Jul 21, 2009 | Fashion
(Twenty8Twelve dress, scrap of fabric worn as a shawl, AnotherFeather bullet/quartz necklace, unknown belt, Spiral Girl tulle skirt, Old Navy sandals, Ruche blue bangle, unknown wood bangles, Third Willow Clara Metropolitan clutch)
I’ve been meaning to post this outfit for awhile; I won the beautiful Third Willow clutch last month in a contest sponsored by one of my fave fashion blogs, FashionGrail. (I am in love with their Celebrity Copycat feature, where every week they find a lookalike to a celeb’s outfit – the whole thing! So inspiring – and compelling me to shop!)
The clutch is made from turquoise denim with a cognac croco-embossed leather ruffle to it…I pair it with stuff so that it’s purposely mismatched, but for this outfit, I decided to build it around the clutch.
I’m going to a party for a friend of mine who just landed this big job she’s been after for awhile. Kudos to her, especially in this economy! Woohoo!
So the dress is a little too big for me on the top…I was going to make this silky vest to go over it from this scrap of tie-dyed raw silk I’ve had laying around for ages…5 years to be exact. When I made my wedding dress I dyed some of the silk a light robin’s egg blue to make a ruched bustier, and this particular scrap ended up a mottled turquoise… not the look I was going for. I kept it trying to figure out what to do with it, and then I thought to make a vest to go with the clutch, then realized I didn’t have enough to make a back in the style I wanted, so just stuffed it down the front of the dress to give me more up top and add visual interest. Very Pride & Prejudice of me, I suppose.
I’ve been dying for a crystal bullet necklace from Unearthen Jewelry for so long (gorge website btw), but at $360+ a necklace it was unattainable. And then I found AnotherFeather on Etsy and snapped up this fabulous speckled quartz bullet pendant for only $38. (The quartz has a bluish tint and little flecks in it…it’s out of this world.) Every penny well-spent!
Sorry for the hideous lighting – just trying something different – shooting inside since it’s about 1000 degrees outside here in Portland now. Trying out the wide angle lens. Methinks I should stay away from this since this was an extremely unflattering angle. Pucker filter, you are a godsend.
Pretty, pretty clutch.
Thank you FashionGrail and ThirdWillow!
-Carly J. Cais
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Jul 18, 2009 | Fashion
It’s time yet again for another giveaway! I’m not quite at my 200th post yet, but I’ve been offered the opportunity to do my first-ever collaborative giveaway…
The folks at ChickDowntown.com have teamed up with Chic Steals to offer readers this fabulous Wildfox Couture Dream of Ice Cream T-shirt! (pictured above; retail value=$64.00)
There’s nothing that embodies summer and those hot, lazy days more than a cold treat – and this sweet little tee is both chic and comfy…perfect for the never-ending heat wave we’re going through now. The bold graphic is great – sort of tongue-in-cheek – it brings me back to being a kid again and dreaming of nothing but summer and yummy indulgences.
Chickdowntown.com has everything from vintage clothing to fabulous shoes – and a huge selection of designer brands (both from up-and-comers like BB Dakota and Wildfox Couture to established names like Balmain, Rag & Bone, L.A.M.B., and Charlotte Ronson. Even if the high-end stuff isn’t for you, they carry many chic steals: cool and contemporary pieces that are less than $70…so you don’t have to break the bank to look fabulous. I especially love their selection of Sky Dresses, a line favorited by celebs such as Jessica Simpson and Audrina Patridge. (One of my faves is the Mint Malvina Tube Dress ($178) [at left]. Add the Mystique Natural Beaded Thong Sandals ($101), an arm loaded up with gold bangles and some oversize sunnies – and you’re good to go to anything from a lunch date to a night on the town.)
How to enter the giveaway?
Visit Chickdowntown.com and check out their fabulous line up of designer goods. Then leave a comment on this post below letting me know:
1. What item/s from Chickdowntown you would wear with the Dream of Ice Cream tee…would you pair it with some distressed shorts? Gladiator sandals? A blazer, a cute little skirt?
