Fashion for everyone

today's proportions make me feel like a pastry ~ in the best possible way!

i knew i wanted to debut my freshly fancied bag, and so created a costume around it, glorifying all it's newfound girlish joie de vivre.


wearing: D&G butterfly sunnies, vintage velvet jacket, reworked morris moskowitz bag, F21 skirt, kenzo for wolford lace tights, aldo shoes, the glamourai brass buttercup ring {left} and crystal tinsel ring {right}, antique elgin wristwatch

recently, on my DIY idea tumblr, i posted pics of bow-bedecked chain handle bags from lanvin and marni, and pledged to pick a bag from my personal collection to be-ribbon.

this normally neglected, vintage morris moskovitz fur purse was perfect for the project:

{ABOVE: BEFORE}

i wove a bias silk ribbon through a little over half the gold chain handle {just enough so it would crest over my shoulder when worn}, braided the remainder with a smaller brass chain...

{ABOVE + BELOW: AFTER}

...then finished the ribbon ends with my favorite fanciful flourish ~ floppy bows!


i am thrilled with the results of this fun and easy project, and can't wait to wear my newly improved {so much better} bag!

it's suddenly summery again in new york, so i'm enjoying a mad-cap mix of open-weave hosiery and light colors worn in full, fallish shapes.



this jacket/shift set was a recent find from the what goes around comes around booth at the manhattan vintage clothing show. i'm always a sucker for gold brocade, so there was no question about buying the pair ~ but a little reworking had to be done before i considered the look wearable. click over to luckymag.com to see the before + after (then come back here and let me know what you think)!


wearing: rachel roy earrings, reworked vintage opera jacket + dress, self-designed kenning neckplate + dove grey diamond ring, h+m lace tights, coach boots

today, a simple sportswear look ~ inspired by 3.1 philip lim, but delivered DIY style!



strut on over to luckymag.com for the quick + easy do-it-yourself tutorial!


wearing: calvin klein sunnies, self-designed necklace + desperado ring, DIY sweater, vintage sequin pants, bebe booties

today, the weather is perfect for my favorite take on transitional costumery: a summer dress paired with new fall boots!



i loved this vintage dress the moment i first saw it in the brook+lyn boutique, but the last time i wore it i couldn't shake the feeling that the shape could be more flattering. so, last night i hemmed it up about 7 inches (leaving it a little longer in the back for optimum bum-coverage).

i was so pleased with the result that i took the scalpel to a few other summer frocks as well! as the weather continues to cool, i think they're going to look great as minis, paired with opaque tights and my (fingers crossed!) future thigh-high boots...



for now at least, i've got the the perfect boot for bare-legs: the aida in grey suede from coach. you all know i'm a sucker for anything that comes with gold chains attached!


wearing: custom-made hat, coach sunnies, self-designed apparition necklace, vintage dress, belt + bag, la perla bustier, verameat knuckle ring, boot courtesy of coach

yesterday's post was a real palette cleanser for me ~ i was feeling overwhelmed by too many trends, and looking back at the fall 2009 shows genuinely helped me recalculate what i really really love.

and what is it i truly adore, you might ask? saturated jewel tones! jangling jewelry! blublocker sunnies! leopard! paisley! palazzo pants! prints so bold they could cure blindness! silky, drapey, crazy old lady clothes!

phew, it feels good to get that out.

so. in celebration of my epiphany, i'm wearing an amalgamation of all my favorite things today. it's a glamourai smorgasbord, and everyone's invited to the feast!!!

a week of saturated fashion has left me with less of a thirst to splurge than with an urge to purge.

growing up, my mother enforced a biannual wardrobe cleansing; as an adult, it's become a ritual i'll never abandon.

here's how it works: every six months, take everything out of your closet, your shoe boxes, jewelry bins, sock drawer... then carefully put back only those things that you absolutely love ~ things you would buy again right now if given the opportunity again.

everything else must be immediately consigned or donated to charity.

as promised, i've prepared a proper DIY tutorial on today's neckpiece du jour, the bands of bling bib, so you can make your own at home!

1. grosgrain ribbon (cut two 18" strips)

2. needle + thread

3. sharp-tipped craft scissors

4. wire cutters

5. assorted chains (these can usually be sourced from the bottom of your jewelry box, or at your local thrift shop ~ look for broken necklaces, bracelets, or eyeglass chains)

1. on a flat surface, create an approximate layout for your degrade chains. for my sample, i made each row of chain approximately 2" longer than the one above it. chances are the lengths won't be exactly as you want them right away ~ use the wire cutters to remove excess links and achieve the right proportion between the rows:

2. begin with the shortest chain on the right side. using a needle + thread, stitch the last loop of the chain onto your first piece of ribbon. set the stitch in the middle of the ribbon's width, about 4-5' from the end:

3. moving downward toward the tip of the ribbon, repeat for the other ends of chain, in consecutive order by length. try to keep the stitches close together.

