For a while now I've been shamefully enamoured with the look of bat-wingy sleeved tops.
I tried it on the Flying Fox (didn't turn out exactly as envisioned).
This one, sported by Heather Graham in an issue of InStyle from October 2007, is a bit closer to what I'm thinkin about.
I didn't grow myself the kind of statuesque figure sported by Ms. Graham, so there's a few things I'd probably have to fiddle with for my own version.
Incidentally: please correct me if you know the true name of this sort of top. I have a limited lexicon for clothing.
For example: neckline would not be as voluminous, and length would probably not be as... long.
Here's a good ol', gee-whiz-honest-to-goodness retro top from a 1977 pattern book.
Am I going to Retro Hell for even thinking about making this sort of sweater? I don't want to end up being a thoroughly-qualified Fug candidate.My usual tactic for this type of situation is to hunt one down in the wild (ie: head to the mall for some research), try it on, and hey-presto! You have your answer.
I'll have to admit this process usually ends in a "nay" vote.
In this case, I haven't spotted one of these sweeties in try-on-able reality just yet. And, if you've read my bloggy before, you might have noticed I'm a wonderful combination of knit-lazy and knit-impatient.
Would you delve into the coutourily-questionable zeitgeist that was/is the 1980s?
Being a child of that decade, I should truly know better than this!
But, perhaps my recent purchase of that gloryful 1986 movie Labyrinth has
I'll be having nightmares about those freaky Fierys again. I realize it's all the same actors doing the muppet voices, but it's kinda funny when one of those head-detaching Fierys opens his mouth and out comes Elmo's voice.
Did anyone else have a kid-crush on David Bowie in that movie?
What, did I go off-topic?
11 comments:
Coming out of lurkdom to comment here...I LOVE that orange sweater. I too have been hunting for nice bat sleeves, and that sweater even has a boat neck which kicks it up a bit. I say go for it!
Three words about Labyrinth: David Bowie's PANTS. They should have been in the credits, as they often upstage him. And yes, totally had a crush on him in that movie.
That orange 80s sweater is definitely back in style now. I could easily see that in any number of stores. Go for it!
You know, that orange 80's number reminds me of the Crisp Rectangle Tunic Top. Is fashion cyclicle? Go for it, that orange top would totally make the ravelry rounds if a newpattern appeared.
However,if you start sporting David Bowie hair from Labrynith, youre credibility will be in tatters. ; )
- Julie
I like that orange sweater alot too! I suspect it would be quite faltteing. just sayin....
My best friend at primary school and I used to walk around singing "Magic Dance" even though we didn't really have a clue about English at the time. Nuff said, I guess. ;)
(Sadly, I have no clue about batwings...though the orange one looks kinda nice.)
i have been lurking but i love your work. there is something lovely about vintage patterns, they're not as dull or shapeless as commercial patterns now. i say go for it! =)
De-lurking to say that I believe the first picture features what are commonly called 'dolman' sleeves (no idea why) and the second one has 'kimono' sleeves (and is very much back in fashion). Definitely go for the orange one - I love it!
(And, yes, you're not alone on the Labyrinth thing... I didn't quite understand what was going on with Jareth's trousers, but they captured my attention anyway! Seriously, for a kids movie, there is some heavy sexual subtext going on all the way through with the Jareth and Sarah relationship.)
I think if anyone can pull off this style, it's you!
I was crazy about David Bowie in Labyrinth as a kid, which then concerned me a bit when I watched it later and noticed the heavy sexual subtext... In some ways, I'd be concerned about letting my (imaginary) kids watch those leather pants.
I think it's fairly safe to say that any little girl of the 80's who watched Labyrinth was secretly in love with David Bowie.
That is STILL one of my favourite movies, and he is definitely one of my favourite singers. The awesomeness of David Bowie knows no bounds!
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