Capitalist Pig Update

Turns out the universe doesn’t want me to have a Capitalist Pig dress.

The first company I ordered the pig fabric from sent me an email on Monday saying they actually didn’t have any in stock.  If I still wanted it, I would have to wait until late March.  Fanciful ideas like conservative humor-themed dresses can’t be put off for a month.  You have to start them soon after coming up with them, or they will seems stale by the time you finally get around to it.

I canceled my order and went on eBay.  I found a seller who had several yards listed in stock, and ordered what I needed.  Well, I got an email tonight that said they didn’t have the fabric in continuous yards, so I could either cancel my order, take the multiple pieces (in increments of 55″, 32″ and 25″) or wait until late march when he would be getting another bolt.

Driven by impatience, I took the multiple pieces.  Now I’m crossing my fingers that my pattern pieces actually fit on the fabric I’m getting.  If not, I’ll be forced to abandon the dress and make a Capitalist Pig blouse and matching accessories, which really doesn’t have the same appeal as the dress concept.

 

All the Oscar Coverage Worth Writing

I didn’t see any of the nominees for nearly anything, except for Enchanted, which got three original song nominations but still lost to some dumb song from Once (which I also saw, and I assure you that the title aptly captures how many times the movie is worth watching). I wanted to see No Country for Old Men, but I think I’ll be waiting for the DVD. I briefly considered watching Juno, but lost my taste for it when feminist blogs the world o’er started sighing over how wonderful the lead character was. Blegh.

I don’t have a lot to say about the awards themselves (my favorite movies never get nominated. Seriously, did no one appreciate 27 Dresses like I did?). But I would like to point out my picks for Best- and Worst-Dressed Women . Take a moment if you will, to drink in Helen Mirren’s beautiful dress. The color, the artful way the fabric is draped across the bodice, those perfect sleeves - I guess when you’re 63, you’ve had a lot of time to work on picking great dresses.

Compare her class and style, if you will, to the winner for best original screenplay, former middle-class-Catholic-schoolgirl-turned-stripper-and-blogger Diablo Cody:

Are those leopard print feathers? Edged with sparkles? What is it about this dress that makes it so easy to believe that she wrote a blog called “Pussy Ranch”?

 

Even Amazons Get Sick of Politics

And when we do, we turn to dresses. No, not stupid modern fashion, with its endless parade of vapid ectomorphs strutting down runways in clothing that can only be described as hideously ugly or disastrously unwearable, distilled for the masses into such horrors as leggings and baby-doll dresses. I mean beautifully crafted, endlessly elegant, vintage dresses.

And so I present my latest obsession, A Dress A Day. Not only does the author have a great eye for beautiful vintage patterns and dresses, she also has a wonderful writing style. I’ve been reading through her archives, and am struck by the urge to pull out my sewing machine, finally make that duct-tape dress form I’ve been promising myself, and whip up some fabulous 1950’s-inspired dresses. Which I will then wear to class with cameo jewelry, impractical heels and an insouciant air.

Of course, this would mean finding space in my dorm room for a dress form and cleaning off my desk so that I can fit a sewing machine, but these are small prices to pay for a chance to combat the “I own 7 C of C sweatshirts, one for each day of the week that I can’t be bothered to wear real clothes” mentality.