2. What do you think of Chickdowntown’s Sky Dresses or Mystique Sandals? Do you have a fave? Do they not appeal? Do you want to see more colors, more styles? Speak your mind!
Comments that do not include BOTH pieces of information will not be counted.
The entry period runs from now until August 2, 12:00 PM PST. After that, commenting will be closed and winner will be chosen from valid comments by Random.org.
Contest is open to U.S. residents ONLY.
How to get extra entries?
1. Become a fan of Chickdowntown on Twitter – comment again on this post letting me know, after you’ve submitted a comment conforming to the entry method above. (if you are a fan already, comment separately from your original entry comment and let me know)
2. Become a friend of Chickdowntown on Facebook – comment again on this post letting me know. (if you are a friend already, comment separately from your original entry comment and let me know)
3. Tell a friend – when they post their entry comment, they need to indicate that they heard about the giveaway from you – and you’ll get one more entry for each friend who does so.
That’s it! Good luck chickadees – following Chickdowntown on Twitter and Facebook is a great way to stay in the know – and owner Amy announces tons of giveaways and gift cards all the time! and as always, visit Chickdowntown.com for the latest and best in designer wear that’s seen on celebs and making the trends!
-Carly J. Cais
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Jul 14, 2009 | Fashion, Media
YouTube video of a clip from back in the day. Looks like DIY was in even before it was a word, according to Mr. T. Hilarious!
Table the label y’all!
-Carly J. Cais
(as found from the Portland Mercury Fashion blog)
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Jul 13, 2009 | DIY, Fashion
(handmade DIY dress, Icing by Claire’s belt, Newport-News patent clutch, Forever21 ring, Nine West heels)
So, it’s been awhile since I’ve done an outfit post…what with being sick, feeling down, and just not having the physical and mental fortitude to sit in front of the computer and edit hundreds of photos means no outfit updates. I’m sure you’re all very upset. 🙂
And yes, I edit every single one of the photos Hub takes…I Photoshop Blake Lively’s head onto my body. Or vice versa. ‘Narf. (And if you get that reference, you’re a total 80’s cartoon dork just like me.;-)
So this is a dress I made awhile ago, for that infamous FashionTribes post about DIY’ing your own designer-style painterly garment…and it was never posted on the site. Harrrumph.
So I styled it on my own.
I made the dress using Simplicity 3747. I altered the pattern to create a voluminous pleat in the front (Hub says it looks like maternity wear – totally not my intention), made an A-line shape to the skirt, and extended the lining so that it shows at the bottom. Hub also says the shape of it looks like something a patient would wear at a psych ward. (Read: neck a little too wide, shoulders shapeless, large and baggy and white.) It looks much better when belted. Maybe I shoulda stuck to the pattern? But I definitely wanted volume – very 2009.
And then I painted brushstrokes on the bottom using Tulip brand matte soft fabric paints (they don’t dry completely stiff and hard like most fabric paints, but they still, IMHO, add a little too much stiffness to the fabric for it to look “natural.”) These are really carefully done…and I had to do it twice to get it just right. I used Ebony, Lime, and Cornflower Blue, if I remember correctly.
This is the coolest ring from Forever21…it has tiny purple beads in the center…it’s like a little alien pod.
I think I’ve written that before. Man, I’m getting old.
NineWest gold Joisey-girl heels. They make my feet look like the Jolly Green Giant’s.
(in size LOL)
-Carly J. Cais
Oh, sorry – and the title of this post…well, if you were a teenage girl in the early nineties (’91, I think?)…you definitely went to see this movie. Guys stayed far, far away. This was before dude lost most of his hair and became obsolete (read: made an overblown, ridiculous production with Dennis Hopper). And before other dude decided to marry his 27-yr old granddaughter (or so says the Enquirer or some schlock as of late). Hmmm…can you tell I was a film major?? LOL
Jul 12, 2009 | Fashion
I. Love. These. Pants.
Look closely. I missed it the first time around.
Dark, dark denim, with over-the-knee black leather attachments. So it looks like you’re wearing leather thigh-high boots. BUT AREN’T.
