I have been wanting to try out the Gertie Stanwyck pencil skirt ever since the pattern came out, and this winter I was able to get a fabric that was worthy of such a stunning pattern. As soon as I saw this houndstooth wool from Rick Rack Textiles, a local fabric store, I was immediately reminded of Alexander McQueen's Autumn/Winter 2009-10 Collection, The Horn of Plenty.
Alexander McQueen always knocked the fashion world's socks off with his theatrical but always impeccable collections, and this one is one of my favourites. The show was McQueen's last Fall collection before his death, and he considered it his last collection as a young man. The creation of the designs were captured on camera by Nick Waplington (which you can see here). The premise of the show was about the waste of fashion, and he quoted well-known, large brands like Dior, Valentino, and Balenciaga. He used classic fabrics with a twist, such as houndstooth morphing into flying birds in black, white, and red. The collection showed off his incredible tailoring skills while also making a poignant point about the excess that the fashion industry is run on.
My favourite part of this collection is the mix of macabre of Alexander McQueen and elegant from Dior. I would love to make a dress with more dramatic silhouette like what debuted in this show, but I knew that if I was going to spend the money on a really nice wool that it had to be a garment that is easy to wear. I love this skirt because it has some of the unique, more dramatic features along with the classic shape of a 1950's inspired pencil skirt. I decided to use the shaped pockets so I could put buttons as a detail - the Stanwyck skirt has 2 pocket shape options as well as a pocketless pencil skirt pattern, along with 3 different waist band shapes and a circle skirt. I am thrilled with the shaped waistband and pockets, since I think that they are reminiscient of some of the more dramatic skirt shapes in Alexander McQueens collection while still being wearable and flattering with most of my tops.
I did make a few alterations to the pattern. First, I had to do quite a few fittings to get the fit just right. I find pencil skirts can be difficult to make purely because of how picky they are in fit. Every part of the skirt has to be perfect - too tight and it can be unflattering and uncomfortable, too loose and it looks like you are playing dress-up in your mothers clothing. Gertie's patterns usually have a very large difference in measurement between the waist and hips, which is fantastic for larger sizes but often needs to be altered in smaller sizes. The measurements between my waist and hips have a small difference, since it is pretty rare for smaller sizes to have a large bust and hips. If you have a similar shape to me, I would keep that in mind when buying patterns from Gertie if they are a pencil or straight skirt. Other than that, I love her patterns. Plus, it does not bother me to have to make alterations to a pattern. The second major change that I made to the pattern was in the kick pleat. I added extra width to the center back just below the zipper in a slanted shape so that I could make radiating box pleats with a placket above it. I have seen this type of detail in a few 1950's pencil skirts and dresses and I have always wanted to try it. I was very nervous about ironing the pleats in place the first time, but I am thrilled with how it turned out and I think it adds some well deserved character to the back of the skirt.
I finished this skirt this Christmas and ended up getting these photos during extreme cold warnings when the temperature was -38 degrees celsius after windchill. As you might imagine, I posed for about 5 minutes before deciding that whatever photos we already had were good enough! No matter how cold it was, I am very excited to be finished and I can't wait for the temperatures to get warm enough that I can wear it.
~Katherine
