Saturday, February 02, 2008

Ranty Pants

We will take a moment from your regularly scheduled blogging to give you this special rant announcement. (Sorry Shan, I need one more vent. Then I'm quitting cold turkey. hee.)

I recently got fairly annoyed by a somewhat popular pattern company's newsletter. Now, normally I delete the newsletters without reading them because, you know, I'm sewing or something and because to be honest their writing style is irritatingly "I'm trying so hard to be fresh!"

But I read this one and was more irritated than usual at their closing paragraphs, which consisted of a variety of things you should NEVER wear because, well, they said so.

Now I have a problem with lectures in general because I'm 37 and I'm the dictator in my life thankyouverymuch. I've (thankfully) reached the age and maturity where I have developed my own personal style & flair, and I don't really need anyone else's approval. Fashion "rules" be damned.

Among the things they listed (several of which we ALL wear. Yes, you do.) was a rule that must never be broken...prints on your bottom half. Um, ok. Where have you been for the past, oh, forever??

One of my favorite things to wear are prints! Big, loud ones! Amy Butler BIG! And in homage to that great fabric designer of the Midwest (an American, by the way) I bring you peeks from her book "Midwest Modern", a fabulous collection dedicated to her fabrics, her style and incorporating your own unique sense of fashion into your life. (And not one lecture to be had in the entire book. How refreshing.)

Cute loungy pants (bottom left)...


Really, really cute loungy pants...I'd totally wear these to the grocery store! How cute would they be in a capri or cropped length?


And from yours truly...my favorite summer cropped pants. Linen/cotton blend...dark chocolate on aqua...


I've worn these everywhere and I can honestly say this is the only piece of clothing I have ever made that I get stopped for inquiries on where to get them. They're that good. I've actually handed out business cards because people ask me to make them a pair of these pants. Apparently my a$ looks fine in big-a$ prints.

I sent an email to HP (the pattern company) and said, you know, I coulda lived without the condescension. Let's just celebrate fashion and not impose one another's "rules" on each other. K? Their response? They sent me the "Mom Jeans" youtube video. Apparently if you don't agree with them, you're obviously a fashion disaster (and a moron to boot if they honestly think someone would continue shopping with them after that.)

So, in the words of the incomparable Coco Chanel...“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”

And by that, I'm pretty sure she meant "Work those loud pants, girlfriend!"

11 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:11 AM

    Hmmmm, being rude to your customer base - do they think that we don't talk? This is the WORLD wide web after all. Bad stuff like this can become viral in the right setting. Not smart, not smart at all.

    Perhaps you should respond with a youtube video of your own, like one of those customer service how to videos.

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  2. You know it Jill! And you're not the first to suggest a youtube vid response!

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  3. Angie, my love, let it go. You're too strong of a woman to be this upset over one snarky little newsletter. You ARE the master of your own style and you KNOW what works for you - so who cares what anyone else thinks - at least that's the way I look at it. I figure even if I am a fashion disaster, at least I'm a disaster of my own making, instead of just being a slave to the latest and greatest. So, take a deep breath and move on (although sometimes it is fun to get worked up into a great big snit, isn't it?).

    Besides, if you want to be upset over something, join me in bemoaning the long wait for the new season of Battlestar Gallactica - I needs me a fresh infusion of Lee Adama!!

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  4. What? So now you're NOT going to rush out and buy every last one of their patterns?? I'm shocked! ;-)

    You GO girl!! I'm there with you and wearing my lime green martinis & olives print, elastic waisted capris.

    (And BTW, they offer an elastic waisted pants pattern even though that newsletter forbids them too.)

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  5. Debbie, next time I'm in your neck o'the woods we're wearing our RantyPants out for margeritas :D

    Shannon...the BSG wait is killing me! I've taken to reading the shipper forums at SciFi just to glean some new NEWS. New promos look awesome though, don't they?!!

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  6. Anonymous8:07 PM

    My jaw dropped when I read your rant, er, soliloquy. Their boorish response was enough to make a this sewer boycott their stupid pattern company, notwithstanding the fact that I have, to date, bought a whopping two patterns from them.

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  7. I'm making "ranty pants" tomorrow. I have the AB book, and I'm going to stand in front of the fabric wall till something *really big* hits me... then, I'm putting them up as a shop sample. Thank you for thinking of it. (and Jemima is one of my fav names... ran out of daughters, so I have a four-legged baby by that moniker)Cami

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  8. i just ordered this book! (midwest modern). and i love AB prints! on the bottom!

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  9. OMG, how rude of them!

    I totally forgot about those Amy Butler lounge pants! And I've been looking for a good pajama pants pattern... one that won't make my neighbors watch from the windows and say, "She's walking her dog in the poodle pajamas again..."

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  10. They are so bloody rude.

    I love your floral pants and all the Amy stuff too.

    Did you get your Ottobre Spring Woman Mag yet? I didn't get mine and I'm starting to panic!

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  11. give 'em heck! big jerks wish I knew who you were talkin' about. can you give some initials?

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