A Rustic Roadtrip

I’ve been wanting to go on this kind of a roadtrip for awhile now. The dream is to meet my brother in Philly and pick him up from grad school then travel cross-country back to Cali in a gorgeous vintage VW camper. My VWs are always pictured in cherry red, but I’ve been drawn to the color orange a lot lately. And not radioactive orange, but in a textured rusty way. It’s like following the sun…without getting burned.

Sources: VW; Clock; Business Card; Vintage Ad; Parasol; Orange Necklace; Livingroom; Diner; Twirling; Dresser; Cowgirl; Native American-inspired necklace; DIY Flat Ankle Boots; “Do Not Disturb”; Photo Editing and Collages: She’s Got Plenty

Margiela Sock Sweater

Known for his approach of “destroying” fashion, designer Maison Martin Margiela beats in the hearts of DIYers across the globe. The sock sweater, one of his more iconic designs, is further motivating me to clean out my closet so I can update it with genius stuff like this. (Let’s hope my lack of sewing skills won’t kill the fantasy…)

Go from this…

…to this!

I’ve never been so excited to go out and buy a bunch of socks.

Collages: She’s Got Plenty, Backgrounds: Luis Mallo

The Pauline

“The Pauline”

Made for the sista in your life who is delicate and refined with a love for pink, but tough as chains.

Holla! Presenting my first DIY attempt at making jewelry. Being a newcomer to LA, I’ve been faced with the task of creating a new social scene and missing my friends back home. So when the holidays rolled around, I was inspired to make gifts for loved ones…and because I had no time on my hands (damn Michael’s for having ridiculously long lines!), I ended up only making gifts for one person. Named after my best friend, I made Pauline a glamourously blinged out necklace using the tutorial from Dana Lorenz of the Fenton jewelry line, famous for their brilliantly twisted chokers. Except The Pauline was less DIY due to the fact that I had no spare jewelry lying around. In this case, I went to the craft store and bought:

• 4 chains with different sized links but all in the same colored metal
• 1 strand of clear bling
• 1 strand of pale pink round glass beads that I had to construct into a necklace
• 1 fringe necklace from Forever 21

As an afterthought, I decided that the rope ended up being too plain. I wrestled with the decision to add more or keep the necklace simple. After all, I’ve come to see Pauline has someone with more reserved taste. But being that the necklace is from me, after all, I opted to throw in some fringe. Forever 21 is a great place for cheapsky materials. I found a fringe necklace there that was rocking the same clear bling and chain and removed all the other excess bling it came with. Then I was faced with the challenge of incorporating the fringe to the rest of the rope and ended up twisting it in with the rest of the necklace, using jump rings to attach the fringed section.

 

I ran into some problems with the glass beads. After I gave Pauline her necklace over Thanksgiving, she texted me while I was back in LA informing me that the glass bead strand had come undone and she didn’t know how to fix it. I had to hightail it back to the craft store where I armed myself with some Craft Goop which I used to reinforce the knots and the crimp bead at each end of the strand. What can I say? It’s definitely a learn-as-you-go process for me!

Making the necklace definitely reinforced my love for collage and mixed media, not just in visual art, but in every aspect of what I do from my career (influencing psychology with pop culture) to fashion (mixed prints, mixed textures, mixed styles). Here is some DIY inspiration from the Fenton AW 2010 collection featuring my current fave: fur!

Knowing my taste and style, I’d probably use more natural and ethnic materials other than metal to twist around the fur like shells, leather or bali beads.

I like the format and leaf pendants on this necklace! Maybe substitute the bling for a more natural element and it’d be perfect.

I just like how it looks as though bracelets were repurposed as necklace strands on this necklace. Good idea for DIY projects if I should ever come across vintage or second-hand bracelets.

DIY Capelet Inspiration: In this last pic, I’m actually more interested in the capelet she’s wearing. Looks like the easiest DIY project ever: make diagonal cuts on a second-hand blazer (frayed edges a plus!); open the sleeves and sew to body of blazer; cut shoulders off second-hand leather jacket; sew shoulder pieces to shoulders of capelet. Done!

One last thought and I’m done. My mind is whirling with the possibilities of purchasing a soldering torch (no more Craft Goop for me!) and a dress form so I can really have fun with this jewelry thing! I have visions of ethnic-inspired bibs and breastplates and clothing made of chain and leather. I filled 3 pages in my sketchbook just last night with ideas! And if this thing really takes off, I’d create my own shop called –what else?– Shop Plenty! *giddy smiles*

Fur Example

Two jobs and a recession era later, I’m looking forward to moving into my first house with KFK. I’ve been collecting pictures of interior designs as inspiration and making mental notes of themes, colors and decor that tug at my home-sweet-home heart strings. And what better to make myself feel rich even though I’ve been struggling with this damn economy than a fur-embossed abode? To be honest, fur and animal print have always been a love of mine, but I’ve always confined them to outerwear or outerwear accessories, like scarves or gloves. After the fur trend exploded this season and I began seeing animal hide rugs all over interior design websites, I’m making a point of incorporating the trend into my future home.

