What is Slow fashion?  It is a term that has been talked about for a long time.  The fashion industry has been amping up the awareness for slow fashion brands.

I googled the term and this is what came up: “Slow fashion is the movement of designing, creating, and buying garments for quality and longevity. It encourages slower production schedules, fair wages, lower carbon footprints, and (ideally) zero waste. —”

Let’s look at these three terms, quality, longevity, zero waste.

Quality

Investing in quality over quantity is something that will help our environment.  Look inside a garment before purchasing it.  At a young age, I remember my Mother buying me a dress when I took it home, I looked inside and saw the seams were already raveling.  I took the entire dress apart and re stitched all of the seams including finishing the seams so they wouldn’t ravel.  That was about 50 years ago!

TIP: seams need to be finished to prevent raveling.

Longevity

Longevity, from Webster’s dictionary this means  “long existence”.  We are seeing a large trend in upscale recycling stores becoming at the forefront of retail.  This is because quality vintage items can withstand the test of time, in other words, have a long existence.  It pleases me that some of my clients still have pieces I’ve created decades ago.

TIP:  recycle your wardrobe by putting a piece in the back of your closet and bring it out a few years later. It becomes new to you again.

Zero Waste

“The Zero Waste philosophy attempts to encourage a lifestyle that ensures as many products and materials are reused, rather than ending up in landfills. The clue really is in the name – ‘zero waste’ means trying to prevent anything from ending up in landfill or incinerator. The overall goal is to keep materials in circulation for as long as is possible, by ensuring numerous valuable lifecycles. Instead of discarding resources, the aim is to create a system whereby all of them are able to be reused again.”  (excerpt taken from google)

This is a large scale term for many items-plastic bottles for instance. However,  for the clothing business it means repurposing fabrics.

Repurposing fabrics into new garments, or new accessories has been a goal for my brand, using zero waste.

Here is an example of one of many pieces that I have used slow fashion in my designs.  I had the fabric in my stash for a few years as it was on the end of a roll.    I came up with this design for the ‘leftover’ fabric.  I didn’t quite have enough so I recreated the pattern design to include the yoke at the front of the garment to make it work. The creative juices produced a new design based on  zero waste.  The hand stitching slows me down, keeps me accountable in order to give you a unique piece that only you will have, a one of a kind!

Teodora Pogonat Photographer

See and purchase this piece in my new shop page here.

Thank you for the following, 2021 will start out as a continuing challenge, I am grateful for your ongoing support as we all filter through how to maintain calmness in the middle of a panemdic.  If you have any topics you would like me to address, please leave them in the comments below.

The post What is slow fashion? appeared first on Brooks Ltd.

A Brooks LTD original shirtwaist dress in royal blue silk taffeta, as seen on StyleCrone. Photo by JJ Constantine.

According to FIT (hey, that’s my alma matter!) and the Wall Street Journal, the origins of the shirtwaist dress actually began with the “shirtwaist top” (aka what we now know as the “blouse,” originally fashioned from men’s shirts), which emerged in the 1890s as a uniform for the “New Woman, who demanded the same educational and professional opportunities as men. Rather than wearing fussy dresses bedecked with yards of the over-the-top trim beloved by Victorians, she preferred progressive, menswear-inspired clothes.” (via The WSJ, June 15, 2018)  Coinciding with the advent of mass manufacturing, and thus ready-to-wear fashion, the shirtwaist top, along with skirts and other separates, were easy to produce, as they did not require precise, custom fits – making them a hit with working and middle-class women (via LovetoKnow).

Shirtwaist dresses found in a 1944 catalog. Image via UploadStars

By the 1930s, the shirtwaist-top-and-skirt combo merged to become the shirtwaist dress, with designers such as Claire McCardell and Christian Dior making their own versions.  Technically speaking, a shirtwaist dress is defined as a dress which features a shirt top, combined with a skirt bottom.  Most often, and especially in the 1930s – 1950s, the top part buttoned up, though oftentimes the buttons extended all the way down the skirt for a look that was both decorative and functional (via The Vintage Dancer).  Typical shirtwaist dresses feature a notched, pointed collar, though experimentation with collar styles, waists, skirts and sleeves began early on.  Dior’s post-WWII “New Look” in particular promoted a highly feminized take, with a cinched waist and full skirt lined in crinoline, whereas designers such as Yves Saint Laurent and Halston later in the 1970s preferred more relaxed styling. (via Wikipedia)

A Dior “New Look” shirtwaist dress in lace. Image via Pinterest

These days there are many riffs on the design… my own included.  I love the balance between the feminine and masculine that this classic design offers.  And – always a fan of the unexpected – I especially love making a shirtwaist dress in a formal fabric such as a silk taffeta, which gives this traditional ‘day dress’ a glamorous evening look as well as elegant structure.  My version also tends to forgo the buttons, instead opting for a clean, open V front.  Modifying with a kimono sleeve or extra ruffle detailing also lends some intrigue.

A favorite look from my recent Brooks LTD couture collection – a red taffeta shirtwaist dress with kimono sleeves. Photo by Hardy Klahold Photography

Aside from its storied history, what makes this style a fan favorite time and again?  I believe it’s the fact that it’s such a flattering style on any body type.  It’s comfortable and freeing, yet can be cinched in the middle for an hourglass effect.  It’s functional and simple, yet the possible iterations are endless really.  It’s a thoroughly democratic style, and there’s something just fundamentally American about that.

My modified take on a shirtwaist dress, in flowing silk satin. As seen at Latin Fashion Week Colorado. Photo by Ricardo Mejia.

Custom Designs by Brooks LTD

Looking for your own take on the classic shirtwaist dress, or another style?  I live for designing unique couture gowns and other creative, bespoke ensembles.  If your next holiday party, wedding or other special occasion calls for standing out in a one-of-a-kind dress, please think of Brooks LTD.  Visit the Contact page of my website and we can schedule a time to sit down and discuss your needs.

The post Brooks LTD Fashion 101: The Shirtwaist Dress appeared first on Brooks Ltd.