Guidelines for the Sartorial Adventures of Ms. May

I will be making a functional wardrobe, which will consist of a collection of "basics" (even though I hate that term in ways that will reveal themselves as I proceed, I'm sure). Ideally, these pieces will coordinate with one another a-la Oprah fashion special (only less hokey... Oprah, you know I love you). The main attempt here will be to execute the concept of "basics" without things being lame. We'll see how well that goes.

This project is meant to be a challenge. This means that once I announce the item to be made, I will try in all good faith to stay true to any photo examples, renderings, patterns, etc., provided as inspiration for the article. This may result in absolutely horrible clothes being created and blogged about. This should not be a shocking development to anyone familiar with the internet.

As this is a challenge, I will push myself to attempt things that will be a pain in the ass. Things like formally tailored jackets, hand-knit items, and things made out of velvet/chiffon/directional patterns/anything-that-isn't-a-medium-weight-quilting-fabric all fall into this category. When I attempt such things, I might put the item aside for a while (read: douse in lighter fluid and store next to a box of matches until I've had some cool-down time). This may result in my taking on more than one project at a time so that I don't just chalk this whole thing up to an epic failure and delete the whole blog.

I will be using a combination of purchased patterns, draping, drafting, copying, and nonsense to create this collection. I will assign a time limit to all projects and try to stick to it in an attempt to avoid this project taking me years. I have a problem with commitment and motivation, and hope that this will light a fire under my butt.

The following articles of clothing will be a part of my collection:

Pair of dress trousers (because I like that word)

Pair of casual trousers

Pencil skirt

Casual skirt

A "crisp white shirt" (because all the lists I Googled say so, and I have a feeling they're right)

Long-sleeved casual top

Short-sleeved casual top

Dressy top

Jacket

Sweater

Cardigan

Dress jacket

Coat

A "little black dress" (I know)

And that looks like a really long list. So, away we go... I will start the process in no particular order. Step one: research.

xoxo,

Ms. May