Burda Style For people who sew

2011 has been a great year for fans of Yohji Yamamoto (me included). After the heartbreak of watching both his New York store and New York office close over the past couple of years, then bankruptcy threatening to shut down his operations entirely, it’s been a relief to see the spotlight return to his talents as a designer and his contribution to fashion over the span of his 30+ year career. Earlier this year, Yamamoto released his autobiography entitled My Dear Bomb and now comes another peek into the life of one of the most thoughtful and fascinating designers of the last few decades with the documentary This is My Dream.

BERNINA Show US Don’t Tell Us Finalist

shopjomama had a blast making this video and hopes you enjoy it too!

BERNINA Show US Don’t Tell Us Finalist

Check out twoboo’s video entry. She definitely committed to the challenge!

BERNINA Show US Don’t Tell Us Finalist

Take a peek at UK-based elsamary’s video. It’s sure to spark your imagination!

BERNINA Show US Don’t Tell Us Finalist

xxmazenxx’s video proves she is one crafty member, and her video is an inspiration in itself!

Last week we packed our bags and headed to Austin, Texas! While taking in our fair share of technological innovations, new music and fantastic street vendor grub, we helped sponsor a DIY fashion show with some seriously talented designers from around the country. Held at Etsy’s Awesome in Austin space, the show highlighted 15 designers and their handmade creations in front of a huge audience of fashion fans, bloggers, BurdaStyle and Etsy members and tons of SXSW attendees. See photos from the show after the jump!

Video by Jose Lozano at Magic Spoon Productions

We love surprises and this one is great! At our last photo shoot, we didn’t know it, but there was a behind the scenes video being made by our photographers at WET PAINT Photography, that we just got surprised with! Check out the quick recap of the most recent BurdaStyle photoshoot and a huge thanks to Victor and Jonathan!

With Valentine’s Day coming up on Monday, we’ve been scouring the web for some ideas of what to wear on the day of the year dedicated to love. When we came across this amazing little DIY tutorial from ModCloth, our hearts just melted!

Hilary Alexander from The Telegraph (side note: does her fur hat have a tail?!) interviews Karl Lagerfeld as he gets ready to debut his Spring 2011 couture collection for Chanel. Lagerfeld admits to Alexander that he still thinks of himself as lazy and that he is often running late, not because he is being rude but because he never remembers to look at his watch. It’s interesting to see someone like Lagerfeld who is so lauded by the fashion world be so self-critical. Especially amidst the astounding praise he receives as the Creative Director for Chanel and head designer for Fendi. And lazy? This man designs upwards of 6 collections (Spring and Fall Ready-to-Wear, Pre-Fall, Resort, Spring and Fall Couture) for Chanel a year, not to mention the regular season collections for Fendi. Lazy, Mr. Lagerfeld? I doubt so, very much.

After a lovely visit to our dear friends at Etsy today, I have spent the better part of my morning poking around on in their video archives to find this gem. It’s a video feature of 91 year old needlecrafter, Mabel Pike who has been sewing since she was 6 years old. (She’s in her 9th decade of sewing and still going strong!)

At today’s British Fashion Awards in London, photographer/videographer Nick Knight showcased a short tribute video to his late friend, Alexander McQueen, in honor of the designer’s posthumous award for Outstanding Achievement in Fashion Design. Complete with an exclusive track by Bjork, the short film is beautiful, haunting, and truly moving. I think McQueen would have approved.

Check out this trailer for an upcoming documentary on Neapolitan tailoring by the creative group, Kid Dandy. I don’t know which is more beautiful: the stunning shots of Naples or the perfectly tailored suits!