I Heart T-Shirt Dresses

The t-shirt dress is a beautiful thing… comfortable, slouchy and a great layering piece! A few summers ago, I purchased an over-sized t-shirt dress from Old Navy for around $10. I still wear it now, and my collection of this staple item continues to grow. They are a season-less piece that everyone should have! You can wear it in the summer with a simple pair of sandals and chunky jewelry or in the winter with leggings and an over-sized cardi.

My current favorite tee dress is this one from American Apparel… I own it in black.

You can find the tee dress at all price ranges…

Love this silk one from Topshop! 60 pounds…

Basic Roll Cuff from Topshop… $22 pounds

Gap dress with scarf attached…

American Eagle Outfitters $24.99.

Alexander Wang’s is one of my favorites!

See By Chloe $385

DKNY Spring 09 Runway

I will be spending my entire weekend preparing for my Birthday Week!!

I drafted my pattern last night for my dress and made it in muslin… now onto the fashion fabric!

I hope you have an inspirational and creative weekend!

Glove Love

While at Home Depot last weekend, I saw a girl with a princess sleeve coat on and the most amazing pair of leather fingerless gloves! They were super tight and went all the way up passed her elbow, perfect for the short sleeve coat! I wanted to make my own pair or alter a pair of leather gloves… so I started rummaging through my drawers for my stash of vintage gloves. I did not come across any black leathers, but I did find these vintage gloves that I turned into half gloves.

My half gloves…

My beaded Easter Sunday half gloves… hehe

As seen at Patricia Field’s boutique and on Carrie Bradshaw in the Sex and the City movie.

Patricia Field’s gloves… $48

 Carrie’s half gloves

 

Finishing Touches

I have really been slacking on making things lately, partly because of furnishing my apartment  and partly because when my roomie moved into her own apartment she took her serger with her! Since I don’t have the luxury of finishing all of the raw edges of my garments with the simple over-lock stitch that the serger provides, I have to find new ways to keep from unraveling! So I turned to one of my favorite sewing books, which I bought in London is Couture Sewing Techniques by Claire B. Shaeffer. This book made me realize that the inside of your garments should be just as beautiful as the outside.

Although I have not mastered too many Couture sewing techniques, I did find beautiful ways to finish my raw edges…

One of my favorite ways to finish a garment is using French seams… I could not find an accurate image of them but it is great for sewing chiffon and other shear fabrics. (Sew wrong sides together 1/4″ and then right sides together 3/8″ on each seam).

I also found more ways here, with detailed pictures and directions.

Although these ways are very beautiful, they are much more time consuming! Who’s to say that the inside of the garment shouldn’t be as beautiful as the outside?! Do you have any favorite ways to finish your raw edges?

Birthday Wish List

Recently my mom asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and for the first time ever I was stumped! I know I need Art for the living room walls, but art is so subjective it is not something you ask for as a gift. So I did a little research on things that I would like for myself/my apartment….

While writing about John Derian earlier this week I found that he is doing a line for Target, and I fell in love with this alphabet tray…

 

Also, Spring is just around the corner and last summer I wore my gladiator sandals out in no time-so I need a new pair, these Sam Edelman sandals are the perfect neutral color and can be worn with any little summer frock!

 

And of course I still want Laird Borrelli’s Fashion Illustrations By Fashion Designers book that I didn’t get for Christmas…

Lil’ Bit of This, Lil’ Bit of That

As I posted last week, the Zig-Zag has me mesmerized so I picked up a few canvas’s at Blick Art Supply and a set of oil paints to create a simple zig-zag for my living room. I originally thought I would just find fabric and cover a canvas, but I’ve had no such luck. So here is my simple pink and white DIY zig-zag painting that is currently resting in my window, until I find a place for it on the blank walls…

Also, I found this amazing zig-zag scarf at Esprit (which is not a store I normally stop in, but while I was out shopping for work this caught my eye). It is very soft and great for when the temperature warms up a few degrees…

Also, yesterday in the mail I received a few early birthday gifts! One good thing about living in a different state than family and some friends is that your birthday lasts for about a month long!

My best friend Erica sent me a little surprise from Kate Spade…

 

It is so cute I just want to leave it hanging in my room!

 

Also, grams sent me some old photos of my great aunt and my great grandma. The quality of these photos are so great, and I love the scalloped edges around each photo. They look so statuesque in these photos!

 

And finally…I was flipping through the latest issue of Elle Magazine and I came across this slightly disturbing photograph of Kate Hudson. She looks great, but the kitchen floor she is sitting on is he EXACT SAME FLOOR that is in my mother’s house right now. I grew up with this kitchen floor!! We had our kitchen re-done and this floor installed in 1990… so crazy!

John Derian

One of my favorite little boutiques for home goods is John Derian’s which is conveniently located right down the block from my apartment! His store contains little treasures that have a nostalgic feel but are often times out of my price range. Some of my favorite things that he carries, but that I cannot afford are…

Moroccan Poufs $265

Hugo Guinness Prints… starting at $425

I am most in love with the underwear drawing!

