Vogue Italia: January 2014

The ethereal Julia Nobis in Chanel on the January 2014 issue of Vogue Italia.

Slow Cooker Crusty Bread Loaf

Ever thought you could make a crusty bread loaf in a slow cooker? Me either! It's actually exceedingly simple. You can either choose to make your own dough or purchase pre-made dough (even easier). Here is how I made my loaf. Oh, also excuse the photos. They are from my cellphone because this loaf did not last enough time for a photo op.

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Slow Cooker Crusty Bread Loaf

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3 C warm water 1 T rapid rise yeast* 6 C all purpose flour 1 T salt or to taste Parchment paper 6-quart slow cooker** *Or regular, it will just take longer to rise **You might need to vary loaf size for a smaller cooker so there is room to rise and expand

In a very large bowl, add warm water and stir in yeast. Water should be warm enough to activate the yeast but not hot enough to kill it... read the yeast packet if you have doubts. Thoroughly mix in flour and salt. This will take a lot of muscle so you might want to use a stand mixer. Cover dough and let rise until doubled in size (a couple hours). Form a one pound loaf of bread on parchment paper and place into your slow cooker. Cook on high for 1 to 2 1/2 hours (depending on your cooker).  You can also check the internal temperature and remove when it is between 190-200°F. Mine took around two hours. You can check after the first hour to see if the bottom of the loaf is burning. I had no issues here. Pop into a pre-heated broiler for 2-5 minutes for a gorgeous browned top. Consume!

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Why don't you try...

• Buying pre-made dough and just popping it into the cooker on some parchment paper
• Adding herbs and cheese such as rosemary and cheddar to the dough
• Making dinner rolls instead of a loaf

This bread was awesome! I can't wait to try it with other types of dough. The one provided was just a basic loaf so go wild. Also, if you didn't know, you can make quick loafs in a slow cooker too like pumpkin and banana bread. You can bake them right in a loaf pan! 

Happy setting and forgetting!

September!

It's true. As I get older, time flies faster and I often struggle to differentiate months from days from weeks from years and seasons. It's a total mindf**k and because I've just been in California a full year as of this month, the season changes still seem less drastic so it makes it all the harder to tell time is slipping away. Thank god for social media (or maybe it's the curse that is sucking my time away). Instagram has totally helped me repiece my last month. Amazing. Have a look at my September and maybe go revisit yours...

Find my Etsy here!

Rococo Era (1700-1755): The Watteau Back

Costume history is a topic we might not often think about when browsing our daily fashion blog feeds; but, if you have happened to take a class or two on the subject you are probably referencing costume time periods every other blog, runway collection, and editorial spread. One style I particularly love for its vintage and modern interpretations of the form is the Watteau back or sack-back that was so often found in French upper crust society in the mid eighteenth century.

The Rococo era (1700-1755) was one that is often referenced, though maybe not as heavily as the Georgian which is easily characterized by the costumes Marie Antoinette wore while wed to Louis XVI of France. This era marked a change in traditional idea of authority. Science became popular and England became a leader in economic development. The Dutch lead agricultural development of the time and the lives of the common folk began to improve. As a result the population began to rise sharply around 1750 although smallpox was one of the times biggest killers. As quality of life improved, class distinction emerged and clothing became less restricting and then later became more restricted to enforce class distinction.

England and France hated each other during this period and the exchange of clothing styles and fabric between the two countries was frowned upon because of this. Crazy, I know! The French were considerably less conservative than their English counterpart which was reflected in their style. This brings us to the two popular dress styles of the time period:

• robe a l'anglaise - tightly fitted all around the waist
• robe a la française - falls freely in pleats in the back (Watteau back or sack-back) and falls from the shoulders from pleats in the front

I'm just going to focus on the women's costume robe a la française for this Rococo installation because this time period is huge and trends moved slower without the facilitation of things like the internet! This dress style, although characteristically French, was also worn outside of France.




Characteristics of the robe a la française:

• Watteau back/sack-back/back pleat
• Robing or no robings
• Corsets rounded out the bust
• Might have a fan hoop
• Stomacher or corset cover present
• Pointed bodice, although not as much as during the Elizabethan era
• Sleeves sat above or just below the elbow and were part of the robe
• Chemise might show (under sleeve) or the sleeve was tight with flounces 

Time period distinctions:

• Robings were popular in the middle of the 18th century
• Gowns had a waist (made to fit tighter as a class distinction) but were still free in the back
• Robes were closed at the start of the century but mid century could be found opened

Additional costume notes:

• The back neckline center piece fit into the bodice
• English styles of the back bodice could have a center seam
• Petticoats could match the gown and could be elaborate, quilted, or pleated. They could just be a front or go all the way around to the back
• The robe a la française originated from the robe volante (evolved from the mantua) which was even less fitted and was worn in formal settings

Clothing shapes influenced the architecture of the 18th century. Hoop skirts were so wide that French doors were now necessary for ladies to enter rooms... Either that or turn sideways! There were a myriad of hoop types and shapes during this period including: 

• oblong (square) - official shape of court
• cans - cheaper
• fan - popular at the middle of the period
• bell - literally a circle bell shape
• pocket hoop - smaller than a bell

It's actually really difficult to find robe a la française from the actual Rococo era since it transcended into the Georgian period. Below are some images of dresses from the 1760s or unknown mid-century dates.







And here is a modern interpretation of a sack-back by COS via LOVE AESTHETICS.




Notes:

• All image credits are listed in the image captions in my Costume History album. Check it out for more robe a la française examples with caption notes and links to sources!
• Check out this 1700s dress Pintrest for some more great costuming pictures

I hope you guys enjoyed this post! If I find the stamina, there will be more costume history posts to come. History is so relevant to our current fashion and costume history really tells a lot about what was going on during a period economically, socially, etc. 

Let me know what you'd love to see next and follow me on Facebook!

Draping at Christian Dior

I'm currently taking a draping class at a LA fashion school over the weekend. While I have taken flat pattern before, the open canvas that a dress form is is somehow more daunting than measurements, some math, and a blank sheet of paper. Having trained for years to think analytically in both school and work my creative side has yearned to stretch it's muscles. Draping lends itself to so much visual creativity... if you have an idea, you can just throw it up on the form. Of course there are the hiccups of making a garment that is 'structurally sound' etc, so more often than not I find myself trying to run back to the preciseness and dependability of plain old numbers. Funny, isn't it?

When I ran across this disgustingly skilled and jaw dropping video I nearly died. It's a true showcase of the possibilities of draping.

Anna Dello Russo & Giovanna Battaglia: The One That Got Away

ANNA DELLO RUSSO & GIOVANNA BATTAGLIA THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY from Moda Operandi on Vimeo.

Trending: Aloha! Island & Hawaiian Prints

Have you been watching Milan Fashion Week? If you have, you've probably been seeing the ever growing island/Hawaiian print trend explode! It seemed like every third show so far has featured some spin on traditional Malaysian/Singaporean batik and Hawaiian prints. I'm in love with the whimsical, fun nature of these prints.

Splashes of bright colors and playful forms truly popped between the starker, more monochromatic, texture focused runway shows such as Gabriele Colangelo and Jil Sander (no surprise here). Dolce and Gabbana took on a more east Asian route (think cherry blossoms and Chinese scroll) for prints and florals. Marni featured graphic florals, but the colors were more muted and it felt like they may have been inspired by mid-20th century wallpaper prints perhaps found at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Nonetheless, island prints made a resounding rally. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the week plays out.

SS 14 shows: Aquilano Rimondi, Etro, Fausto Puglisi, MSGM
Photos from Style.com

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