Bunny, who visits the Passage to make knowledgeable comments about design and fabrication of clothing, writes the blog "La Sewista!", which inspires me even though I haven't sewn in decades.
In a recent post, Bunny flames so-hip-it-hurts pattern makers Merchant & Mill ("this year and all others it is female Russian prison warden blah"), with equal parts humour and asperity, skewering boring patterns, pretentious marketing language and sullen models dressed in muddy darks. Several readers disagree, which Bunny takes in stride, conceding good points.
The same day, I read Calvin Tomkins' profile of the artist Simone Leigh in The New Yorker's Spring Style and Design issue (March 28, 2022), which mentioned she wore a French designer, Casey Casey, whose patterns "resemble those of French work dresses from previous centuries". Leigh calls her personal style "intentional auntie". In her portrait, she stands next to one of her acclaimed sculptures looking striking and self-possessed.
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| Photo: The New Yorker/Braylen Dion |
A few Casey Casey pieces:
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| Photos: Casey Casey |
Left: "Stephanie" dress, €985
Right: "Atom" shirt, € 695
To adopt Casey Casey is pricey project; the clothes are like The Row for Eileen Fisher devotées. Apparently the value is in the fabric and stitching; pieces are said to last a long time.
Other brands (e.g., Rundholz, Oska, Ischiko) make similar designs for about half the price; the quality is generally very good, lots of natural fibres. Shown, Oska "Donleona" blouse; price $CDN 399. (Though Leigh often wears black, I've filled the windows with lighter-coloured examples to show the details.)  |
| Photo: Oska |
In fast fashion, the Auntie attitude can be summoned for two figures:
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| Photos: H&M; Topshop on asos |
H&M 100% cotton oversized shirt, $US 35
Topshop oversized cotton poplin shirt
dress, £50 at asos.
Though the fabrics are all-cotton, expect subpar fabrication at these prices.
"Intentional Auntie" is Leigh's term, but this kind of clothing has long been called "lagenlook", German for "layered look". For at least 30 years, it has been been embraced by women who wish versatility, camouflage for what magazines call "figure flaws", and modesty.
The hipper the brand, the bigger the volume, till it reaches spinnaker proportions. Short women are wary, but Monica, one of the most stylish women I've known, wore such cuts beautifully. She was barely five feet and voluptuous; she paid attention to the scale.
Critics call those clothes "menocore", but I had a few pieces well before menopause. I felt good in them until one day I went into a boutique and tried on designs that delivered ease and tailoring— Jil Sander, Armani, Emmanuelle Khanh. Those clothes felt more part of my body, less like a drop cloth. Le Duc said, "Finally you get rid of these... Japanese things." Well, gradually; I had to wait for sales.
On second markdown, I bought a Jil Sander pantsuit that remains the gold standard of cut. Like Bunny, my heart belongs to tailoring—not rigid construction, but fit that acknowledges a three-dimensional body.
Ease and tailoring
Today, a reliable source for this niche is DKNY, which fits my retired life. Shown, DKNY peplum zip front pleather
jacket.
Checking out Donna Karan, I saw that while their signature bodysuits and minis live on, they also make a version of the big white
shirt that avoids exaggeration; notice the princess seam from shoulder to ribcage, and the tier that begins not under the bust, but just above the waist. That princess seam is duplicated in the back, creating a closer fit than straight-up Auntie.
It is on sale now, about $US 150, but in limited sizes.
Toast is a reliable source for ease with detail. I really like their cotton-linen smock
dress, price, £180, which provides some shape—the cut of the armhole does a lot of work. (Front detail shown left; notice the gathers at the bottom of the placket.) And, Bunny, it's made in
colours: Montella green, Spice orange, as well as a neutral, Putty.
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We aunties have seen long parade of clothes come and go. The high-volume pieces offered now draw upon French and other Old World historical designs, but in the 21st century, our eye has been subjected to every length and width imaginable for a garment, not always for the better. No wonder that the calm, functional luxe of Casey Casey pieces soothe and relax the wearer.
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| Photo: The Guggenheim Foundation |
Thanks to her successful career, Ms Leigh can choose the most exquisitely-made of these updated historical designs. She appears in her clothes radiating confidence. I think that's half the game.
Comments
Check out this dress: https://lorriegrahamblog.com/michele-oka-doner-artist-and-that-dress/.
Daughter is determined to learn how to use my late MIL's sewing machine (Bernina top of line circa 1981), which no one can figure out how to thread. Perhaps we shall each be wearing a version of "that dress"--she will, of course, look better being almost 6 feet tall and many years younger.
https://www.nordstrom.com/s/donna-karan-woman-long-sleeve-peplum-blouse/6500536?origin=category-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FWomen%2FClothing%2FTops&color=100
There is also a new one in XS on Poshmark right now.
Bunny: They are dresses, I cropped t hem to show the detail. Leigh's second dress does show more of the body's lines, and it is not worn with a jacket, as she has on in the first shot. I had a nearly-identical dress to the second one in the early '80s, in black cotton interlock, by a French brand—it seems to be one of those eternal designs. The swoosh of the skirt is fun and the wrapped surplice can be adjusted to show décolletage or not.
Eva: What fun it would be (and frugal) to get that esteemed Bernina up and running. My DIL is sewing on my 50 yr old Singer Featherweight. That's an appealing dress on the right woman, but having tried similar ones—and I am tall— sometimes the drape works and sometimes not, there is skill behind what looks 'so easy'. I had a tiny aunt who essentially did this, but with what was called a "dressmaker suit"— a slim skirt and a fitted jacket that ended at the waist. She made that suit in everything from heavy tweed to piqué. It drove her two daughters wild, and not one of them would wear a skirt suit ever.
I don't know if the shoes are Trippen but it's a good guess.
Abigail: Thank you so much! I emailed Nancy in case she's not following the thread. There is also one for sale on Poshmark, an XS.
I've actually always rather liked lagenlook, in theory at least. It feels as though it should create a flowing, sophisticated and slightly arty vibe. Sadly, it is not really my thing in reality - when I tried it as a younger woman it came over as an oddly penitential look on me. Now I am older, it hints not so much at 'auntie' as at Madame Arcati...
Here in the UK we have Hampstead Bazaar, of course - serving the 'arty' ladies of NW London since the 60s and famously beloved of Dame Judi. I'd love to wear their stuff but I know it would not work on me. A bit of outline and structure definitely helps!
Jane in London
Jane in London: You made my day with "oddly penitential". I bought a dress like that once, a nearly floor-length very ample navy silk column; Le Duc referred to it as "a shroud". We have our Hampstead Bazaar equivalents; Kaliyana, whom LauraH mentions, is one.