Feb 14, 2011 | Media
Wow, I can’t express how incredibly flattered I am! And to think…just as I migrated my blog and everything looks cattywompus. I love that word – I’ll have to use it more often:-) Amazingly, Chic Steals was nominated in the “Favorite Fashion Blog” category….up against some heavy-hitters like The Fashion Insider and Honestly, WTF…cattywompus, I say!!
This was brought to my attention by the multi-talented superwoman that is Heather Mann, creator of Dollar Store Crafts (which, BTW, is also nominated for an award in the “Favorite Crafty Blog” section!!)
So please check out all of the nominees, votes for your faves and let your voice in DIY be heard….and if you feel so inclined, I’d love it if you could send a vote my way…;-)
xoxoxo
Carly
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Feb 12, 2011 | DIY
So Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week Fall 2011/12 has commenced and the shows are now well underway…and I’m following the coverage as it breaks. I’m a little sorry I can’t make it out there this time around, but there’s so much going on here I just can’t tear myself away. For now, following from a distance will just have to do…and I’m beginning to formulate some ideas for DIY’s straight off the runways for the upcoming Fall season.
However, as Spring is just around the corner here are some luxury-label pieces that have caught my eye…and that you could totally D.I.Y. Here’s the five-second rundown:
Marc Jacobs Tape Sweater
Quick How-To: Attach pieces of white sweatshirt fabric onto the front and back of a loose-knit beige sweater. Use black Duck Tape
to disguise the edges of the sweatshirt pieces (and tape another piece on the inside so it won’t stick to your skin through the loose-knit). Never wash this sweater again!
Miu Miu Tiered Lace Dress
Quick How-To: Take any mini sleeveless LBD sheath and stitch tiers of lace trim around it. (I believe this type of lace is called “Venise/Venice Lace” or “Guipure Lace.”) Sure, it’s fiddly, but it will get you exactly the same look for a whole lot less!
Coach Tangle Ball-Chain Framed Small Bag
Quick How-To: Use a small clutch purse frame that has holes in it for sewing onto your bag, and attach different types of ball chain, colored chains, oxidized chains, and rhinestone chains to the holes as you sew the bag body onto it. Alternatively, just use a clutch purse that has the style of frame you like, and attach the chains near the frame using jump rings or threading jewelry wire into the purse body to hold them on.
Quick How-To: Pick a pair of neutral pumps and add a thick layer of hot glue [gluesticks for general purpose, or for fabric/vinyl crafts if you can find it], pressing tiny shells like these and these into it before it dries. Do a single small area at a time since the hot glue dries super-fast! (Yes, this is one of the few times I will actually advocate using hot-glue in a wearable DIY! Also allowed in hair accessories and brooches.;-)
Quick How-To: Attach stick-on pyramid nailhead trim around a pair of old-school visor-style sunglasses
. Poke holes with an awl into the sides and add cone spikes through the holes.
Alexander Wang Plastic Necklace
Quick How-To: Two pieces of Crystal Clear shrink plastic, colored with a thin coat of green acrylic paint, cut into a collar-shape and attached with jump rings and chains. Easy-peasy!
Christian Dior Haute Couture Flocked Dress
Quick How-To: Take a vintage, long-sleeved dress (that’s already stiff) and add colored Craft Flock Fibers to one side of it to get this lovely textural feel. Trial and error is the name of the game!
See any brand-name items that you’re wondering how to DIY? Hit me up at carlyjcais at chic-steals dot com and lmk! I’ll include them in the next round of High-Fashion DIY’s!
xoxox
Carly
photo credits: net-a-porter.com, Fashionising.com, KeikoLynn.com, StantonJames.com, thefashionspot, wireimage.
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Feb 10, 2011 | Fashion
Hooded cargo vest: (bought at STEPS boutique in NYC)
LS black top, Rhinestone armor ring, Striped maxi-dress: Forever 21
(dress no longer available but this is the long-sleeved version of it)
Scroll ring: I forget
Vampire teeth ring: Icing by Claire’s
Ombre scarf: unknown (thrifted at Goodwill)
G-buckle velour belt: Guess (from like a million years ago)
Motorcycle boots: Zara
Wedding rings: Cartier platinum band + Tiffany’s solitaire diamond band
It’s still technically winter here in Oregon, which means layers and scarves…but I thought to wear a recent thrift store find in a way I normally wouldn’t wear a scarf. It’s like another layer: a cute topper for an outfit…but it technically isn’t a top. I love me those contradictions!
