tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post5792811257753029354..comments2024-03-14T16:03:32.434-04:00Comments on Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing: News Flash: Models Are Thin (A Night at Thakoon)Gertiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04314542159287533507noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-67859542164011401492013-05-03T14:26:44.215-04:002013-05-03T14:26:44.215-04:00You made me laugh.
It was kind of like a Bosch pa...You made me laugh.<br /><br />It was kind of like a Bosch painting, except everyone was doing hair and pinning clothes rather than killing each other.Patriciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07967372439743853589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-80856437823688871142010-02-23T07:12:19.931-05:002010-02-23T07:12:19.931-05:00hi! this is a little delayed but i just saw this p...hi! this is a little delayed but i just saw this post over at the sartorialist[http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/2010/02/on-streetlondon-shine-london.html] and it reminded me of you and your red coat going to a fashion show! not sure where this lady is going, but she looks lovely all the same, like i'm sure you did!Imogenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13154034241588322738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-85140394915317647792010-02-22T16:49:53.489-05:002010-02-22T16:49:53.489-05:00If we're dressing Mrs. Obama, I think she'...If we're dressing Mrs. Obama, I think she'd look sharp in that LBD with ivory trim that you posted as well. She usually wears more color, but the style is very sleek and chic. <br /><br />I love the structure on the jacket in the first photo you posted, too. I love architectural clothes like that.<br /><br />As for the models, I don't get it from either an aesthetic or fit point of view, and I've stopped trying. But I have learned that women who are truly that thin naturally don't tend to look sickly, whereas the ones starving themselves to look that way, do. There are probably plenty of women who are that thin that are perfectly healthy, but not all women that thin are healthy and it shows on a lot of models.<br /><br />IMHO, those Colette models are some of the hottest women I've seen lately. They have stunning figures - both of them. They somehow manage to look thin, proportional and voluptuous all at the same time. Color me green.<br /><br />ZuleikaDAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-6538559743651916902010-02-21T16:12:42.122-05:002010-02-21T16:12:42.122-05:00I don't know if it's been said yet, but th...I don't know if it's been said yet, but the way you describe your experience sound like an Ugly Betty moment. Haha, she'd probably have your same outfit, too. =]Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-22171990840303328002010-02-18T09:42:15.651-05:002010-02-18T09:42:15.651-05:00Gertie have you seen Christian Dior? You fit in th...Gertie have you seen Christian Dior? You fit in there! Loves it! check some out http://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/fashion-articles/best-paris-fashion-week-spring2010-1009<br /><br />-Backseat BettyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-61217454304486619192010-02-16T20:35:56.823-05:002010-02-16T20:35:56.823-05:00EDIT: I meant to say: you have to have some seriou...EDIT: I meant to say: you have to have some serious talent to make clothes that look good on real bodies. A small difference from what I wrote above, but a meaningful one... :)I am Arizona; a person, not a place.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18162117959024394009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-10948459941164725462010-02-16T20:27:38.134-05:002010-02-16T20:27:38.134-05:00I have always been on the thin side, as well, and ...I have always been on the thin side, as well, and when I was younger people would say things like I needed to eat more or they would ask if I was anorexic. It bugged the hell out of me. Now that I'm 40 and have had 3 kids I look "normal", I guess, since I'm now a size 4. Anyway, I totally agree with you about the size of models. I sincerely doubt most of them are naturally thin. I watched part of Models of the Runway last week and thought one woman was so obviously bulimic that I had to turn off the tv. (The damaged enamel on her teeth was a dead giveaway). And she was the only woman. The rest of the models seemed to be teenagers who have yet to develop womanly bodies. I think they may find themselves struggling to maintain their teenage-looking bodies when they become adult women.<br /><br />That said, I think the thinness of models is one reason why runway fashion very often doesn't make it into real life. You can make almost anything look good on a hanger (read: rail thin model), but you have to have some serious talent to make clothes look good on real bodies.I am Arizona; a person, not a place.