Sleeves

Insights and Commentary - Beverli Barnes

Insights and commentary from people involved in style and fashion in Vancouver

You are…
Beverli Barnes - Clothing Designer

The road travelled…
I've worked my butt off since 1983, starting out as a patternmaker and then specializing in custom design for men & women.

The more things change…
Fashion has become generic and unflattering to women. Quality of construction, for the most part has gone out the window as more and more designers and manufacturers seek cheap labour overseas.

The more they stay the same…
It is still hard for local designers to get recognition for their talent.

On style...
Style is personal. People should not allow themselves to be dictated to by what "designers" are showing on the runway. Not everyone looks good in low rise pants! STOP IT!!!!!

Favorite memory/experience…
I met Halston at Studio 54 in 1979. He was and remains my favourite designer of all time. I had the guts to walk up to him. He kissed my cheek and wished me luck in my career. I didn't wash my face for a week! Truly.

Your style…
Loose, cotton or linen and comfy is the way I like to go. Too bad I can't always show up to a fitting like that but have been known to go grocery shopping looking less like a designer and more like a bag lady ;(

Big fan of…
I'm a huge fan of vintage clothing and recycling. I've been recycling since 1985. I prefer the original music though (not the recycled crap you hear on the radio now).

Insights and Commentary (this is a blog afterall!)…
People need to get off their damn cell phones and crackberries when they drive! It makes me crazier than I already am. What is so important anyway? What ever happened to good old fashioned conversation...face to face?

The Dress

A Man About Town

Workshop Visit - The Cobbler

The last visit with my cobbler was different. No, it was not the considered replies to my questions on shoe care and repair, nor the discussions on the cobblers' craft, as those take place each visit, but the opportunity to take a look at the workshop in the back of the store.

A Tour:

The shop had equipment - brushes, sanders, glue tables, presses, heaters, sand blasters, stitch machines and countless others - for all manner of shoe repairs.

Whether bonded or stitched in construction, shoes in all kinds of conditions find their way into the shop. Below is an extreme example of a pair of shoes in disrepair where new life - a new insole, mid-sole and outer sole - can still be breathed into them.

Lasts are used during major repairs, such as the one required above, to support the shape of the shoe.

With the use of quality materials, old shoes might come out looking better than when they were new. Here a leather sole bearing the quality mark of the German Traditional Tanners' Association.

Other Tidbits:

* The shop sees 50 pairs of shoes on an average day, 100 pairs on peak days. A conveyor system similar to that at a dry cleaner is being considered.
* Staff regularly attend conventions, enter contests and partake in a weekly shoe school held at the store. Their passion for their craft shows in the numerous awards and certifications displayed on the store's walls.
* The number of cobblers has been in decline over the past decades, but those that remain are increasingly sought after for their craft.

My thanks goes out to Ron and his staff at the Quick Cobbler for sharing their love of shoes.

What is in a Name?

Well, a lot if it is our own. It is the one thing we truly own or have to our name if you will. We might not be a famous designer or a brand desired the world over, but our name elicits opinions and emotions nonetheless. Use it wisely and sparingly. Associate it with great style and irreproachable substance and it will hold great value.


Monogramed shirt

Red Accents - Part 2

Red Accents - Part 1

Buttons - Unsung Hero

The lowly button: neglected and taken for granted until it goes missing. It deserves more. Not only is it functional, but it is decorative too. There is at least one store that gives it its due respect and deals exclusively in it. Buttons in all kinds of shapes, sizes and materials; 9,000 styles to be exact.

Me, I like my buttons round, with four holes please, made of a natural material, and attached by hand.


Black suit buttons: Perfect company to hand-sewn buttonholes.

A Simple Question

Photo: M. de Vries

It was nice to be asked, "Can I take your picture?" - a question I have asked many times myself. Through that simple question I have met many wonderful people, including the photographer credited with the above picture.

Contrast Sole

Lifestyle

Love the driving helmet and goggles. And the belt too.

Necklace

The Details

Right Attitude

It is nice seeing young men adopt classic modes of dress. He enjoys dressing this way, and would do so more often if he had more suits.

