Nov 10, 2009 | Fashion, Score!
Something this pink deserves to be paired with pieces that allow it to shine. As an anchor to this outfit, it’s teeny and tight, so legs need to be matte, black, and look super-long with black lace-up booties. Topping things off with a DIY altered band jacket to add some kooky-sexy, this is the perfect outfit for that urban excursion or first date.
(DIY band jacket, white t-shirt, silver hammered bangles, silver and rhinestone wave rings, stretch elastic studded belt, Necessary Objects Pink Stretch Poly Mini Skirt, patent clutch handbag, tights, suede oxford booties)
Styling Tip: If you want to embrace a current trend, you don’t need to go out and buy a brand new wardrobe. By looking at what you already have in your closet – and taking a trip to the sewing store – you can give many of your pieces a new life. Using funky trims, different buttons, padding, and safety pins, you can add or take away elements from your clothing…none of which need to be permanent alterations! For example, I wanted a structured marching band jacket but didn’t want to buy it. Instead, I took a mandarin-collar cropped jacket I already had, and folded the hemline under, safety-pinning it to create that cutaway line. I pinned shoulder pads inside, and then stitched on some trim from the fabric store in a curlicue pattern. For all of $9, I had myself a brand-new jacket – one that I can convert back to the cropped collared jacket anytime the trend dies.
Thank you for looking and I’d love to have your vote on Bluefly.com or StyleList.com!
xoxox
Carly J. Cais
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Nov 7, 2009 | Fashion
(handmade dress from a men’s shirt, Claire’s ball-chain necklaces, studded leather bracelet from Buffalo Exchange, Forever21 vinyl leggings, Newport-News lace pumps, DIY leather half-scoop gloves)
This was one of the main reasons I chose to shoot in a studio for my America’s Most Stylish Blogger entries: Portland weather has been like this pretty much every day for 3 weeks. (It has mysteriously cleared up for the weekends…but timing-wise I was only ready to shoot my outfits during the week…I put a lot of thought into each one, and since I don’t get the item from Bluefly until Friday, it didn’t give me enough time to formulate something in time for the rare and unexpected good weather.) Blah. So it’s been cold and wet consistently, but I wanted to post this outfit while it’s still Fall for goodness’ sakes.
Inspired by a reader’s version of the Cute Summer ShirtDress from a Men’s Shirt I made back in August, I chose a plaid shirt for my newest men’s shirt makeover…and created a bustier top with a zip-back, bust-darts, folded front detail, faux belt, peplum, and tulip skirt. (Too much? Customize at will!:-) It took awhile, but it’s done! Tutorial coming soon soon soon once I sit down and write the silly thing.
DIY half-scoop gloves tutorial here. I love them to death! To death I say! (And in this photo, you can see the band-aid on my flu shot that I got that very morning; how very chic.)
The lace pumps really don’t match but I felt like pairing something lacy with the outfit to offset the vinyl leggings.
I am totally feeling plaid for Fall. (By now it’s a little cold, so it will go over a black mesh long-sleeved top, and maybe on its own for parties.)
xoxo
Carly
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Nov 6, 2009 | Fashion
With the Hilary Swank movie Amelia hitting theaters less than 2 weeks ago, you may have noticed a resurgence in aviator fashion recently. Despite the fact that movie is, er, bombing at the box office, the leather bomber jacket has become a trend in and of itself, being spotted on many celebrities recently such as Hilary Duff, Vanessa Hudgens, and Katie Cassidy. I think I’ll skip the $550 Miss Top Gun Aviator Jacket Katie’s wearing, though.
I saw the Forever21 Pilot Leatherette Jacket ($44.80) on some site somewhere, and wondered if the real thing indeed lived up to its rather crappy-seeming photo. With Forever21, you never know. Especially outerwear, which always seems to be made terribly (no lining, splitting seams, el cheapo outer fabric, you know). So I made my way to my nearest Forever21 to check out the goods in person.
And I didn’t even want a bomber jacket. I didn’t think it would suit me. The aviator look is something I didn’t think I could work, quite frankly.
But!
It was all over as soon as I touched the jacket.
It’s made well. Really, really well. Tons of details, heavy to the touch, soft plushy fleece lining (none of this crappy pilling that you find on cheap fleece), strong, topstitched seams, fabulous buttons, lovely cracked “leatherette”…even a nice leather-y smell. I can go on an on about how great this jacket is…and how it certainly should demand a higher price than its $45 tag. It could be sold for $150 at least, and no one would notice the difference. (I hope no one in Forever21’s marketing team is reading this, lest they get impure ideas.)
