Pre-Oscars Tribute: And The Oscars Sew To...

Due to busy networks, I was not able to transmit this yesterday. 

You can look red-carpet worthy from Burda, Butterick, McCall's, New Look, and Vogue patterns! Let's honor the ladies of motion pictures and film from past and present.

One of this year's host of the Oscar Award, "Anne Hathaway", wears an award-winning look from Burda Style, this month's issue.  Her credits include The Princess Diaries, The Devil Wears Prada, and 2010's "Love and Other Drugs". 

You don't have to wear Prada, if you can look SEW chic in McCall's!

McCall's 6243 is SEW hip and trendy!

Anne at the MTV awards in 2008.  Her dress looks wearable today.

Anne at this year Golden Globes.

Natalie Portman can wear red Vogue 1208 with panache.

Wearing a red Rodarte in 2009.

In a $50 H & M Dress at a Hollywood party

Black Swan's Natalie Portman, nominated for Best Actress is swimming in happiness.   Her entertainment career started with dance lessons at 4 years of age and theatrical roles.  This is her first Oscar nomination. Her credits include 1994's "Leon", Star Wars Episodes 1 (1999), 2 (2002) and 3(2005) as Queen Amidala, 2003's "Cold Mountain", and 2008's "The Other Bolelyn Girl".  

..


Oscar nominee for  1994's "What's Love Got to Do With It", Angela Bassett can deliver pure panache in a Butterick 5323.

I adore this 60's upswept hairdo on her also! I hope to see her more on the big screen. 

I can easily imagine "Blue Valentine's" Michelle Williams wearing a McCall's 6170 asymmetrical jacket.

She reminds me of Mia Farrow here.

I prefer her with longer hair as in her "Dawson Creek" days.

Selina star and seductive American Idol judge "Jennifer Lopez" in Vogue 8710. 

Displaying classic glamour at this year's Golden Globes.

Displaying eye-dolizing pizzazz at this year's Grammy's:

Dream Girl  Jennifer Hudson would look gorgeous in a shirtdress by McCall's 5547. I adored in her "American Idol" and even more so now.  I think she sings so more beautifully than the ones in the current mainstream of popular mainstream.

Jennifer in this year's Grammy Awards.

Hilary Swank would loo like a Milliondollar Babe and not one of the boys in a Kwik Sew 3474.

At this years Screen Actors' Guild (SAG) in Versace

Fashion-model turned actress Cicely Tyson still looking fabulous in a Butterick dress.  I recall my mom adoring her back in the 1970's. Her credits include the soap opera The Guiding Light (1966), "A Man Called Adam" (also from 1966, with Sammy Davis, Jr), The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974), and a 1994-1995 TV series called "Sweet Justice" in which she played a feisty lawyer. In 1972, she was nominated for her performance in "Sounder".

Ms. Tyson is looking still looking fashion-model fabulous at 77.

Former supermarket employee, a Grease 2 star, and a three-time Oscar nominated Michelle Pfeiffer can charm more than those fabulous baker boys wearing a wrap dress from Butterick.

Here's "The Tourist" in red, Mrs Angelina Pitt, Vogue 8706

Angelina in Versace at this year's Golden Globe.

Jennifer Lawrence is currently nominated for "Winter's Bone" and she is a vision of spring in Vogue 1199.

Eagle Eye's and Men in Black's stunning Rosario Dawson in Vogue 8771.

Pretty Lady Julia Roberts can deliver and not just some "Mystic Pizza" in Vogue 1222 by Anne Klein

or in a Vogue 1169 by Rebecca Taylor

In a Stella McCartney suit promoting Eat, Pray, Love:

At the Golden Globes in 2010:

Here's Legally Blonde Reese Witherspoon "Walking the Line" and seams for New Look.

Reese Witherspoon in Atlanta to help celebrate Avon’s 125th Anniversary during the 2011 Avon Global Believe Tour, January.

From "Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1991",  "Kiss the Girls" in 1996,   "Crossing Over" in 2009 and "Tooth Fairy" with the Rock in 2010, Ashley Judd can just be casual in a Burda knit top from February 2010.

At a charity event in 2003.

Avatar's  and Pirates of the Caribbean's Zoe Saldana at the center making ruffles very chic!

Butterick 5320's ruffled dresses

Zoe was also named “Face of the Future” by MaxMara and she did not have to be in Avatar blue!

Sanda Bullock can definitely wear a sheath dress like McCall's 5927.

With her "winning" look in last year's Oscar's for her performance in "The Blind Side". 

McCall's 5929 seems like a lovely shirt pattern. Bangs look fine on this model.

It's a "no" from me for the bangs on Sandra, especially on the red carpet.  She looks like Chrissy Hyndes from the rock/pop group "The Pretenders".

A vanilla creme colored sheath can focus on a woman's best features.

