Last week I was in a shopping mood so I headed out to Nordstrom’s. I left the store empty handed, feeling saddened and disenfranchised and vowing to write to the CEO. Why?… Continue reading “You can’t always get what you want…”
I’ve already shown you how to re-create some bold floral and bright looks from the Spring 2018 runways. Clever me – today I’m combining those trends to show you a few more ‘bright patterned’ looks that would all be super easy to make. In terms of sewing expertise, the off-the-shoulder top and pants require at least moderate skills, being the only garments made from more than rectangles and straight sewing lines. Add a fun pair of kicks and you will be ready for anything from shopping with your friends to dancing under the stars with your boo!
Last week I re-created a few Spring 2018 bold floral looks (here). Next up – the brights! You really can’t go wrong with a bright piece of fashion regardless of season. I say this as a women who has never met a black garment she didn’t like, or buy.
Each dress would be fairly easy to make but would require minor pattern changes prior to cutting to achieve optimal effect. The orange linen midi wrap dress needs to have the waist-to-hem length extended and extra fabric purchased to make the belt. The blue dress requires no pattern alteration but does need extra fabric, cut on the bias, to create the neck band, tie, and horn tassels. Like the orange warp midi, the hot pink gown also needs to have the waist-to-hem length extended and extra fabric purchased for the neck scarf. During assembly, make sure to allow for that sexy front (or side) slit. All you need to finish off these dresses are a pair of statement earrings, a luxe lipstick, and a pair of jeweled sandals or ankle-wrap heels to stand out in a black-clad crowd!
Spring is almost here, which means I am ready to switch out my warmest sweaters and coats with light, fresh summertime dresses and getting the itch to re-create some of my favorite Spring 2018 runway looks.
Each spring and fall I feature ways to re-create the top runway looks (past recreations can be found here, here, here and here) through sewing and some accessory purchases. Some of the hottest trends this spring include boldly colored graphic prints, checks, sorbet and pastel colors (especially lavender), fringe, and florals (my favorite trend of all).
I plan on making at least one version of the Vanessa Bruno gown for the summer. Not only is this a garment that could hide all flaws, it would also be the perfect garment for a beginner sewer to attempt. Honestly, it would probably take someone longer to pin snd cut the pattern than to sew it.
The Cushnie et Ochs and Alice & Olivia recreations require a bit more sewing skill but would be well worth the effort to make. How cool would that Cushnie et Ochs dress and a moto jacket look paired together? Or mixing a floral moto jacket with faded jeans, a tank top, and strappy heels for a rocking night out on the town? The possibilities are only limited by your creativity, personal style, and flowers of choice!
I just celebrated another birthday and had a really great time. Since the date fell on a Friday – yeah Capricorns! – I turned my day into a 72-hour celebration instead.
My actual birthday was spent receiving calls from my loved ones who each sang me ‘Happy Birthday’. On the way home from work I took a detour to see ‘I, Tonya’ (which was fantastic). I came home to some snail mail cards and a beautiful bouquet from my son and his girlfriend. Funny story there – unbeknownst to my son, the florist was his 3rd grade teacher who was thrilled one of her students was sending flowers to his momma. My day ended with the perfect gift from my husband – a SpaFinder gift card (Tiba NU here I come).
Saturday saw me working on the ‘Who Am I?’ project with artist Ashley Mintz. That evening, my husband and I got dressed up for a four-course dinner at The Melting Pot. Fondue appetizers, fondue lobster, shrimp and steak, and fondue desserts, all benefitting Second Harvest Food Bank as part of Nashville Restaurant Week. Yum!
And Sunday? Well, Sunday was football playoff day and my team – the Philadelphia Eagles – romped their way to a Super Bowl berth! I’ve been waiting a long time for my Iggles to have a season like this and they have not disappointed me (or the rest of their fans) yet. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to start the next year of my life…
Part of my deep dive into ‘all things Andy’ led me to the legend of Studio 54. Opened in 1977, the club quickly became world-famous for its celebrity guests, hedonistic atmosphere, and flagrant drug use. The club served as a second home to Warhol and his stable of Polaroid ‘one-name’ celebrities like Liz, Mick, Elton, Dali, Bowie, Liza, Truman and Jackie. Big stars to be sure, but to my way of thinking no one was more beautiful and happening than 54’s three ‘it’ girls: Bianca, Jerry and Diane.
