Notebook on cities and clothes is shot on mixture of film and tape, which was visionary at the time.  This is explored and explained within the narration.  Sometimes the medium is chosen for practical reasons, such as situations where the noise of the tape is disruptive, and sometimes for reasons of style – gloriously illuminated Tokyo appeared to lend itself to being captured electronically.  At times the moving images on the video recorder are juxtaposed with another set-up and filmed, creating a film within a film.  Something quite wild in the late 80s, but now entirely familiar to the YouTube generation.  Wim Wenders ponders if there will be an electronic craft of note in the future leading to obsolescence of the original.

The over-riding theme throughout is identity.  Yohji Yamamoto defines this as the accord between the image we have created of ourselves and ourselves, which I found a gloriously simple statement, and goes on to say that identity and fashion are contradictory, his interest being in the world, not the world of fashion.  When designing he is interested in people, how they think, do, and live, then designs the clothes in the light of these observations. There is concern that style could become a prison “a hall of mirrors you can only accept and imitate yourself.  An author is someone who has something to say, can voice it and has the presence to become the guardian of the place, not the prisoner.”  He is clearly in control.

A huge influence on both men is the photographer August Sander who photographed people of all professions and classes a century or so ago.  These beautiful, strong, characterful people clad in historic workclothes put both this film and Yamamoto’s designs into context.  He is concerned with form and texture, believing that colour is not needed.  Sander’s work was in black and white.

When speaking of cities, they are their own islands, separated with their inhabitants from the countries that surround them.  This lack of nationality is again apparent in the clothes, although there is an east/ west bias to the collections shown.

The section that touched me most was talking about finding the essence of the thing in the process of fabricating it.  Many designers (most notably Prada) design by concept and working with cloth, not drawing.  My best work is certainly led by fabric, fit, and identity of its wearer.  By working mainly in cotton, Yohji’s creates clothes that improve with age and are partly designed by time.  What could be more sustainable than that?  It is the emphasis on simplicity, personality and inhabiting the present that make this film a great touchstone in our busy, disconnected world.

You will need:
•  Ruler
•  Pins
•  Iron
•  Scissors or pinking shears
•  Sewing machine
•  Paper triangle template.  This is symmetrical and 7″ long.
•  Cotton tape, 1″ wide or more, either twill weave or india.  Do not use bias tape/ binding.
•  Various fabrics. Ensure all are the same weight/ fibre content – these are mid-weight printed cottons: poplin, shirting etc.  Be aware of one sided fabrics too.  If the print has a right and a wrong side like these, the bunting will be suitable for hanging against a wall, not across a room.

Instructions
•  Iron your fabric and cotton tape.
•  Work out how many triangles you want in each colour.  Fold/ layer your fabric accordingly so they are all cut together.
•  Lay your paper template on the folded cloth so that the centre line is with the grain of the fabric, which runs parallel to the selvedge.  Pin in place.
•  Cut the fabric using scissors, or for a decorative edge use pinking shears.
•  Unpin the pattern piece.  Mix up your pieces of cloth.
•  Starting 30 cms in from the end of the tape, pin the short end of the triangle so that it overlaps halfway onto the tape.  Pins should be inserted at 90* to the tape length (ie across the short side) so they can be machined over.  A pin in each corner should do.
•  We left a gap of 10 cms between triangles.  Measure this, then pin the next one.
•  Repeat until you have no fabric pieces left, ensuring there is a length of 30cms+ of tape at the end of the row.
•  Stitch along the length of the tape, at about 1/4″ from the edge, securing the fabric triangles to the tape
•  Fold the tape in half over the raw edge and iron in place
•  Stitch along the length of the tape again, this time as close to the edge as you can, securing the tape over the raw edges.
•  Et voiilà!  Your bunting is now ready to hang for the upcoming festivities

•  Pennants can be any shape, not just trianges.
•  You could use old posters, photos, half doilies or magazine pictures instead of cloth.  You will still need cotton tape to stitch them onto.
•  Put tassels or pompoms at each end of the tape for a decorative flourish

*Only available until noon, Sunday 6th May

A couple of weeks ago I visited their new, enlarged clothing department with Sue Dougan from BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.  We looked for potential, rather than perfection, and chatted about how to overcome the constraints of charity shop purchasing.

