Betty Boop!

I was going to give this dress away because it had short sleeves which were too tight... But- I loved the cut of the dress and couldn't bear it so I cut the sleeves off so now its a sleeveless dress! The other thing I did was unfold the collar to make it lay flat so it gave this beautiful vintage looking pointed bodice. My hair was going wild with the results of half done pin curls so I just pinned it up some and went out the door. At work I had 2 people comment that I was looking sort of Betty Boop! Love that! What do you think?

The Details:
Dress- Primark-London
Platforms- Steve Madden
Belt- vintage (came with a jacket from a consignment store)
Gold watch- estate sale piece from my Aunt Sandy

Photo of Betty Boop via Androgynous Soul.  

Flowers in the Wind

I found this huge bit of fabric at a local thrift store recently and knew I could do something interesting with it! The color made me think of doing a strong color blocked look. I love how the wind created these beautiful organic shapes- almost like flowers!

Outfit details:
Yellow top- thrifted
Purple fabric worn as a skirt- thrifted
Stretch mini skirt- (I tucked the fabric into this to secure it) Charlotte Russe
Earrings- Belk
Gladiators- Jessica Simpson

I had so much fun playing with fabric on this one! It was hard to choose a favorite. What's yours?
I'm sharing this on Ta-dah Tuesday!  

Makeup Bag Blues

This is the result of a makeup bag I got dirty but couldn't bear to throw away (hoarder!) So... I ripped the lining out which was the dirty part, took the zipper off, and was left with the outer fabric (which looks like a gabled roof) so I just kinda threw that on top of my head and secured with a bobby pin or two. I like the result- I think it ended up looking like a cross between a cloche and a juliet cap. I was loving the blues so of course had to have blue lips to match!

Oh, here's the bag if your wondering:

I added a flower clip here for another variation.
Hope this amuses you as much as it did me! :)
 Linking up at Ta-dah! Tuesday & Recycled Fashion Finds!

(No Sew) Refashion a Kids Dress into an Apron

I spied the most gorgeous little girls dress recently while thrifting with my Aunt Sandy and since I have no little girl to wear it, we thought it would be oh so easy to turn into an apron.

You want to look for these full-skirted dresses that already have a sash to tie in the back. Just check the zipper placement to be sure it can be cut where you want to.

All I did was:
1. Waited for my husband to be gone.
2. Got fabric scissors and cut the skirt off.
3. Tied it on and swirled around like mad, imagining myself as a 50s housewife.

If you know how to sew then you can figure out how to do this even better! A tip is to watch the size- we found another cute dress but it was too small to make a proper apron- just hold the skirt up to you and tie on and check that it covers the front enough. If your wondering, my dress was a size 6x.

There are so many dress options out there that would make darling aprons. We spied floral prints, frills, flounces, and beautiful taffeta plaids that would transport you into a gorgeous holiday hostess circa 1952!

Have you any other ideas or past projects for refashioning children's clothing?

Outfit Post: Inspired by India

I was feeling inspired by India and on a roll after the dinner party outfit recently...Here's something with a bit more color I threw on for dinner out with family in town.

When going for an Indian-inspired look- more is always MORE with color- as it's such a huge part of the culture. The sky's the limit- have fun experimenting with combining rich, vibrant colors together!

So I think I will take my own advice and really go for it with even more color next time- loving this second image especially:) Stay Tuned!

Details:
Silk dress (made in India :)- consignment store- gift from Therese
Pashmina scarf- gift from Therese
Elephant purse- thrifted
Gold choker- Steinmart
Wedges- Ralph Lauren via Macys (purchased with christmas gift card from Therese)

Image source for orange/pink here.

Image source for multi-color here. 

Lamp skirt DIY

I refashioned an old mini skirt into a lamp shade cover...



Exhibit A: inappropriately tiny skirt



Here's how you can:

1. Figure out what old shade you want to cover up or spruce up.
Measure how wide the top is and the length. (My medium sized shade was about 9 inches wide and 9.5 in length).

