Tag Archives: vest

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SERVER VESTS

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Lately I’ve been spending time in Monterey, which is a friendly and beautiful town. One of our favorite parts about being on the peninsula is eating at il vecchio (which is actually next door in Pacific Grove). They make their gnocchi fresh daily, and their pesto is just about the most flavorful and nuanced that I’ve ever tasted.

And the point of this is: I made a couple vests for the restaurant. The proprieter and I went shopping at Beverly’s together, and picked out this damask batik quilting cotton, which I think is such a funny combination. I like to imagine that the fabric was dyed with wine.

custom server vest, made by Julianne

custom server vest, made by Julianne

IMG_4327

I made one male sample, and one sample for ladies. Besides size, the only difference is a bust dart. Both versions have back ties, lined front panels, facings at the back neck and arms, and buttons.

custom server vest, made by Juliannecustom server vest, made by Julianne These are obviously not my best photographs, because I was in a super hurry to get them shipped before the post office closed (and I made it!).

custom server vest, made by Julianne

In the end, the staff declared the fabric a little “Mississippi Riverboat Gambler” which I totally see, and then they decided to scrap the vests altogether.

I know this project isn’t terribly exciting, but such is the life of a professional seamstress. And now, back to work!

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MAMI AFRIKA

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I’ve worked with Wawi Amasha for a few years, and now she’s starting to get really serious about her clothing design. These looks are all hers, but I sewed them for a gallery opening this past weekend. They were presented under the name Mami Afrika.

Wawi dresses, made by Julianne

Sewer, designer, tech designer.Wawi dresses, made by JulianneOf course I made my purple miimii dress, as well as the blue halter dress on Inobe. Wawi is on the left. Wawi dresses, made by Julianne

Wawi was showing her paintings at Hamilton Gallery in Santa Monica, and it was a fun party! In our gallery was the artwork, models wearing dresses, wine of course, and African drummers who inspired some fancy dancing.

A neighboring gallery was also hosting an opening, where there was more wine, plus vodka, couscous, gift bags, and a hyper little German man who began our conversations with “I like the look you’re experimenting with on your outfit,” because that’s what you say in Santa Monica. I don’t remember your name, but you were kinda crazy, but also fun.

Wawi dresses, made by Julianne

The fabrics were collected on Wawi’s recent trip to Kenya, and the patterns were drafted by Inobe Nicole, who also made the fabulous geometric necklaces.

I made ten pieces for the show in 4 days, and eventually developed a rhythm for the layout and construction. Sample patterns rarely come with instructions, so it’s up to be to figure out a smooth and efficient technique.   Wawi dresses, made by JuliannePrint matching! The finishing on this sleeveless jacket includes french seams, bias bound, double turned hem, and folding seams under.

Wawi dresses, made by Julianne Wawi dresses, made by Julianne

This purple skirt was my favorite piece, and that amethyst necklace Inobe made is insane!  IMG_2349

Mami Afrika designs, made by Julianne

This dress was another personal favorite.

Wawi dresses, made by Julianne

It was a week of marathon sewing, but the team was very pleased at the outcome. I’ll be doing more work with Wawi soon (like tomorrow!).

Thanks to Sam / Docta Sez for the additional photos!

 

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GROOM’S OUTFIT

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I got married in September 2012 at Burning Man. It was where I met my husband, where we got engaged, and where we feel most free to be whatever we want, particularly ourselves.

rainbow Burning Man wedding, Made by Julianne, photo by Blake Gardner

Jason and I designed his whole outfit together. We wanted it to be an even more colorful version of what he normally wears.

PANTS:

This in-between short/pant length is a signature of Jason’s wardrobe. I don’t personally think it’s awkward (it’s capris) and I like making them for him. So it was the obvious choice for this wedding pants. This time I made his pants from a metallic striped cotton that my mom got in Jordan a couple years ago. They have a zipper fly and elastic waist; I’ve developed this pattern just for Jason. We added bands of fabric at the bottom to correspond to my own skirt.

rainbow Burning Man wedding, Made by Julianne, photo by Blake Gardner rainbow Burning Man wedding, Made by Julianne, photo by Blake Gardner

photo by Blake Gardner

Rainbow socks were also a natural choice! We got the Converse right before we left for Burning Man, and I replaced the white laces with a metallic woven ribbon.

SHIRT:

His shirt is made from a weighty linen. I washed the fabric three times to soften it up, as well as to get it fully shrunk before cutting. I found a bolt with about 5 yards of this fabric in our storage unit, and I honestly have no idea where it came from or what it was doing there. Luckily it’s the perfect color to bring out Jason’s eyes!

We wanted the look of our wedding to be colorful, exciting, and exotic, but we didn’t want to be the white people dressing up in another culture’s aesthetic. Inspired by: yes; appropriating: no. With this in mind, I waffled back and forth on the Nehru collar and tunic length of this shirt. But Jason’s wonderful mind never saw the styling as Indian; in his mind a stand-up collar is spacey. Great design, great rational: we make a good team.

The shirt is a modified version of Simplicity 5366, which I had tested a couple months prior and so I knew exactly what changes needed to be made for the best fit.

rainbow Burning Man wedding, Made by Julianne, photo by Blake Gardner

photo by Blake Gardner

The fabulous J cufflinks belonged to Jason’s dad Jack, who passed away shortly after we met. Two weeks after our own wedding, Jason’s nephew Jack wore them for his beautiful wedding.

rainbow wedding at Burning Man, brass buttons, made by Julianne

Jason picked out the green and purple for the topstitching. We got these awesome ying-yang buttons during my first visit to the Fashion District in 2009! They are heavy and tactile and yes, honestly, a little bit steampunk. I don’t think anyone noticed, but we rotated them all the way down his shirt, so that the gold was on the left, and then the right, and then back on the left.

 

VEST:

rainbow Burning Man wedding, Made by Julianne, photo by Blake Gardner

photo by Blake Gardner

I based the pattern for this vest from one he already owned. The front stripe is another Jordanian cotton from my mom–there was just enough to cut both sides on the bias so that the pattern was going the way we wanted. One of my favorite elements from the entire outfit is the back of the vest. This metallic fabric was hand-made in Guatemala in the 60s, and was given to us by a longtime friend of the Siadek family, Valerie Maxwell (thank you Valerie!). It was exciting to work with, and in pretty great condition.

rainbow Burning Man wedding, Made by Julianne, photo by Blake Gardner Burning Man rainbow wedding, made by Julianne

photo by Blake Gardner

The lining is a vintage poly that was in my cabinet. The buttons are aligned so that the top jewels represent chakras (although we aren’t into that, but it seamed as good a reason as any).

Burning Man rainbow wedding, made by Julianne Burning Man rainbow wedding, made by Julianne

Jason was gifted the koa necklace by our campmate Teale right before the ceremony.

I think Jason looked very handsome and very himself! If you’d like to read more and see more photos, we have a whole post about getting married at Burning Man.

You can also see pictures of my bridal outfit.

Most of these gorgeous pictures were taken by Blake Gardner and Aleck Gandel – many thanks to these talented photographers as well as all the friends who both captured and contributed to our wonderful day!

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