To this day I still think these women remain as beautiful, intelligent and relevant as they appeared back in the day. Bianca was the exotic one, married to the King of Rock and always holding court at a VIP table. Diane was the sly bohemian, running her dress empire by day and surrounded by powerfully rich men at night. Jerry was the wild-spirited Texan never far from a bottle of bubbly or fun.
I can’t think of a modern day equivalent to Studio 54, but if such a club existed I can easily picture Bianca regally sitting there while Diane discusses business and art with the Davos set and Jerry flirts and laughs the night away, all while wearing the following…
Each season I feature ways to re-create my favorite runway looks (my 2016 recreations can be found here, here and here). Some of the hot trends for Fall 2017 include fringe, checked fabrics, velvets, midi length skirts and dresses, broad shoulders and the color grey – all featured above. After countless hours spent viewing the shows from New York, Milan, London and Paris I keep coming back to the fashions created by Lela Rose, Victoria Beckham, Christian Siriano, Isabel Marant and Michael Kors.
Any of the ‘3 Midi’s’ pictured above (all from Michael Kors Fall 2017 collection) would be easy to sew and flattering to almost everyone. Of course, some basic pattern alteration would be required (either by extending hemlines and/or altering the skirt side seam angles) but anyone with moderate sewing skills could easily make the changes before cutting out the pattern. After you’ve finished the garment accessorize as you see fit and you’ll be ready to rock fall…
Next up – more of my ‘Recreating the Runway’ series featuring my favorite floral and velvet looks.
If you are a ‘dedicated follower of fashion’ you know the Spring 2018 shows are in full swing at NYFW. In the real world it’s time to think about fall, the upcoming holidays (Halloween! Thanksgiving! Christmas!) and replacing tiny bathing suits with oversized sweaters.
The 2017 fall colors and trends include red, burgundy, navy and grey (four of my favorite colors) featured in furs, velvets, winter florals, midi skirts, and statement earrings, to name a few. I’ve been browsing through the September issues of Bazaar, Vogue and Porter, along with surfing the web, and found a few things that check my Grenadine, Tawny Port, and Ballet Slipper boxes.
Over the next few weeks I will check my favorite navy, grey and spruce ‘boxes’ and show you how to recreate some of my favorite runway looks. Stay tuned…
I just returned from a lovely holiday where I did nothing but hang out with my family, sharing meals, conversation, competitive Scrabble games, and binge watching TV (I’m looking at you S4 The Great British Baking Show).
When I purchased my flights I had not realized that the return portion was with a carrier that charged for the ticket AND for the seat, overhead bin, checked baggage and in flight snacks. Hell, I was ready to bring along a roll of toilet paper in case they charged for using the loo.
Inspired by Project 333 and ‘33 articles of clothing = 25,176 different outfits‘ (not to mention my ‘everything has an up-charge’ flight’) I packed a super light carry-on with my clothes and a tote bag with my books, laptop, and drawing tablet. Surprisingly, I had plenty of outfit options – and relaxing activities – to get me through the week.
I am intrigued by Project 33 and think I am going to give it a try once fall arrives. How about you? Could you survive with only 33 items (including clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear and shoes)? Let me know if you want to try along with me…
Last weekend I made myself a kimono dress. Next up is a dress guaranteed to remind me of 70’s summers spent attending concerts like Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, and the Dead. I had at least 3 different versions of this dress as a teen and loved each one.
The Alice & Olivia Spring 2017 runway look pictured above reminds me of those maxi dresses of my youth. To recreate the look I plan on using lightweight solid rayon challis for the skirt, a contrasting embroidered cotton print for the bodice and straps, and some complimentary jacquard and satin ribbons for the trim. All I need to complete the look is a pair of hoop earrings, some espadrille wedgies and a concert ticket (or two)!
The Grey Goddess 