Time for another installment of safety pin alterations.
Safety pin alterations is for anyone who is lazy or just in a hurry or unsure if she (or he!) actually wants to fully alter something. All you need is a pack of saftey pins and whatever you're trying to alter. In part one of this series, I discussed how to create a bustle skirt from a circle or A-line skirt. (I forgot to mention it works better with a flowy skirt versus a stiff one, but I'm sure anyone who tried it figured that out and no real harm to try it out real quick.)
In part 2, I shall go over shortening a maxi pencil skirt. This is a real quicky.
1. Put skirt on inside out. 2. Grab bottom of skirt and pull it up to desired length. The fold shall be your hemline. 3. Safety pin in pin in place. (Note: START WITH FRONT or FARTHEST AWAY FROM ZIPPER!) 4. Then pull sides snug in and safety pin. Work your way to the back (or zipper). 5. There will be excess fabric. Leave excess fabric to hang over zipper area and pin to hold. 6. Take skirt off, flip it right side in, and voila! Your new skirt is done.
It results in a slightly bubbly hemline. (Both skirts are actually about a size or two too big for me. The white one fits better, so I bet the pink one is two sizes too big for me.)
Watch out that you don't safety pin your clothes. Pull the skirt away from you! This is probably good for short term. If you like to keep it permenently like this, you should sew it. I'm obligated to tell you this, even though I'm too lazy to fully sew it myself.
Oh, and those people who say bubble hemlines are no good for pear shaped (i.e. biggest/widest at your bum and hips) girls don't know what they're talking about. Experiment and find what works for you.
Pictures: click them to view them larger and get info. on where I got the something, etc. & I didn't realize I was wearing the same shirt with the two outfits I chose to show. They just show off the skirt the best! Honest...
Humans aren't the only ones with style. Today, I thought I'd showcase some stylish critters for some inspiration.
Some sharp looking werewolves. Love the color of that waistcoat with the jacket and shirt. Just a fantastic color.
Love for this cheetah's shirt. Again, great bold color, and you know I love my busy prints.
Anubis just looks cool. He IS a god, afterall. Gold and shiny blue were made for each other, and they are his colors.
Just like that red scarf on this chap. Compliments his fur tone beautifully.
Does that encourage you to wear that crazy concoction that you've whipped up somewhere in your dreams that involves that piece hidden in the back of your closet? Go know and put it on. If it goes over really badly, you can always say you lost a bet. If you've got more confidence and the energy to back it up, point out that you can wear what you want and you don't owe any one any explanations for your wardrobe choice. Quite honestly, most people are delighted by a fun outfit, although there are the usual sort (who I hope you don't particularly care for anyways) who will be mean-spirited about it.
Here's a few more folks to encourage you!
Look! It's Willy Wonka, sporting one of the coolest coats ever along with some pretty fly glasses and hat and let's not forget the cane, which is starting to make a come back as THE assesory to have. Or maybe I just really want one...
BTW, is it bad that I saw the movie and don't remember a thing from the actual movie except for the dancing oompa loompa?
And a Wicked Queen offering you the apple. Do you dare to take a bite?
Funded by all those folks I've been seeing around lately, asking for outfit advice (you know the answer!) and talking about not wearing items they love because of fear of others' gossiping, and of course,
Ivy Frozen
images: click them for more information and for a larger size. All of the pictures except the one of me at the top were taken at FURther Confusion 2007. And yes, that's a koala on my sweat shirt.
I've been strangely entranced by colors in movies.
1st up, O Brother, Where Art Thou?
It features a kind of pale, washed out, old photograph color scheme that reminds me of a lot of the colors that went down the catwalks for Spring this year and last year. (Of course, we got some neons going on this year...) The video is about four minutes and is actually a music video, not a clip, but I think it shows off what I was talking about. As for the rest of the movie, I vote you go see it if you haven't already. Thumbs up from me. It's a bit of a modernized take on Odysseus's voyage (and I love my Greek/Roman mythology) featuring three men escaping jail in the south in the 1930s. Our main man wants to get back to his wife, but there's additional subplot about them searching for treasure. Plus, you know it's a good movie when they consider color. That shows some time, effort, and love put into the movie, versus the quicky sequels and blockbusters done just to rake in as much money as possible. Great movie, and it features George Clooney. Who needs more reason than George C. to go see it?
Alright, movie two is Under the Tuscan Sun
That's the trailer for it. It's all faded since it was uploaded onto youtube, so it doesn't really show you the colors I was talking about, but it gives you an idea about what the movie is about. To help you mentally see the colors, think vibrant sunflowers. I love the rich, warm colors it uses, and the fact that it totally supports my fantasy version of Italy. When I'm middle aged, I want to be like Catherine (the woman with the black hat and ice cream cone in the trailer). She is so awesome! And the white dress that Diane Lane's character buys to go visit her love interest is my dream dress for trekking around Italy. This is another good movie. I like that it leaves you with a warm, fuzzy, "I can do it!" attitude kind Legally Blond, but it also has more of an older/wiser/"everything is not rainbows and pink bunnies but that's okay" feel, if you know what I mean.
