Nov 1, 2011 | Fashion, Life
Creative Director of Elle Magazine Joe Zee posted a great little article in this October’s Elle, on how to upcycle certain Halloween costumes into daily wear. Going as on-trend as possible, taking cues from designer collection, and re-interpreting what you already have on-hand is exactly what I’m always taking about! Though some of the updates are only do-able if yo only happen to have…certain costumes…just a chop of a skirt or the pairing with modern accessories can definitely re-invent the cheesy, costumey, and polyester. (Though I’m a little perplexed as to how those front slashes in the Freddy Krueger sweater magically healed themselves in the updated version…;-)
Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween – and here’s to reusing what you can from this year’s costume!
xoxox
Carly
*scanned from Elle Magazine, October 2011
~If you liked this post, please share it!~
Leave Comment
Oct 31, 2011 | Beauty
In honor of Halloween, I tried out my new Mia Secret Crackle Nail Polish in black
, over a coat of a light baby blue (Sally Hansen). The effect reminds me of a turquoise snakeskin…or black spiderweb netting over my nails. MIA Secret is a lot cheaper than OPI, too – at around $4 for the polish + shipping from Amazon.com. I think the crackle effect would be different if I stroked the polish from side-to-side over the nail too!
I totally love this effect!
Happy Halloween to everyone! Hope it’s a great one~
xoxox
Carly
~If you liked this post, please share it!~
Leave Comment
Oct 30, 2011 | Beauty
(click for enlarged)
Winter is creeping up on us again – and I’m always at a loss as to how to style my hair during these months of mandatory headwear. Japanese fashion magazines usually supply a plethora of cute styling options that are totally doable for a variety of hair lengths. Master the art of the turband, the side bow, the messy pony, and the double-wrapped bun, courtesy of Vivi Magazine.
Are you inspired to try anything outside your usual Winter hairstyle? I love the textural velvet and mohair bows!
xoxox
Carly
*scans from Vivi Magazine Dec 2010 (I think)
~If you liked this post, please share it!~
Leave Comment
Oct 28, 2011 | DIY, Fashion
Continued from my first installment, DIY Ideas from New York Fashion Week Part 1 (A-M)…here are some more ideas to spice up your Spring 2012 wardrobe, DIY style!
NAHM: Create a hybrid dress by using an old 70’s-style polyester top and a button-front dress; retain the bodice of the top and add the placket and collar of the dress, as well as the skirt. Cut the hem in an asymmetrical mullet. Don’t forget the ankle socks!
Opening Ceremony: Embroider the shoulder of a white blouse in a kitty fae, and cut out the eyes. Create a gumball-cluster-style hair elastic with brightly-colored beads.
Peter Som: Find a trenchcoat that’s a little small for you at the shoulders and cut off the sleeves. Unbutton and rearrange the collar front; add a belt made from reflective tape and a sliding belt bulk (from the sewing findings section at Jo-Ann Fabrics).
Ports 1961: Fasten a bright 80’s-style suit jacket with neon cording (ended with silver cord caps) threaded through the buttonhole in lieu of a button. Pair with platforms and an equally bright pair of pants!
Prabal Gurung: Sex up a plain white dress with a handmade black corset: use black cord or shoelaces to fashion a Y-shaped harness at the front, and punch holes into a 3″-wide piece of vinyl off corsetry-style lacing.
Rachel Comey: Create a hybrid tee by sewing together two t-shirts of contrasting colors and slit the top one at its shoulders. Use extra black fabric (or 2″ wide elastic!) to create a ladderlike effect inside the slit.
Richard Chai Love: Add interest to a printed blouse by placing strategic cutouts at the shoulders and below the collar.
T by Alexander Wang: Convert a maxidress into a cut-out hybrid 2-piece. Cut off the bottom for the maxi at the front only, with a high triangle in front; turn it into a halter dress by adding a coordinating cord around the neck. Thread the cord beneath the top part of the dress and cut some thinner slits at the sleeve seams.
Thakoon: Cut the front out of a bright trench for the staggered-hem look. Use brown textured duct tape in strips on a simple pair of khaki shorts. Pain half a camel-colored hat white, using painter’s tape to mask.
Tory Burch: Create a skirt worthy of ladies who lunch by adding pinwheels, fabric or otherwise. (Do those look like Reese’s peanut butter cup papers to anyone else?) Add a rhinestone in each center; pair with a cropped white sweatshirt.
