i finished the 1st custom order of the year. yey! the ever popular Louche in the grey floral with grey corduroy contrast. [suggested originally by my sister Katie.] and am now back to sewing what suits my fancy.

i’m almost finished the wolves Little Bruiser. and for the 1st time on my totes i am using a buttonhole! [i found some giant wooden buttons i had to try.] but i’m not very happy with my 1st attempt. i thought maybe i would leave it. but this morning i decided it just wasn’t good enough.

applying that decision process is something i like or i am proud of. when is something good enough? well i guess it has to be perfect. i used to say “it has to be perfect or it is crap”. and that is pretty much how i still feel. visually and structurally the best you can make something. since i started sewing as a little girl i obsessed over things like french seams and hiding the secrets of how an object is made.

this time when i thought about whether the wolf purse cut it, i remembered Rei Kawakubo, the designer for Comme des Garcons. [don’t worry i’m not comparing my work to hers.] forget about the untouchableness or ice queen reputation of someone like American Vogue’s Anna Wintour. Rei Kawakubo is like a tiny razor sharp black clad iceberg. i did one of her shows in Tokyo. and when Ms Kawakubo walked through the model holding pen, no one talked to her, nor did she talk to anyone. her face was so still. she was all angles and edges. blunt bob with bangs, knee-length pleated black skirt, black heeled ankle boots, opaque black tights, black turtleneck. cold. and perfect. you could still wear that outfit today. she resonated with precision, strength and authority. she terrified me.


i only have 1 Comme des Garcons item. and it is probably the favourite piece of my wardrobe. it’s just a long sleeved black 100% cotton t-shirt. i bought it in Tokyo and it was very expensive, but has last me a decade. i throw it in the washer and dryer and the cotton is perfect and soft. it doesn’t even shrink. and year after year i find a place for it in my wardrobe.

even though i didn’t appreciate it at the time, just being around strong designers really influenced me. to see their process and their personalities. and the tangible evidence of their effectiveness even in that one indestructible Comme des Garcons t-shirt!

so with these memories in mind… i am redoing the buttonhole!