I found this post touring the apartment digs of one Vanessa Traina, style setter and daughter of popular author, Diane Steele, for Harper’s Bazaar. One need not ask why it’s going into my interior design archives.

“‘Ah-lo, an’ welcome to my ‘umble abode! See zee fur pee-lows? I plop onto zem when I am tired from all zee glah-morous seengs I do at my work.” (I don’t think Vanessa has a French accent, but this is how I imagine a glamazon such as herself would talk when entering a decked out pad like this.)

I love furniture that takes the form of shapes from nature like side tables in the form of tree trunks. Antlers and bone are another option to add to my decorating arsenal.

Although I find the clean, white aesthetic pleasing to the eye, it doesn’t quite reflect my personality which prefers to be bombarded with rich hues. However, I am digging the layering of rugs on the hardwood floor.

“I love to wear zee cheetah-print blazer when I go work. It helps me to feel wild and chic at zee same time.”

The black fur vest in the background reminds me that I am in the market for my own shaggy cover-up.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had animal print bedding. Perhaps now it’s time to upgrade to a fur comforter and live like the cave people did (huh, isn’t that ironic?).

I’m enamored with the mixture of prints and textures here: the fur throw pillows, ragged upholstery, leather bag and…is that a real tiger hide rug??? I’m both a little frightened and impressed.

Well, apparently, this zebra is the real thing. I wouldn’t feel comfortable having so many dead animals in my home being used as decoration but I can definitely get down with the faux trend.

On that note, a little DIY for the home: a fur covered bench to elevate your bathroom to glam status. Yay! Below is the tutorial from Design Sponge.

• Comb estate sales, flea markets and junk stores to find a bench with legs you like. Lynn-Ann chose one with sexy claw and ball feet.
• Pick up one of Ikea’s classic fluffy flokatis, which comes in both small and large sizes.
• Clean your bench well (you can stain, paint or strip the legs but we’re currently liking the contrast of rough legs with a glamorous top). You can leave the upholstery as is (give it a good shampooing) or rip it off. Lynn-Ann took her upholstery off.
• Lynn-Ann took off the legs but we’d probably just trim the flokati to work around them.
• Lay your flokati on the floor, fur side down, center your bench seat on top of it, seat side down, and wrap the flokati around it.
• Use a heavy duty staple gun to staple the flokati in place underneath your bench. Be sure you pull your sheepskin taut.
• Turn it over and voila! A fabulously glam seat for your bathroom, your living room or your bedroom.

I’ll Cross the Desert in a Snow Storm For You

If you thought that the nomadic aesthetic was only for the spring and summer months, think again! Their translation into the winter season has been nothing short of ah-may-zing. In Vogue China, chunky wraps and fur caps can’t tame the wild streak in Valerija Kelava.

What’s awesome is that the editorial combines this season’s fur and knit trends with last season’s mixology sensibility and makes it work in a grunge, desert glamour sort of way. For me, it is style heaven. And a veritable smorgasbord of DIY ideas for fur: fur covered collars, fur wraps, fur skirts, fur-covered boots?! Holla! Most fun rainy day activities I can think of! Transform a couple of throw blankets into a maxi skirt or shawl and you got yourself your own little glampfire wardrobe.

And just as a bonus, I wanted to throw in this image of Meghan Collison in the November 2010 issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK.

It makes me just want to sew a whole bunch of shaggy fur trim to all my clothes.

Fringe Attack!

The Fringed Tuxedo Blazer

In an effort to implement the “I see it, I like it, I make it” philosophy, I’ve taken to flexing my creative muscles while scouring the ‘net for style inspiration. For example, fringe is like, the magical elixir of all trimmings. Adding it to any item of clothing just makes it that much cooler. And for a fraction of the price of a store-bought piece! In this case, fringe amps up the style on this tuxedo blazer using the following steps:

1. Go the economical route by purchasing a black blazer or tuxedo blazer from a well-stocked vintage or thrift store. Chances are, it won’t be in your size, but when going big, make sure the blazer isn’t so big that the details and fit get completely warped when altering it to your measurements. At least make sure it’s a decent length. On Ashley, it sits nicely around the hip area.
2. If necessary –and I’m sure it will be– customize the fit to your size at your local tailor (or DIY if you have those skills). To create a more relaxed look, crop the sleeves if desired.
3. Buy yards and yards of black fringe from a craft store to cover the front, back and sleeves of the blazer.
4. Get to sewing on the fringe!
5. Style Tips: Variations abound! Go the daring route and use fringe in a different color from a more subtle gray shade to a vibrant magenta hue. Or, in the event that you actually come across a second-hand blazer in this year’s “It” neutral, contrast leopard-print fabric with layers of black fringe. A saucy swish of the shoulders uncovers the garment’s wild side.

