One of my favorite parts of summer is being on the water. Living in Missouri, we obviously don't have beaches, but we do have a lot of lakes and rivers. Float trips are my absolute favorite, and lounging in the sun next to a beautiful lake vista isn't bad either!
Another part of my fun, as far as lounging goes, is lounging glamorously. We all love the vintage photos of ladies in the sun with their beautiful beach ensembles, and I want to bring more of that into my life. A fantastic swimsuit and comfy towel are integral parts of that!
Temple Towels sent me this towel to review and one to give away to you guys. I wanted to check them out for myself before recommending them to you, and I'm happy to say this towel passes my vintage outdoor glamour test with flying colors! It comes in a cotton drawstring bag, and the texture! These towels are some of the softest I've ever felt. They're fluffy as all get out, to the point where I may consider transitioning it to a lap blanket when winter comes.
The particular design I chose is the Ziegfeld Swirl towel, and I like how the design is almost like a mobile photo backdrop. Now some fun for you guys, a giveaway!
To find out the details of the giveaway and to enter, check out this post on Instagram.
The giveaway ends on next Monday (July 25th). Good luck everyone!
Outfit Details
swimsuit: Old Navy (several years ago)
hat: thrifted
shoes: OLL
towel: Ziegfeld Swirl, Temple Towels
This towel is compliments of Temple Towels, as well as the towel I'm offering as a giveaway for you guys. The opinions shared are my own, though! For more info you can see my policies page.
When I was a super cool early high schooler, my best friend and I would go to the mall every Saturday morning and try on clothes. Luckily, our parents did not spoil us and we often did not have money to buy all the things we tried on, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. It was fun to try on all the clothes and splurge every once in a while on some random piece.
Since then, I started wearing vintage, sewing, etc., and the mall no longer holds the same appeal for me. In fact, I rarely go, and when I do it's usually for shoes, menswear for Jacob, or boba tea. This past week Jacob and I ventured there to upgrade our cell phones, and it had a strange feeling.
I suddenly felt a pressure to buy all the things. It was a weird mix of my sewist side saying, "Eeew, this clothing feels like crap and stretches too much," and my instant gratification side saying, "But you don't have to put any work into it! Just slide the card and you can have new, fun stuff!"
Since I hadn't been to the mall in a while, it was a bit of a shock, but I did recall that being one of the reasons I stopped going to the mall so frequently. There are so many advertisements and just a general feeling of "Get more now" that I don't particularly like. It's all... too fast, too cheap to me now. When I was younger I hated how quickly clothing cycled through stores because a piece would be gone before I could save up for it. The more I learn and look at fast fashion, the less I like it. There I was walking through the mall in a 1940s skirt, a me-made blouse, and 70s/80s shoes handed down to me by a friend, feeling fly and yet... the fast fashion still called like a siren!
Strangely, it still has that tiny bit of appeal of instant reward. Now I can counter that appeal with the real facts of fashion and prevent myself from buying things impulsively. I know I don't necessarily need more things to make a good wardrobe; I need the right things. I'm making/buying things I really love, as proven by the fact that you saw this same blouse in my last post, too! Despite what the typical blogging world may show... We, too, wear garments more than once, especially ones we love!
I'm not trying to make a specific point in this post. I just observed how, even after years of "slow" and vintage fashion and education about clothing production, there's still an allure to the quick, easy, and cheap.
If you are a proponent of slower fashion, have you still felt this "siren's call" of fast fashion? Has your education about clothing production changed your shopping habits, or perhaps motivated your to start moving toward a different kind of wardrobe?
Happy 4th of July to my American readers! Today I'll be partaking in particularly American festivities such as eating meat and blowing things up. I'll be posting on IG, especially since I am now the proud owner of an iPhone! A phone that can actually take good photos!!! It's going to revolutionize my IG game.
I've been saving these photos for a properly patriotic day. I asked for this fabric for Christmas last year, and I used my tweaked button-down pattern to create this blouse. The arms are slightly tight at the armscye, so I'll have to adjust it a bit more, but it's still totally wearable.
What's really cool about this fabric is that it's part of a fabric family! It has a "fraternal twin" print that I'll be sharing soon, as well as a sister print that goes with it as well. All three of them seem to be poly-cotton blends from the 1970s, when the U.S. was celebrating its bicentennial. This print is little old-school sailing ships, and the other prints are eagles and Declaration of Independence scrolls!
I paired it with some poppin' red accessories and my favorite gray slacks. These aviators are totally beat up from me wearing them all the time, but I won't let them go. I am a bit conscious of the fact that my round face doesn't always look quite right in aviators, and I'm very picky about getting the exactly right lens shape when buying them. I haven't found a good replacement quite yet, so these janky ones will have to do until then!
I'm going to keep this post short and sweet so I can get onto the festivities! Wooooo freedom!
This is the last Maasai ensemble post, I promise! (Though I don't promise you won't see more Maasai-made stuff on the blog... I am a huge fan of their work!) The last piece in the ensemble I want to talk about is the piece that started it all: the shuka skirt!
