Daisies
I finally got a chance to watch Daises, a 1968 Czech New Wave film directed by Věra Chytilová, that has long been on my list. This is another movie that is so visually striking that stills of it are circulating all the time. Based on those stills alone, two pretty girls in flower crowns and shift dresses, I had a very skewed idea of what I was getting into!
75 minutes of debauchery! Centering on two best friends trying to make themselves at home in a world gone bad by being just as bad themselves. We watch them get up to all kinds of trouble, out doing each other in both pleasure seeking and lack of care. Drunken antics, getting wined and dined on the tab of older men then leaving them in the lurch at the train station, and helping themselves to a lavish feast both for food and as a means of entertainment. They get their kicks from deconstructing what is expected of them in a time over run with censorship of self.
There are a lot of great 60s fashion moments, with their mini shift dresses, kitten heels and bikinis. I especially love their coordination with each other. They wouldn’t be able to pull off their stunts alone and the costumes convey this partnership.
The swimwear features at the beginning of the film when they set the tone for what they will get into— they will live in color and confirm their existence by getting into trouble! This set, setting and look gets revisited throughout as well, which kept it at the front of my mind. The side and bum ruffle really reminded of this reference photo of Audrey Hepburn I have had on my summer make list for a few years now. I’ve been wanting to create a little bloomer short that steals that ruffle on the side of the hem. I typically wouldn’t start any summer sewing quite yet, as I am a wear right away kind of maker, but it’s been on my list long enough and spring is starting to break through ever so slightly, so I went ahead with the plan!
Recently I have cleaned up and reorganized my fabric collection and decided I need to take a break from buying more until I get this thing under control— a tall bookshelf of fabric is quite enough to have on hand ;). I wanted to make the shorts in a graphic print like the those in Daisies or my reference photo, but didn’t have any gingham, plaid, or polka dot in my fabric stash… what to do? Well this doesn’t necessarily help my problem of using up what I have, but I did successfully adhere to not buying anything: I took a polka dot shirt that hasn’t had one wear in the years of having it and ripped the seams to piece a pair of shorts from what was there. I used a short pattern I had made before (Simplicity 1659) but cut away a curve of fabric, highest at the side seam and sloping down in front and back. At that curve I attached a ruffle made from gathering a strip of the same fabric. I’m excited to wear them once the weather gets nicer, get these legs of mine some sun!
This one was a quicky, and I need to get much better at documenting the process! But thank you, as always, for reading! Maybe watch Daisies and tell me how you like it, or peruse the wonders of vintage food photography, or look forward to a hedonistic summer :-)
Cute shorts, Kacy. Love that little side ruffle.