long sleeve

Forever 21 dress, Steve Madden heels

Was feeling a bit uninspired looking in my closet this morning. I stumbled upon this dress though and realized I never posted about it on the blog. Its from Forever 21 and the fact that its a dress with long sleeves is what sold me. It's also made of wool, so at night you can throw on stockings and actually be warm. Any form of shoulder pads are a plus too, of course. Perfect for fall!

fences

Nasty Gal blazer, Forever21 shorts, Old Navy Blouse

Surprisingly, my legs are somewhat darker than this blazer (which happens to be a bit more cream than pictured). I'm not one to bask in the sun.

loafing around, late on the trend

(Black and white print $90 Aldo, Black patent on sale for $79.95 Steve Madden, Magenta Croquet $69.95 Steve Madden, ASOS Morgan loafers on sale for $72.78)

Loafers have been in style for a bit of time now but I'm just starting to get interested in them, despite their closeness to boat shoes...not my favorite. Not quite sure what it was (maybe those chic ladies below?), but at while in Aldo the other day I noticed some and decided it just might be my time to try them. But of course, an internet round up must always come first before the purchase. A vital step that must never be forgotten!

Vanessa of The Haute Pursuit in her pair!

Nicole of Gary Pepper Vintage in her loafers!

walking billboard

Forever 21 jacket, sweater, and shorts, H&M boots

I'm like a walking billboard for Forever 21 right now. They may happen to be the queen of disposable fashion, but you really can find pieces there that will be in trend for a while (that is, as long as the garment will last).

gatekeeper

Paige jeans, H&M boots, Urban Outfitters purse, Style Stalker jacket, Self knitted headband

Every time I go to the mall I can't help but think of that hilarious rap song that goes, "Meet me at da mall..." This is usually thought alone in my head or, depending who i'm with, unfortunately out loud. I went scouring through said mall for some long coats and bell bottoms. It seriously took me about six or so stores still I finally found the bell bottoms in Bebe of all places. Like I've said before! Don't put a store out of your radar!

postponed

H&M shirt, Kasil shorts, Urban Outfitters boots

Today's shoot has been pushed back a week, giving me more time to get myself plenty of options. I still can't seem to find cute bell bottom jeans offline and at a reasonable price. I'm making it my next sewing project, along with the new idea I have for the cape. Also contemplating selling the new version of said cape!

preparation

ASOS skirt, Free People sweater, Steve Madden heels, Thrift-ed shades

Ran to some thrift stores yesterday to try and final some final pieces for the shoot on Sunday. I suppose watching the Rachel Zoe Project really made me feel like I didn't have enough options, but also made me really excited! Can't wait!

sophisticated

Rachel Zoe Hutton, Farrah Flare, Ella Moss Devon

This whole revival of the sophisticated/updated seventies (is that possible?) is making me really want some flared bell bottoms. Oh, remembering the days I swore off anything but skinny jeans.

therapeutic

Self made skirt, ASOS boots, thrifted 3.1 Phillip Lim blouse

I had enough fabric left over to remake the black ASOS skirt I got. I finished it a couple days ago, and when I knew my friend Shelley was coming down I knew I wanted her to shoot it for me! You can check out her blog, Therapeutic Smiles. She even taught me some things about my camera I didn't know (oops!) Thanks Shelley!!

lightweight

In Love With Fashion dress, Urban Outfitters boots, Ralph Lauren purse

I'm sure you've seen this dress on a few fashion bloggers but let me tell you... it is so soft and comfortable! Not to mention the color is gorgeous. The thing that I enjoy most about the high low trend is that its super easy to feel fashionable in. It's also a somewhat surprising piece outside of the internet ring of bloggers. This purse is my mothers...she snagged it about 6 years ago and I love it so much. Where did she get it of all places? Costco. Never put one store past your radar!

Lace Bell Bottoms Tutorial

Alright! Time for some DIY! Remember these crazy lace bell bottoms that Bonadrag sells? Super awesome, but it isn't a usual thing that I have an extra $140 taking up space in my bank account. What are we to do? Make our own! I made my pair for about under $30 and it was super easy!

Materials

1. Thread
2. 2 yards of lace (Any color, of course. My lace isn't stretchy.)
3. Shorts (to sew the lace legs to)
4. Skinny jeans & Flared jeans
5. Paper
6. Pins

The first thing that I noticed about the pants is that they are tight to your leg until right under the knee. To get my size correct, I took my pair of skinny jeans and put them on top of the flared jeans. Then I traced the shape on to some paper (you don't need the jeans to get the shape, you could eyeball it if you'd like). Remember to add a seam allowance on the sides of your pattern. You need the seam allowance in order to give yourself space to sew. If you don't, the garment will be smaller than intended!

Take your pattern and lay it onto the fabric. You can either pin the pattern to the fabric or use pattern weights. Now cut! You need to cut four pieces of this pattern shape.

self made cape, now in camel!

Self made cape, ASOS boots, In Love With Fashion dress

I was super excited to make the cape again, but this time in a camel color. Not only in camel, but I actually lined this one! I'm super proud of that fact because it feel like something you would actually buy (hehe). I'm working on revamping the cape pattern a bit...I want to do something different with the collar part, along with making it so there aren't seams on the side of the shoulders. Maybe something along the lines of this? The dress I wore underneath was sent to me by In Love With Fashion and I love it. The dress is super soft and the wrap around the chest is really chic. Not only can I wear it any time, day or night, I can wear it to work! Thanks In Love With Fashion!

inspiration 10/01/11

Pulled some images for an upcoming photo shoot idea that I want to do. It's coming up in a couple weeks so I'm still feeling out the mood. Location is set, but I haven't exactly picked a specific theme to go with. The easy decision of course is big hair and heavy eye makeup. I'm open to suggestions!