Where have you been all my life??
And the jacket is calling my name. Why, god, why am I drawn to all these huge-shouldered jackets (Balmain, I hate you!) when I already have natural shoulders akin to those of a football player???!
I signed up for an email alert once both items are in stock. Since they’re both Bebe (which in my opinion, has gotten damn fine design-wise in the past couple seasons) they’ll probably be like $200 each…I’m thinking DIY for the jeans once the site has some better photos up.
Cropped Puff Sleeve Jacket in Cream (email alert only)
Transformer Skinny Two-Tone Jean in Alchemy Wash (email alert only)
I was also liking the shoes until I saw close up they’re a silver python print…not studs as I was hoping.
And I’m definitely not jiiving with the model’s sequined snood..I’m hoping they don’t try to market that…but nonetheless…
Lust at first gander.
-Carly J. Cais
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Jul 9, 2009 | DIY
I’ve been DIY’ing my heart out over here – and I meant to post this on the 4th of July, but as usual, I’m behind. So here it is, this safety-pinned tank, inspired by one I saw in a Japanese mag of yore:
You need:
*1 white tank top (2×1 rib)
*40 black small safety pins
*20 silver medium safety pins
*2 soft-feel iron-on transfers (I chose a black eagle, not because I wanted to, but because they were the only black iron-ons at the store. Jo-Ann’s, I curse you!!)
DIY It:
Easy peasy. Use a seam ripper and blunt scissors to slash one of the shoulder-straps in the center. Pin the slash and around the neckline of the tank with the black safety pins, haphazardly, crossing them over, etc. Add some silver ones for visual interest (I folded down and scrunched the other side too, just for the helluvit.) Transfer both iron-ons following the directions. Hand-wash. Or never wash. Whichever.
Punk? Yup. Patriotic? Kind of – not intentionally. But I thought it appropo for the 4th, so that’s what I wore.:-)
Hope you guys had a happy 4th! (That is, if you celebrate US holidays…;-)
-Carly
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Jul 6, 2009 | Fashion
So sorry for the lack of posts over here…it mostly had to do with me being sick as a dog for over 2 weeks, with the weirdest cold I’ve ever had, that morphed its symptoms every 4 days, and started off with a 102 degree fever and yellow pus coming out of my eyeballs. Okay, TMI. But watch out for that cold – it’s a bad one!
Though I’m still teetering on the edge of “almost well but could definitely relapse any moment,” I wanted to at least share these advance images from V Magazine issue #60 – The Beauty Issue with you guys. (Yes, it’s been in my inbox since July 1st…I’m really sorry I’m just getting to it now.) Anyhoo, for all my lovely Chic Steals readers… (more after the jump…)
The new issue does not hit newsstands until July 7th, but here is a first glimpse at one of V’s inside spreads of “Donatella After Dark” (above).
The queen of evening glamour has never shed away from making a statement – in her work or her personal style. For women who want to embody the fearless VERSACE spirit this season, there’s no shortage of ways to do it.
Text from V Magazine, Photography: Sharif Hamza
And here are two advance shots of the male models, Ludwig and Matt, in the V Magazine “Eight Portraits” beauty portfolio photographed by David Sims.
Love the second dude’s hair…there’s a certain twinkiness I’m going to try to replicate with my own hair style tomorrow…and probably utterly fail.
Viva la spike!
“A Touch of Class” photographed by Willy Vanderperre, Styling: Olivier Rizzo, Model: Iris Strubegger
Designer labels like Yves Saint Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana, Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquiere, Prada, Miu Miu, Chanel, Jil Sander, Ann Demeulemeester, Giorgio Armani, Jean-Paul Gaultier are included in this story.
I’m loving the femme fatale vibe to this shoot…and am itching to get my hands on a copy since that designer list is like a dossier of my faves. How about you guys – what do you think?
