Man in Black



Smooth Criminal

New York City is generally considered one of the fashion capitals of the world, along with Paris, Milan, London, and Hong Kong.  I regret to report, however, that a city teeming with intellectuals, architecture, music, ethnic diversity, artists, and veritable fashionistas is stuck in a color rut. Why, why, why are New Yorkers so hung up on wearing black every day regardless of the occasion or the weather? Why, with the exceptions of the Village and Chelsea, does the city seem devoid of clothing in color?

Yes, black is sleek and elegant.

My other car

Mysterious, enigmatic.

Schuster's Nightmare

Prestigious and authoritative.

U.S. Supreme Court Justices, 2011

 But it can be addictive!

Robert Palmer and Addicted to Love Girls

Or just plain sad.

Six Feet Under

I suspect we are all sticking with black because we think it goes with everything, hides stains, flatters our bodies, and hey, everyone else is wearing black.  I do worry though that black is sucking the color out of our closets.  Technically speaking, black isn't a color--it doesn't reflect light at all.  In fact, it absorbs light. Does it stand to reason that if everyone in the city wore less black, then we'd be collectively reflecting more light, and thereby improving the mood, the atmosphere, even our personal interactions?  What if, by wearing more color, we incited the next Age of Enlightenment? (Plus--pretty colors!)

Oh well, as I rage against the proverbial machine, I fire up the sewing machine, and out comes a black shirt for my darling Michael. 

Fabrication:

A beautiful, lightweight, loosely-woven linen with the characteristic slubs that give the fabric such wonderful texture.  With the exception of the color (or non-color), this is exactly the fabric I wanted for a summer shirt.  I still have dreams of the olive green linen I originally searched for.  I found the black linen at H & M Fabrics on W. 39th Street just east of 8th Avenue--steps from the bus station.  The cuffs, collar, and front facing are stabilized with a fusible woven interfacing. 

The buttons are just plain old shirt buttons. I really wanted to snazz it up with little matte finished metal buttons. But "snazzy" got vetoed.

Pattern/Construction:

Negroni by Colette Patterns

Having never sewn a man's shirt before, I was completely reliant on the Colette pattern and its instructions.  The pattern's illustrations and instructions were fantastic.  Before reading through, I was intimidated by the challenge of making a nice crisp collar, patch pockets, and pocket flaps.  The sleeve plackets scared me the most! 

Since I wasn't free-styling the way I normally do, I had no trouble with these clear and well-illustrated instructions. Notice the back yoke--it comes out so neatly lined when constructed exactly as the pattern suggests--without any hand-stitching at all.

You can learn much more about sewing men's shirts on Peter's blog, Male Pattern Boldness. He recently led a Men's Shirt Sewalong, and he includes a wealth of valuable information on the topic.  Even if you're not into shirts, check out Peter's blog for an entertaining look at fashion, sewing, and his Chelsea Flea Market acquisitions.

DJ Mary's Pick:

"Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair" always makes me think of Michael.  In this video, you'll see that Nina Simone was apparently born to sing it.  So in honor of the Diva Nina, black-haired Michael, and black itself, color or not...