Sacha's Favorite Things

I’m definitely a 'girly' girl, and will always choose a skirt or dress over pants. Most of my clothes I either design myself, and have made up, or buy and then remodel or decorate them to make them unique.

The following are my wardrobe passions, the clothing and accessories that I love, and the items that will make me open my wardrobe door, just for the pleasure of looking at them.

1. Embroidered velvet skirt
This item in my pride and joy because I embroidered it myself. It took me approximately 150 hours, and it was worth every second. I like to take on a large project every season, and this one is Winter 2005. 

2.  Geisha bag
I love this thing!  I keep it hanging on the back of my bedroom door because I can’t bear to let it out of my sight! I try to buy something special - a piece of jewellery, or some other piece of clothing or accessory, as a way of marking milestones in my life. I bought this from vintage style mecca, Shag, the day my (now) husband and I moved in together.

3. Japanese print frock
I have a lovely and loyal dressmaker who is very tolerant of me and my ongoing quest to design almost every piece of clothing I own. She made this dress for me in 2004, and it combines my love of 1950’s style and oriental prints and detailing.

4. The butterfly jacket
I don’t actually wear an engagement ring, but instead try to always wear something with a butterfly motif (long story!). My exceedingly patient dressmaker made this bolero-length, 1930’s style jacket for me out of some scarves that I found in a bargain bin. My collection of pieces of butterfly jewellery (costume jewellery being my addiction) is huge.

5. The floral chiffon dress
To be honest, the bias cut of this dress does absolutely nothing for my figure, but I fell in lust with the fabric the moment I saw it, because of my enduring love affair with floral chiffon. One of these fine days, I will get it remade into a skirt, which I will then bead.  But for now, I content myself with opening up my wardrobe and sighing over it.

6. The tartan pinafore
When I was a child, I had a nursery rhyme album with a little girl wearing a very similar dress to this on the cover. I begged and begged my mother for an identical one, but she always refused. So, when my 30th birthday rolled around, I decided that it was definitely time to indulge this bizarre obsession. And here it is. To me, its kind of spunkily 60’s, but I’ve been stopped on the street by punk types, asking me where I got it.

7. Cherry red patent mary-janes
If any shoe would be listed in my epitaph, it is definitely the mary-jane, which caters very nicely to my particular obsession with all things vintage, as well as being comfortable and stylish. I own several styles of plain black leather ones, a couple of velvet pairs, my much-loved patent brogued mary-janes, and these beauties, which I wore to my wedding. 

8. Matching coat and dress
I first saw this material at a bargain fabric shop, and the sales assistant asked me how I could buy something so ugly! Since I had this outfit made in 2000, it has had more outings (and compliments) than I could possibly count.  I love the late 60’s look of the matching coat and dress, and somehow, despite the sparkle, seem to be able wear this outfit both day and night.

9. Leopard coat
Glamourama! I had this coat made in 1999, and from the moment I put it on, I feel like a movie star. Worn closed, over a short, simple, dress (frock coat style), I pin red pin roses in my bouffant, pop on my cats eye sunglasses, and stride forth feeling like I own the world.

10. Chinese embroidered silk skirt
My husband bought me this gorgeous fabric for Christmas 2003, and I turned it into a skirt which I wear over a pair of wide legged ¾ length lightweight black pants, with a little black top. Once again, this caters to my love of all things oriental, but with a more contemporary twist.

11. The pinstriped pinafore
Like many buxom girls, the well-fitted, tailored lines of ‘man-style’ clothing are very flattering to me. I wear this pinafore with a red shirt and charcoal tie, and feel both business like and feminine. Horn rimmed glasses optional.