Let's Talk About...My Favourite Fabrics Part 5: Birds of Paradise

So the year is 1987, best remembered for Thatcher winning her 3rd term as P.M., Rick Astley and ‘Never Going To Give You Up’ heading the charts, and the great hurricane storm that wasn’t predicted. 

Between all these events, I had my S.I.L.’s wedding to go to. Hubby, along with his brothers, had the hired suit with tails, so I needed to look the part. The wedding took place in a very grand central London catholic church, and the reception was at the Groucho Club on Dean Street, so I wanted to do my best and not look like a country bumpkin. 

I decided a hat was needed. I only owned (and have only ever owned) one hat, which was a left-over from my final’s college fashion show, 6 years earlier. So I bought it out for this occasion. It’s a bolero, giving a Spanish vibe. I also had some woven leather sandals which seemed vaguely Spanish. I now just needed something in between hat and shoes. 

I went shopping for fabric in Rackham’s department store, in Leicester, and just happened to have my mother with me. I spotted this rather exotic looking fabric, with what looks a bit like birds of paradise, and stylised flowers, and felt it would make an outfit for the wedding. My mother also liked it and bought herself a length, in a ruby red colourway, for me to make her a skirt. 

It’s a man-made viscose fabric, and easy to sew. I made myself a skirt, pleated at the waist, finishing mid calf; a wrap/shawl to drape over one shoulder; and a linen terracotta coloured vest top, and felt happy with the result. 

After all the babies, my waistline never returned to what it was, and the skirt no longer fitted me. So I cut it up, returning it to a length of fabric once again, and added it to the pile. It’s feeling as good as new, still waiting after all these years, for a new life!