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18162117959024394009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-6595828657104329172010-02-16T17:36:22.290-05:002010-02-16T17:36:22.290-05:00Oh, one more thing: in case anyone is interested, ...Oh, one more thing: in case anyone is interested, I wrote about being inmate-thin and what it feels like here: http://nosignposts.blogspot.com/2010/02/short-history-of-body.htmlThe Waveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07187385249740092025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-75277930623362669562010-02-16T16:32:13.529-05:002010-02-16T16:32:13.529-05:00I couldn't have expressed my feelings any bett...I couldn't have expressed my feelings any better than Hillary. I am so used to having my skinny ass compared to survivors of concentration camps, starved inmates and whatever else, that at this point it shouldn't hurt. The sad truth for me is that when it comes to body image, catwalk models are the ones that resemble my body the most. For me, these stick-people are the only ones I can identify with. There are times when it feels reassuring to know that I am not all alone. Having said that, I do wish the fashion industry was able to display all types of bodies for us to look at, and I truly understand why extreme bodies cause uproar. Generally speaking, I do wish there was more consideration to the way models and their weight is discussed. They are people with their insecurities just like everyone else.The Waveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07187385249740092025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-77695081990343770222010-02-16T10:03:23.743-05:002010-02-16T10:03:23.743-05:00Skinny models ... well, they do say the camera add...Skinny models ... well, they do say the camera adds 10 pounds, and they had a lot of cameras trained on them ... lol. And the gray may just reflect recession depression on the part of the designers. Although if they had any sense, they'd be banishing recession depression with a rockin' red coat like Gertie's!! <br /><br />Add me to those who like your style and how you create items that flatter you. That's the name of the game, no matter what your size. (I'm a bit of a pear, I think! Bust just a tad smaller than hips, nice defined waist. Not bad for a broad in her 50s :grin:)Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18066758660094361427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-80752559348836683412010-02-16T09:26:00.379-05:002010-02-16T09:26:00.379-05:00Seeing how scary thin those models are makes me wa...Seeing how scary thin those models are makes me want to rush out and eat everything in my kitchen! Those poor girls. It's so sad that this is what they aspire toCisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06235120233640110968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-53290458223810838082010-02-16T07:11:36.803-05:002010-02-16T07:11:36.803-05:00I find Hillary and motyogo's comments really i...I find Hillary and motyogo's comments really interesting because as someone who has always strived to be thinner with only episodic success, my instinctive reaction is to think how lucky you are. What you view as a bane, others will perceive as desirable - hence those remarks which you find insensitive and upsetting are probably more often than not from people under the impression they are complimenting you. That said, I've never understood the need for people to comment to others on how thin/ tall/ whatever they are. Just because you think it doesn't mean you have to say it out loud... Unfortunately some people don't seem to have a filter.<br /><br />Still, there's a very big difference between natural thinness and what we see on the catwalks. Crystal Renn says how she had to be anorexic (eating only vegetables and exercising 8+ hours a day) in order to keep her weight down early in her career. It is this unnatural, malnourished thinness - the process it involves and the industry that dictates it - that I feel able to pass judgement on, not the shape of the women per se.Nathaliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11570545194570856281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-78087825453322054322010-02-16T06:28:34.473-05:002010-02-16T06:28:34.473-05:00I like gray, but not a whole wardrobe of it. Winte...I like gray, but not a whole wardrobe of it. Winter's long enough! Good thing we have choices--to each her own. And on the body shape issue, there's only so much we can control. The rest we can wrap in beautiful fabrics, colors and patterns, and smile like those models in Australia.Old Jail Artisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08898427482093913076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-58453184611951295882010-02-16T03:57:47.794-05:002010-02-16T03:57:47.794-05:00Yikes. Real hard-core fashion people always make m...Yikes. Real hard-core fashion people always make me realise that I'm not that into fashion. It's another world, where evidently they don't like food.Jodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08730353815529442072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-86835391371875653042010-02-16T03:49:12.566-05:002010-02-16T03:49:12.566-05:00Gertie, I'm definitely agree with you that the...Gertie, I'm definitely agree with you that the facial expression du jour of fashion models - morose/angry - hardly makes one want to buy the clothes they wear! You may want to fly on over to Melbourne Australia in March, the theme of our fashion week is "get happy!" All of the models have been told to smile, laugh and look like they are having fun in the clothes - not marching to their death! I think it'll make for a wonderful change.Miss Emmihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07251628463640473391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-57554070215778508982010-02-16T03:24:04.278-05:002010-02-16T03:24:04.278-05:00I just want to say I am actually in love with thos...I just want to say I am actually in love with those fluffy hot pants. I am thinking a fluffy bra-top to match and I got myself