"Blue Fish - is a language. Every person understands it a bit differently, interprets in their own way. We support the individual nature of people. Encourage freedom of expression. Dreaming and fullfilment. Belief. Push the boundaries, create life...."
-- from the Blue Fish Summer 1997 catalog

ASK BLUECARP (yes, that's me pictured above with my favorite BF model)...go ahead, ask me anything and everything you always wanted to know about Blue Fish but were afraid to ask!

Your questions, your curiosities, your puzzlements over this crazy little thing called Blue Fish will direct the content of ASK BLUECARP. As the statement from the catalog notes, Blue Fish is a language, and sometimes it takes full immersion in the language to understand it.

This page is for the person new to Blue Fish who has questions that the catalog might not answer... or for the seasoned pro who has a question about vintage BF, or for anyone wh has questions as they interpret Blue Fish in their own way.

Click on the link below, and you can ask your question...and hopefully, in a timely fashion, you'll see your question answered here. Eventually, these questions will be included in the FAQ page, but for now, this is it!

Linda (aka bluecarp)
[email protected]

The secret behind Rippies and Clippies

Kim asks bluecarp:
Could you tell us about rippies and clippies? How about some imagination-stirring hints about how they could be used on different kinds of garments? Anything else a novice to their use might not think of?

bluecarp answers:
Kim, I've gotten three emails on this topic alone....and although rumor has it that Jennifer Barclay, Blue Fish's founder, is writing something to answer this question...I'll take a stab at it myself in the meantime.

Rippies are the strings of cotton jersey that BF uses to tie their clothing in different ways. Really, all a rippie is is a piece of cotton jersey cut into a long rectangle then pulled, so that the sides curl in and there you go....a fashion accessory! Rippies are produced in conjunction with the current line, so you can coordinate your rippies to the season.

There are many different ways to use them. Some people use them to shorten too long skirts or pants....just a week ago, during the February thaw, I worked out in my garden and used two rippies to tie up some thermal wide leg pants....I grabbed a small handful of material at the outside side seam of each leg, just under the knee - but I grabbed it from the inside of the leg...then I tied the handful off with a rippie and two good strong knots...and it made the pants shorter with a swirly gather just behow my kneecap. Very neat!

You can also do this trick with a handful on the outside of the skirt or pants or top or dress...then you have a little "finger" of fabric poking out, and knotted with a rippie or two.

What I recently discovered is how to use a BUTTON with a rippie...for a very cool look. Take a good sized big button...place it under the material to be gathered...grab the button through the material from the top side of the fabric...smooth it and tie it off with a rippie behind the button...and you'll get a round neat shape on top, and a gather below the rippie. Try it...it looks great!

Don't feel like you have to "match" all your rippies to the item you're wearing...a mixture of colors is more loose and fun...and they can be randomly scattered. Rippies can be used with any material...cotton jersey, thermal, cotton plaid (like the Fall 99 jumpers) and anything else that you can grab a fistful of...including hair, if you wish.

A clippie is an elasticized band, usually blockprinted...and in black or white...with two metal and plastic clips on opposing ends to clip and hold material without damaging it. Clippies can perform a similar function to rippies by removing excess fullness in a BF garment....for example, on my Plaid Coat from Fall 99, I used a clippie with a house motif to gather the two sides of the reverse pleat in the back...it reduced the bulkiness of the coat for a more tailored look.

On a dress, you can create a finger pleat (just fold the fabric between your fingers and crease it) then apply a clippie to one side of the dress and attach it to another finger pleat on the other side...this is great for making a size 2 dress that you like feel more like a size 1.

There may be many other rippies tricks out there...if you have one to share with us here, please email me at [email protected]

Help Identify THE MYSTERY DRESS!

Shana asks bluecarp:
I HAVE THIS WONDERFUL BF DRESS AND I GOT IT FROM A RESALE SHOP, IT IS IN FABULOUS CONDITION AND I WEAR IT SO OFTEN IT IS EMBARRASSING (TO MY KIDS NOT TO ME!)HERE ARE THE DETAILS.....

it is a fadedblack, 100% u.s.cotton big scoop neck, long sleeves, it has a center front pocket on the chest/tummy with stars and squiggles, two angled large drop front pockets, very long with a long, fullish skirt, dress has lots of hand painting.

The tag is inside on the side and the tag has no date. reads "blue fish" "made in usa" on one side and other side has wash instructions and frenchtown, n.j. The tag at the neck of the dress in the back is narrow and reads blue fish. Says 1 and is huge, I am 5' 11" and a full size 2 and this fits long and large on me.

There's a bf patch on the back and I found a teeny tiny 199_ either a 3 or a 5 and the patch reads: "watering flowers at sunset, my words grow like climbing vines quietly gushing green and the rose of twilight, leaves unfolding towards tomorrow" does any of that help?

I LOVE this style dress and will beg, borrow and pay $$$ to find more like it!

HOW WOULD I FIND OUT THE HISTORY OF IT? AS TO WHEN IT WAS MADE?

[email protected]

bluecarp answers:
Though I was not able to help Shana, the mystery was solved by Deb Gallant, who wrote the following:
Just read your mystery dress description on Linda's BF website and did a little hunting, and guess what?? I THINK I have identified the black dress!!! It sounds like Farmer Jen's Dress from Spring '95!!!!!!!
Thank you Deb for your help!