Sew What?! Mexicali Folk Couture

For no significant reason whatsoever - besides the life-spice that is variety - I am always reticent to put two posts of the same category one immediately after the other.  In this instance, however, an anxiousness to share the beautiful fruits of a successful group effort has me abandoning my stance and bringing you a very special "Sew What?!" 

My mentailty in design is best diagnosed as schizophrenic; one day I'll be appliquéing an angel fish silhouette to a beach ensemble and the next day I'll be hemming a bias-cut evening gown or sewing pom-pom trim to the hem of high-waisted capri pants.  Were I ever to create a cohesive collection, I know that the inspirational through-line would be found at the intersection of ethnic and bohemian fashions - a little corner that I like to call "Folk Couture."

Transcending time and place, the richness, simplicity, and

femininity of folk couture are the true heart of my favorite looks.

Just to prove that we aren't afraid of trying something new, we decided to collaborate with our good pal, Fabian Fioto (remember that name), to see if we could elevate my humble stitchery to something a little more refined.  With no particular destination in mind, we loaded up Fabian's '55 Buick and started scouting locations for a day of photography, featuring the latest from Mr. Tiny's workshop.

With Mary as model, Fabian behind the lens, and Mr. Tiny as stylist and PA (I'm a whiz at holding a reflector), we found the perfect setting at Los Rios Historic District in the shadow of the Mission San Juan Capistrano.

I'm still in the beginning stages of learning to be flexible when it comes to a rigid adherence to my original color story; after so many vain searches for something that only exists in my mind, I am getting more limber - creatively speaking - with every project.  Failing to find the perfect buttercup yellow for the skirt, I settled on a green taffeta that I found for four dollars per yard (a definite splurge by wacky tacky standards).  For many, four dollars per yard is not a price too dear; in fact it might seem downright cheap; it has always been my feeling though that a guaranteed way to make inexpensive fabric look luxurious is simply to use lots and lots of it!  The peasant blouse is made from an ivory lace remnant that was a hand-me-down from my grandma, with ruffles finished in a tatted trim found at my favorite hole-in-the-wall, Mexican fabric store.

I once passed up a lot of vintage millinery flowers at a local swap meet and I kick
myself  to this day.  With my genuine distaste for most of what passes as silk florals
these days, those bygone, vintage flowers haunted me as the only things that I could
imagine affixing to the neckline.  I was surprised to find a bunch of passable, red
poppies at the craft store and cut down the stems to make my own little bouquet.

I don't know if the experience is unique to me, but I am genuinely excited about everything I sew...until the project is finished.  Once a garment has been completed, the momentum is gone.  It is then that I begin to pick apart all of the imperfections and acknowledge the astounding lack of technique.  This ensemble, however, is one of my favorite things that I've ever sewn for Mary; it probably has as much to do with the feeling that I've embraced my favorite design sensibility as it does with finally seeing a finished project fully realized in beautiful photographs.

Would you believe that the combined length of this skirt includes no less than 45 yards of fabric?!?!!
Counting the length of each tier, I figure that I gathered 135 feet of green taffeta!!!

Do you believe me now?

Well, what do you think?  Are you a fan of folk couture?  How do you think we handled our first attempt at a proper photo shoot?  I knew that good lighting, solid camera equipment, and a skilled technician would make a substantive difference from our usual last-minute, front-yard snapshots but I was not prepared for just how significant that difference would be.  I am so impressed with Mary's modeling (she apparently reserves her effort for professionals) and Fabian's camera work (a great director and visionary).

How very quickly it went from this...

...to this.

A huge thanks to my wacky tacky compatriots for making this lone wolf feel like a real collaborator!!!

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Sew What?! What's Black and White and WILD All Over?

There are two kinds of people in this world, Wanda Jackson fans and Janis Martin fans.  Although, perhaps it is too strong to characterize it as an issue of mutually-exclusive preferences.  Speaking in generalities, however, most folks familiar with the music of both artists fall firmly into one category or the other.

Wanda vs. Janis

Whose side are you on?

(clink on images for a link to the source)

In all honesty, I happen to enjoy the music of both performers but if I had to choose, without question, the choice would easily be Janis Martin, "The Female Elvis."   I just prefer her mellow, smooth, country-tinged voice to Ms. "Queen of Rockabilly" Jackson's well-known, raw, box-grater-in-a-blender vocal stylings.  

The disappointment I experience over never having seen Janis Martin perform while she was alive is only assuaged by the fact that musicians, like Mary, are carrying on her musical tradition.  In keeping with the style and tone of Janis Martin, I made Mary a dress that is, to coin a new phrase, a little bit country and a little bit rock 'n roll. 

To call this the "latest" from Mr. Tiny's workshop would be an out-and-out lie.
This dress has been in the back of Mary's closet for nearly a year waiting to
make its debut.  Luckily, the opportunity arose last weekend in the form
of Wild Records' Young & Wild Weekender.

Very much channeling the young Janis Martin

Don't you think?

More often than not, I stay away from a black and white color scheme.  For one thing, it becomes a trite and hackneyed story amongst a sub-culture dominated by an obsession with the pre-color-television world.  For another, I just prefer sewing in interesting and vivid colors and, in general, Mary prefers wearing them.  Though when we found this fabric, we new it had major possibilities.

Made from a screen-printed, brushstroke, border print cotton that I picked up
for only $0.99 per yard, Mary said the dress was a hit!  I turned the black border
 to the top of the skirt and the bottom of the bodice so that the brushstrokes
radiated from the waistline.

Wearing black, baby doll pumps and black & white bangles,
Mary added the black, cowhide belt for western flair.

The Fujiyama Mama & Mary
Wait a cotton-pickin' minute...

Okay, okay, so as usual, I may have overstated my case just a tad.  Maybe it isn't such a black & white issue; there might be room in this world for folks who truly are fans of both of these legendary performers...even though legend has it that Wanda and Janis were pretty bitter rivals.

Putting rivalries aside, this dress is a kind of hybrid of the sweet, rockabilly darling (demure, tea-length full skirt) and the raging, rock 'n roll wild child (stark color story and brushstrokes printed with apparent abandon).  It bridges the gap between the "Female Elvis" and the female Elvis took out on the town.  

The very same guitar with which Mary is pictured above (one on
 which she played a couple of Janis Martin covers) is signed by
none other than Wanda Jackson.

Well, what do you say?  Between Wanda and Janis do you have a favorite?  Is there another female, roots rock 'n roller that strikes your fancy?  Do you create such elaborate and/or polarizing interpretations of the clothes you make and/or wear?

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny