This time of year, between, say 8:10 and 8:35-ish in the evening on a clear day, the sun turns everything a very lovely soft golden color–so I cajoled FriendBoy into taking some pictures.

Forever21 tank, vintage skirt and belt, Ash shoes, bracelets from street vendor

Note the skirt from the flowered Madea-wannabe set I picked up at the theater warehouse sale. I thought about shortening it, but I’m really enjoying it as a long skirt.

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I finished another project! I bought this satin brocade suit at one of my favorite thrift haunts last year, and realized I hadn’t taken full advantage of it due to the ill-fitting skirt.

In a rare fit of domesticity, I decided to take it in myself instead of spending another 11 months pretending I’d take it to the tailor “someday.” Since I’m not clever enough to thread my sewing machine (the whole bobbin-catching-thread thing never works and the entire process stresses me out) I pinned it and took it in by hand! It was surprisingly relaxing, and took less than an hour.

Of course, I had to wear it the next day.

I enjoy these hands-on creative projects! I was inspired by Sanchez’s Challenge (where are you, girl?) and though I’m pretty sure I’m not disciplined enough to do a project every day, I think I’ll try to make it a point to do more projects that don’t involve using a computer. Sometimes it’s nice to get your hands dirty, you know?

Do you make things as a creative outlet? What do you make?

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Since the weather is back to 172% humidity and 97 degrees in the shade*, I had to take matters into my own hands…and wear short shorts.

Vintage blouse, belt, and necklaces; Forever21 shorts; Stetson hat; Ann Taylor bracelet; Charles David shoes

*That may not be completely accurate reporting. My bad.

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I found this dress at a random thrift store last year, but put off wearing it “until I get it altered.” Yeah, right. Like that was gonna happen.

Though I decided to forgo alterations, there are a few snags/holes in the crocheted bodice. Despite my amazing DIY skills,  I have no experience with needlework, so I did the next best thing: I covered the largest hole with a floral pin left over from my stash of “Sex and the City” relics. You remember the flower pin phase, right? Season 3-ish?

After that, it was just a matter of making the dress look more like a dress and less like Penny Lane’s maternity nightgown. To do that, add a belt and heels, et voila*!

Vintage dress, clutch, cuff bracelet. Steven heels, The Limited belt

Of course, FriendBoy asked if I was “planning to get married to Simon and/or Garfunkel in that getup,” but whatever. What does he know about style, anyway?

*I’ve seen several instances of people writing “wallah” or “wah-lah” in an attempt to convey this expression. Just FYI, my darlings, eet ees zee French word, non? So eet ees spelled “voila”, d’accord? Merci.

/pretentiousness

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Last weekend, I hit the warehouse sale put on by The Drama Workshop (thanks to Kasmira for the heads up!) and managed to snag a few pieces, my favorite being the long tweed duster and matching trousers that make me feel like a cross between Sherlock Holmes and an Yves St. Laurent devotee circa 1987. I seriously cannot wait to rock this look when the weather cools off!

I picked up another set, too: a floral print top and skirt combo looks like something Madea would wear. I liked the print and it was only $2, so I figured what the heck. Initially, I considered shortening the skirt, but now I think I’ll keep it long. Maybe…

The last thing I got was a long plaid skirt–I will shorten this, though I’m trying to think of something awesomely Alexander McQueen/Vivienne Westwood-inspired to do to it. I’m not sure what, though–any suggestions?

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These black and gray checked shorts used to be black and gray checked teacher pants, but at 97 degrees and 142.784% humidity, it’s just too hot for all that. I cut ‘em, cuffed ‘em, and went about my business!

Shorts, thrifted; top, Forever21; booties, Jeffrey Campbell; no-name bag & earrings

Do you switch things up when the weather is just too hot to bear?

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For some reason, wearing black and navy together makes one feel very French, n’est-ce pas?  Really, I think that particular combination makes both (neutral, sometimes boring) colors more interesting. They’re both integral to my wardrobe palette.

These pants (a result of the lazy DIY, if you recall) are so cool and breezy–perfect for the hot and humid weather we’ve been having. I added some cognac-colored leather accessories and gold jewelry for interest.

Tank, H+M; pants, thrifted; shoes, Ash; belt, The Limited; bag, Coccinelle; leaf necklace, Forever21; tassel necklace, vintage.

Man, I love summer!

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You will not believe this, but I finally did a DIY project! A very easy, sorta bootleg DIY project, but still… Trust me when I say this is a major accomplishment for someone as lazy busy as me.

The project

I bought a pair of black and white striped rayon pants at Goodwill last weekend (I was actually there to donate some stuff, but you know how that goes). They’re run-of-the-mill rayon, elastic waist, straight-leg pants–exactly what I was looking for, but I wanted to make them a bit more harem-ish:

Step 1

I rummaged through my dusty craft container and found a spool of  black satin ribbon, then grouped the pants, ribbon, and a bobby pin (more on that later) on the counter.

Step 2

I cut a small, (approx. 1/2 inch) vertical slit in the hem of the pants. These happened to have a pre-made slit, so I just sliced through it. Don’t bother measuring–it’s not that serious.

Step 3

Cut a length of ribbon approx. 2 times the circumference of the hem. Again, measurements are for losers–just eyeball it and you’ll be okay.

Now, this is where it gets bootleg: wrap one end of the ribbon around the bobby pin. This is what we’ll use as a “needle.”

Step 4

Thread the ribbon through the hem, in one side of the slit and out the other .* The bobby pin makes it easy to grasp the ribbon through the fabric, so just scrunch and pull until it comes through the other side:

Step 5

Now gather the hem, tie a bow et voila! Easy, comfy, pseudo-harem pants!

Rock ‘em and enjoy the breeze!

What do you think? Useful or extra-bootleg?

*That’s what she said.

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Watching Casablanca last weekend put me in the mood for a little suit action–but with a feminine touch.

The lacy blouse is was a Gunne Sax-ish Little House on the Prairie dress I picked up at a thrift store a while ago, which wound up hanging out in my trunk (aka “storage”) for the better part of a year. I finally dug it out and attacked the dress with a pair of scissors in a half-hearted attempt to create a skirt and top I could wear separately. Except I cut through the back zipper. Oops.

This is why I don’t DIY.

Vintage blouse, clutch, necklace and heels; thrifted trousers; VS blazer

Have a great weekend!

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Based on this post about changing style direction from leather and studs to softer and more feminine, I decided to pull a few items from the back of the closet to see if I could reappropriate all the gray and black into something a bit more douce.

Dress, Victoria’s Secret; sweater, H&M; tights, Forever21; socks, American Apparel; belt, vintage; earrings, The Little Mahatma

I see lots of grays and taupes in my future…What do you think?

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