[ about town dress here; nantucket necklace here; alisma headband here; reposing cloud cardigan here; riveted skirt here. ]
After mouthing off that I hadn’t seen anything terribly inspiring from Anthropologie last week, I had to eat my words! I feel like I’m the most wishy-washy gal when it comes to fashion. lol! I spent a hour or so Saturday browsing around the site, and I found a handful of designs that I’m loving and I think are fantastic ideas for my current style conundrum. Namely that fall is approaching and it happens to be my favorite season style-wise. But, I wonder, how can I integrate some fall flair into my wardrobe with the temperatures still in the 90s outside?
[ bold boutonniere dress here; blooming bow bag here; scaffolding mary janes here.]
I have never really been able to afford Anthropologie prices, and now it’s a shop that is really out of my budget. I love to go “style hunting” though; whether walking through the store, browsing the beautiful catalogs or website, I find I can usually cull a few ideas that I can adapt for my own needs. So as I’ve been daydreaming about the perfect, cross-over fall wardrobe (one that works in the heat, but still evokes the feeling of autumn!), I’ve been gathering up ideas for things I could do myself (on a teeny budget).
Now I’m off to finish my Monday housework and then go do some sewing! I spent most of Sunday morning and afternoon working on the 1940s shirtwaist dress I’m making, and I made quite a bit of progress. Enough so that I can safely say I’m coming down the home stretch on this project! Just a few more seams, hemming and making the belt. I can’t wait to show it to you!
August 31, 2009 ·
20 lovely thoughts
posted in casey's musings
· tags: style inspiration, window shopping
[ click for a larger view of these wonderful images & sources! ]
Whew! I’m glad it’s Friday; are you? This week has been careening along at full speed ahead, and I’m ready for a couple days to sit down and catch up on things (sewing among them). This week I managed to do things from a massive house clean/organizing (always good!) to having my friend D. over yesterday to help her make her kid’s Halloween costumes. The latter was really, really fun, although I started to loose my voice a bit last night after all the talking we did. haha! We’re making the girl’s costumes; she’s working on a Tinkerbell for her younger daughter and I’m making the Wendy costume for the oldest. They’re turning out so cute!
Of course, the sewing yesterday has kicked me back into “full speed ahead!” mode with my sewing (it got pushed aside last week). One of the few things I found while on Wednesday’s thrifting trip was a 40s shirtwaist pattern. I’ve been working on drafting my own, but this one was almost the right size and pretty much exactly what I wanted. So instead of spending more time drafting my own pattern, I’m just going with the vintage pattern. Today’s job (among everything else I need to do! lol) is to modify a few things and get the fabric cut!
- Now that Mad Men is on with a new season, I’ve been enjoying all the style posts popping up, including this one on 60s makeup looks!
- Bitten by the millinery bug yet? Be sure to take a gander at these instructions for making a 40s style sailor hat.
- “I spy with my little eye…” amazing 1940s hairstyles from the classic The Big Sleep.
- A bit of a specialized article, but helpful for those that reproduce garments from inspiration images: how to use a proportional scale tool.
[ click for a larger view. ]
I adore this pattern! I found it on Ebay recently, and not only did the design catch my eye, but the fact that there are little notes written on the envelope. I love the note “Irene’s wedding dress”, and wonder if the “pink” scribbling means that she had a pink wedding dress in this pattern? Wouldn’t that be divine?! Too, too fun!
Have a lovely weekend, dears!
August 28, 2009 ·
16 lovely thoughts
posted in casey's musings
· tags: vintage inspiration, weekly inspiration
[ trying on the romper. sorry for the fuzziness of the photos; I took them with my cell! ]
After a less-than-successful day of thrifting (two out of the 4 places I had on my list were closed!), I decided to swing by Anthropologie on a lark. You all know I have an obsession with Anthropologie and have years worth of their catalogs saved for inspiration alone! Going into the store is always a treat, since I love browsing not only the clothes and home goods, but soaking up the creative vibes. Although, I have to admit, lately Anthro hasn’t been thrilling me quite like it used to. But while I was wandering around, I spotted this adorable, Scottie print romper.
Yes, romper. The style that I love on other people, but have shied away from adding to my own wardrobe. I’ve been convinced that with all my “junk in the trunk”, I couldn’t wear one without looking ridiculous. This piece was so cute, I trotted off to the fitting rooms before I had a moment to give it a serious thought. Although this one was a size too big (they didn’t have my size in stock), I was delighted with how it did look. It just goes to show me that cut is everything. (Just like shade/tint is everything when it comes to wearing colors!) Sadly, this piece was a little too spendy for my wallet, but it still was fun to try on. Now I’m thinking how I could make a similar romper! lol. (I know–running away with my ideas again!) Seems like the perfect style for this Florida weather: the ease of a dress (one piece) with the coolness of shorts.
Have you ever had one of those “aha!” moments with a style you hadn’t tried before? I think it’s good to push yourself stylistically from time to time; it always opens up new possibilities for one’s wardrobe!
August 26, 2009 ·
25 lovely thoughts
posted in casey's musings
· tags: fashion
[ tailored and sporty blouses. click for image credits. ]
I’ve always felt like one of those girls who admire other gals who wear blouses, but always feel so awkward in one myself. It used to be the “tucking in factor”; it seemed that every blouse I wore as a teenager slowly worked it’s way out of the neatly tucked position in the skirt waistband I had placed it in before I left the house. Now as an adult (and thanks to wearing things that sit on my waist!), that isn’t the problem. Rather, I sometimes feel like a proper blouse is a bit too delicate for me and it intimidates me with it’s overtures of primness and togetherness! They don’t call me “Casey-the-Klutz” for nothing. lol. Yet, my closet is still filled with blouses–the siren call doesn’t exempt me!
[ sweet and feminine blouses. click for image credits. ]
On that personal style note (with far more about blouses and my personal style reservations than you ever wanted to know!), I decided to do a compilation post of blouse images. Despite my lack of gracefulness, I still want to wear (and sometimes do) the sweetly style pieces with bits of lace insertion or adorable bows. Blouses for me don’t just span one or two decades that I really love; I absolutely adore 1910s shirtwaist blouses along with sporty 40s numbers! However, in my not so humble opinion, I think that the 1930s really was the pinnacle of the Blouse World. Few decades have been able to encompass so many different variations on the basic blouse, and I think the preoccupation of the 30s with bias makes them even more special.
[ modern style mavens and their lovely blouses. click for image credits. ]
Tell me: do you like blouses, or prefer the more modern tshirt? Do they not fit into your lifestyle, or do you absolutely adore them? Do you like ‘em classic and sporty, or thoroughly romantic
August 25, 2009 ·
42 lovely thoughts
posted in casey's musings
· tags: style inspiration