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Jul 6, 2009 | DIY
Designers appear to have reached into their desk drawers for inspiration this spring, pulling out the New Wave accessory du jour: staples, pins, and zippers utilized in a variety of different ways: exposed, in contrast-color, haphazardly applied as trim, or twisted into 3D shapes. Interestingly, the largest zipper manufacturer in the world, YKK, was one of the official sponsors of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in NYC (even the lanyard for the press badge was a zipper). From the staples on Victor & Rolf’s beautifully cut wool jackets to Sex Pistols-style safety pins and cheeky punk jewelry by Tom Binns – thanks to this hot 2009 trend, low is the new high, and the functional…fabulous.
The hardware-heavy, craftsy felt-flower cuff by Marc Jacobs inspired us to staple, zip, and pin our own…here’s how:
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
– large piece of stiff black felt (8.5″ x 11″)
– black thread
– decorative thread or staples in gold (check the scrapbooking section of the craft store)
– 1 decorative button
– heavy-duty gold snaps (2 sets)
– gold soutache braided trim
– 1 heavy-duty jacket zipper (black with gold teeth)
– gold safety pins (1 large, 15 small)
– clear, flexible plastic (like from a vinyl tabletop cover)
TOOLS:
– snap setting pliers/hammer+die for the snaps
– stapler
– needle
– felt or fabric glue
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. MAKE THE PARTS Cut the felt into 2 abstract, oblong flower “petals” 2 flower “petals”. To make the triangle-shaped petals, cut the plastic into 2 diamond shapes. Cut the zipper into 3 lengths, each piece measuring 10″ long. Fold each length in the center to make a rounded petal shape; secure the inside with 2 gold staples (or hand-sew stitches in decorative thread).
2. MAKE THE CUFF AND BASE From the felt, cut out the base of your flower parts: a circle measuring approximately 1.25″ in diameter. Then cut a 2″ wide strip that is long enough to go around your wrist plus a 3/4″ for overlap for the snaps. Use snap-setting pliers (like Dritz), or hammer and die to set 2 snaps (and their counterparts) into the ends. Because they are strong, we chose shanked snaps; alternatively, you could use sew-on snaps.
3. ADD THE EMBELLISHMENT Using a needle and thread, hand-sew your parts onto the felt base. Start with a felt petal, then a zipper petal, then a plastic petal in a corkscrew design; repeat, attaching each new petal on top of the previous one. Wind the braided trim in and out of the petals in a figure-8 pattern, securing in the center with a few stitches. Then hide all of your stitching with a button sewn into the center. Pin safety pins haphazardly around the edge of one of the felt petals; thread 10 smaller pins onto the larger pin and attach. Complete the look by adding yet more staples or decorative thread.
4. ATTACH BASE TO CUFF Glue felt base to the center of the cuff. Secure further by sewing around edge of the circle base with decorative thread.
To let the cuff rock out on its own, wear with something demure…or do a full-on Marc Jacobs style, with a nipped-in shrunken jacket, mismatched obi belt, super-long denim pencil skirt, and teeny porkpie straw hat set akilter.
Still have questions? Email me at CarlyJCais AT FashionTribes.com. Otherwise, happy DIY-ing!
– Carly J. Cais
(runway photos via style.com)
(As posted on FashionTribes.com)
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Jun 27, 2009 | Fashion
If you haven’t heard of FFFFOUND! (and I hadn’t, just cuz I’m last to hear about everything) head on over there and browse around. I fell in and couldn’t get out for hours. And all while I should be sleeping to try and get over the most godawful cold known to Mankind. The images just made my jaw drop. Seriously. Big time sink. Love it.
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Jun 22, 2009 | Fashion
Well, chickadees, it’s taken me a little longer than I thought to total up the entries…a staggering 109 of them, to be exact! Thank you so much to all who entered (sure beats the hell out the entries for my first giveaway at post #50…6 people entered!) and a triple thank you to all my new followers and friends of followers who stopped by to check this blog out. And now, drumroll please…as chosen by Random.org, the winner is:
Entry #97: hondaray6
The winner has been notified and thank you to everyone…stay tuned for another giveaway at post #200…I’m heading to Japan for August so I shall pick up some Japanese fashion and accessory goodies while there!
Congratulations hondaray6!!
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