All in the Details

Add the Elegance of Bonnie Cashin to Your Garments

By Jennifer Orsini

In this first installment of a two-part series, Jennifer Orsini explores and demonstrates the signature binding of fashion legend Bonnie Cashin and also provides instructions for drafting a Cashin coat. Once you enter Cashin’s world of texture and color, you’ll be inspired to make your own stunning combinations of fabric and details. As our beloved Bonnie said, “Chic is where you find it.”

Bonnie Cashin has been a fashion influence for generations. Her early career was highlighted by designing costumes for such movies as “Anna and the King of Siam.” Researching this movie may have led her to Asian styling, the basis for the lean and simple fashions she is known for.

Cashin grew up in California and left for New York in the late 1940s. By 1953 she was a rising star, receiving a Coty Fashion Critics Award for her originality. Like Claire McCardell and Rudi Gernreich, she was one of the American fashion innovators of the time, breaking away from French fashion to create an American sense of style.

In 1968 she received another Coty award, and then in 1972, after over 20 years of design excellence, she reached the acclaimed status of Coty American Fashion Critics Hall of Fame Award winner. During this time, her designs for Sills and Company were a fusion of luscious wools and leather. The use of leather binding and seam line applications is a signature look for her Sills and Company designs. The trim, whether contrast or matching, tends to outline the structure and emphasize the linear quality of her garments. Leather binding also provides the perfect foil for the rich texture and color of her many coats and jacket

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Image courtesy of Style.com Marcio Madeira Photographer