MATERIAL ME: FASHION AFTER 60: 07/31/20

At the beginning of the stay-at-home period this year I subscribed to the Criterion Channel because of their excellent collection of foreign films. I immediately bookmarked several Japanese movies as well as French and Italian favorites. One was the 1975 version of Cousin Cousine with actors Marie-Christine Barrault and Victor Lanoux. In seeing the movie again in 2020, I was struck by the way people fell in and out of bed so casually - the elderly, young adults and teens alike. It was after all, pre-AIDS days.

But more than the bed scenes, I took the greatest pleasure in watching Barrault and Lanoux savor and demolish a tray full of glorious pastries. It immediately brought to mind the assortment at our local "b. patisserie" on California Street. No guilty pleasures in this scene, just pure indulgence. The other thing that lingered in my mind was Barrault's wardrobing. From the beginning wedding reception scene where she wore a dreamy blue print dress that captured her distant cousin's gaze, Barrault's selections of creamy silk blouses, bias-cut skirts and soft sweaters throughout the film emphasized the curves of her womanly body. She didn't wear a pair of jeans or trousers in a single scene, yet she looked perfectly comfortable in her sexy clothes. I was amazed that her wardrobe in the movie didn't look dated at all.

I developed wardrobe envy after watching Cousin Cousine and decided to recreate the blue wedding reception dress. Surprisingly, BurdaStyle Silk Dress #106 05/19 came close to that iconic dress. I wanted the dress right away, but sewing is all about delayed gratification. I downloaded the pattern from BurdaStyle, taped the pieces together, then cut out the pattern and added back in the seam allowances. I made some alterations in the bust line and sewed a muslin to check the fit. Afterwards, I cut out the fabric, marked the notches and circles, serged the edges and finally got to sewing. This pattern had a lot of details such as self-covered buttons, 13 buttonholes, hand-sewing and lace trim. I also added pockets. Due to mail delays brought on by COVID between ordering fabric and notions and preparing and sewing the dress, it took about 2 months to finish.

For the dress, I used a Liberty of London cotton lawn purchased from Fabric.com. The print is gorgeous and the fabric feels light as air. I call this my Cousin Cousine Dress because it brings back nostalgic memories of that romantic movie.