not your grandmother's

afghan

Christopher Kane  goes for it.
I think it's brilliant!  

see every glorious stitch known to grandmother here

What I am intrigued with- the idea of the printed leather. Why don't you use something on this order for chair seats? Update stodgy chairs with a little riff on embossed leather. No it's not for the faint of heart, but nothing original ever is.

I believe Billy Baldwin said :

"...you've got to take risks.

A person with a real flair is a gambler at heart."

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why don't you?

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 Colette and Nicky

at the UK Redeeming Features book launch

this is one of the things I must do. No-not get busy working out, well- Yes that too- but I am thinking about that DRESS.
Colette van den Thillart, Creative Director of Nicky Haslam Designs  is wearing Shutter Stripe fabric ! She says" I had it specially printed in this ‘Grisailles Grey’ so that’s a bit of a cheat – but it did turn heads!"

She looks fantastic- I have always loved the fabric and now Colette says "we have started producing this in 12 colourways as part of the Random Harvest Collection by Nicky Haslam for NH Design."

Colette with fellow Canadian Katharina Flohr, creative director of Faberge

This fabric was one of John Fowler's favourites. I wrote about the Prince and heir apparent NH- here -'the Shutter Stripe is nothing but one of the most clever fabrics I have ever seen-Well does that make Colette's dress one of the most clever then?
Yes.
She remarked when quizzed about the reaction: "Funny enough not that many people ‘clocked it’ at the UK party, but when I wore it in NY..Stephen Drucker, Mitchell Owens and a host of other Fowlerites spotted it right away."

a Fowler room dressed in Colette's dress

I have stowed back a dozen fabrics or more over the years to have something done up to wear.
A Scalamandre silk lampas will be a dress coat , a Kelly Wearstler embroidery- a weskit, a perfect shade of grey glazed chintz- a tailored suit, a Glant sparkling black polymide is awaiting the perfect evening skirt- and so goes the list. At some point I had a fine wiz at the machine but after smocking too many curtains, making too much looped cord trim for pillows and chevron quilting cornices- She suddenly took a very early retirement- I wonder why? I should have been feeding her threads and fabric to get these things made.

Now I have to make a start-
& I should maybe add Shutter Stripe in a tailored jacket with tiny covered buttons?
do you stash fabrics away to frock?

why don't you?

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why did you?

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why do bad things happen to good papers?

why Cole & Son?

the big D 

discontinued 72/13049 CS tropical lily

& perfect for this project in a shared bath with crisp octagonal tiles with  gray insets of flower shapes.

so it is back to the drawing board, I hate that place.

dearest client,
if you are reading this post before our meeting tomorrow- I am so  :(    .
-pgt

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why don't you? ii & a Birthday

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 from yesterday's post- why don't you?, I received this comment- from the ever tuned in, turned on the HOUSE OF BEAUTY & CULTURE-

"all that is missing is Truman Capote circa 1977."

image from here by Arnold Newman 

TRUMAN sprawling 1977

Yes, Truman did have a thing for Victoriana- the furniture that is- 

So what about a Truman Victoriana Redux?

well-not to disturb any literary spirits-

& in that spirit-

Prints, Pattern-that Truman would approve of-all from QUADRILLE.

He decorated with damasks, Japanese obi textiles, quilts, florals, batiks- So yeah, He went for it all 

Here- Truman -as a younger Victorian.

photograph by Slim Aarons

So-why don't you?

photograph available from Wessel+O'Connor Fine Art

so tell me what you think?

why don't you?

& DO wish TRU a Happy Birthday- born September 30th 1924.  

Now playing for HOBAC- did you hear this in '77?

why don't you?

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 seriously-

Revive granma's Victorian settee, or gentleman's chair- & cover it in a bold monumentally scaled floral chintz, here in Quadrille's Henriot Floral.

see how designer Tom Scheerer did it-

image from QUADRILLE

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dreckitude

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ALT zhushing Bee Schaffer's heavenly Nina Ricci

 why don't You?

add the word dreckitude to your vocabulary.
trust me-you will find yourself saying it whether you are desirous or not-dreckitude abounds.

No, this is not Jay-Z

The irreverent irrepressible ANDRE LEON TALLEY is holding court on America's Next Top Model-Consort to Tyra Banks? -For the moment it would seem.


I can not help but think ALT's mentor- Diana Vreeland- would be-
Loving it. Would she have?
I can not think of anyone that could read the tea leaves of fashion like the great DV- great swami of fashion. Her Why don't you? crops up on  someone's blog at least every few days and I love it. I suggested MORE DV in the year 2010. Read my post Here.  Andre Leon Talley may be the next best thing. DV would certainly have been ready for her close up-ALT is.

Larger than life- indeed Charming, part sage- part snark, ALT is off to new heights with his 5 minutes of air time each week on Next Top Model. I- for one- am watching just to get a dose of  Vreeland's  why don't you- (who knows what you might do?)

I did get to meet him about 10 years ago in Raleigh at a luncheon. He is a North Carolina native-Durham that is-and maintains ties here-mostly lending his celebrity to local charities. Most admirable.
NOW

why don't you?

read ALT's book here, another ALT 365 here, DV here, DV here

top photo- ALT top center attending to Bee Schaffer's NINA RICCI here
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Why Don't You-Name a Room?

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of course all "why don't you's" lead to Diana Vreeland's famous lines. She coined the phrase and it continues to rule the thoughts of many bloggers, whether they know it or not.

so many are Always finding an amaZing innovation to post!
A How to demonstration to do.
I don't.
Not yet anyway-But,
I am going to try some Why Don't You? posts this year. I hope they will be of use-whether practical or frivolous or both.

The Red Room 1904

Why don't you Name a room?
OR
Why don't you Wallpaper a room?
OR Why don't you Paper a room & Name it?

I, for one, am pining for A Papered Room this year.

the blue room

the green room

the yellow room

the red room

the fuschia room?
(my personal favourite)

the purple & black room?
stunning.

all damask papers by Cole & Son
all photographs of Rooms at the White House here

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Why Don't You? Ivan Teresestchenko

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What sort of ongoing feature would the Reader like to see here on Little Augury? I am always thinking about that- and always finding beautiful, provocative images as I read other blogs-

Why don't we see these incredible images in a fashion periodical?

This by Ivan Terestchenko on his January 2 post here. Read about the photograph & see the accompanying  photographs.

Ivan does a blog- an amazing one -posting his photographs and sketches daily. I am overwhelmed by his talents and spirit of camaraderie. Can you afford to miss a single post?

Why don't You, start the new year by adding the best blog subscription to your daily read turning in blog world ?
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