200(Nine) was the year for Penelope, with her movie "Nine". This gown can reach to the vanilla sky.

Sporting "big" hair in 2006.

Redheads like Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore can wear a Vogue 1218 creme-colored dress. The ruffled neckline makes this dress distinctive.

Nicole Kidman, nominated for her Best Actress performance in "Rabbit Hole" attired in ruffles.

Oscar winner Halle Berry can wear something as daring as Vogue 1047 by Guy Laroche

or as demure as a dress by Bellville-Sassoon, Vogue 2880

She is more suited to attend a queen's ball, not a monster's ball when she won the Oscar in 2002.

Halle won lots of rave reviews in an Elle Saab gown this week.

Former beauty queen contestant, Halle can wear anything, even offbeat as this indescribable outfit at this year's Golden Globes and still look stunning. 

2010

Fashion flashback, a 1970's halter dress

Was this style inspired by Cher?

McCall's 6075 evening dresses.  With enough sparkling beads, jewels and other accessories, you can Mackie-ize your gown and channel your inner diva.  Viva La Diva!

Before Lady Gaga and Madonna, there was Cher.  Already what I call the "Cher Flair" was there.

Cher during a magazine photo sessions in the late 1960's and/or early 1970's??

1987 was a magical year for Cher.  She made a comeback with the hit "I Found Someone" and she won an Oscar for her performance in "Moonstruck".   She's one of the few singers who made a successful transition to the big screen.

February 2011's Burda is chanelling the glamourous Sophia Loren

Sophia won the best actress for "Two Women" in 1960.  Amy Winehouse was not quite successful with Sophia's coiffure.

This lady still looks sensational 5 decades later!

Simple Hollywood glamour inspired by starlets as Audrey Hepburn,

Grace Kelly, and Elizabeth Taylor.

 

Audrey won Best Actress for 1953's "Roman Holiday".  She was also nominated for Sabrina (1954), A Nun's Story (1959), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), and Wait Until Dark (1967).   She is definitely one of fashion's major style icons.

Grace with her award for Best Actress for "The Country Girl", 1954.  She was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress in 1953 for "Mogambo".

Liz" Taylor won Best Actress for her performances in "Butterfield 8" (1961) and "Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf" (1966). She just turned 79 on the day of the Oscars.

No matter what style you prefer: dressy,

business-like

or casual,

You are a "star" in whatever you create!

Cord on Blue and on Spots

****Wow! I was surprised by winning PatternReview.com's "Look-Alike" contest by reader votes!****
Contest description

Here is our entry:

This top was worth the 2-month wait for the young lady in our household. 

"Mom, can you please make this top, please...?"

Pattern Description:
Girls' tunic, dress, pants, and jacket from the Hannah Montana series.  Sizing: Girls' 8-16. I sewed a "8" for my 7-year-old daughter.

Instead of a plaid, I sewed Heather's tunic in a turquoise-colored baby wale corduroy.

Yes.  I thought the directions and illustrations combined were simple and straightforward.  But then any pattern from the Big 4 companies seems like a breeze after working through a typical set of directions from Burda Style magazine.

The dress went together with little problems. It is fairly simple to sew, but I would not recommend it if you want to sew something that takes only one evening such as a knit top that uses only three pattern pieces. This tunic/dress requires the front, back facing, collar, and sleeve plackets to be interfaced.

The details that I like are the...
* criss-cross placket that secures the lower edge of the front opening

* buttoned sleeve tabs

The details that I find "questionnable" are the...
* the collar finished with a back facing, which immediately can make an outfit look less RTW, especially with the back facing flopping about. A fellow PR'er who also used this pattern addressed the issue of collars not having stands in her review.

*neck opening, because if it were any smaller, my daughter would had a more challenging time to slip the tunic comfortably over her head: I can imagine her engaging in some sort of wrestling match or a tug of war with the shirt! She had just enough clearance with the size "8". If I make this again in the near future, I would use the "10".

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I did not make any major alterations. I sewed the sides together using French seams. I also took at most 1/2" from edge of the sleeve caps due to the excess ease I encountered when setting in the sleeves.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? This style seems to be a "hit" with the young ladies. All of the coordinates are practical and stylish basics, while still being age apppropriate. This style would work nicely for us grown-up ladies, too.

Conclusion:
Next to the Jalie twist top, this my daughter's new favorite!

Here's Heather's fuss-free pet, having one her favorite treats.

Heather found a little top from her "infant" days that she kept for her dolls. I sewed it from a either a Simplicity(??) pattern for infants/children.  It was one of my earlier attempts at sewing clothing for children.  I re-drafted that dress and a lining.

A front seat for tonight's Grammy Awards. 

Here's a special invitation to a Grammy Awards tribute with Barbie and the Patternmakers.