Gunn Sarah - A Stylish Guide to Classic Sewing : Explore 30 Timeless Garments with History, Styling & Tips for Ready-to-Wear Results.

PUBLISHER: Amy Marson

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Gailen Runge

ACQUISITIONS EDITOR: Roxane Cerda

MANAGING EDITOR: Liz Aneloski

EDITOR: Beth Baumgartel

TECHNICAL EDITOR: Linda Johnson

COVER/BOOK DESIGNER: April Mostek

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Tim Manibusan

PRODUCTION EDITOR: Alice Mace Nakanishi

COVER/FASHION ILLUSTRATOR: Beth Briggs

GRADED-PATTERN ILLUSTRATOR: Jennifer DeShazer of Jennuine Designs

INSTRUCTIONAL ILLUSTRATOR: Linda Johnson

STYLE PHOTOGRAPHERS: Andrea Birkan, Cennetta Burwell, Karon Cooke-Euter, Alexandra Florea, Jacqueline Foley, William Gunn, Emily Hallman, Thomas B. Helm, Allie Jackson, Jenna Ledawn, Duong Nguyen Lengerer, Martin Mogaard, Anita Morris, Philip Nittala/ Manju Nittala, Dorcas Ross, Chris Smith, Lori VanMaanen, and Vatsla Watkins

PHOTO ASSISTANT: Rachel Holmes

Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549

Dedication

We dedicate this book to

These unforgettable style icons who recognized the simple elegance of classic garments. Thank you for teaching us how to dress!

PRINCESS DIANAAUDREY HEPBURNKATHARINE HEPBURNGRACE KELLYJACQUELINE KENNEDY MARY TYLER MOOREMARLO THOMAS

These talented fashion designers, for creating beautiful, timeless classics.

OLEG CASSINICOCO CHANELCHRISTIAN DIORDIANE VON FURSTENBERGHUBERT DE GIVENCHY CAROLINA HERRERAEDITH HEADCALVIN KLEINRALPH LAURENYVES SAINT LAURENTCLAIRE MCCARDELL OSCAR DE LA RENTALILLY PULITZERKATE SPADEKARL LAGERFELDTRACY REESE

To all present-day designers who have reimagined the classics with a contemporary twist.

Acknowledgments

A special thank-you to

Beth Briggs, whose delightful fashion illustrations capture the whimsical spirit of classical clothing.

The talented designers featured in the photo gallery, for sharing their creative interpretations of the classics.

The online sewing community that inspires us every day by sharing the creativity and originality of a hand-curated wardrobe.

Beth Baumgartel, the editor of our dreams! Your help has been invaluable in every way.

Katie Burris, our photo stylist with a keen eye for details.

Chris Smith, our friend and photographer extraordinaire.

Pixel Studios in Charleston, South Carolina, for providing us with a great venue for our fashion shoot.

Jennifer DeShazer for her invaluable technical assistance with the Modern Classic Pencil Skirt pattern.

Billy Gunn, for his continuing support and encouragement.

The dedicated staff at C&T Publishing for turning our dreams into reality.

Mood Fabrics, for its continuous generosity in providing fabrics to the Goodbye Valentino blog; Lynn Browne from Coats & Clark, Inc., for thread galore and the many opportunities to share Sarahs ideas and projects; and PFAFF, for making our sewing experience most enjoyable!

Foreword

In the 1950s, fashion legend Claire McCardell urged young design students to cultivate an eye for style, then use it to create a modern, practical, yet chic wardrobe, with a little help from a sewing machine. Learn to seelearn to sew, she told them.

Back then, women carefully curated their wardrobes. They chose clothing and accessories that worked together as coordinating outfits to be worn and updated from year to year. Some clothes were bought, some were sewn, and some were thriftily repurposed from other garments. Their clothes were well-made and well-maintained, and lasted for years.

When I was a teen, my mom taught me to look through my closet in the fall and decide on a few new garments to round out my wardrobe for school and activities. What we couldnt find in our northern Michigan townparticularly the young, hip, designer fashions of the 70sshe showed me how to sew. Planning, creating, and maintaining my wardrobe became a great source of pleasure for me, and a way to express creativity and style!

Unfortunately, the recent era of fast fashion has brought ill-fitting, poorly-made clothing to stores, which people buy on a whim and toss out just as easily. Its bad for the environment and a disaster for style. Somewhere along the way, we lost the ability to build a wardrobe with quality pieces that go together.

Enter Sarah Gunn, creator of the popular Ready-to-Wear Fast through her blog, Goodbye Valentino, and Julie Starr, an inspirational sewist who is a cheerleader for the craft via Pattern Review and other online communities. Through their books, Julie and Sarah are encouraging people around the world to sew flattering, beautiful fashions that are built to last.

The styles in this book are classics because theyve stood the test of time and are reborn with every generation. The pencil skirt, for example, was worn by the modern gals in 1930s movies, then the silhouette got tighter as part of the sweater girl uniform in the 50s. It flattered Princess Di in the 80s and is still making a style statementmore than 30 years lateron her daughters-in-law Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle.

When you make yourself a modern classic pencil skirt, with Julie and Sarahs expert advice on fabric, fitting, and sewing, youre on your way to creating a unique, made-for-you wardrobe that takes you from the local Starbucks to Paris! Whether you learned to sew when you were a child, as I did, or as part of the more recent #makersmovement, a chic wardrobe is doable on any budget, with a bit of knowledge, creativity, and a sewing machine.

And did I mention it was fun? Nowadays, as we plan and create our projects, we can go online to share our successes (and frustrations) with our new sewing friends who live anywhere from Charleston to Sydney. When possible, we meet up in person to spread our love of the craft. This modern-day virtual sewing circle has grown into a worldwide community of makers, bonding across cultures and time zones.

So, kudos to Sarah and Julie for updating Claire McCardells advice about seeing and sewing, and for encouraging us to have some fun stitching up these classic, fashionable looks. May this book inspire you to plan and sew a timeless, chic, quality wardrobea long-lost luxury that every woman deserves!

JULIE EILBER

Courtesy of Julie Eilber

Julie Eilber is a writer and sewing enthusiast known for re-creating vintage designer fashions by Chanel, Charles James, Schiaparelli, and Claire McCardell, which she shares on her irreverent blog, Jet Set Sewing. A sewing expert for BERNINA USA, shes created tutorials and patterns for its website and has written profiles of couturiers Susan Khalje and Kenneth D. King. As a fashion historian, shes presented workshops at the Museum of Modern Art and has been published in The Journal of Dress History.

Introduction

Sew your own clothes, save thousands of dollars, and look like a million bucks!

Dear Readers,

Congratulations! You are either sewing your own clothes or contemplating the idea. Either choice is a winner because you believe or hopean alternative to shopping for ready-to-wear clothing exists.

Whether you are seeking economical relief, a fit that flatters your shape, styles that reflect your taste, or a general creative outlet, sewing your clothes provides all of the above. Our re-entry into the fashion sewing scene began with the goal to save money, but soon we learned to fit ourselves and people took notice of our flattering clothes.