I originally saw the underwear drawing on someones blog… forgive me because I cannot remember where, but here is the image I fell in love with at first sight…

Not knowing that this was an artist, I assumed it was just a drawing someone had done and found amusing so they framed it. I apologize Mr. Guinness but I had my boyfriend re-create it for me and I put a hot pink background behind it and framed it for myself. It wasn’t until I walked into John Derian’s boutique and saw the underwear and all the other amazing images hanging on the wall that I realized you were a very talented artist. Here is my recreation…

Also, I found these ceramic dipped tin cans that were so amazing, and very pricey!

Wanting these lovely little tin cans I decided to do a little DIY project, here are my before cans….

And After…

The items that I did pick up at the John Derian boutique were post cards, one of the only things I could afford! Here are the ones I bought for $1.50 each…

Birthday Dress Inspiration

I have been so caught up in furnishing and decorating my apartment, I haven’t stopped to make any new clothes. I have also been very good and I haven’t purchased any new clothes either, and for those of you who know me well… that is a very big deal! So my 24th birthday is coming up in a few weeks and not only do I want to have my living room, kitchen and bathroom complete but I also want to make a dress to wear for the big day! Since the rooms are almost completed (art on the walls will be the cherry on top), I have been brainstorming ideas for my birthday dress. Here are some inspirational images for my birthday look…

If I took the 3rd tier off this would be a wonderful and adorable birthday dress… the color and fabric would be different of course!

Love this silhouette, although it may be a little too conservative for birthday fun!

I love the draping of the skirt, I would change the neckline though…

This dress by Halston looks like it would be comfy to dance the whole night away!

Although Navy Blue is not the color I picture my birthday dress in, the cape-like back detail on this dress adds lots of drama!

Knit and Woven Mix

A huge trend that we have been seeing for a few seasons now is knit and woven mixed garments. They have the comfort of a knit but the woven brings a little elegant detail. These can be dressed up for night time or worn with boots or sandals for daytime casual. Here are some of my favorites that I have found recently…

I love this dress, found here at the cutest french blog!

I want to make a version of this! So comfy and cute!!

Knit and Woven perfect winter look…

A few Spring looks to get us through these cold months…

Zooey Deschanel Style

After going to the screening of Yes Man! I was reminded of how much I love Zooey Deschanel. She has a wonderful voice… as seen in Elf and Yes Man and she has incredible style! Here are some of my favorite Zooey images…

And this month she is on the cover of Domino!  

Zig-Zag, You Don’t Stop

Zig Zag prints are showing up everywhere, from home furnishings to fashion.

Missoni is best known for the multi-colored zig-zag, but these days everyone seams to be doing it!

I want this fun and easy-on-the-eyes print in my new living room, I just have to find the perfect one… Rubie Green’s East Village print is my favorite!

 

 

Easy Breezy Spring Colors

 This month’s Teen Vogue was packed with great photo shoots and interesting color combinations. My favorite was filled with muted colors and liberty prints…

 

 Another fun and quirky spread that was featured this month in Teen Vogue put a new twist on khaki… I am not one for khaki but some of these looks are cute!

Pre-Fall 09 Rachel Roy-Zero Maria Cornejo

I think my favorite Pre-Fall 09 Collection is Rachel Roy’s…

Rachel Roy Pre-Fall 09

Rag & Bone Pre-Fall 09

Vera Wang Pre-Fall 09

Versace Pre-Fall 09

Alexander Wang Pre-Fall 09

Zac Posen Pre-Fall 09

Is this taking place in Soho’s Balthazar restaurant? Looks like it!

 Zero Maria Cornejo Pre-Fall 09

Pre-Fall 09 J.Mendel-Oscar de la Renta

I want to dress like the Nicole Miller collection, comfy/chic… love it!

J. Mendel Pre-Fall 09

Missoni Pre-Fall 09

Nicole Miller Pre-Fall 09

Pre-Fall 09 Burberry-Doo.Ri

Here are some more Pre-Fall 09 looks to fall in love with!

Burberry Pre-Fall 09

Chanel Pre-Fall 09

Donna Karen Pre-Fall 09

 

 

 

Doo.Ri Pre-Fall 09

Pretty Pre-Fall 09

I love the Pre-Fall collections because they are usually significantly smaller than the large Spring and Fall shows and there is more of a focus to the collection. Here are some of the collections that I only loved a few special pieces…

Carolina Herrera Pre-Fall 09

Diane Von Furstenburg Pre-Fall 09 

Isaac Mizrahi Pre-Fall 09

Monique Lhullier Pre-Fall 09

Naeem Khan Pre-Fall 09

Narciso Rodriguez Pre-Fall 09

Giorgio Armani Pre-Fall 09

 

Madonna for LV

Madonna moves for Louis Vuitton. I love the colors and the feeling of this ad! 

Not sure that her leg up poses really go with the old school diner, but she looks great!

Stylish Couple: Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan

Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan tied the knot this past September in San Francisco. Both men are inspirational in their respective design worlds. I am sure they continue to inspire each other every day. I know that recently I have been inspired by Jonathan Adler’s interiors as I slowly pull together my apartment. As for Simon Doonan, he has inspired me through out my fashion life. His writing is quirky and easy to relate to. Together they make a beautifully stylish couple. 

Here are some photos of their home, mostly decorated by Adler…

Jonathan Adler’s pottery…

Some window displays by Simon Doonan.

I am very happy for them and look forward to their future work!