Welcome!

It’s officially Autumn and I couldn’t be happier. This is my favorite time of year for so many reasons that it is hard to compile a list. Practically, the temperature is so much more comfortable, and there’s nothing more comforting than your first chill that calls for a cozy sweater after a long, hot, muggy summer. I am also a romanticizer of life and fall is easily the most romantic season. The beautiful colors, the misty mornings and foggy nights, the way sounds echo through the forest when the leaves start to fall. To me, sitting outside wrapped in a blanket, drinking a glass of wine and just enjoying the season changing around me is as peaceful as life gets.

As someone who also plans and sews my own wardrobe, a season change also marks a flourish of new project planning as I try to establish what I need and want to make for wardrobe updates. It also gives me a chance to audit my closet and make sure everything suits me and where I am at right now. My personal style continues to change and evolve, and I also dress based on mood (Any other Seinfeld fans remember George Costanza packing for a weekend trip like a diva because he’s a ‘mood dresser’? That is so me!). This means that day to day, season to season, my personal style and what I’m feeling best in changes. Though, some core style loves usually continue to carry over.

Every fall I find myself heavily influenced by classic academic menswear looks. I don’t know what it is about a quality herringbone tweed that makes me sigh with appreciation, but it just speaks to me. That is exactly what personal style is all about though - finding what speaks to you.

I think one of the things I appreciate about these kinds of looks and pieces is that a lot of attention was paid to the quality of the fabrics used, focusing on well-made textiles that are striking on their own without the need for a lot of flashy garment details to make them interesting. They are also usually made with strong structure, which manages to give anything you pair them with a put-together quality. These pieces are also timeless, having a place in fall fashion year after year while trends come and go.

This fall I will definitely be working on some pieces with this theme, but with a twist. As a curvy girl the classic suiting silhouettes don’t always suit my figure, and if I’m not careful it can also look like I dressed up in grandpa’s closet. My goal will be to make pieces inspired by these looks, but that suit my shape and unique style so that I still look and feel like myself.

Another style concept I seem to come back to again and again when the cool weather comes in are vintage inspired looks. Most of the ones that interest me are from the 60’s and 70’s, but I find interesting silhouettes from many different time periods and love to incorporate similar ideas where I can.

This fall in particular I’m also really enjoying romantic looks that include flouncy sleeves and gathered skirts in rich tones and interesting textures like lace and velvet. Some of these can also end up with a vintage feel depending on how they are styled, but I’m picturing pairing them with more modern touches like chunky loafers, denim, or more structured pieces.

A very exciting part of project planning for this autumn is that I have been organizing my ideas with pattern possibilities and fabric samples using my own Sewing Planner Document. I designed it myself and absolutely love it! I also designed a general project planner for my readers who aren’t sewers, and both are available to you for free when you sign up to my email mailing list.

For more day-to-day updates on my projects and my sewing plans, you can also follow me on Instagram @velvetarchivessewing.

I hope your Autumn season is off to a great start, and that you are feeling inspired to plan some exciting projects of your own for the season. Until next time,

Amanda