Movie number three is The Promise
Once again, crummy youtube quality, but the trailer gives you some idea of what it's about and even youtube can't totally distroy the beauty of this film. Beautiful costumes and color schemes! Designers should take note of this film. If it was an add campaign, I'd totally want to buy almost every clothing item in it. They made rags look beautiful! They convinced me that all men should were pink, flowery robes with impracticle long tails that trail so gracefully on the floor. I wasn't quite sold on the men in feathery poet sleeves though. Of course, that was worn by the villain, along with silver eyeshadow. This movie certainly had some conventions common in anime.
As for the movie, much of it seems devoted to creating etherealy beautiful scenes with flowing fabrics. It's not exactly a bad thing since I've been dreaming about incredibly beautiful but also incredibly impracticle gowns made out of yards of flowy fabric that moves as if alive for a while now. The story was interesting and certainly creative as was the special effects, costumes, colors, everything. I felt the ending was a little sudden drop off though. It didn't quite leave me questionless. (Hard to explain without spoiling it.) One more scene could have fixed that. Also, the general's character seemed a little random/flat to me. Why does he feel that way? Oh, because that's what the story needs. He goes from being hard and cruel, to kind of noble, to a whiny/mopey/childish crybaby, and then to hard and cruel again. I just don't get him, and I think a little more insight into him would improve the movie. I'd still say it's worth seeing though. Just make sure to watch it subtitled as the English dub is as jarring and disturbing as they usually are. Plus, who really cares about that other stuff with all the pretty, pretty colors and ridulously beautiful clothes?
And to end, the Spring/Summer 07 Couture shows are going on now and it seems Galliano is loving those Asian looks too. I think it's automatically breathtakingly beautiful if you do a show with inspired by or of traditional Asian attire. Memoirs of a Geisha, The Promise, and now Galliano's Madame Butterfly inspired couture collection. I know the Promise is kind of an outlier since it's Chinese, but Memoirs of a Geisha starred many Chinese actresses and Galliano certainly didn't use all Japanese models, so we loop it together. All outliers, but all together.
And of course, this wouldn;t be a post in my blog if it did not include pictures of the me. In my last post, I showed my Spring and Middle Eastern Asian inspired looks.
He's one inspired by Japan, with the kimono sleave top and Asian dragon. I also double belted for that thick belt look, like the obi. Of course, wearing a fully Asian traditional dress inspired outfit isn't me, so I made it fun with lace and a flirty skirt. And this outfit doubly applies to today's post since the colors were carfully chosen to reflect my persona for the event this outfit was worn to. My persona was Ivy Frozen: Dragon, which is a white ice dragon with very sharp scales made to stand out with heavy black outlines and green eyes and horns. Note, I represented with black, white, and a touch of green.
You can kind of see the dragon depicted on me badge in the first picture, as drawn by my friend wearing the kitty ears in the picture on the right. She didn't make the black lines thick enough or the green dark enough, but that's okay. Easily remedied if she hadn't lamanated it before I saw it... Anywho, those are two of my best friends in the pics with me, MashiChan in the first and SabreKitty/Vampire Writer in the second. I'm feeling generous today, so I'll spread the spotlight.
My outfit: Click the first picture if you care.
I want you to be free, Don’t worry about me, And just like the movies, We play out our last scene,
I'm ready for spring. Maybe it's all the pictures of the Prada ads, sporting the turban, that have been all over the fashion blogs lately. Maybe it's the spring trend forcasting. Or maybe it's because I'm a spring baby.
It started inocently enough, with a fascniation with those wide pants with tiny feet sported by the shinigami of Bleach.
Then, it grasped a whole Asian theme.
It retracted, keeping it's whole Far East Meets Middle East thing, but pairing it down to an obi style belt and the shoes.
Then it went for gold! Total airy boho, fit for spring. Yes, Boho is spring, as black and white is winter, and mixed patterns are autumn.
Spring is the season for nice flowy looks that will blow so beautifully as the wind accosts them, and will swirl so beautifully while you freeze because spring is taking its sweet time to warm up to summer and leave winter behind.
It also seems those Prada ads have influenced me, since I'm rocking a headscarf. It's actually a pratical thing for spring, since it keeps your hair nice and safe from the wind. Plus, you can just throw on a headscarf if you have a bad hair day, and you can also don one when you're in a hurry. Headscarf, a dress, and some shades, and you look classicly chic when you were really just lazy or overslept or something.