So I paired it with my tie-dye jeans (love the super-saturated color on them), my aviator shades that Hub tells me make me look like Tom Cruise in Top Gun (like in a bad way), and my over-the-knee Colin Stuart cordovan [whatever that is] boots from Victoria’s Secret. Too much? I look like I have my own personal turbo-prop stored in the backyard somewhere.
Love it!
xoxxo
Carly
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Oct 27, 2009 | Fashion, Score!
So my outfit including the Priorities Navy Gabardine Boyfriend Vest ($90, Bluefly.com) has already been posted to SyleList.com and Bluefly.com…please vote for me! (And be entered to win a $1000 Bluefly.com shopping spree!)
But, always being the overachiever, I decided to style this vest in a number of different outfits since it is incredibly versatile.
Outfit #1
With The
Boyfriend Husband Jean. Methinks they’re a bit
too baggy, but what the hey.
(Old Navy tee, H&M belt, Newport-News patent clutch, Claire’s leather wristband, Lucky horseshoe pendant necklace worn as a bracelet, Hub’s Banana Republic jeans, Colin Stuart Sexy Stiletto pumps)
Outfit #2
The precursor to the outfit I submitted for the competition. I decided the jeans had to be skinnier-cut in order for the outfit to work.
(QoJelly convertible chiffon top, Yukester necklaces, XOXO studded bag folded over, vintage wristwatches, Paris Blues jeans, Bakers Shoes shield sandals)
Outfit #3
Channeling Cyndi Lauper.
(DIY ribbon-wrapped Claire’s plastic necklace, bandeau bra, vintage ruffled tutu, Newport-News high-waisted skirt, Spiral Girl platform pumps)
Outfit#4
Military-style. Why is a vest categorized as “outerwear” when you wear it inside your coat/jacket? Wear it on top: outerwear over outerwear!
(Kenneth Cole trenchcoat and trenchcoat belt, skirt you can barely see so who cares, vintage thigh-high boots)
Outfit#5
Ruffled silly.
(faux leather jacket from Japan, handmade beaded necklace…DIY tutorial here….F21 ruffled top, Old Navy belt, thrift store pants I DIY’ed into cropped harems, Bakers Shoes shield sandals)
I certainly could have worn it over a coordinating slim skirt for office-appropriate attire, or open over a white tee and destroyed jeans. But that’s so expected!
How would you have styled the vest?
xoxo
Carly
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Oct 27, 2009 | Fashion, Score!
(chiffon blouse with collar pulled into vest sleeves, Bluefly.com Priorities Navy Gabardine Boyfriend Vest, DIY multi-chain necklace, handmade rings, buckled cuff, necklace worn as bracelet, tie-dye skinny jeans, studded stretch bracelet, wedge-heel multi-buckled boots, studded flap handbag)
Fall ’09 is all about a study in contrasts: hard and soft, light and dark, flirty and businesslike, girly meets edgy, structured undone by irreverence. A boyfriend vest is the ultimate layering piece for cooler weather, but its unisex silhouette demands something light and feminine, such as a tiered chiffon blouse.
Even though pairing the vest with some jeans (as in the item description!) felt like a bit of a cop-out, this vest needs to be balanced out by something slim-fitting (and a little sexy) on the bottom. Tie-dye jeans may be seen as Fashion Risk, but they’re currently on-trend (and on celebs and fashionistas from coast to coast!). I love how the blotchy, nebulous pattern mimics the Fall leaves.
The red lip is back this season – and so I chose an fiery red to play off the blue of the vest and jeans.
Studded jewelry and accessories are also in opposition with each other: mixed metals (silver and gold) and shapes (squares and circles; pointy and flat) pair and complement. Buckled wedge booties complete the look and lend it an urban edge.
*Styling Tip: If you feel like you’ve fallen into an accessory rut, try wearing your jewelry in an unexpected way to reinvent your look! Here, I’ve wound a necklace around my wrist to become a zippered multistrand bracelet [right hand, partially hidden by bag handles], and placed a stretchy cuff bracelet over my jeans at the ankle [left leg]. (The banklet is born!)
Thanks for looking and I’d love to have your vote on StyleList.com!
xoxox
Carly
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Something this pink deserves to be paired with pieces that allow it to shine. As an anchor to this outfit, it’s teeny and tight, so legs need to be matte, black, and look super-long with black lace-up booties. Topping things off with a DIY altered band jacket to add some kooky-sexy, this is the perfect outfit for that urban excursion or first date.
