Totally Clueless

One of my favorite movies is Clueless because it combines the beloved genres of marriage plot novel with cheesy teen movie. I read Emma by Jane Austen in sixth or seventh grade. A year or so later, I watched Clueless for the first time. One day I was thinking about the movie and said to my mom, “Mom, Elton in Clueless is a lot like Mr. Elton in Emma.” “Yes,” she replied, “Clueless is based off of Emma.” I already liked the movie, but it quickly became one of my favorites after I realized the masterpiece it was imitating. 

Last year one of the courses I signed up to take was canceled several weeks before the start of the semester. I did not know what to add to my schedule instead and decided to wait and see if anyone had any recommendations. I’m glad I waited! One day while in line at Chick-Fil-A I ran into a friend who told me about a Jane Austen course being offered: Jane Austen and Her Legacy in Film. How exciting! After all, I had lived “twenty-one years in this world with little to distress or vex [me].”

On the first day of class I paged through the syllabus and saw Clueless on the list of movie adaptations to watch. I was so excited! The syllabus also included a creative final project. Of course I was going to knit, crochet, or sew something for the final, but I did not know what.

After a few days in the class I had a splendid idea for the final project! I would sew a Regency style dress and spenser (high waisted jacket) but based off of the iconic yellow plaid skirt Cher wears in Clueless. I asked the professor for approval of my project and she thought it was a great idea. I asked, “Do I have to write up a paper or something to explain the process or my reasoning behind the dress?” “Oh no!” She replied, “sewing the dress is already more than enough work!” 

Over spring break I went to JoAnn’s with a friend to get fabric. There were plaid fabrics, but they were all flannel and for the spenser I wanted something sturdier–like school girl skirt material. There was some yellow plaid, but it was not yellow and black, it was yellow and orange!  As if I could use that!! Since I could not find what I was looking for, I decided to pivot and base my dress off the party scene dress. I found some red velvety looking material for the spenser and a deep red for the dress. I already had a black sheet I got at the thrift store to use for the lining. 

When I was back at school I needed more surface area than I had on my floor, so one night I gathered up all my sewing materials: iron, sewing machine, fabric, etc, and carried them from my room on the third floor of Gibbons, past the Basilica, and to an empty classroom in Caldwell. Bringing the sewing machine was a rather silly idea. There was so much cutting and ironing to do that I would not have any time to sew that night. But it made a great conversation starter when people walked by and peered in the classroom. Eventually one of my friends stopped by for a homework party, and we blasted Adele as I cut and she studied.

After several hours of cutting, I had almost cut out all the pattern pieces. I was not worried about being able to finish the dress and spenser on time, because there were still several weeks left of the semester. But those weeks quickly filled up with other responsibilities such as sailing and actually doing research for my junior seminar paper. 

Two weeks before the project was due I still had not made much progress. During one of the Drama School’s performances of Pippin, I was allowed to work on my project in the costume shop. There I cut out all the pieces of the spenser, but did not make any progress on the dress.

I had not made any more progress over the next week and that weekend the sailing team had a regatta in North East, Maryland. I do not usually bother bringing homework to regattas because when I do, I never actually do any. But the dress had to be finished! On Saturday night I finished cutting out the pattern pieces for the dress. Then I took over the hotel floor and rolled out the long red fabric. But tracing and cutting fabric on a carpet is not a recipe for success. So I reluctantly put away the fabric and pulled out my backup knitting project instead. At this point I was quite worried about being able to finish the project.

Over the next week I managed to make a little progress. I pinned the pieces of the spenser and sewed a few of the lining pieces together. But by the night before the project was due, I still had the entire dress to sew! That night I was just getting to the step with the interfacing on the spencer. I sew a lot, but not often from a pattern. I was very confused by what the pattern was saying and having difficulty interpreting the pictures. I was exhausted, stressed, and angry at myself for once again not achieving my lofty goals. I went to sleep to get a fresh start in the morning and as I drifted off I thought about what to do.

If I was going to finish on time, I had to pivot my plan again. I completely stopped working on the spenser knowing that I could easily substitute it with the black royal shrug I had test crochet for Journey Chanel Designs several months ago. For the dress I needed to know exactly what I was doing. I did not have time to trace and cut the pieces, so I cut a long rectangle for the top and darted it in a couple places. I did not have a zipper or the time to make button holes, so I sewed little loops of fabric along the center back making a corset-like closure with some rosary cord. For the bottom I cut a large rectangle, gathered it, and sewed it to the top. Then I added straps. In an effort to preserve as much fabric as possible to try and eventually create the original idea, I cut the fabric as little as possible. This meant that I had about 10 inches of fabric rolled up in the hem, making the dress rather heavy.

I knew that the professor and my class would be impressed by the dress, but I was not. I had spent hours cutting and ironing, just to scrap it all and make this horrific monstrosity! But I must have looked good because I got compliments all day! My friend kindly took a few aesthetic pictures of me in some greenery to complete the look! 

The dress and half finished spencer now sit among the hoard of unfinished projects in the basement that long to see the light of day. It’s funny how a project becomes my priority for months, then in an instant gets pushed aside for the next one. The one lesson making this dress taught me is that life is not a novel or a movie with a tightly constructed plot where all the pieces magically fit together. 

Mr. Knightly, I’ll be waiting for you! 

As if!