Couture Collection

We can’t write about Paris without listing some of the great fashion designers of the 20th century. In 1910, Jeanne Lavin introduced her modern Empire Waist dress, a nod to the Greek and Regency periods. During the Roaring ‘20s she disregarded the straight flapper dress by adding a layered tulle bouffant skirt to a dropped waist bodice. She favored soft-flowing fabrics like lace, organza, tulle, chiffon, and silk charmeuse. The austere creations of Coco Chanel were possibly inspired by the orphanage nuns who taught her to sew. In 1920 she gave fashion “The Little Black Dress,” which made black a fashion basic when previously it was reserved for mourning. In 1925 she introduced the Chanel Suit with its iconic collarless jacket and fitted skirt, often lined with the same fabric as the coordinating dress or blouse. After WWII, Christain Dior’s star rose when he upended the war’s fabric-conserving fashions and introduced the ultra-feminine “New Look”—bustier bodices, padded hips, cinched waists, and petticoats. His 1953 Spring collection was filled with flowery prints. In 1955, Dior introduced his iconic “ALine” skirts and dresses, a modern interpretation of the hoopskirt or pennier. Hubert de Givenchy teamed up with his mentor Balenciaga to introduce the “Sack Dress”—a garment without a waistline. By the ‘60s, he created shorter hemlines and straighter silhouettes and joined the ‘70s craze for “hot pants.” His famously chic clientele included Audrey Hepburn (costuming Breakfast at Tiffany’s among others), Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Princess Grace of Monaco, and Wallis Simpson. To finish haute couture garments in style, no one equaled the artistry and imagination of François Lesage. “Embroidery is to haute couture what fireworks are to Bastille Day.” Top designers like Schiaparelli, Dior, Balmain, and Yves Saint Laurent, sought out Lesage to embellish their designs. His innovative materials included Murano glass, lapis lazuli, jade, pebbles, metal blades, and fish scales. One of his most famous jackets, Van Gogh’s Irises and Sunflowers, required 600 hours of work and included 250,000 sequins, 200,000 beads, and 270 yds of ribbon. In the early 1990s, the House of Lesage in Paris began teaching embroidery, and an early pupil was our Director of Vogue Fabrics Catalog Operations, Rogie Sussman.

Easy Knit Separates - Skirt

Flamingo Pink Ponte di Roma

All-way Stretch Knit

67% Viscose, 28% Nylon, 5% Spandex. 59” wide. Cold wash, dry low.

50% crosswise stretch.

30% lengthwise stretch.

$1499

Pink on Double-brushed ITY Knit 95% Polyester, 5% Spandex. 60” wide. Cold wash, dry low. 3.25” one way design - use nap layout. 80% crosswise stretch. 30% lengthwise stretch.

$799

Dark

Imported Viscose Twill 100% Viscose. 59” wide. Dry clean or cold wash, air dry.

$1199

Spark joy in your wardrobe with our next trio of textiles. Couture Flamant (that’s French for Flamingo) is our third classic ponte di Roma knit and this color is exclusive to our catalog. It has just the right amount of body and weight for making structured knit separates, like jackets and cardigans, knit slacks and skirts, princess seamed dresses and knit tops. It will make a great backdrop for Couture Exotique, a double-brushed ITY knit that’s alive with color and visual movement. Whether you go conservative with a knit top, or go bold and sew a dress as a statement piece, this soft knit fabric is a winner either way. We even matched up a navy viscose twill for you that matches the midnight navy accent in the print. We love the weight and drape of Couture Navy from the Bonnotto Group in Italy. Choose this for sewing elegant dresses, wide-legged pants, and kimono-style jackets.

Green Stretch-woven Cotton Poplin 95% Cotton, 5% Spandex. 49.5” wide. Cold wash, dry low. 10% crossgrain stretch.

$999

You’ve already seen the stone stretch poplin in the Louis Collection. We have two more here, in preppy green and pink. Couture Leaf and Couture Petal are both fun options to coordinate with Couture Meadow , a stretch peachskin floral print. Make a couple pairs of poplin shorts, skirts, or slacks that you can mix and match with your printed top. Or sew slacks from the green and a jacket from the pink. We have planted the ideas, now go sew!

Small Floral Print on Dark Navy Stretch-woven Peachskin 97% Polyester, 3% Spandex. 57” wide. Cold wash, dry low. 10% crossgrain stretch.

