What are your style inspirations this year? We are coming out of a long hibernation where some of us spent more time living imaginary lives versus going into the outside world. That was certainly the case with me, and so my Capsule Collection for this year is strongly inspired by Once Upon a Time, which is a television series imagining what happens to well-loved fairy-tale characters such as Snow White if they are transplanted into the real world! I have just watched the first season but this theme for me captured some of the struggles of trying to find meaning in a different world after the last two years we have lived through. I have always adored the character of Snow White because of her love of animals, whom she always surrounded herself with, so she became my inspiration for my capsule collection and overcoming my fears in venturing out to work in person after two long years of very strict shelter-in-place rules in my area.
I chose a really bright red to sew my boiled wool skirt using McCalls 197 because the apple that has tempted me out of hiding is “resuming” normal life and sharing with others but our new world is a bit fraught with uncertainty and for me and some close friends, due to health limitations, even sometimes danger.
I also picked up some thick black wool that is designer deadstock and is as dark as night to match the cloak the Evil Stepmother is wearing, and am in the middle of sewing a Hollyburn skirt out of that. Inspired by Snow White’s love of birds and song, I found a beautiful bird-themed fabric and sewed myself a Hollyburn skirt. I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t have survived without the warm kindness and love of my pets the past few years!
Finally, I am planning to knit some puffed-sleeve sweaters to go with my new skirts. I have a blue yarn already picked out for the first, round-necked top and will possibly knit the second, high-necked top with puffed sleeves in some Black cotton blend yarn. The great aspect of creating a visual map of my outfits for this year is that I can pop in different sweaters, skirts or dresses I have already made and figure out how they will go with my new clothing items so I can get the most use out of what I have and limit new purchases. For anyone who wants to try this, check out canva.com, which I am using to create my clothing plans.
Do you have any style inspirations this year, real or inspired by fiction? Please share!