The Fringed Leather Bag

Yes, the Olsen twins are a guilty pleasure of mine. From their book, Inspiration, to the Olsens Anonymous blog, I must admit (somewhat begrudgingly)– I do love their style. There’s this effortless, grunge yet glamorously edgy quality to the way they dress (a lot of it has to do with their never-changing Kurt Cobain-esque locks).

Plus…I love the fringe. *giggles with glee*

The above image of Mary Kate gives me much inspiration for a fringed leather bag. You got a lovingly worn-in black leather bag that needs “updating?” Here’s a suggestion:

1. Purchase strips of leather that matches the color of the bag.
2. Cut them so they fringe.
3. Instead of sewing them on horizontally as usual, use heavy-duty thread meant for leather garments to affix your DIY fringe vertically. Create 6 columns on each side of the bag. Make sure there are 2 layers of fringe per column to create a fuller effect.
4. Style Tips: If desired, attach studs on the vertical edges of the bag.

Bunches of Fringe

Louis Vuitton, Summer 2011 –a fringe-ful delight! In contrast to the trends in recent seasons that embraced the proper, the goth and the nomad, Marc Jacobs indulged in the playful as evidenced by luges of color and fringe accents. I was so enamored by the 3-dimensional polka-dots in the image above that I didn’t realize they weren’t fringe until I completed making the collage. But whatever. His initial pieces consisted of suits and cheongsams covered in those little islands of fringe, so why not apply the concept to his other pieces?

1. Buy two slinky garments for a base; either a jumper, a lingerie slip or other free-flowing one-piece in solid colors.
2. Purchase yards of fringe in a contrasting color. Get fringe that is shorter in length that the fringe you would use on the DIY tuxedo blazer above.
3. Cut the fringe into many pieces about 3 to 5 inches long.
4. To prep the base, you’re going to create the colorblock effect above by combining your two garments.
5. Sew on your pieces of fringe generously throughout the base.
6. Style Tips: for a more subdued vibe, use only one color for the base. Another tip: attach little groups of fringe to anything you own.

Happy fringing!! May “being on the fringes” never be a negative thing!

Skirting the Issue

Gawd! This recession is killing everyone! I’ve never been so frugal with my shopping habits. On the bright side, having to count every single penny has forced me to get creative stylistically. Now more than ever, I want to establish a unique style that is all my own. And that’s difficult to do when I’m influenced by the gazillions of fashion magazines that I subscribe to and all the chain stores peppering the greater Los Angeles area. DIY has never looked so appealing. Even InStyle magazine is getting in on the fun with all the DIY projects they have in their September Issue, so cool of them to jump on the DIY bandwagon! There’s nothing more inspiring than to have a mainstream mag tout the awesomeness that is one’s own creativity.

Anyway, it’s inspired me to pull an Outsapop and start posting more DIY projects. I’ve been slowly accumulating dozens and dozens of DIY posts and for some reason, I was moved to post this tutorial on Burberry’s Spring 2010 skirt, a decent piece to help transition from summer to fall. I was skimming their Spring/Summer collection and found that their tops were equally as inspiring.

 

 

Suggested DIY: I once tried to attempt the cobweb effect using a forever scarf only to find out that the scarf wasn’t long enough. An alternative method would be to purchase a plain top like a shirred tube tunic or halter top. Take several yards of the same material and follow the tutorial below to create lovely cobweb patterns.

Now, for the skirts! I love how the draping in the two shown below are so thick that the it takes up the entire skirt and looks like a pouf of whipped cream.

 

  

This skirt best resembles the tutorial below.

 

The Tutorial:

1. Use a high-wasted bodycon skirt as a pattern. Leave 1cm for the seam as you cut.

2. Cut out 8 wide pieces – they should be approx 25cm wide. Sew them together in pairs so you’ll end up with 4 long tubes.