Watch, when spring finally arrives, I'll be over the whole headscarf thing and complaining about my allergies while I whine for summer to arrive.
My outfits: click the pictures if you care. The date on my camera is wrong, so they day they were uploaded to flickr is closer, if not the date, I wore the outfit.
A Ram-Lamb, Ivy Frozen
P.S. Yes, I straightened my hair. It was upsetting me curly, not behaving right, so I decided to straigten for a bit. Usually when I go from straight to curly, my curls bounce back.
So, here's the obligatory optimistic post for 2007. It's going to be awesome. Global warming and all that.
Yay!
So, anywho, now that New Years is over, I'm ready for Valentines Day. Why, I do not know... It's not exactly like I have someone special to share it with or anything and it is a holiday for couples. Maybe it's just because I'm a pink bunnies and flying ponies kind of gal, and a holiday that celebrates love--the thing that makes the pink bunnies and flying ponies go 'round-- is worthy of my attention. Or maybe it's because I love to ham up holidays, you know dressing up and all that, and Valentines Day is one of those that lends to this.
Outfit (From 1/2): sweater- Aeropostale (gift from sis) I normally don't shop there, except for boxers. (Men's boxers are so much better than women's...), blouse- mom (70s/80s), jeans- Ross, socks- Walmart, red patent ballet flats and ribbon belt- Ebay
So this is THE OBLIGATORY Happy New Years post for 2007. So, Happy New Years! and all that jazz... I've never really been big on this holiday. Perhaps because I have yet to reach the optimal age for enjoying it i.e. drinking age.
But, since this isn't my favorite holiday, I shall not stiff you like other blogs. No, this post shall say more than just Happy New Year. It shall talk about wear that screams "Winter!" To me anyways... So without further ado:
I don't understand the whole "no white after labor day deal."
"White in winter?" she said. "Doncha know no white after Labor Day?"
What? White not in winter? It makes no sense to me. Winter is black and white and greys to me. In fact, my latest outfits have been pretty much white, black, and grays with a little color thrown in to keep it fun. I also admit to being date-ily challenged in that I thought Labor Day was in May. Or is that Veterans' Day? Too many holidays that I don't particularly care for except for the time they get me off. No disrespect to anyone who celebrates these holidays; I'm just being honest.
Back to my white is winter debate, Snow Queens wear white and creams, not whatever colors anyone who supports such a barbaric custom as no white after Labor Day thinks are winter. Jack Frost is white and blue. Snow is white and snow is winter.
Considering I live in an area of California that does not get snow except for that one year, I don't think my white boots should cause such an uproar. Global warming makes them make even more sense. I could see if I lived somewhere where it was all snowy and/or dirty, but I don't. White is winter.
The offending outfit:
So, what do you think?
My New Years Outfit: blue cape thingy- mom (70s/80s), white lacy cami- Ross, black pinstripe knickers- Marshalls, white ribbed tights- JC Penny, black round toe pumps with feather & bow & and broach detail- Waltz, silver lightning bolt necklace- LuLu's Fashion Lounge, gold fire/leaves brooch- Great grandma
Klimt happens to be my favorite artist, although I have random love for Monet. Klimt though has all the things I like in a painting. I love his use of patterns, his color palettes, the gold, and the subject. (Women are just funner to paint because we're curvy!) He also designed some clothes. So, yes, I do feel him as a kindred spirit.
I was introduced to his work by my art teacher in high school and she was spot on. I've used him as my artist of inspiration for several art projects, including the one above. (It would have been better if I had more time, but alas! I did not.)
Some of my outfits that remind me of Klimt:
These are more inspired by his time period (Late 1800s to Early 1900s). The last one is inspired a bit by his color pallettes, a lot of yellows, reds, and oranges.
These are all mixed patterns. I love mixed patterns! Much of my favorite music would appear as a mixed pattern outfit, I imagine. I love getting lost in all the tiny little rythms of various instruments in music. Mmmm.
And, my favorite dress here, which reminds of Klimt too. To me Klimt is Autumn, and you'll notice most of my Klimt-ish outfits are from then. The season of mixed patterns and fun colors.
My Outfits: Click the pictures and should be carried to a page with all the info.
You see it! It stands out even squeezed between all the other clothes on the rack. You wrinkle your in confusion, disgust, and yet, you are drawn to it. You pull it out and get a good look at it; it doean't look any better hanging from the rack. You have an urge to try it on. It's just so bizarre you must put it on just to clown around. On you, it's still bizzarre. You hop out of the dressing room and pose with impish lisense for your friends. When you return to the dressing room, you find it hard to take off. Not because it's complicated or too small, but the more you look at yourself in the mirror, the more you love it. Everyone will make fun of you; you're likely to be scoffed at by popular society. But you love it. So just wear it.
