Fashion Snoop Shopping in Memphis and learning about Elvis’ fashion was a special treat that my hubby is used to when we travel. This last weekend found us in Memphis at the classic and traditional Peabody Hotel for our 45th Wedding Anniversary.
Of course, when you’re in Memphis, you learn more about Elvis – and I now know the story of how he walked into Lansky’s Clothiers, and Bernard Lansky was the retailer who helped a young Elvis Presley establish his signature clothing style of pegged trousers, two-tone shoes and other flashy fashions in the 1950s. Another tidbit I learned: that Elvis loved pink…and thus Lansky’s even today adds a pink button to most shirts. I have copied a summary from THIS ARTICLE, but I encourage you to go read it for full enjoyment, as it is just interesting for any of us interested in fashion.
“One of Lansky’s favourite Elvis stories was how they met. Presley was a teenager working as an usher at a nearby theatre and liked to window shop at Lanskys. “He said, ‘When I get rich, I’m going to buy you out’,” Lansky recalled. “I said, ‘Don’t buy me out. Just buy from me.’ And he never forgot me.” When Presley’s fame spread, the Lansky brothers often opened the store at night so he could avoid the crowds, and they also took outfits to Graceland for him. Lansky dressed him for the Louisiana Hayride and his first TV spots on the Tommy Dorsey and Ed Sullivan shows.
Eventually, Lansky became a favourite of the Elvis faithful who flocked to Memphis for annual gatherings in the singer’s honour. Lansky Bros kept drawing the fans even after moving in 1981 from Beale Street to the Peabody Hotel a few blocks away. Fans were not his only visitors: entertainers like BB King, Carl Perkins (from here in Jackson where I live now), Johnny Cash, ZZ Top, Kiss, and Hootie And The Blowfish also called in.”
Sew…just a knot is all that this scarf amounts to ..
Using 6 strands cut of Ruffle Fabric, and tied together in the middle! Each ‘piece’ is just a row of regular knit next to a row of ruffles – so 6 of these pieces. $38 is the price tag!
Contrast is always an attention-getter.
The Vest above is entirely a cotton lace. On the front is an overlay of denim with strategic frayed ‘holes’ for additional texture and ‘connecitng’ white colouration. I especially liked the white heavy thread in the stitching of the denim onto the lace as it seemed to again ‘connect’ the colors of the 2 contrasting fabrics. Pricetag: $85.
SURPRISE, or the UN-EXPECTED was a common thread at Lansky’s
The sport jackets at Lansky’s were AMAZING! The black one above not only had red welts on the pockets, but t amazing contrast buttons and special inside pockets.
Linings in the jackets were all wild and fun. Used as the pocket lining as well, all one has to do is stick their hand in and pull up on the lining to create a fun pocket hanky!
If my hubby ever still wore a suit jacket
and I was wanting to make him one, this would be on my TO DO list: a combination of taupe wool worsted with light denim. Photo #1 below.
However, fashion lover that I am, I don’t really think I’d want my hubby to dress with the ‘flair’ shown in Photo #2 below!
And in the 3rd photo below, check out this extra piece of paisley on the inside of this suit jacket. Perhaps they only had limited yardage of the paisley available?
And I learned that Elvis loved PINK!
The lowermost button on most all of the shirts at Lansky’s was PINK! Of course…I snapped a picture to share.
LADIES Clothing at Lansky’s
was equally fun to check out. Joseph Ribkoff is one of my favorite designers, and this periwinkle knit dolman sleeve top caught my eye. At first I thought it was a high front, low back, but no – the front was a total double layer, attached only at the shoulder, neckline, and sleeve. Isn’t it beautiful how the fullness cut into the hemline falls in vertical, slenderizing cones? The back WAS longer as well, but the double layer of this fairly lightweight jersey would serve to ‘conceal’ front ‘bumps’ too if you know what I mean.
We all know that 1 3/4 to 2 yards of knit fabric offers plenty of yardage for a top and since we LOVE to sew, the ‘labor’ doesn’t count. Even at $30/yard for lovely fabric like you can find at Marcytilton.com, you can have a WONDERFUL TOP! Knits? I truly believe all the how-to’s are waiting for you in my 3 disc DVD: Stretching Your Knit Sewing Know-How – which I’ve just put on SPECIAL pricing again, with your choice of several of my variation patterns PDF. Find that offer HERE.
DETAIL DETAIL DETAIL
Back to the men’s department, this shirt caught my eye. Remember when all those decorative stitches on your sewing machine were the important thing instead of hooped machine embroidery? The little girls I teach LOVE them, and I let them USE those stitches to embellish. Perhaps it’s time we big girls do the same. Check out this shirt!
And also on a man’s shirt, soft braid waving in and out of a tuck caught my eye…
were 2 new clothing lines to me that I found at Lansky’s. The above words are links to their websites. At Kayceline.com you can purchase, or for us sewers – peruse and be inspired. Aratta looks to be for wholesale only, but I’ll put a few pictures I lifted from their website below along with what caught my eye. I think my wardrobe needs one of these fun ‘Dusters’!
At the sale rack, these double layer sheer tops from Kay Celine
were floaty, feminine wonders. Longer back, shorter fronts, and 2 layers each roll-hem edged at the centers and hemlines. Cut full, and control fullness with an inverted tuck at the shoulder.
After Lansky’s, we went to the pyramid big Bass Pro Shop, and I took several snoop shopping pictures there as well, so tune in tomorrow for that rundown.
Speaking of Sheers – I have been working on a poly charmeuse and matching sheer in my Studio which need FINISHING! And, I feel in the need to ‘control my world’…so off to the Studio I go. Be sure to subscribe to my Blog so you don’t miss a single post!
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