3. Cross two tubes to achieve a draped effect. Repeat with the remaining two.

4. Pin everything down all the way around then take the back of the skirt and attach it to the front piece. 

Ta-da! Worn with dark tights and chubby knits, you have a perfect transition piece for Fall. Now I just need to find the time (and acquire the skills) to make one of my own. Grrr, recession is satan wearing Burberry…

Scarf Simplicity

Sharing this DIY, brought to you by style-blogger muse, The Glamourai, was inspired by my recent picture post from Sleek magazine. Put off by the rope straps on her Forever 21 scarf dress (above), she replaced them with ever-glamorous gold chains.

But her genius doesn’t stop there. The very next day, she posted this DIY tutorial on how to make your own scarf dress, complete with chains and everything. And the genius part of it is that the materials are ridiculously cheap and the tutorial is beyond easy, it boggles the mind.

If you invest in a whole bunch of scarves , you can probably rock your DIY scarf dress, jump in the pile and virtually replicate Silk and Champagne. Can’t get any more glam than that.

Bird, Bird, Bird, The Bird’s The Word

HAPPY EASTER! My celebration of Easter has gone through mini-phases starting with mainstream traditional Easter as a child going on Easter egg hunts to my grad school days of celebrating it as the Spring Equinox to now…when I don’t really celebrate it at all. But I did want to post this thing on wearing birds or bird nests in your hair. It first triggered my quirk radar in 2008 when Stylebubble wore what looked like a giant-ass crow on her head.

Hello, Alfred Hitchcock!

Her inspiration: Buddug Wyn Humphreys’s contribution to Hannah Marshall’s AW08-9 lookbook.

With the added floral arrangements, the bird looks like it totally belongs on her head. Quirky, indeed! So I was tickled when Outsapop provided a tutorial for two incredibly chic fascintors, one that looks like it’s meant to be worn to parties hosted by the Addams Family…

…and one for the traditionally Easter-minded diva, complete with the nest and everything. It sounds totally funky, but when you see it, it really doesn’t! But that could just be me. I’ll be the mom whose kid will pretend not to know me cuz I showed up to his class Easter picnic wearing a birds nest on her head. Or, if I play my cards right, my kid will be gangster enough to wear the nest her/himself! (Good grief, is it the eggs or Easter or the white lace? Why do I have kids on the brain all of a sudden?? I’m not that old, am I…?)

On the Fringes

“On the fringes.”

A phrase I can honestly use to describe where I feel in my life and career, it can also begin with “My mind is…” This is yet another post hailing the praises of Sophia of Phosphene and her DIY brilliance. Dear Sophia, I love how you can take the simplest DIY ideas and use them to transform blah into minimalist chic.

Please direct your attention to the first DIY project. A huge fan of Target, I’ve always admired some of the styles in the maternity section, but never gave much thought as to how I would fit into one without a pregnant belly to fill out all the extra space. With this simple DIY tutorial on how to transform a black maternity dress from Target into fringe paradise, it’s as though she read my mind.

Who knew that you could take an idea completely daring such as fringe on stockings and make it just unassuming yet interesting enough that you can stow away your leggings for the next couple seasons? Apparently, Phosphene has the fashion foresight to dare and conquer the fear of being “over done.” It inspires me to venture outside the box to take a wild idea and tone it down to something wearable on a daily basis.

For those who want to dare but not dare too much, I think what makes it work is the monotone effect of black-on-black. Your silhouette remains streamlined, but the swish of the fringe as you walk draws just enough attention without going overboard. If you want to go for a more bold statement, check Stylebubble’s black-on-fuschia concoction.

A play on the classic seamed stockings, this is fringe to da max.

If you thought fringed shoulders were meant only for marching band uniforms, think again. Phosphene selflessly shares her instructions on how to sew shoulder pads trimmed with fringe on a plain black dress.

Dude. What a rockstar. She even recommends putting a strip of fringe down the sides of the arm for added volume. From a distance, you can see just enough volume and texture to know that the dress isn’t quite ordinary. The subtlety is what catches my eye; it’s like you know something’s different, but you’re not quite sure what.

So that’s three fringed accounts of creative genius. As I’m still exploring how to harness my own creative forces, I can only credit Phosphene for inspiring the wheels to turn in my brain. But if I needed to break down her, um, formula (for lack of a better word), I’d characterize her DIY style (at least in these projects) as follows:

1. monochrome
2. neutral colors
3. place trimmings in “unusual places” (ie., instead of putting fringe on the hems of dresses, put them on the sides of stockings)
4. less is more (cliche, but depending on your style, it’s true. I’m betting that most of us don’t have the fashion guts to pull off Stylebubble’s daring outfits, but perhaps the office wouldn’t send you home for sporting any of these fringed projects)