C Sews

Jamie Lau, co-author of the new book BurdaStyle Sewing Vintage Modern, learned to sew on a sewing machine in 2007. Back then the self-described public policy wonk was working full-time for California’s judicial branch as a senior research analyst in San Francisco. (For more on the book, read my interview “Q&A with Jamie Lau….”) “I [...]

I love the public library. It’s a great source of free information for everyone. It’s also a wonderful place to check out new sewing books. Right now I’ve got five books out, four from the Berkeley Public Library and one from the San Francisco Public Library. I flip through the books to see how many [...]

I knew something was wrong last year when I saw the sale price of a floor-length black cotton skirt at H&M: five dollars. I remember asking myself: How was it possible to make and sell a long skirt – even with an elastic waist and lightweight fabric – for only five dollars? I really couldn’t [...]

I like to take photos of clothes and accessories I see on people as they’re walking, on public transportation, in a store, or wherever they may be. This will be a regular feature on C Sews so I decided to call it StyleEye. My first post in this vein was called Fashion Details. As I [...]

      If you like fashion, photography, or inspirational stories, you need to see Bill Cunningham New York, which is available on DVD. The film will make you smile. This man really, really loves his job. I saw the film at the 2010 San Francisco International Film Festival and reviewed it for DOX, the [...]

Partly inspired by Bill Cunningham’s “On the Street” photo essays, I’ve been taking photos of people wearing things that  catch my eye. But unlike Bill, who tries to be invisible as he photographs people he sees on the streets of New York City, I just go up to people and ask them if I can [...]