4. repeat steps 2 & 3 for the left ends of chain on your second piece of ribbon. keep in mind that your stitches should end up on the top (outside-facing) side of both left + right ribbons:

5. grab the tail of the right ribbon, and pull it out and under your seam, creating a loop:

6. pull tail through loop:

7. tighten knot and stitch in place.

8. repeat steps 5, 6 & 7 on the left side.

9. tie the long ends of ribbon into a bow at center back:

10. and you're finished!*

* unless you are me, in which case there is step 11:

immediately repeat steps 1-10 and make a second necklace, so that next time you can wear the two piled on top of each other!

~ let me know in the comments if you have any questions! ~

my mom picked up this pretty little dress for me during our recent adventures in mexico. it's a traditional huipil from oaxaca, which typically come in crazy candy colors ~ but mom knew this elegant ivory + navy version would be better suited to my non-vacation days. still, when she bought it, the length came down to my toes; it was my job to make it city-worthy!

since it's been so hot, and a girl always needs more breezy little sundresses, i hauled out the old sewing machine last night and set to work on mi huipil.

first, i chopped 12" off the hem, making it mid-calf length. i didn't cut it any more than that, just in case i ever decide i want to wear it longer and belted. next, i folded the bottom under twice, to bring it up another 10" (and to create it a nice, thick, weighted hem ~ good for added structure and swing).

then, to avoid looking either too 'folksy' or inappropriately 'beachy,' i piled on some city-chic accessories ~ my trusty two-tone sunnies, a new shrimpton couture necklace, and a pair of louboutin lace-ups...

...and voila!

i've been tagged by the style antagonist! usually i'm terrible at answering these chain questionnaires, but this time i was determined to follow through for a change. so here we go...!

1. what is your current obsession?

jewelry!!! making it, buying it, wearing it, thinking about it... i'm decidedly obsessed.

2. what is your horoscope & how do you relate to it?

i'm a virgo, which is reflected in how exacting i am. i avoid the word 'perfectionist', but admit there is a lot of order in my version of chaos. i think it shows in the way i dress ~ my style is kooky but in an unusually clean way. it's also evident in my designs ~ what is made to look haphazard is actually very precise.

3. what are you wearing today?

a printed blue satin t-shirt dress from target's go international line. originally, it was majorly muumuu style ~ awkwardly long length, huge stiff sleeves ~ but i saw in it some serious marni potential (i'm always assimilating styling suggestions from that collection). so i bought it (for around $20), chopped off the hem, and hand-pleated the sleeves. now it's a cheap + chic summer staple!

4. what was the last thing you bought?

12by12 harem pants & christian louboutin 'miss fourtune' shoes (both of which i wore yesterday).

5. what do you think about the person who tagged you?

with a name like 'style antagonist' i'd expect quite the attitude ~ but she's as sweet as they come!

6. what's for dinner?

it's too soon to tell, but if i had to place a bet i'd put my money on take-out from noodle studio in williamsburg. they have the best tofu green curry in town, and i eat it at least twice a week!

7. what's your favorite decade, fashion-wise?

i'm sort of partial to this mythical ideal decade ~ it would be a haute couture (ie: polyester-free) version of the 1970's, with a generous splash of the roaring 20's mixed in.

8. what are your must-haves for summer?

this time of year, i always carry a lovely folding fan in my purse. i also adore a pretty parasol ~ it's an extravagant yet practical accessory that you can only get away with from july through august!

9. what would you love to be able to afford?

a big, white, light-filled new york city loft, with a closet the size of my current quarters!!!

10. what is your favorite piece of clothing from your current wardrobe?

i've talked a lot on this blog about my favorite gold vintage jacket, which forever remains #1 in my world. i wish some designer would knock it off and send me one in every color! i guess i might just have to do it myself...

11. what is your dream job?

doing just what i'm doing ~ styling photos, designing jewelry, and writing this blog!

12. what's your favorite magazine?

italian vogue, followed closely by its french sister.

13. describe your personal style:

sort of 'palm beach eccentric' ~ like a madcap, blue-haired, bridge and brandy-loving granny (stuck in a 20-something shell). it's iris-apfel-aspirational:

14. which Beatle is your favorite?

the egyptian scarab (winks cheekily).

15. what are you proud of?

using my own two hands to make the world a prettier place.

---

(next up: i tag my beautiful blogger friend, what i wore. jessica, you're it!!!) / (updated to add: my twitter friend the village idiot. you're it too!)