one sweet bathing suit for summer....Tuppencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05337304499881911095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-85315601522588775202010-02-16T01:44:24.865-05:002010-02-16T01:44:24.865-05:00I went to a fashion show once and the supermodel A...I went to a fashion show once and the supermodel Alyssa Sutherland was in it. Seeing her in the flesh was kinda cool actually. I don't have a lot of body hangups, but something did click in my brain, when I saw her, it was, "oh! so she's just.... <i>like that</i>." Wanting to look that way is one thing (and I don't know if I'd really want to actually), but actually trying?!?!?! If you're not MADE six-feet-tall and bone-lean, ain't nothing you can do about it. Completely, ridiculously futile to even attempt, and such a PITA.EmilyKatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02202548680341378684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-37644442950744326602010-02-15T21:25:47.745-05:002010-02-15T21:25:47.745-05:00I love Poe!
Interesting take on the show - sorry i...I love Poe!<br />Interesting take on the show - sorry it wasn't quite what you imagined.Kathihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11152942097072530468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-88700219954960306832010-02-15T21:11:17.903-05:002010-02-15T21:11:17.903-05:00As much as I agree with everything Gertie said, I ...As much as I agree with everything Gertie said, I was moved to comment by how much I related to things some other commenters said, like motyogo- not that I felt targeted by this post, but how there's this constant struggle with culture-conscious shame when you're skinny, and a desire to not be defined by the deliberate, deprivation-induced skinny. Where you feel defensive about how you naturally can't help but look, feel like you have to be apologetic about it, and internalize a lot of the perfectly appropriate backlash against it. Which makes us squirmy, sad, and feeds our own issues regardless-- at least that's how I took what she wrote. The feeling behind it broke my heart because it's at the center of my own feelings of alienation from my own body- the lack of ownership- from it being other than of my own design, but completely perceived as such regardless.<br /><br />As cry-me-a-river as it may sound, unworked-for skinniness can be an awkward position too, and has its own body-image issues. I should maybe mention that while I'm perceived as skinny, a lot of that comes from height (an overall stretch-Gumby-at-head-&-feet look) and there are no ribs in sight here. But I still get a lot of unwanted comments about my weight (admittedly both positive and negative, but the positive ones are often the creepier). You always have this defensiveness, even guilt about it (if you have your eyes at all open to the pressures out there), if it's not something you worked for or achieved through any kind of effort, will, or desire. People have all kinds of body types, we all have our own hang ups and ultimately have to find ways to make peace with them, and it feels so poor-little-rich-girl to talk about how hard it is to be skinny, but it perpetually puts you visually on the wrong side of the argument, if you know what I mean. Sure, around modelly-thin people I look healthy and well-rounded in comparison, but being usually the skinniest person in the room, strangers can assume things about you (shallowness, unhealthy self-deprivation, buying-in to the worst messages of pop culture, etc) that aren't a lot of fun. Visually, overall my shape evokes things to people- being a "minority shape" as Karyn said- that are beyond my control and have no connection to who I am or how I want to present myself. <br /><br />Which is of course the quintessential complaint central to anyone's body image woes. And so I always completely relate and simultaneously feel alienated in discussions of body image issues- particularly with larger women. Size remains this oddly socially-permissible (apparently) thing people feel they have every right to comment freely on to your face- whether you are big or small- under a justification of having your "health" in mind. Thanks, but I am not in need of having another cheesburger stuffed down my throat- I eat like a ravenous bear every day, but thanks for thinking I am broken and in need of fixing.<br /><br />I had a really eye-opening time in my mid-20s- thanks to a medication side-effect I gained about 60 pounds, which I thoroughly enjoyed in a way only a former bean pole can truly, rapturously enjoy them. I eventually went off the meds and lost all the weight so quickly it freaked the hell out of my doctors. It was truly jarring though, how much unwanted-attention I got in the extreme-weightloss period. People falling all over themselves to congratulate me on going back to the shapeless, stick-insect (but natural!) form I had been so excited to get away from--- & so quickly that it would have been an extremely unhealthy crash diet, had it not been a pharmaceutical side-effect with no other change in diet or exercise. Seriously, skin-crawlingly awkward getting praise for something you didn't do, didn't want, and knew from the fluttering doctors was potentially downright dangerous.