As I talked about in my first post, my sister gave me this blanket when she came back to the U.S. for college. Although I used it mostly for sitting outside, I wanted to do something with it that would give it more of a dignified practical use. Obviously, clothing is almost always my answer to that! Why keep memories on a shelf tucked away when you can WEAR them?!
I didn't want to have to deal with lots of stripe-matching, and I needed a pattern that was as fabric-efficient as possible. I went with a 1950s pencil skirt pattern that I have made up before because it's essentially one long rectangle with shaping created by lots of darts. I also liked the faux hip pocket detail of the 2nd view.
While I am overall quite happy with how the skirt has turned out, there is one major thing I would do over again if I could: I would underline it. I started the skirt, apparently, at too late a time at night, and even though I knew I should underline it to keep the shift loose weave in place... I somehow cut it out and sewed up all the darts before I realized I skipped a step. I was afraid the loose weave would get messed up if I tried removing all the darts, so I switched to a sort of lining-underlining mashup technique. I pleated the lining material were the darts were in the fashion fabric, and I basted it onto the skirt-rectangle. I then sewed up the back seam and waistband as if the two layers were one piece of fabric. I hemmed it up and called it good.
The weave is very shifty, so the lines are, admittedly, not quite straight. However, that's something that the vast, vast majority of the world is never going to notice, so I'm going to put it out of my mind!
I also saw the hip details as an opportunity to tie in the blouse fabric as well as to make a more dramatic hourglass silhouette. The flaps are made of the black wool material I used on the blouse, and the buttons match the self-covered buttons that are found on the back of the shirt as well. The diagonal, dark flaps also add some width to the hips. While not everyone would go for that idea, it's a common 1950s skirt trick to make the waist look smaller in comparison, and I like it!
I paired the skirt with a beaded leather belt I bought in Kenya. I LOVE this belt, and it adds to the Maasai beaded layers look.
If you'd like to get this look for yourself, I found a couple shops that can help. As I mentioned in my blouse post, I've tried hard to pick ethical shops that benefit the communities these designs originate from, so you can buy with confidence knowing you aren't ripping people off.
large check skirt | blue plaid gathered skirt | large beaded belt | blue wrap skirt | narrow beaded belt | high-waisted shuka trousers
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Although the blanket or shuka was the original inspiration for my Maasai ensemble, it is the blouse that took the longest to make! This is a longer post, but considering the months that went into making this top... I want it to get the credit it deserves!
The Design Concept
As I talked about in my overview post, I didn't want to make just a plain colored blouse to go with the skirt. Those are a dime a dozen, and I was afraid that the look would come off as too Scottish because plaid is more readily attributed to Europeans than Africans. I wanted something in the blouse to seal the look as African-inspired.
While shuka are commonly identified with the Maasai while in Africa, their beaded jewelry is connected to them worldwide. Their large, collar-style necklace, stacks of bracelets, and bright colors are unique to their aesthetic. I wanted to incorporate this into the top so it would scream MAASAI when I wore it.
However, I also didn't want it to look like a costume. I happen to own one of the beaded collars I bought in Kenya, but it looks out of place in my midwestern U.S. context and borders on costumey or, at the very least, "trying way too hard" because of its large size and very long beaded strings that hang down the front. I wanted to incorporate beading in a more scaled-back way. Tying in my love of Western 1940s looks would be a plus!
I waited and waited, but no design for the top ever felt quite right... until I stumbled across this pattern, Hollywood 1165! Someone gave it to me, and I made up version three for a work shirt. It dawned on me that the circular yoke around the neckline would be a perfect shape to mimic a Maasai collar-necklace. I happened to have some drapey black wool in my stash, so I cut out a collar piece, interfaced it, and got to work on the beading!
The Beaded Collar
Now for any of you that actually do beading... I'm obviously not an experienced beader. This was my first attempt at such dense beading, and while it is by no means perfect, I'm pretty happy with it. I have had these tiny, tiny seed beads in my stash for several years. I bought them in the Omdurman bead market when I was living in Sudan, and they've been waiting in a bag ever since. While many Maasai pieces created for women involve more orange and bright yellow beads, I worked with the colors I already had and arranged them in a way that would make them pop most against the black blouse. Quite honestly, if I ever had the opportunity and resources to make such clothing again, I'd much rather collaborate with a Maasai woman to do this part. They're just so much better at it!
In authentic Maasai pieces, the bead colors have significance:
orange - preferred by women
white - milk or purity
red - blood, warriors, danger, or bravery
black - rain
green - pastures, vegetation after rainfall, peace
blue - the sky or God
I didn't directly copy any Maasai jewelry that I saw because I don't want to rip off anyone's work or pretend this was made by a Maasai artisan. I did try to stay true to their aesthetic, though, and I based it off of one of the simpler necklace motifs I found in my research. It is important to note, however, that there are meanings behind motifs and even the type of jewelry piece. Each item tells a story about the wearer.
