Oct 14, 2010 | DIY, Life
This week has felt like it’s crept by for me…which is strange because I’ve been super-busy every day! And Paris tomorrow….oh, I’m so excited!!
Nonetheless, I had a great time visiting all your blogs and checking out your pieces. You’re all so creative! Here are the top 3 projects:
Silence Sweetheart made this fabulous “Galaxy”-style t-shirt – with some bleach and acrylic paints. Talk about a PERFECT rendition!
And it’s Katarina from She sells Seashells ranked in the top 3 again…this time with a beautiful floating stud ring reminiscent of those “connector rings” sold at Forever 21 lately. Using plaster to fill the negative space of the stud backs is ingenious!
By my favorite gal Stacie at Stars for Streetlights…just painting the toes of these wedges gives them a distinct Chanel-esque feel. Sweet and simple:-)
Thank you so much for sharing, and please enter any other projects you have in my next DIY roundup (starting Thursday Oct. 21 – I’ll be skipping a week while I’m away;-)!
If your project has been featured above, feel free to grab the button below.
xoxox
Carly
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Oct 13, 2010 | Fashion
Photo: Christiane Michels, source
Dear Wonderful Readers,
In 2 days’ time I will be visiting the lovely City of Lights for the first time ever! [My inlaws are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary and are graciously bringing us along for the trip.] I’ve never been!
So, here’s my question for all of you…
Do any of you have any recommendations for yummy places to eat, must-see locales, or fabulous shops (affordable;-) in Paris?
We are planning on visiting the Louvre, the Chanel store, Pierre Herme for the macarons and cakes, Berthillion ice cream, the Les Puces flea market, and Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet by the Palace of Versailles.
If anyone has any must-sees or eats, I’m all ears! Thanks a bunch~
xoxox
Carly
P.S. I will only have intermittent access to email/internet while there but I’m trying to automate my posts so you’ll all have reading material while I’m gone…not sure how much I can do in advance but I’ll try!
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Oct 12, 2010 | Fashion
Undoubtedly the highlight of the 5 days of shows this year was Saturday night’s show, with the Spring collections from project Runway alums Gordana Gelhausen [Goga by Gordana], Jay Nicolas Sario, and Jonathan Joseph Peters, capped off by the SETHAARON promotional collection sponsored by SolarWorld.
From the start of the night the lobby was packed, the mood expectant and jubilant, the security tighter than anything Portland Fashion Week has seen before. Onsite at the Vigor Shipyards on Portland’s Swan Island, on a runway constructed entirely of SolarWorld‘s sleek, high-performance photovoltaic solar panels, models local to Portland showcased almost 60 looks from the finalists from Project Runway Seasons 5 & 6.
As the show started (about 40 minutes late), a cheer rose up from the crowd – clapping filled the room as the lights dimmed and the first look from Goga by Gordana walked out. Breezy, feminine, intricate – and with some woven pieces displaying gorgeous cutwork evocative of her signature lace – the collection was colorful and fun. Yellows and reds dominated, with a patchwork leather dress and hand-dyed blouson top that received another round of applause. Girly ruffles and A-line silhouettes evoked all the jubilance of Spring, and the sweet creams and light blues called to mind blue skies and washed coral.
In contrast, Jay Nicolas Sario‘s collection was far more structured, with an overtly military-feel and Jay’s signature cuffs and button-detailing. Utilizing mostly wools and denims, in a darker color palette of olives and grays, the separates were buttoned-down sex-appeal. Though a few of the more voluminous pieces struck a discordant note, the tailored jackets and vests, skirts with asymmetrical pockets, and cascading layered denim neckpiece were instantly covetable.
Jonathan Joseph Peters‘ collection was a fun, carefree collection of prints and hand-dyed, hand-distressed fabrics. With a one-shouldered top with cut-outs (with each cut-out painstakingly done by hand and then heat-sealed, inch by inch!), a gold spangled romper (which, amazingly, was much more beautiful than it sounded), and a leafy tropical-print swing skirt and cardigan, the entire collection evoked a whimsical vacation. The designer’s attention to detail truly shone through each piece.
Sponsored and inspired by SolarWorld solar panels, Seth Aaron Henderson produced a 15-piece promotional collection for SETHAARON that had the room breathless from the first, and cheering excitedly by the last. The pieces were futuristic, warrior-inspired, juxtapositions of light and dark, hard and harder. Tiny details, geometric shapes, and asymmetry made it feel fresh and modern, with black and red vinyl and pops of yellow keeping the palette minimalist and sharp. With avant-garde headgear encapsulating some of the models’ heads completely, exaggerated silhouettes, skin-baring cut-outs, and mesh overlays, it was certainly fashion with a capital F. A blouse with billowy sleeves with metal zipper-like detail down the slits and skin-tight vinyl hotpants garnered a round of applause, and by the end people were standing on their seats to see the finale garment, an Transformer-like dress of slick black vinyl (also featured in all the promotional materials for the Collection).
After 2 encores from Seth A. the rest of the designers also came out and did a triumphant walk (or in Jay’s case, a skip, bow, and flourish;-) down the runway with their models.
Left: Look #1, for the first 3 shows, and Right: Look #2, for the SETHAARON show.
Lead makeup artists Nicolette Z. Gonzales and Austie Eckley (who also makes fabulous couture-style flowered headpieces available for sale in her Etsy shop BTW!) created two makeup looks for the shows: the first, a neutral, fresh look for the models walking in the first three shows, and the second, an edgy look with a bold eye as specifically designed by Seth Aaron himself for use in his own show.
For both looks Nicolette created the complexion, contouring, and eye shadow base, using Boots No7 Intelligent Balance Mousse Foundation. Austie was in charge of the eyes and sculpted a bold, angular stripe of yellow above a dramatic smokey eye, as directed by Seth. This look was also the signature look for his entire collection, as featured with his finale piece on the “Solar is the New Black” SolarWorld poster.
All the false lashes used in the shows were applied by lash artist Kimmie Nguyen.
To say the venue was crowded was an understatement. (Every seat filled, two rows of standing, and people jammed in the aisles – it was the biggest audience in the history of PFW.)
Seth Aaron Henderson talking with a fan and signing autographs at the SolarWorld booth just after the show.
Jay Nicolas Sario and two of his models wearing his Collection pieces.
Closeup of Jay’s awesome gauntlet/spat design for Spring. I want!
Seth Aaron’s brother, Noah Henderson of Headlock Clothing, with Crystal Ewing.
Project Runway Season 6 alum Janeane Marie out to support her fellow designers.
So what’s everyone’s take on the collections? Any pieces you love? Or love to hate?
xoxox
Carly
All watermarked photos taken by Brent Barnett, Peter Greene, Bruce Ballard and Joey Stalone of OSI. Thanks, guys for the awesome pics! All un-watermarked photos taken by me.
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Oct 11, 2010 | DIY
Just some DIY- and fashion-related stuff I’ve noticed around the past week…and a couple other links that caught my eye.
*Stuck for a Halloween costume? Try one of Flavorpill’s Pop Culture & TV-themed ones. (Partial nudity & strong language warning!) They also have a guide for Musician-inspired costumes, which gave me a laugh, too.
*365 days in a year – 365 brand-new dresses…each fashioned from a $1 thrift store dress. Get some great ideas for refashioning and altering what you already have into stuff that’s cute and wearable at NewDressaDay.com.
*Shwin and Shwin is a new DIY blog I’ve discovered, full of crafty ideas, dresses from scratch (make-it-yourself patterns!), and handmade goodies for the kiddos.
*Why is Eco-Fashion So Expensive? ecouterre spells it out with the help of Bodkin designer Eviana Hartman.
*I’m still wrestling with the idea of getting more personal on my blog but having trouble with it (I mean, who actually wants to see photos of me in my bra anyway??! LOL) and ProBlogger has some great advice regarding that. Not about photos of me in my bra, I mean.;-)
*Sea of Shoes is having a Spring Fashion Art Contest. Perhaps I’ll enter some of my fashion illustrations – and if you’re an illustrator, please enter too! (Deadline= Nov. 1)
*Have you heard of the label DIYCouture? It’s a clothing collection that provides you with no clothing (!), just a book with instructions on how to make each piece. The 12 patterns are easy, and you can custom-fit them to your size, choose your own fabrics and notions, and essentially make each piece exactly how you want it. Stressing that when you make something yourself you value it more, this label strives to bring fashion directly to the consumers and eliminate the disposable nature of mass market clothing. (And at around $14, the book for each pattern is about what I pay at the sewing store for my patterns anyway!)
*On another note, I totally have Portland artist Jon Garcia‘s “The Wedding Song” stuck in my head. He’s got such a fabulous voice!
xoxox
Carly
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Oct 9, 2010 | Fashion
Who could this be? (Okay, my title kind of gave it away…)
If you guys are wondering why I haven’t posted, I’ve been mired in Portland Fashion Week stuff and haven’t caught up just yet. I have a couple big posts coming up (but I have to sit down and do them) – so they’ll be up soon!
