An elegant, two-piece velvet dress for $50? $45 for a perfect jacket? $20 for an adjustable skirt? That’s not wishful thinking, it’s the way things are for Debra Bruck, who makes most of her own clothes. Now 7 months pregnant with her first child, Bruck is an experienced and disciplined sewer who has found extra pleasure in making her maternity wardrobe.
“I’ve adapted quite a few things to my current needs,” she said recently. “The white cotton shirt I wear with my suit, for instance. I bought it years ago when things were bigger and it’s just right now.”
As a product manager at Cosmair Inc., in charge of Lancome’s treatment products, Bruck – who has a bachelor of commerce degree – works in an industry that stresses high standards of fashion and grooming. Her job calls for savvy and discipline, organizational skills, image, charm and a “good look.”
“I make my own things because quality good-looking maternity clothes are very expensive,’ she explained.
She shops carefully for good fabrics and takes advantage of sales. “I always buy fabrics when Marshall’s has what they call their Fire Sale. That’s when you buy one metre of fabric and get two free! I bought the panne velvet at C and M Textiles on St. Hubert St.; it cost me less than $50.”
(Like most home sewers, this one never counts her time – or her incidentals like thread and tape – when she talks about these costs. It is safe to say, however, that given the quality of the two outfits, she could not replace them with similar ready-to-wear pieces for less than $500.)
Bruck used the panne for her elegant two-piece dress, made from a Very Easy Vogue pattern (8152), but adding a few personal touches such as eliminating the back zipper in favor of hooks and eyes, with one button and loop. “I like that little flash of skin at the back, it’s very feminine,” she said.
The suit jacket was done from another Very Easy Vogue pattern (7819) and its companion skirt is a Butterick Maternity one (6736). “My jacket isn’t from a Maternity pattern but I made it longer to accommodate the change of shape. Not only longer but longer at the front. That’s important. As your weight changes, it evens out!”
A tall, model-slim woman, whose grace bears witness to ballet training, Bruck went to pre-natal training classes and learned alot about her physical condition. At 5-foot-11 and 160 lbs. (from 130) she was basically in good shape but started an exercise program every day.
“I even bought a mat to do floor exercises on. But I do have to force myself, after a long day, when I want to be just lazy.”
Eating for two is a matter of balanced nutrition and while Bruck was never keen on junk food, she has made some changes in her eating routines, “I always thought I ate very well and I knew all about drinking more milk, etc. But now I know I needed more vegetables, more fruit, a better breakfast and some healthy snacking during the day.”
Even with her background and experience with cosmetic and skin- care products, she was surprised at what happened to her skin. “I’ve discussed this with several women and we all share the same problem: our skin becomes dehydrated. Dry and flaky. This is the time when you really need to use more bodycare products. The skin just soaks them up!”
