Thursday, May 5, 2011

CAbi – Spring 2011

I went to another CAbi party this weekend. There are some really cute knit tops I thought I’d share with you. I also took some super secret photos of some of the embellishments. I say super secret because I feel bad for never buying anything and then taking their ideas. I think that’s how they make so much money. People feel like they need to buy things because they go into another person’s home, eat good food, maybe drink good drinks (mmmmmmmmmmm, lemon drops), and then you get The Speech about quality clothes. I never buy and always feel guilty.
Here is the first knit tank I really like. It’s called the Grecian tank and it’s got ruching all over it. It’s super cute and comes in several colors. I think I could easily make this out of the Jalie Cross Over Empire Top. It even includes ruching.
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Next up is this cute draped knit top with a cute cowl neck. It’s a typical t-shirt but it’s got extra fabric in the CF that is actually sewed together to create the draped effect. Anyone know of a pattern like this?? Excuse my really bad pictures but they were taken with my iPhone. I put arrows in to emphasize where the little stitches are that hold the drape together.
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This tank is just like the Grecian Tank except it has a square neckline. I like this one quite a bit too. That’s my white camisole you can see. They had the tank in another color as well.
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I also really liked this asymmetrical tank. Although pictures on me aren’t all that flattering. I think part of that is that it’s pretty big and stretchy. I think I’m a size 0 in CAbi (thank you vanity sizing!) and this tank I tried on was a 2 or 4.
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I liked this Chanel style jacket. I took some close-ups of the embellishments.
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I didn’t really like the cut of this top but I did think the embellishments were cute and very easy. They are just unfinished knit circles, folded in quarters, sewn down on the top. Cute and simple. 
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I disliked almost everything about this outfit. Yellow is not an olive-skinned girl’s best friend. But, the embellishments are similar to the gray and white top. They are unfinished organza circles folded in quarters. The center of the “flower” was a button. I also liked how they used matching grosgrain ribbon as support for the decor and as added decoration.
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I also liked these tweed slacks. They are a honey brown color and so pretty. I love the button placement on them too. I never got to see the fit because the smallest size was a size 4. I love these yummy Fabric.com suitings although they might not be the best match for this pattern. They are pretty inexpensive too because that whole category is on sale right now.
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Executive Suiting Plaid Brown/BlackExecutive Suiting Houndstooth Brown/BlackExecutive Suiting Dotted Pin Stripe Dark NavyExecutive Stretch Suiting Herringbone Grey

11 comments:

Darci said...

I love CAbi clothes! I buy one or two pieces each season and knock off a few, too... I don't have suggestions for patterns for those particular tops, tho. They're all adorable on you, tho!

Diane Drexel said...

I had never heard of this line until I read your first blog about going to a CAbi party. Then I was at the Philadelphia Premium outlets and saw the CAbi outlet. Their jeans are the best ready-to-wear jeans that I have come across. I now own many pieces of CAbi clothing. A lot of it isn't to my taste, but you can bet I have bought some really nice basics including a navy blue boucle skirt, a light blue button-down shirt, four (yes, four) pair of jeans, and two knit tops. Thank you for your blogs.
Signed,
Your friend in Pennsylvania with the same fit issues.

Alexandra said...

Those are some really nice tops! The Chanel-style jacket looks like a knit - is it?

Corrine said...

I have never heard of this line. I shop as little as possible so there could be a shop down the street and I probably wouldn't know. This is like a house party line? I need to get out more.

Anonymous said...

I've never heard of CAbi either!

Sew-4-Fun said...

Oh you are a gem! Thanks to Lori I am a Cabi fan. Very much my style but living on the other side of the world I have no way to buy, let alone see these garments in person, so thanks for all the close-up photos and details. Very helpful and interesting.

Rose K said...

Cabi has a blog with some really cute clothing combinations showing different ways to wear their clothes. I think it's Cabi Canary.

Pam said...

Hi Dawn, Glad you are back to regularly posting. Love your posts! I gave you the Stylish Blogger Award, cause you're one of my favorites. Pam from pammieandtheps.blogspot.com

melissa said...

Cute stuff! As for that first striped top, it looks a lot like a Rick Owens top that I thoroughly researched and then never made. But I think my post on it may be helpful (and let me know if you want to see the pattern piece drawings I saved from Marita's blog).

Kathi said...

I think I bought 1/2 of the tops you showed in your post! I have the aqua, the red and similar knit top in another print. I do love her clothes. They fit great and they last a long time. I hosted a party so I didn't have to pay full price!! I love to have the parties not only for the clothes but to visit with my friends, so I am sure noone cared that you didn't buy anything. Can't wait to see your knock offs. I know they will be great! Another line that has really cute clothes that you could knock off in a heartbeat is Kokoon...check it out.
Thanks for the great blog!

annmarie said...

You are awesome! I took sewing lessons but when i made a dress i realized i had far to go. Do you also do stuff for your house like slipcovers? I do curtains, only straight lines! I am going to look around your links and see if i can improve my skills. Happy sewing.