United Bamboo: A hybrid suit jacket can be made by sewing together two halves of two different jackets and chopping the sleeves off the top piece. Pair with some sassy leather cutoff shorts!
Z Spoke by Zac Posen: Paint each nail a different color of the rainbow, stud the edges of a bright clutch, and pair with a Springy yellow cardigan flecked with gray fabric paint.
Some of these I’ll probably be doing tutorials for in the coming months.
See anything you’re just dying to know how to make? Leave it in the comments section, and if it’s possible, I’ll make it so!
xoxox
Carly
All photos found at Style.com. Layouts by me.
~If you liked this post, please share it!~
Leave Comment
Oct 27, 2011 | DIY
Another week – and that much closer to Halloween!! How many of you have figured out your costumes for this year yet? (I’m still undecided…but there’s still 4 days left, right?!) I’m swamped with projects for school and getting all the Halloween decor and activities done before the big day…so I may just go as myself! But I’m sure you guys are formulating some great ideas…
Meanwhile, the blogosphere has been a-buzz with Halloween costume ideas, contests, and a sudden spotlight shone on some DIY bloggers as of late…
MSNBC Today covered DIY Fashion in their article “Make It, Don’t Buy It,” citing a few DIY blogs you may know…like Honestly, WTF and P.S. I Made This. The consensus from the comments? This is old news! Seems most people are already quite aware of DIY as a crafty way to save money – which is no big surprise there.;-) Also check out their slideshow of a new project submitted by DIY bloggers daily this week.
Squiggles & Scribbles posted a FABULOUS DIY for that YSL Arty Oval Ring – using a pebble, nail polish, duct tape, and a glue gun. It looks so much like the real thing – and I can’t wait to hear how it holds up with wear. Major props!!
Chictopia is having an I DIE FOR DIY Halloween Costume contest with a $300 grand prize, judged by some guest judges you may already know…like Geneva of a pair & a spare, Jenni from I Spy DIY, and Syl and Sam from lipgloss and black. Upload a photo of your DIY costume creation, pair it with a creative write-up, encourage your friends to vote, and see if you win. Contest runs until November 4th.
Need some false eyelashes for your Halloween costume but don’t want to shell out the big bucks? Check out Chezlin‘s tutorial – where she uses the bristles from a makeup brush and some eyelash glue to make her own fabulous DIY version.
Behind the Seams shared a tutorial for creating a colorful faux fur clutch, inspired by Phillip Lim and Prada. Word of warning though: the blogger in this case got lucky with the color! Both RIT and iDye are formulated to work on natural fabrics – i.e., not synthetic faux fur, and color adhesion to synthetics is incomplete or not true-to-color. (I’ve had difficulties with RIT dye in the past not adhering to higher-end acrylic faux fur, especially kinds that have coated strands.) Acrylic fibers can only be dyed effectively using Disperse Dyes (for lighter colors – here’s an EHow on it), and Basic Dyes, like Aljo (for darker colors – these are possibly carcinogenic and very toxic dyes; and very difficult to get ahold of non-commercially). Everything else is non-permanent, so experiment at your own risk! (It’s still a pretty result nonetheless.)
How about some DIY studded Versace-inspired jeans? A Matter of Style made her own – and they look so chic. Love the architectural designs down the leg – tres Versace.
Inspiration & Realisation put together a tutorial for this sweet little DIY fishtail sweater, as inspired by Phillip Lim. What a chic makeover to the basic wardrobe staple!
If you crochet, here is the most awesome crochet pattern EVAH: a Crochet Skull Necklace from Shara Lambeth Designs. Now I’m dying to pick up a crochet hook and get crackin’! Found via Transient Expression.
If your project was featured above, feel free to grab a button and share the DIY!
<a href=”https://chiccreativelife.com/category/links-of-the-week”><img src=”https://chiccreativelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/diylotwfeaturedbutton-1.png” /></a>
If you have a DIY how-to or tutorial that you’d like to see featured on Chic Steals, please email me at carlyjcais at chic-steals dot com – and I’ll try to squeeze it in to one of my Links of the Week posts! (Tutorials/how-to’s with steps and photos included please! So everyone can share in the DIY goodness:-)
xoxox
Carly
-all photos copyright their respective authors; photo array by me-
~If you liked this post, please share it!~
Leave Comment
