Friday, January 09, 2009

Shopping for "Cashmere-Nostalgia" from AvonCelli




I'm pretty much opposed to luxury knitwear, especially cashmere. I cannot imagine paying six hundred dollars or more for a mid-layer garment so vulnerable to moths, pilling and shrinkage. But if I were going to make a decadent knitwear expenditure, I'd definitely order a sweater from the 02-03 Avon Celli Winter catalog. The current, flash animated Avon Celli web site, w/its handsome-man rhetoric and brand "story", is far less interesting. However, I would certainly add this sweater from the current catalog to my shopping options:


Inspired by the military themed knitting project of friend Erin, I have a costume design idea for a post-futuristic film where all the main characters would wear a chain maille type body armor woven out of 100% wool yarn (think, Archibald "Harry" Tuttle charcter in Brazil wearing wool knits rather than black nylon). In a few examples, Avon Celli sweaters, with their corded, metal-like yarn, machine knit weave and body armor drape, resemble (my mental image of) the protective layering I'd employ for my on screen characters.

In the absence of wool armor, I'd recommend purchasing a commando sweater from UK Stockist, Outdoor Knitwear.

Here is Erin's balaclava, based on a vintage World War II pattern, currently being field tested by present day me:

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I know what you mean about cashmere. My clothing has to be able to fend for itself. I can't be handwashing and batting away moths all day.

breadfan said...

have you heard of

http://www.sns-herning.com/ ?

a bit pricey but real quality knit wear.

also I just picked up the Orvis WWII Mechanics Sweater.

Lesli Larson said...

Love the idea of clothing having to fend for itself. That will definitely be part of my future spending matrix.

And I just found out about SNS by way of a Ready for the House blog post a few weeks ago. I actually saw one of SNS sweaters today at Winn Perry in Portland (on sale, as it were, for a pretty reasonable sum). Not my size and not sure they size down to women's small but I'm definitely going to investigate further.

I do hope to purchase a new St James or ArmorLux sweater in the new year.

And if you're a husky fellow, you could always purchase one of those Devold "marine" sweaters. So nice.

li'l hateful said...

That sweater model ... will the cinematography of the futuristic film be based on Leni Riefenstahl? "Triumph of the Moss Stitch"

Anonymous said...

Excellent new(?) title card for your Archival Clothing label. Did you draw that yourself?

Lesli Larson said...

Wendy--

Titles are by my friend, Ryan Blomberg, a brilliant, impish illustrator now residing in Brooklyn (by way of Eugene, Oregon):

http://ryanblomberg.wordpress.com/

Lil H...

Love the Leni connection (especially by way of that one, low angle, handsome man shot)

But I was hoping you might direct my movie. But maybe Guy Madden could help with some of the set design and stage direction (crazy scenes featuring a Dracula/Lucy type spinning wool for her suitors' three suits of armor).

Unknown said...

Inis Meain sweaters are also noteworthy.

http://www.inismeain.ie/en/knitting/index.html

li'l hateful said...

Okay ... yeah ... I see it. We'll get an old Bell and Howell and I'll start working perfecting the iris close. ("I've got a barn!" "I can make costumes!")

Aisha said...

Really a handsome collection of sweaters. I love it......