Boy do I feel silly.
Not exactly how you expect an outfit post to start, huh? Well I realized a day after posting once again about my love for strapless summer dresses, a la late 40s/early 50s, I already owned something very similar. Well, not exact, but nothing that a little tuck here and there wouldn’t fix for the day. Enter this lovely 50s sundress I made two years ago—do you see what I’m getting at? Just tuck the straps into the bodice and voila! Instant strapless dress. Some times I don’t see the sartorial forest through the trees, so to speak!
dress: made by me | belt: thrifted | purse: TJ Maxx | earrings/bracelet: made by me/vintage find | sunglasses: Urban Outfitters | ballet flats: Bakers
I wore this to run some errands, a super-quick stop at my favorite thrift store (only got a couple things–including two fantastic scarves!), and go to a picnic with SH. Whew. I opted for ballet flats to wear since I was going to be running a lot of errands, although if I had my druthers I’d have picked brown sandals instead —but I don’t own any in brown. Mine footwear definitely isn’t as fantastic as the one lady’s strappy sandals in this photo. Need to beef up my flat sandal collection, I guess!
I also mimicked the ladies’ lovely high bun hairstyles… Sort of! My hair is so long right now, it just looked silly piled up in one large bun-twist. So I separated two sections from the back and braided those, and then wrapped those around the base of the bun. Looks a bit more polished and certainly helped keep all my hair in place!
What have you been wearing lately that you just love? Any particular garment that keeps calling to you and you pick often?
June 20, 2011 ·
53 lovely thoughts
posted in outfits + wardrobe
· tags: 2011 wardrobe, outfits
weekly visual moodboard be sure to click on the image to view the lovely sources!
Hello! My apologies this is up so late; I managed to get one of my once-in-a-blue moon migraine headaches late yesterday afternoon before I wrapped up the prep work for this. So staring at a computer screen was the last thing I wanted to do! Aside from the 36-hour migraine, we’ve been busy enjoying the beautiful (though hot) weather and some much-needed time together. I got a teeny bit of sewing in before the headache hit–which will hopefully mean something to show you next week (and perhaps a tutorial!). How has your weekend been?
- Dresses reusing feedsacks as the main fabric (a practice dating to the 30s and 40s) have always been of interest to me–they’re so pretty and thrifty!
- Making a terrarium sounds like the sort of small-scale gardening I can handle. (Small plastic dinosaur optional.)
- It seems like every other couple I know right now is expecting, and I loved this list of practical new mama supplies–gleaned a few good “post birth” gift ideas!
- Have you seen the beautiful Hollywood movie costumes being auctioned off from Debbie Reynold’s person collection? I love this roundup of pieces at Penny Dreadful.
- Ever used fabric that has a stubborn crease line that just won’t go away–no matter how much you press it? Tasia gives three tips on working around that.
In other news round the blogosphere, have you read Gala’s series on body image pressures within blogging? In case you hadn’t, you can read parts one, two and three. It’s a mixture of Gala’s own thoughts on the “young, skinny and pretty” pressures that seem to be creeping into the style blogging world of late. (Just as a note: I don’t consider myself a “style” blogger, simply because I have so many things I love to blog about. But since I do occasionally put up purely outfit-centric posts and certainly follow many fashion bloggers, I have run across this and am glad to see someone of following starting a dialogue about it.) A lot of interesting thoughts and opinions–it certainly got me thinking about some of the “unsaid standards” within fashion blogging.
Hope you’re having a lovely day!
June 19, 2011 ·
19 lovely thoughts
posted in links
· tags: weekly inspiration
Shorts season is definitely here. Typically, I tend to shy away from shorts because I really am never totally comfortable in them like I am a skirt. Last summer when I made the Wearing History 40s Sailor Playsuit pattern, I completely fell in love with the shorts—and have worn them many, many times. For the first time I felt like they were flattering, hit the right length and were comfortable (I hate shorts that are too tight).
Last month I pulled out the trusty WH pattern again and decided to make the shorts with a few easy modifications. I eliminated the side button plackets for a side seam zipper as I felt the fit and finish would be a more more subtle and versatile this way. I also left off the pocket, though in retrospect I wish I had used welt pockets on the front instead—live and learn! The fabric is a mid-weight rayon I reclaimed from a thrifted skirt (since I need more skirts like a hole in my head). Funnily enough, the zipper I used was also a thrift find, so these sorts were made for next to nothing—my kind of sewing project!
There is nothing really earth-shattering about these (except maybe that they remind me of the shorts Rita is wearing in this photo), but again I feel extremely comfortable in them. Not to mention now I have shorts that go with so many other tops in my closet—not just what went with the nautical navy blue ones from last year. Now just to tackle the denim shorts on my to-sew list! I picked up 1 yard of denim before I had to go out of town and need to finalize my design ideas. Since I like pockets—but don’t want to add bulk over my hips with in-seam pockets—I think I’m going to go with welt pockets. I’ve been eying Patty’s tutorial for shaped welt pockets and I think denim shorts might just be the project to use them on.
In the meantime–until I get to making those, here are a few images I pulled from my files that I thought would be apropos for this post!
Betty Grable | Elizabeth Taylor | Lauren Bacall | Ginger Rogers | Rita Hayworth | Audrey Hepburn
June 15, 2011 ·
47 lovely thoughts
posted in sewing
· tags: 2011 sewing, 2011wardrobe, sewing, wearing history patterns
A shared emotion that came up in the comments on the dress I posted last week was the idea that knits are scary. Admittedly, I have sewn with knits in years past—so I cam not a complete novice (see examples here and here). But for the past couple years—and certainly since I got my serger (which is supposed to make sewing knits easier!)—I have avoided them. Why is this? I think partly because many of the styles I was drawn toward were suited or required woven fabric. But there was also this lurking fear that I didn’t know what the heck I was doing when sewing knits (true—though I have since buried my nose in various books and learnt quite a bit), and that any project undertaken with said fabric would end up homemade looking or in the scrap heap.
Is is the slinky, stretchable (length and crosswise!) tendencies of knits that frightened the initiated? Or maybe that so many books say you must use a serger (though a zig-zag works well for those without the extra machine)? Are you just not interested in knits altogether?
Perhaps you’re in the opposite camp—you adore sewing with knit fabric! You fearlessly whip up project after project and have a passel of tricks to make your garments look clean and polished. Is this you?
I’d love to hear from both sides of the knit debate! I’m curious to know if there is a majority on either side…
June 14, 2011 ·
67 lovely thoughts
posted in sewing
· tags: sewing