Just call me Baby G.
I paired the ombre scarf over a lightweight cargo vest I haven’t had the opportunity to wear in awhile, over a summerweight maxidress and long-sleeved tee. The whole ensemble was surprisingly warm and made me want to take off a layer or three while stuck in the computer classroom with 30 other people + 50 iMacs.
Then I got a little crazy with Photoshop. Man, my bonsai needs trimming! (Which is certainly NOT a euphemism in any way.)
Bwahahaha! I do love me my Photoshop, too.
I hope everyone’s having a great week!
I have a 3 ft-square hole in my kitchen floor going all the way down to the basement/crawlspace where a pipe burst last week, and my in-laws from Japan arrive tomorrow. Check that: I hope everyone’s having a better week than me!
Try a scarf as a topper anytime you want to break up the routine!;-)
xoxox
Carly
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Feb 9, 2011 | Media
So long, farewell
Edited by Thom of The Sunday Best
Here we are, face to face, a couple of silver spoons. My run as an editor for this venerable list is coming to a close, and as it does I’d like to take a moment to reflect on what makes the internet such an awesome place. Ahem. It’s you. Yes, you! I don’t get to read as much online as I once did, and this list kept me in touch with the, dare I say it, zeitgeist of style writing. I was often amazed at the diversity of topics you writers were willing to tackle. Keep those keyboards clacking, stay strong, and be good to the incoming editors. We are only human.
Thomas…out.
Links à la Mode: February 3rd
SPONSOR:
Shopbop Sale: Splendid, C&C, Vince, Elise Overland, YFB, IRO, Gwen Stefani, Nili Lotan, Ella Moss, James Perse, LNA, Velvet
I’m honored for my post to be included in the past week’s IFB Links a la Mode! Along with so much other great food for thought, it’s hard to know where to begin…but please help support our fellow bloggers and take a gander at what everyone else has been posting in the past couple days!
xoxox
Carly
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Feb 8, 2011 | DIY
runway photos: Marcio Madeira, Style.com; photo array by me.
Seen on the Spring 2010 runways (more than a year and a half ago, would you believe?) these stirrup socks, gaiters, or whatever you wanted to call them were the quintessential accessory for Alexander Wang‘s 2010 football-inspired sporty-girly aesthetic. With a little hand-stitchery and some Stop Fraying sealant, they’re a breeze to make.
You Need:
*pair of knee-high socks
*marking chalk
*white 1/2″ wide soft, lightweight elastic
*matching thread & hand-sewing needle
*fabric scissors
*Aleene’s Stop Fraying
fabric sealant
How-To:
1. Try one sock on, and mark where you want to cut off the toe.
Also mark the back of the sock at the widest points you want your cut-out to be…and at the lowest point you want it to reach.
2. Take off sock and cut off toe, straight across. Draw a curve on the marks you made at the back of the sock in the previous step, and cut out along the curve.
Cut the other sock in the exact same way.
3. Apply Stop Fraying to cut edges and allow to dry according to instructions. (If you can use a sewing machine or overlocker, overlocking the edges will create a permanent, washable piece! With the fabric sealant these are more special-occasion-only socks, and probably won’t stand up to much washing.)
4. Sew one end of elastic to one side of the cut part of the sock. Try on sock again to see the fit, and stretch the elastic to the other side of the cut. Anchor elastic with your needle and take off the sock again. Sew other side of elastic down.
5. Trim elastic. Cut other piece of elastic the same length and sew both sides to the other sock.
Wear with a pair of clogs, mules, oxfords, sandals, or anything that acts as a straight-laced counterpart to this sporty legwear.
Happy DIY’ing!
xoxox
Carly
*I actually wrote this tutorial for Foam Magazine online, in May 2010. It unfortunately has been lost somewhere out on the Internet…if anyone has seen it, please let me know! I also found another tutorial for these exact same stirrup socks, done by the fabulous Jazzi McG, long, loooong prior to me ever doing mine…which I was totally unaware of when Foam asked me to do a tutorial for these socks. So sorry, Jazzi – you deserve the credit for first DIY!
**and thanks to reader Ejiro for reminding me to post this!
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