In the meantime, here are some photos I snapped of Project Runway Season 7 Finalist Jonathan Joseph Peters. For the first time ever in the history of Portland Fashion Week, there was actually a showroom organized so the designers could present their creations to the buyers and press. (In Portland, there are no official designer showrooms at all! At least that I know of. It’s such an independent community here that there just doesn’t seem to be a need for it.)
So I stopped by the showroom – and whaddaya know? It was Jonathan from Season 7 of Project Runway showing his pieces (that will be coming down the runway tonight in a HUGE Project Runway alum show with Goga by Gordana [of Season 6], Jay Nicolas Sario [Season 7 finalist], and Seth Aaron Henderson [Season 7 Winner]!!)
He is such a sweetie in person – so down-to-earth – and his collection is phenomenal! He said he is particularly drawn to mixing patterns, hand-dyeing, playing with textiles, and layering fabrics – like the spectacular detail at the neck on this top.
Breathtaking cut-work detail (done by HAND, not by lasers – then heat-sealed by HAND. I just have to write HAND in capitals because it is so rare to see nowadays.)
A skirt in the same vein.
The fabric is a little “melty” around the holes, which adds to its fabulous deconstruction.
A gorgeous spangled top and the rest of his collection. Check out the prints!
Being based on the East Coast, he said he was really excited to be able to bring his collection out here to the West Coast and see the reception. Sewing since he was 10 and producing collections under his own name since 2002, he characterizes his aesthetic as “thoughtful separates with a sense of fun.”
I can’t wait to see it on the runway!
And in the meantime, check out his website below and show the guy some love!
xoxox
Carly
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Oct 7, 2010 | DIY
DIY rose hoop-and-chain earrings.
Thanks so much for everyone’s recent feedback regarding my DIY Roundups. I’m glad to know that many of you enjoy them! But every week does seem a bit much, so I’m going to take Bromeliad’s suggestion (thanks, btw!) and try these Roundups every 2 weeks so that people can link up more of their projects. Sometimes we just can’t get enough done in a week (as I’ve definitely experienced lately!;-)
Since I haven’t finished photographing everything this week, I’ll share with you a pair of DIY earrings I made awhile ago. I just bought a pair of cheap gold hoops from Claire’s and some tiny silk roses from Michael’s. I removed the stems from the roses but kept the petals bunched together, and threaded two roses onto each hoop. I then added some dangling pieces of chain in the center for a pair of sexy, feminine rose-and-chain hoop earrings. (You may have seen some similar types of earrings for sale in retail stores lately, utilizing silk orchids, daisies, or other flowers, and chain, beads, and other dangles. I was also wearing these earrings in one of the photos from the Tigard/Tualatin/Beaverton Valley Times’ shoot🙂
photo by Jaime Valdez
So welcome to DIY Roundup 6! If you’re unsure how to link up your tutorial (or finished project), here’s how:
Just click the light blue “Ad Your Link” button that appears to the bottom left below. Follow the instructions in the Inlinkz window, pasting in the URL of your project or tutorial (from your own blog, Facebook page, Flickr account, Craftster.org, CutOutandKeep.net, etc). Don’t forget to write the NAME/DESCRIPTION of your project – like “Bow T-Shirt” or “DIY Lanvin Necklace” – not your own name or your blog’s name!!! You can link up any piece you’ve made or tutorial you’ve written from any time, not just in the last two weeks (though it would be nice if it’s a recent project, just to keep the content fresh). It’s all about sharing and bringing in more like-minded visitors to your site!
So now you get to share your own DIY’s! If you have a DIY project or tutorial that you’d like to share, please feel free to link below! (However you can only link YOUR OWN PROJECT. Please do not link others’ projects!)
If you’ve linked up your project to the Roundup, feel free to grab the button below.
Can’t wait to see everyone’s projects!
xoxox
Carly
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Oct 7, 2010 | Fashion, Score!
This Fall Macy’s invites you to “Find Your Magic” with their latest campaign just in time for the holiday season.
With the tag line “Whatever it is that dazzles, delights, or excites you this fall, it’s in the bag at Macy’s,” this interactive section to the site has daily shopping picks, details on fun in-store events, and a Fashion Director Daily Challenge with create-your-own outfit and outfit sharing feature where you could win a $100 gift card to Macy’s!
