Jul 22, 2009 | Fashion, Media
Another Feather blog featured me and a post I put up previously about the beautiful bullet quartz necklace I bought from them. Read the post here.
They wrote: “Thank you carly for featuring a AnotherFeather necklace in your blog. you are so adorable.”
Haha! You’re welcome!
And definitely check out the Another Feather blog for an inspiring collection of the beautiful, ethereal jewelry pieces owner Hannah creates all with her very hands.
Thank you Hannah!
-Carly J. Cais
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Jul 22, 2009 | Fashion
Images courtesy Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
Thursday, Feb. 19 saw Mackage’s presentation of their Fall/Winter ’09 Collection, a study in the juxtaposition of the opposing elements of light and dark, matte and shiny, and masculine and feminine. The Canadian design duo Elisa Dahan and Eran Elfassy added sleek separates and chic accessories to the only outerwear brand to show at the tents during Fashion Week. The slim-fitting, warm coats central to the line continued with their approach to “outerwear as an integral element of fashionable dressing.” Those familiar with Mackage noted their signature one-sided scarf collars and garment-washed leather in many pieces; wool and leather over-the-knee boot-covers, zippered gloves, and tight-fitting leather pants rounded out the looks, imbuing them with a tough chic sensibility. Of special note was a black-on-charcoal wool/cashmere double-breasted plaid coat, with a high collar and full pleated skirt, cinched by a black leather corset belt; a tan fur bomber jacket with caramel leather sleeves paired over slit cocoa skinny jeans a knee-high riding boots; and an off-white hip-length puffy parka with wool cable-knit trim, topping off white leggings and off-white leather boot covers.
Prior to the runway show the brand was also involved in sponsoring a coat drive February 13 through the 22nd in conjunction with Housing Works. New Yorkers were invited to donate coats at any of the Housing Works Thrift Shops’ seven participating locations. In an effort to increase awareness and raise money to support this initiative, celebrity fans of the line – such as Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, and Lindsay Price – donated autographed Mackage coats to the boutiques, which were auctioned online at Shophousingworks.com from February 7-19.
For more runway photos see http://mbfashionweek.com/newyork/fall2009/designers/mackage/
-Carly J. Cais
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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