$599

Pink Stretch-woven Cotton Poplin 95% Cotton, 5% Spandex. 49.5” wide. Cold wash, dry low. 10% crossgrain stretch.

$999

VF232-35 Lumière Paisley Cerise and Yellow Cotton Print 100% Cotton. 58” wide. Cold wash, dry low. 12” repeat.

$899

VF232-36 Lumière Cerise

Extra Wide Vivid Pink All-way Stretch Cotton Knit

95% Cotton, 5% Spandex. 70” wide. Cold wash, dry low. 100% crosswise stretch. 20% lengthwise stretch.

$999

Lumière Collection

The next time you watch a film, you can thank the Lumière brothers— Auguste (1862-1954) and Louis (1864-1948.) Raised by parents who ran a small photographic portrait studio, the brothers’ interests in all things mechanical led them to study at the largest technical school in Lyon. When their father’s business began failing, the boys saved it by automating production. They went on to patent a number of camerarelated inventions—several of which were improvements on other inventors’ designs. One of the most critical for motion pictures was the perforations you still see on the sides of film strips that allow the projector to advance the film. They also improved on and patented the cinématographe which let them record, develop, and project motion pictures. They made their earliest films between 1895 and 1905. Film historians consider their first commercial screening in 1895 of La Sortie des ouvriers de l’usine Lumière (Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory) as the birth of the movie industry. Their earliest works captured everyday French life at 16 frames per second. They are credited with creating the first newsreel as well as the first documentary - a four-part series on the Lyon Fire Department. They hired a film crew to go throughout Europe showing completed films as well as shoot new footage. Unfortunately, the brothers—so gifted in technology—felt movies were a novelty, saying “the cinema is an invention with no real future.” They lacked the vision required to see the potential brilliant future of film. Instead, they put their efforts into developing the first color-film process. Although their name faded from the cinema scene, it has resurfaced in Paris and Lyon. The Atelier des Lumières is the first all-digital art museum and cultural space in Paris and honors the Lumières contributions. Most recently, it was the venue for the projected-moving art of Van Gogh and Gustav Klimt. In 2009 the Lumière Film Festival began in Lyon, organized by the Institut Lumière, to celebrate the films of the past through “restored prints, retrospectives and tributes.”

2.5” one way repeat, use nap layout.

$999

$899

This bright collection begins with Lumière Paisley (page 25), a dynamic printed cotton from Robert Kaufman’s fashion division. Choose this whenever a light to medium weight woven with body is called for. You can pair it with the following pink knit or the upcoming yellow linen blend, depending which direction you want to go with your color scheme. Lumière Cerise is extra-wide at 70”! Plus, it is quite a substantial cotton knit. Order enough for leggings, and you should be able to cut out a tank top or bandeau as well. The pink blends beautifully with all the prints in this collection.

Named in honor of the French springtime, Lumière Printemps is our second cotton lawn print in this catalog. Look at how lovely the pink petals fall against the sun-yellow cotton base. Stay cool and look sharp this summer in a breezy floral lawn top. You can also make a large neck scarf from the print to wear as an accent piece over a dress of Lumière Tucson. Choose this blend to sew a linen-look dress, shirt, skirt, slacks, or summer jacket. It takes embroidery supurbly.

We wowed you with the orange and green version of this fabric earlier, now we drop the mic with this encore in pink and yellow, with blue and lilac accents. Lumière Spots matches all the solid fabrics in this collection, giving you plenty of wardrobe options. Sew up a fun top from this double-brushed ITY knit to wear on a girl’s night out, or to liven up a Monday mah jong game.

In spring we sew for the warmer months ahead, while thoughts of pools, beaches, and clear skies abound. Choose Lumière Aqua as a soft and light ponte knit option for tops and the popular Lady Legs pants from FitNice Systems. This fabric is very close to the Sophia knit that Judy Kessinger speaks so highly about in many of her videos and books. You can wear a blue knit top with a skirt, sarong, or pull-on wide-legged pants stitched up from our next beauty.

$999

VF232-41 Lumière Tropics

Tropical Frond Print on a Light and Drapey Rayon Poplin

100%Rayon. 55” wide. Cold wash, air dry. 12” one way design, use nap layout.

$899

You bet you can sew a tunic and Aloha shirt as from Lumière Tropics, even a halter dress or any A-line dress...or make them all. You know you want to..... Feel the softness of the hand, look at the lovely drape, and start dreaming of what you will be wearing from this wonderful fabric all spring and summer.