A summer trend: off the shoulder

I've been seeing a lot of off-the-shoulder tops and dresses lately and I have to say I'm really loving this trend! I love wearing tops with a wide neckline or ones where the neckline dips lower in the back. I find them super flattering on. So the other day I decided to draft my own blouse and see how I like it. I think I want to make a few tweaks to the pattern, perhaps make one that isn't so "blousy," and one that buttons up the front as well. But I think this top will be really nice and cool to wear in the summer. Let me know if anyone would be interested in a pattern like this. I might throw it together as a quick PDF download (although I do have another top pattern in the works that is just about ready)! xo

purse::bag::handbag::whatever

I've been compiling some pictures of bags that have caught my eye in the last week or so. As I mentioned in a previous post, I am in dire need of a new purse. I love the one I've got, but the seams are starting to rip open and I figured if I am ever going to take a pattern off of it, it's going to be the easiest if I take the whole thing apart. So before I do that I'd like to have a bag to take its place. Knowing me, I'd take the bag apart and then lose interest for a couple of weeks. Besides, I'm ready for a different style.

Here are some pictures of the purses that I may want to replicate. They aren't all high quality bags, but for some reason I like the shape or the fabrics used. I am really leaning towards the one made with the plaid wool, though I adore leather purses. I'm just not sure I have enough leather to make one fully of leather. Perhaps I will break and get one of those cheap imitation purses from forever21, only I know I'll regret it because there's a huge difference between faux leather and real leather. But I must say, they don't look that bad from the pictures.


Lovely handmade bag which was found on Simply Olive.





















Image from The Sartorialist. Love love love the bright red color. Wish I had some red leather sitting around. Or come to think of it, a nice green wouldn't be a bad idea either. Always need a bit of color to brighten my life. :)
















This is the bag I'm thinking will be the easiest to copy. Plus it sort of reminds me of those old carpet bags from the 19th century. Only problem is what fabric to use. I have some nice wool which I thrifted awhile back that may be a good candidate for this. There should be just enough wool for a bag, but I'm not sure I want to use this particular wool for this project. I rather thought it would make a nice jacket. It's made of two narrow woven stripes of dark and light gray. So it's not exactly as bright or colorful as this orangey plaid. I do have some burgundy/cream patterned wool that may actually work better. Oh, decisions decisions!



Another image swiped from the Sartorialist. I thought about doing a simple patchwork similar to this. I have some nice velvet in my stash that would work. I thought about using velvet for one color and maybe wool for another. Eh, but I'm not sure that I really really want a bag like this.














When it comes down to it, I do prefer an all-leather bag over cloth. Of course this is another one of those cheap imitations from forever21 and I think I do like the brown one up top a little better than this one. But my biggest fear is that if I were to get a cheap bag like this, I would regret not making my own bag with the materials that I've got. Thus saving me money and making me feel a heck of a lot better about using what I have (that includes these two hands here, which are blessed with the ability to handle a needle...) I've gotta say, there's something about making my own garments that give me great joy and satisfaction. I believe in today's society we buy far too much STUFF and forget about that which we have sitting around our house. I know I can make my own bag, it will just take a little bit of my time and patience. And what's so bad about learning a little patience?

Okay, enough ranting about that! I could go on forever on that topic. whew. I've got a cupping to go to in about an hour and lots to do before then. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. I know I sure am!

i'm in love

Yesterday I discovered minä perhonen on Lena Corwin's blog. Wow. So much inspiration on that site. I'm absolutely in love with every single garment. The fabric is just wonderful. Last night I got out a little notebook and started sketching some ideas that popped into my head after perusing all the lovely images on that website. I'm thinking of adding some hand embroidery to garments I make for myself. Nothing too elaborate. I'm still thinking about what I really want to do. I'd love to screen print some small geometric designs on fabric as well. Hmm...I suppose it's all just a jumbled mess in my head. As per usual. :) Hope everyone is having a lovely week. Here are a few pictures I took this week.

::my:: style...or is it?

For a long time I've been saving pictures from the internet when I see something I adore. I love street style blogs. I especially am drawn to blogs from Sweden, such as Stockholm Streetstyle. It's fun, different and it's what people are actually wearing. I never got into runway fashions. I tried, but I could never quite see them like others can. Besides all that, I don't really care a fig what people on the runway are wearing or what is in high fashion. I care what I like and what will show my personality.