To drive the magic bag message in-store, Macy’s is also displaying dresses made entirely from the shopping bag that measure over 10 feet high. (Can’t wait to check those out!)
Last month, Macy’s released their “Find Your Magic” TV commercial, featuring celebrity designers including Sean “Diddy” Combs, Tommy Hilfiger, Jennifer Lopez, Rachel Roy, Jessica Simpson, Martha Stewart and Donald Trump.
To commemorate this new campaign, Macy’s is giving away a $50 Macy’s Gift Card to one lucky Chic Steals reader!
How to Enter
Edit 10/15: The entry period is over and the winner will be announced shortly!
Watch the video above – and Leave a Comment on this post below telling me what part of the video you liked best! (Make sure your email address is in your comment or profile so I can contact you if you win!)
Giveaway open to anyone in the U.S.
Apologies to my international readers!:-(
Giveaway period is open from today until Thursday, Oct. 14, 11:59 PM PST.
Winner chosen by Random.org.
Good luck!
And head to Macy’s now through October 11 for their Columbus Day Sale, with 25 – 70% off storewide (and an added 10 – 15% off with your Macy’s card or pass – available here – just enter your zipcode, locate the Columbus Day sale flier, and download and print your pass for in-store savings!!) Online there are huge discounts to be had during this sale too – with 2-day specials and an extra 25% savings on all Clearance items…also use coupon code SAVENOW to get free shipping off any order $99+.
Happy Columbus Day Shopping!
xoxox
Carly
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Oct 7, 2010 | Fashion
It’s October again and that means another Portland Fashion Week a.k.a. PFW! (I can’t believe it’s my THIRD year covering the shows. Amazing that time has gone so fast.)
(From top left, clockwise: the Vigor Shipyards venue for the shows; hanging lasercut chandelier; painting on the building; art by Lisa Golightly; the runway – made entirely of solar panels! – ancient anchor chain marking the entrance to the building)
I won’t treat subject you to a shot of what I wore since I schlumped about under the premise of “I’m working, I don’t care.” And of course I ran into into a reader of mine – DIY enthusiast Grishley! We’ve been following each other’s blogs for some time and she’s super-sweet in person. She’s a very talented designer and posts lovely photos chock-full of inspiration. I was so glad to have met her! (Check out her blog if you haven’t already *hint, hint*) At least I didn’t have a gigantic spaghetti stain on my shirt. Fate smiled down upon me.:-)
Tonight’s show was a standing presentation from local and up-and-coming designers (including Adam Andreas, menswear designer – some of his pieces pictured above.)
Thought-Provoking Fashion
R.A.W. by Rio Wrenn began with a pair of rust-stained (but it looked like something else) underwear lying on the floor of their section, followed by a woman in garters and a slip walking around and posing on a fainting couch. There were a few displays of the rust-stained fabrics that the label is known for also in the installation, but it still left you wondering what exactly the label produced and what its message was (besides stained underwear). [Ah, Portland!] The artist in fact utilizes insects, rusted objects, plants, and copper to hand-dye her silk and silk blends, making them into lingerie and selling the fabrics. R.A.W. Textiles strives to pave the way to a sustainable future by being conscientious of the dye, fabrics, and production methods used in their clothing.
Laura Allcorn provided a small sampling of her jewelry and a display of a model “pollinating” a a rack of orchids with a feather duster. Concerned with the phenomenon of colony collapse disorder [a potentially serious problem for honeybees, the plants they pollinate, and the rest of us who depend on those plants for food] she created a small line of modular jewelry. She was also gifting pendants made from pollen suspended in resin to remind people of the importance of this issue – one she said can be helped by shopping locally and in-season, supporting local beekeepers, and planting wildflowers native to your region in your garden to encourage honeybee colonies to return and flourish.
Established Local Brands
Idom showcased a few of designer Modi Soondaratok’s signature dresses, featuring quirky, sweet design details that elevate them from the ordinary to the amazing.
Dawn Sharp, who has achieved incredible success with her line of fun, detailed separates and dresses, presented a few pieces from her Spring 2011 collection [entitled “Free Spring/Summer 2011”]. Inspired by psychedelia in all its complex forms, her dresses were comprised of the highest-quality silk burnout fabrics, silk velvets, and charmeuses in kooky prints. In business since 2007 and selling online in her Etsy store, Bonadrag, and Cultist (as well as a number of brick-and-mortar stores in LA), the price point for her pieces is affordable and the pieces themselves covetable.