2. Find mini skirts.
The shorter the better- (think teen sizes). If you no longer have your old high school duds you may want to hit up local thrift shops! Look out for stretchy or adjustable waistbands that can fit over your shade's width & will cover the length. If not exact length you can add trim or cut it and add trim. Search out the color you would like and look for fabrics and textures that coordinate with the space. For the most part, the dressier the fabric the better. Don't forget that prints make a great impact as well as skirts with lots of detail like ruffles, tiers, lace, and so on.

3. Put a skirt on it.
Yep, that's it.

4. Accessorize if needed. 
Use brooches or trim applied with fabric glue to be done with it.

Outfit details:
Skirt- Abercrombie and Fitch (will be vintage in about 8 years)!


I look forward to sharing more DIY recycled projects in the future with you!
One disclaimer though:
I'm real lazy and will not spend oodles of time on any project. Another confession- I can't sew (yet). So in light of all this, any project I share will likely require minimal skill, time and effort. I am not about perfection- I just want the "look" and to go on with my life!

Dress up

Bored at midnight + Cycling cap raided from husbands closet + medal he won as a kid + gloves and top handed down to me from my mother-in-law + thrifted blue velour skirt =






I'm not even sure what this is!
But I do know that my favorite thing is this medal refashioned as a necklace! (And I'm not kidding either!)
-Jenn

Flamenco Re-Fashion

If you know me, you know I enjoy a good fashion challenge! So when I had literally five minutes to get ready to go to the theater to see a play with the in-laws and my husband for his birthday... creativity set in! As they say...necessity is the mother of all invention. (More of my thoughts on that later). We were visiting so I had very little with me (not completely true) and had to throw something together pronto! In this case, my eye was drawn to an old dance costume piece that my sister-in-law gave me a few days earlier as she was cleaning out her closet of old dance costumes (where are the rest of them??!!)

It was a black lace Flamenco style petticoat to be exact.

Out of sheer (literally) necessity, I added black leggings and then added the only decent dressy top I had in my suitcase. Usually I wear lots of all black but this time I actually wanted to show the color/texture contrast through the skirt so I chose this ivory top. I finished with a black stretch (thrift store) belt to tie it together, black 40s-inspired patent pumps (kensie girl), tied my hair back in a bun, and threw a cherry blossom behind my ear off the tree in the yard!

1940s pumps

When we snapped a few photos I imagined myself as a glamorous Latina Flamenco dancer..... :)

.

I love the movement you can create with these frills and ruffles!

So if your wondering what Flamenco is all about....
It's an expressive Spanish dance style that combines energetic footwork with dramatic arm and hand movements. The costume choice is strategic in enhancing the dance movements through the tight waist line with full skirt (or pencil skirt that fishtails out like this one) highlighting the hip movements. And don't forget all the flounces, frills and ruffles (even on the arms) that are so integral to emphasizing the drama of the dance.

 Other aspects of the Flamenco look are usually a low neckline with center-parted hair pulled back in a low chignon (to emphasize the neck) paired with accessories like hair flowers, scarves, large earrings (dangle or hoop), fans, beaded necklaces and rows of bangles.

Perhaps the most famous Flamenco fashionista, Carmen Miranda (1940s). Love the huge pile of beads and her signature head piece brings the look into fantasy land!

The flamenco dancer Manuela Vargas, 1963. Love the placement of her flowers. 60s cat eye makeup but her straight brows, spit curls and drop earrings are channeling a twenties vibe.

Left: 1951 Flamenco dress; Right: 1946 Flamenco-inspired evening ensemble.

Flamenco look with 20s finger-waved hair

OK, so I am now officially inspired...I see myself doing another look like this in the future with more color, drama, accessories, punch, just STUFF!

 

Image sources:
http://amare-habeo.tumblr.com
http://www.theduskzone.com
http://thespillblog.co.uk/2011/09/09/friday-night-flamenco-solo-artists-2/
http://rascalkosher.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html
http://www.farfetch.com/art187.aspx