I still have a hard time figuring out what ::my:: style actually is. Lately I've found that I really love greys, blacks, browns and tans. (I think it's a cold weather thing.) But those are so boring! I feel like I need a splash of color in there, but I'm not exactly sure how to do that without making myself look...kitsch. (Is that even the word I'm looking for??) Or even worse, teeny-bopper style. I don't want to look like I stepped right out of junior high, but sometimes that's the way I feel when I wear bright or bold colors. I will say that some people can pull off that look. I don't think I can very well. I really love prints and interesting fabric. So when I look for color and variation, I tend to go for the vintage prints. I guess that's because I am a seamstress and fabric is my love. :)

Okay, now for some pictures to illustrate...

Gary Graham:

This style is one of those which I'm not sure I could pull off, but I love it nonetheless. The middle dress looks almost like it had been pulled out from the 1890s and updated slightly to fit into the 21st century. I guess the old worn out look of these clothes appeal to me.

nemrešpobjećodnedjel je:

Out of all the wardrobe_remixers, she has got to be my favorite dresser of all time. She knows how to put an outfit together using lots of color, but they always seem to just go well together no matter how many colors she uses. I couldn't wear everything she puts on, but that's what makes everyone unique. Her style is top notch. It's fun, classy and just looks really good on her! She's one of those people I see who really knows what she likes and isn't afraid of wearing it.



Impulse Seattle:
If I had the funds, pretty much all of my clothes would come from this place. The colors are maybe a little drab, but I really like that. And besides, you can always add color by wearing a pair of bold earrings, bright tights or scarf. These clothes are amazing. Simply put. ;-)




While we're at it, let's talk about shoes. I'm going to say my favorite shoe designer today would have to be Chie Mihara. I think I love her shoes so much because they definitely have a vintage 1920s and '30s look to them. But I also like how she uses bold colors in many of her designs. I definitely think shoes are one of the most important parts of a well dressed person. Without the correct shoes, your carefully put together outfit just won't look right. Shoes are one of the first things I notice on a person. Unfortunately, I can't get myself to shell out the moo it takes to acquire a pair of these gems. So I look for original shoes from the '30s and '40s on eBay and I'm always on the lookout at thrift stores too! Sometimes if I'm lucky I'll find a pair that actually fit my size 8.5 feet. Believe me, it is rare.

Just take a look at these pretties:




Also a love of mine these days are jeans. As simple as that sounds, jeans are a big deal. I am still in love with skinny jeans, as much as everyone hates them these days. I don't think only "skinny" people can pull them off either. But I will say they aren't for everyone. I like them, so I wear them and I don't care what others think. In my opinion "flares" are out. I hate them. They're what I wore in junior high and all through high school. They're finished as far as I'm concerned. But that's just my opinion. ;-) When I look for a pair of jeans there are a few things I will look for: Dark colors such as deep indigo, black, brown or light colors such as grey, but I'll usually go for the darker grey than lighter. I also am not a fan of stone wash jeans right now. But that's just my preference. And I've never been a fan of worn and ripped jeans. There's no point in going to the store to buy a new pair of jeans that are ripped, torn and stonewashed to death. (Now just watch me...next year I'll be sporting a pair of stonewashed jeans...hahaha.) Next I look for how well they fit. I like my jeans well fitted, but not so tight that it looks like I'm going to pop out of them any second. I like to be comfortable, but I like them to fit.

At the moment I'm on the lookout for a pair of high waisted jeans. I like both high waisted skinny jeans and high waisted wide legs, but not TOO wide. The only ones I've seen at the stores are so wide I feel like I could get two pairs of pants out of each leg. geez. Here are a few pairs I am coveting, which of course I will never purchase because the price tag is well over $200. ouch. Wish I could remember the designer for those of you who actually spend that kind of money on jeans...




Oh boy, I feel like there's still so much more to talk about! I guess I'll stop here and write more later. This will give me reason to come back and blog again! I hope this gives you a bit of inspiration for your wardrobes. As for me? I'm still wondering how to incorporate all the different styles I adore so much and how to wear them myself. :)