When One Is Not Enough

Favorite item? Weakness? Most versatile piece? It could be anything - bags, shoes, t-shirts, watches, ties - and often one is not enough. What started as one turns into a wardrobe of many. Oh, we try to content ourselves with our stable, only to find ourselves resisting temptation, and reasoning that an addition would be most useful.

A hat maybe? The writing is on the wall:

Animated in Seattle - Part 2

Anime characters are many, and the level of dress of Sakura-Con 2009 attendees in Seattle was about the same. Many turned heads, and the level of detail, time and handwork put into this ensemble - let alone the fit and silhouette - makes it a standout.

Animated in Seattle

I was in downtown Seattle over the weekend and noticed people taking liberties with their dress. All I could think to myself was, "Wow - love the creativity." I learned later that they were there for an annual anime convention, with many of the 10,000+ attendees in full costume. Seeing that many people dressed in the anime mode brought an air of legitimacy - versus being costume - to it. For many, no detail was left unturned in bringing their chosen character to life. That same passion and interest applied to everyday dress would bear great style.

Always a Great Day

On-Street Civility

Serious Sneakers

Explorer

Go Green

Spring is in the air and I have the urge to go green in a big way. Owe it up to winter greys and browns to make me want a change of pace. Green is fairly neutral, and adds subtle color to any look - so long as it is not overdone. Now, where did I put my green shirt...

Green cashmere sweater

Green woven silk tie

Olive linen pants

Green cotton socks

Denim Revolution

Black Dress

Encore

Readers will recognize him from last week's post.

Two-Toned

Wonderful Times

Black and White

No need for colors when black is done so well.

Mad Style

Beaded Necklace

Great mix of proportions - slim leggings, generous sleeves, wonderful volume in the coat.

More Colors...Blues and Yellows

Purple and Red

Sweater Scarf

Sneak Peek

A Good Sign

More fallout from our tough economic times: suit sales are up. Supposedly people now have a greater interest in looking their best. To those wading into the sartorial pool, I say, "What took you so long? I have been testing the waters, and the temperature is just right. Come on in!"

With champagne in hand, here is to better times - style-wise that is.

Beauty in Wear

I like age in my clothes; no, not dated clothes, but clothes with a deep patina which only loving use can impart. The leather handle of a bag tanned by the oils of its owner's hands. The hole in the back pocket used to carry a wallet on a pair of jeans. The fray on the collar of a casual shirt.

I do not see a need to dispense oneself of items at the first appearance of wear, only to buy a piece which comes distressed or with a vintage look. I prefer to do the wearing myself.

Simplicity in Sleeves

Whether it is wearing a watch, bracelet, jewellery or tattoo, there are many ways to decorate the hand. I prefer none of the above, instead opting to concern myself with my cuffs and sleeves - all in an attempt to live simply.

Details of sleeve length and diameter; button stance, whether just touching or overlapping; whether the buttons are hand-shanked with an H- or X-pattern; the number of buttons, and their material and color; functional and turnback cuffs; and pick stitching along edges are considered. And that is just the coat sleeve as there are still the shirt sleeve to specify and the coordination - color and length - of the two.

Sounds simple enough.

A Step in Time

Harmony

I absolutely love this. Everything is so well done - the scarf, leggings, the bow on the shoes, and the touch of red.

Embracing Wrinkles, Rumples and the Sort

I am here to talk up wrinkles and rumples in clothes. Not the kind on ill-fitting or poorly cared for items, but the ones which are part of a look. Think linen pants with a cotton polo and panama hat, and as my tailor would add, in the south of France.

I am of the straight and narrow, never one to cross a straight line variety, and this is reflected in my clothes - clean lines, trim fit and an air of neatness. Well, my tastes are evolving to include rumples. I am looking forward to the linens and cottons of summer. Scarves worn over shirts with their sleeves pushed up. Cream pants flapping in the breeze. Canvas bags at the market.

I can get use to that. I think I will start in the south of France.


Tan duffle: 22 oz cotton twill, paraffin treated; bridle leather, vegetable tanned; rumpled.

Linen pocket square