerdy-chic chocolate and burnt orange Banana Republic plaid wool:
It’s sort of a shetland weight that would make for a nice substantial pair of pants or fall jacket. My first thought was a high waisted pencil skirt of the sexy-librarian-shakes-out-hair-good-heavens-you’re-beautiful! variety. (I don’t know why I always think I can pull that off when I haven’t got anything in the va-va-voom department.) In particular, I would pair said skirt with my new also nerdy-chic Sweet Pota-toe Heels from ModCloth (believe it or not, my first ever actual ModCloth purchase):
(If these are your style, I should let you know that they are a bargain at $39.99. Grab them while they still have a few pairs left! And I am the reason that they’re sold out of size 5.)
I asked for a yard and a half of the fabric (originally $24/yard, but $12 after the 50% off), but the woman unrolled everything that was left on the bolt and said she’d give me the whole piece for the price of two yards. In the interest of not accumulating too much stash I thought about wisely saying no. After all, it’s not a super basic like black wool gabardine or white cotton poplin. But she was so nice and it was almost Christmas eve and she was really selling hard to the selfish in me. And there went another $6.
I took it home and measured it and found that the entire piece was actually four yards long. Plenty for a pencil skirt and something else (which I would not wear WITH the skirt because I do not want to dress like a crazy lady.) What do you think? Three-quarter length coat with chocolate brown faux fur trim? Trench-style jacket? Trousers? What does one do with so much sweet potato plaid?
The Selfish Seamstress 
18 comments
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December 26, 2009 at 8:33 am
Carolyn
A Trench style coat with leather accents…would be very smart in this fabric! Hope you get back to Moods and when are you leaving NYC cause the rain and the wind today will certainly play havoc with flights. Hope its tomorrow when blue skies and warm temperatures are predicted!
December 26, 2009 at 8:44 am
julie
That material screams capelet to me. I’d make the high waisted pencil skirt and capelet to be worn as separates but with the option of serving as a go-to crazy lady ensemble if(when) the need arises.
Here’s one!
http://www.burdastyle.com/projects/tweed-capelet?image=1289 (see, especially, the 4th photograph)
December 26, 2009 at 9:08 am
kitty
ha, I LOVE Parons, and have had the exact thing done to me several times. For some reason I am attracted to the end of bolt fabrics.
Plaids are tough, but if you’re up for the challenge, a cute fitted riding jacket would be nice. The plaid is nice b/c you can wear beige or charcoal or brown with it. Oh and carry a riding crop, of course.
December 26, 2009 at 9:22 am
marlies
I agree with Kitty a cute fitted riding jacket would be nice…. forget the crop, when someone tells you “your jacket is so nice….I wish you could make one for me”, you can hand them the extra fabric and say make one yourself :)
December 26, 2009 at 9:49 am
Sewjourner
Love Carolyn’s idea of a trench style coat. That would look fabulous especially if you did the leather accents too. I love Paron’s. I plan on stopping by this afternoon to see what I can find.
December 26, 2009 at 9:57 am
Melissa
I love Julie’s idea of the capelet with the skirt! OR (even though it wouldn’t use up much fabric) a bag. Or a slouchy beret. Heck why not a whole dress?
And those shoes- Sooo cute!
December 26, 2009 at 10:24 am
beangirl
I. Want. Those. Shoes.
Oh yeah and make a skirt and a jacket like they said above whatever who cares it’s all about the shoes right?
Want. Shoes.
December 26, 2009 at 11:13 am
Jen M
As long as you are going the nerdy-chic route, how about a fitted vest to go with the pencil skirt? A good way to give yourself some va-va-voom with strategic seams!
December 26, 2009 at 11:16 am
Miss Celie
I’m a big fan of little capes myself. And, I cannot resist plaid.
December 26, 2009 at 1:08 pm
Toby Wollin
OK..I’m totally out of left field here – a skirt is great and a great use of the fabric, but I think a jacket too would make you feel like you are screaming ‘carnival barker’ if you wear both of them at once. I’d make up my mind that a skirt is useful AND a sheath (either sleeveless or short sleeved) would be also very useful, in that you can always dress it down with a turtleneck or blouse or wear it alone with a scarf at the neck or jewelry, etc. Oh, and with the amazing shoes (I’m lucky that they are sold out of the 6.5; otherwise, my credit card would have been out so fast my wallet would have been smoking).
December 26, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Karen
or you could auction off the remains to the highest bidder…
December 27, 2009 at 6:33 am
Melanie
So definitely a pair of pleated trousers! So very 1940’s with those amazing shoes. I love your librarian reference as I am a librarian and also have no va-va-voom! LOL!
December 28, 2009 at 4:25 am
Anonymous
I think a Vivienne Westwood Anglomania vest knockoff would be a good use of that fabric.
December 28, 2009 at 9:10 am
amber
I’m drooling all over myself over that fabric. Classic, but I love the kick of orange in it. I vote cape and pencil skirt. :)
December 30, 2009 at 12:56 am
Anonymous
I see two options:
1. AS others have mentioned, wide bogart stryle trousers and a little fitted jacket. Predictable but it would work.
2. The high waisted pencil skirt that you first visualised. (My own motto as a seamstress is Stick With What You First Visualised)
and
as you really have nothing to lose Make the capelet and see!
December 30, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Jennifer
Those shoes are so pretty they made me cry.
December 30, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Kinokuniya: A big slice of Japanese sewing heaven « The Selfish Seamstress
[…] Sweet potato plaid […]
February 5, 2010 at 10:13 am
Progress report: Burda 1-2009-112 « The Selfish Seamstress
[…] got started on the stupid easy high waisted skirt from Burda 1.2009, model 112, using some of the sweet potato plaid Banana Republic wool I picked up at Paron for a song during my holiday fabric binge. (Please parse that last bit as […]