Summer dressing: T-shirt dress

You can't have enough light fabrics for SoCal summer dressing. I scored this Jason Wu for Target jersey dress in the spring and am finally wearing it! No, it's not the 4th of July, but I think I've clearly established a "red, white & blue is good all summer" theme. And I'll wear anything that vaguely matches these shoes so I can wear them as often as possible. I found this awesome purse when I was in Korea last month. I wanted one similar that I'd seen on ModCloth, but then I came across this one for 1/10th of the price in Seoul and I had to have it. The only issue I have with T-shirt dresses is they have no shape. Gotta belt it. Otherwise, I feel like I'm wearing a muumuu or caftan, and this isn't Hawaii or Morocco. I cannot rock that. Happy summer day. :)

Made By Me: Blue jacket

New jacket. Blue Jacket. Vintage pattern, number 2 jacket. Another challenging project. Getting the right fit and getting everything to lay right is the hard part. I also added a small collar which was not in the pattern. I don't "love" it. It's alright. It's my own fault for making two light-weight, unlined jackets (a gray one from a few months ago). I think if I line them and use a heavier fabric, I'll have better results. Jackets need some weight.  But will I wear it? It's so warm out here in SoCal; I like to keep the fabrics light...
I have one more jacket project lined up... I'll keep you posted...
Have a great weekend.
Happy styling.

Vintage buttons - i LOVE them. I made a ring to match. :)

M.I.A. No More

What happened? I fell off the map for a bit. Overwhelmed at work, sadly. But I'm back in action. I'm traveling for work this week, so posts may be spotty. Scotland and England. Not a bad place to go for work. Not bad at all. This is a pic from last week, that I never got to post. A dress and jacket from my last ModCloth sale run. I love the different blues and the soft, silky fabrics (There's some cotton and some rayon in here, both very soft -- nice draping). Normally I'm one to wear pumps or heels in the office, but I just wanted to stick with blues and light fabrics, so I kept my TOMS on all day. This jacket has unusual details which is why I was drawn to it -- pleats along the bottom edge, a mandarin collar, off-white piping, and this crocheted-lace decorative applique on the back. UNIQUE! (which you all know is what I am always looking for in clothes/styling).

Vintage earrings, brass fans, from Cara Lyndon Jewelry

Made by me: Blue pants

I got this 70's suit pattern and started on my first jacket (a while ago...but I keep putting it down to start other things...).

I skipped ahead and made a pair of pants last week. Simple, plain, blue cotton, twill. Comfortable. Crazy wide-legs. I'm still figuring out how to style them (I'm pretty sure I can think of something other than a white shirt).

Hope you are inspired! You can do it, too!

60's Blue suit

Of course, I was inspired by "Joan" and wanted to make an early 60's style suit/dress. But I wanted separates that I could pair with other things. So I first made this skirt and then I made the top from a late 60's dress pattern They look good I think. Most people thought it was a dress and not 2 pieces, which is interesting. The top is too big (I used a larger pattern) so I need to take it in a bit. I prefer a very fitted/tailored look. I was going for a chic/ladies-who-lunch/60's-professional-dress look... but I'm feeling it is maybe a bit "old republican/first lady" kinda look. I suppose it is a very VERY fine line.

Blue Dot Dress

I'm still loving this thrift-store find. It's the drape of the dress that I think I love so much. It just flows and swishes in lovely ways. Now to find more ways to style it... My fave, of course, is the wide belt... (this one is new/used, from Urchin Vintage). Now that it's getting chilly in LA, I'll be adding cardigans and scarves to everything, including this dress. I'm also sewing a similarly flowy wrap dress out of some white-on-black polka dotted knit fabric. It'll be finished soon and I promise to share the pics!

Forever in Blue..

Money talks
But it don't sing and dance
And it don't walk
And long as I can have you
Here with me, I'd much rather be
Forever in blue jeans...    Oh, that Neil Diamond is a poet.

Went to see a tribute band a few nights ago...Hot August Night... very fun concert in the park.

After the blue polka dot dress, I thought I'd keep with a blue theme for the week and try to put together some blue ensembles. Here's today's...

White dress shirt, Theory; Skirt, Jean Paul Gautier for Target; necklace - LA flea market@Dodger Stadium