Listen to the interview (starts 15 minutes in) and check out the photos from our outing.

Now I avoid “the shops”.  The homogeneity of outlets and content leaves me cold.  What is there to discover when you’ve seen it all before, often in another country?  OK, so the collections change every 6 weeks, but where is the innovation? the passion in production? the glimpse into other’s lives? the escapism?  I want my leisure time to be filled with joy.

In The Thoughtful Dresser, Linda Grant talks about the origins of retail.  Department stores were one of the only places a respectable woman could go outside the home, and it served purposes way beyond the parting of cash.  We see these social functions as the focus of Mary Portas’ work as she strategises the re-birth of our town centres.  I wish her well.

A couple of months ago a supplement came with The Times: Raconteur on The future of retail.  It contained a wealth of information and advice for retaillers hoping to survive the current downturn whilst keeping abreast of technological advances.  As I flicked through, multiple alarm bells rang.  Now, I agree with the idea merging stores with online sales so items can be variously viewed in the flesh, bought online and returned to stores.  The idea that online overseas sales can offer a brand stability is good.  However, “Real world retail isn’t dead; it just needs an engaging, data-driven, interactive shot in the arm” is just nonsense.  When did the industry remove the products from the equation?  People buy things they are attracted to, that are well designed to fulfill necessary functions and that make their heart sing.  Your lack of data is not reducing sales, your lousy stock is.

And mid-rant another of these gems was delivered this morning: Raconteur on Customer Loyalty.  Again, the bells clanged.  By page 14 it is admitted that they are not talking about customer loyalty, but consumer-retention marketing. Really? You don’t think we figured that out already?

Currently, a huge amount of retailler’s resource goes into technology, data management and security.  Surely this should be re-directed into good design, quality materials, payment of living wages and provision of excellent service?  The modern consumer has a wealth of data at hand, and this is what big business is scared of.  We are able to shop around (or scan and scram) and this is terrifying for those rooted in top down marketing.  The people have access to power.  Now they need to seize it.

My hopes are for an end to unthinking consumption, increased customisation of products, and greater availabilty of objects which are worthy of emotional investment.  These cannot be bought with loyalty cards, but they can be made with love.  Educate yourself about materials and production, seek gems and allow them to bring joy into your life.

The lining was removed and replaced with new in the same colour.  The sleeves were relined with specialist sleeve lining.  This is harder wearing, to take into account activity from writing, driving, and bag carrying.  As the jacket is a sage green wool similar to that used in uniforms, the buttons were replaced with vintage buttons of the WW2 era.  I hope it has many good decades ahead.

A couple of years ago I did some sewing for Kirstie Bobbin’s wedding, then earlier this month I dropped in on one of the slipper making workshops at the gorgeous Sutton House, and met Cholé Bobbin.  It seemed that we shared much common ground in terms of approach, ethos and vision.

Here I am in conversation with The Merry Bobbins chatting about my background, work, ethos and the importance of education to create thinking consumers as our garment industries change apace.

A whole furrow of seeds have been sewn for future collaborations between us.  Make sure you get details first by subscribing to my updates, over on the right >>> or to the Bobbins Digest.

This lovely sundress was an eBay triumph.  Made of bright, Marimekko style cotton, it was handmade by a teenager several decades ago, so there are no labels to refer to, but both the cloth and the style have certainly stood the test of time.  Maybe it’s even a genuine print of theirs from a small production run – how exciting would that be?!

On its new owner the neckline gaped unattractively at the front.  To fix this I raised and shaped the shoulder, as well as nipping in the back armhole.  On examining the garment it became apparent that the neckline had been altered before, crudely cut and turned in with a row of topstitching, and a terrible mess left around the zip. I unpicked and pressed it immediately.

Once the shoulder alterations had been completed, and with the aid of packet of vintage bias tape (the cotton is much finer than with the modern ones) I neatened the edge, applying the tape flat and turning it in with a row of under-stitching to ensure it lay flat.  This was then pressed and the other side caught down by hand , ensuring that no stitching is visible on the right side of the garment.

The dress will be moving to Italy with its new owner, where it should see many more happy summers.

Listen again to my interview about dieting, clothes and incentives in the Sunday Supplement slot with Mark Rumble on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire this morning.

The interview begins at 2 hours 19 mins and includes much of the information about myths of standard sizing from my post on the subject.