Blouse Construction
Once the collar was done, I began construction on the rest of the blouse. I chose a view with pleats down the front to keep a streamlined silhouette while connecting the colorful parts of the outfit, the neck yoke and pencil skirt. I foolishly thought this view would be similar in sizing to the work shirt I created... and I was very wrong. While the back of the blouse fit well, the front was weirdly about 4-5" too baggy, and the yoke and pleat sections didn't fit together well. I had already cut it out of my fashion fabric, so I made it work but removing excess at the side front pieces and hand sewing many parts together to be sure they fit just right. It was a long, frustrating process, but I'm quite happy with the results!
I also chose to add a cuff to the sleeves instead of turning the hems under, and I added a string of randomly arranged seed beads around them. I didn't want to lose the cuff detail in the dark fabric, and it lines up with a Maasai aesthetic principle that "more is more!"
I lined the entire blouse in a black bemberg rayon. After all that work, I wanted the inside to look as good as the outside. It covers the seam allowances and shoulder pads and will increase its longevity when worn. It also prevents the wool from touching my sensitive skin.
The Buttons and Buttonholes
Obviously, I couldn't let all the pretty stuff of the blouse be on the front and leave the back neglected. The pattern had a fantastic button-up back detail, and I jumped on this to add some visual interest.
However, I also wanted the buttons and buttonholes to match the couture quality of the rest of the blouse. Machine-sewn button holes would look cheap compared to everything else, but bound buttonholes would add too much bulk to the back sections which were already quite thick from the facing and lining layers. I decided hand-sewn buttonholes would add a couture touch while still being thin enough to keep everything functional and comfy. I used this tutorial to learn how to do them properly.
Many, many buttonholes later... I was loving how it looked! I love the huge amounts of buttons on some vintage pieces, and it's a detail modern clothing doesn't tend to have.
As for the buttons themselves, I wanted to tie in the shuka fabric. It kept the Maasai theme going on the back and also makes the blouse and skirt look like a matching ensemble instead of mix-and-match separates that kind of "go." I used Dritz 5/8" button kits that I could get at my local sewing store. Honestly, there must be a better option. I interfaced the shuka fabric because of its loose weave, and the thickness of the layers seemed a bit much for the little buttons. Luckily, my husband was able to brute-force them together, though their dome shapes were a bit flattened in the process. You can't really tell when looking at it, so I rolled with it!
I love how it all looks together! I'll be able to wear the blouse with other bottoms, and it will always add uniqueness to any look because of all its details. Quality-wise, I'm very proud of the couture-style work and it feels fantastic to wear.
How You Can Get This Look:
Buy It
The beauty of Maasai jewelry is that it is easily layered over the clothing you already have. Any of these gorgeous pieces in combination with your favorite black blouse will make a big fashion statement! I've also included other kinds of tops that are inspired by the Maasai, in case you'd like a bit of a different look. I just included a sampling; there are many more Maasai-inspired pieces on each site I've linked to!
Below are shops that carry authentic Maasai pieces you can buy for yourself. (I'm also very careful to vet the shops I promote to ensure there is no copycat work. These shops will directly benefit the Maasai through locally-based non-profits or connections to Maasai artists themselves. Shop with confidence!)
small check top | large check top | blue crop top
black top | patterned necklace/collar | tote bag | bracelets
Make It
If you are not dissuaded by my tales of woe and tedious work I shared already and would still like to make your own version, I'd like to empower you! While I'd still recommend buying a Maasai-made jewelry item (they do a better job), you can make your own with any seed beads you find and sewing it onto a garment. Then, for a blouse, pretty much any blouse with a rounded neck will do. It will be even easier if there is a rounded yoke piece. Here are a few things available:
1950s EvaDress Pattern | Simplicity 1796 | McCall 7196
bemberg rayon lining | button cover kit
What do you think of the top? How about Maasai jewelry? How would you style it in your own looks, if you feel right doing so?
For further reading, check out:
Symbolism of Maasai Jewelry
The Secret Life of Beads
(There is a list of more generally Maasai-related articles in this post)
Have you ever had one of those outfit ideas that stays in your head for weeks, months, or even years? You mull it over in your mind and figure out every little detail until, finally... it is time. I've probably been pondering this particular idea for about two years!
In my case, it was finally time to cut the fabric that inspired me in the first place, a Maasai shuka. As I explained in my last post, my sister gave me this blanket when she came back to the U.S. from Kenya. It didn't get much use as it was, and I wanted to make into something that could be worked into my daily life more often. Obviously, my go-to is clothing!
I turned the shuka into a pencil skirt, and I made a blouse to coordinate. I didn't want to make just a plain top; I wanted it to reflect the Maasai heritage of the skirt. I was afraid that without a bit more uniqueness, the skirt would just look like another plaid skirt.
I will get more into the sewing details and specific inspiration behind the blouse and skirt in the next two posts (as well as how you can create and/or buy your own versions!), but until then, check out my overview post about Maasai culture and aesthetics, and here is the first group of ensemble photos!
Stay tuned for the next posts, and feel free to read more about the Maasai in the extra reading here!