<br /><br />Sorry for the book. Gertie's blog is always so nice for being able to let off some of that body-image related angst!Hillaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01324854929065302634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-51666288471926567492010-02-15T20:57:54.046-05:002010-02-15T20:57:54.046-05:00i just discovered your blog yesterday and love it,...i just discovered your blog yesterday and love it, despite my lack of both a sewing machine and thread skills. i think i love it as much for the insightful comments as for the well-crafted posts, so thank you for that. your "vintage authenticity" post was extremely interesting and led me to actually suck it up and not just wet-set my hair in sponge rollers last night, but actually wear the results in public today -- not something ordinarily seen in my tiny mountain town. did i get called shirley temple? yes. was it totally okay by me? of course!<br /><br />when i read this post i was reminded of one i put together about a year and a half ago, when i was editing a women's action-sports web site. thought i would share my perspective in case anyone was interested: <a href="http://www.crumpledpages.com/2008/05/clothes-horses-yes-clothes-hangers-no.html" rel="nofollow">clothes hangers</a>.<br /><br />might be a no-no for a stranger to comment with a link, but i'm hoping to become much more familiar with this crew in the near future...Kimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-58612110661764267682010-02-15T20:33:45.082-05:002010-02-15T20:33:45.082-05:00Thanks for your perspective on fashion week. Your...Thanks for your perspective on fashion week. Your experiences at Thakoon seem to mirror other accounts of NYFW that I've read (as well as the times: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/02/14/unassigned/AP-US-FEA-Fashion-Week-Day-4.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=fashion%20feminine&st=cse)<br />I live in NYC too, and as someone interested in style, I felt like I wasn't missing anything but not trying to hang out around fashion week. The fashion industries goes in waves. I believe that the uber-feminine looks dominated a few years ago and that trickled down into the what I call "ruffle madness" at the mass retailers (not that I don't dig a ruffle here an there). I guess it's cycling to drab and androgynous again. What I don't understand is why it seems so undiverse. Why can't some designers do grey and severe, some do a weird Western/Hell's Angel mashup, some do retro plus modern styling, etc.? It sees a shame that they are so set on manufacturing certain trends, but that can be boring. I get that the NYC fashion industry is under a lot of stress right now, but I'd like to seem more risk taking (and not in the feathered hot pants direction).<br />On the other hand, while I like the retro girly fashions a lot, I am also excited about the "dress sweatpants" (perhaps I am in the minority). Bring it on.Radhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01946279879863336523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-57596861514229478502010-02-15T19:34:26.924-05:002010-02-15T19:34:26.924-05:00I wonder if the great fashion powers that be, are ...I wonder if the great fashion powers that be, are expecting us to want a sober color palate? An outward acknowledgment of the current state of economic concern. <br /><br />I left an email for you, an idea that I'm working on.Melyndahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06607872462144075853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-59424225433364018672010-02-15T18:19:08.530-05:002010-02-15T18:19:08.530-05:00Thank you for such a frank and fresh review of wha...Thank you for such a frank and fresh review of what it's really like to go to a NYFW show! I used to really want to attend one of these, but realize now that not only would I be horribly out of place (and therefore, probably awkwardly dying for it to be over! haha!), but be rather shocked at what it's <i>really</i> like outside the glossed-over pages of the magazines and images we see on blogs. <br /><br />Personally, I'm with you: I prefer pretty dresses and <b>color</b>! For crying out loud: most humans do look best sporting a hue other than the many variations of gray and black. I know "They" say that the colors are an indication of the times, but golly... why depress everyone? lol. You go for wearing your own fashion with panache (even if it didn't ever come out from under your coat! ;) lol)--after all, wasn't fashion about standing out from the crowd, last time I checked? ;)Caseyhttp://elegantmusings.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-34778641360769085302010-02-15T16:29:07.876-05:002010-02-15T16:29:07.876-05:00"As I said, I felt they looked about 20 pound..."As I said, I felt they looked about 20 pounds thinner in real life than they do in these photos."<br /><br />Eeeek! I thought the photos looked frighteningly gaunt. (And I myself am a naturally thin person.) Knowing that the models looked thinner than these photos is really scary.<br /><br />--C.B. (who knows little about the fashion world, but is learning to sew because nothing fits her.)Catholic Bibliophagisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10697706672495544901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-66371429537483927042010-02-15T16:07:34.463-05:002010-02-15T16:07:34.463-05:00I too have had the same expereince, but in Sydney ...I too have had the same expereince, but in Sydney fashion week. Some of my friends are tall and quite thin naturally but the models in real life just looked well...odd.<br /><br />I love you wore red against the backdrop of grey, how inspiring!!!Minnietheminkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11107466485091649724noreply@blogger.com