Designer Emily Christensen showcased a number of dresses from her line Filly in a variety of neutral hues. Inspired by the environment around her, she creates her dreamy pieces to be the ultimate testimony to the beauty of the female form, utilizing no zippers, buttons, or fasteners of any type. Her pull-on designs allow for ease of wear and enhance her customers’ natural beauty. She only uses American-milled fabric (a true rarity these days!), working closely with a manufacturer and dyer in San Francisco so all her prints and colors are completely unique to Filly. The line is sold in more than 75 stores across the US, Canada, and Japan, and online at Vickerey.
Accessories
Metalsmith and jewelry artist Emily Baker presented a few pieces from her recent collections for her line Sword + Fern [you may have saw the brand mentioned in Lucky Magazine awhile back]. The recycled glass and oxidized chain pieces were hauntingly charming, and her use of recycled fabrics, metal, and vintage findings in her chic statement jewelry truly embody the ideas of Reuse and Recycle. Purchase Baker’s beautiful
pieces in her shop in Portland [811 East Burnside #114] or online in her Etsy shop.
Pinkham Millinery (the only operating millinery in the city of Portland!) showcased a number of hats from the line. Renowned milliner Dayna Pinkham, whose hats have appeared on the heads of celebrities, athletes, rock stars, actors, and the Kentucky Derby, still designs and constructs each hat by hand in her downtown Portland studio.
The man himself. Or at least a giant cardboard photo of him.
And of course the big draw this year for the entire world is Seth Aaron Henderson, recent winner of Project Runway Season 7, who will be showcasing his Spring collection this Saturday. He has collaborated with PFW sponsor SolarWorld for his collection, inspired by the company’s black photovoltaic solar panels.
A necklace made from a solar panel which will be auctioned off later on during the week.
Amazingly, they’ve closed the rest of the week to more press (probably due to the high profile he’s brought to the shows this year), so who knows if I’ll be able to return to cover any more of this week’s events. I probably will have to stow away in somebody’s bag.:-(
Oh well, whether I attend or not – there’ll be more coverage of the days to come on the way!
xoxox
Carly
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Oct 6, 2010 | DIY
So this is the last of my submissions for Style Sample Magazine and New York Design Shop’s Create Couture Challenge back in early August! Whew! Can’t believe it’s taken me this long to post them all…I wanted to make a final DIY piece from the box of materials I received and my eye lit upon the beautiful “NEW YORK DESIGN SHOP” printed ribbon. I love white, pink, and black together! So I crafted up this sweet, modernist design pin – that could easily be used as a hair accessory, bag charm, ring, you name it – just by varying the size, shape, and finishing. (The weaving of the ribbon does take awhile, but the results are fantastic!
You Need:
*NYDS Branded Ribbon (or any 1/4″ wide satin ribbon) – the NYDS-branded ribbon comes wrapped around the box when you place an order with New York Design Shop!
Additional Tools/Materials:
*scissors
*fabric glue
*stiff felt
*pin back
*lighter
*iron (optional)
*piece of paper (optional)
[prep: iron ribbon if kinked or curled; draw a shape as a template on a piece of paper]
How to:
1. Cut ribbon into eighths to start out.
2. Seal ends of two of the ribbons with an open flame.
3. Glue two ends of ribbons together, overlapping them at a right angle.
4. Seal the ends of more of the ribbons, and glue them parallel to the first ribbon, alternating the underlap and overlap of their edges.
5. When you have enough ribbons to work with, start weaving in ribbons in the opposite direction, heat-sealing and gluing down the ends as you add them in.
6. When you’ve run out of ribbons, start trimming the ones you’ve already woven, in order to create the desired shape.
7. Continue with trimming, heat-sealing, gluing, and weaving until your shape is what you like. Make sure all edges are glued together.
8. Cut piece of felt slightly smaller than your woven shape, and glue together with fabric glue.
9. Hot-glue pin back to wrong side.
Now anyone can wear their heart on their sleeve…or on their NYDS-branded tote!!
xoxox
Carly
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Oct 6, 2010 | Life, Score!
Entry #22: Ginny
Congratulations!!
The winner has been contacted to get her shipping information for the prize.
Thanks so much for everyone who entered, tweeted, and promoted! It was so enlightening to read everyone’s reasons for supporting the charities they do…and is a reminder of all the good that is in this world.:-)
The Marshall’s Gift Card Giveaway is now closed as well…but I have ANOTHER gift card to give away real soon – so stay tuned!;-)
xoxox
Carly
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