Jun 10, 2009 | Fashion
For lovers of the cherry-red soles of iconic Louboutins – or for those wanting to jazz up your old pumps with your choice of colored sole – score some leather paint at your local craft store (or online at Caningshop.com) – Angelus is the recommended brand – and paint the soles of your shoes! Don’t forget to mask the parts you don’t want to paint with painter’s tape and apply carefully…the paint will rub off with wear but is easy to apply. Use acetone to remove any bloopers. Seal your work with a coat of Angelus Matte Acryic Finisher. Since you’ll be walking on it, the paint will eventually wear away, but at least the visible part will remain cherry-red for as long as you want them to.
*Above, CharlotteRusse Patent Pumps, $22.99 (Buy one get one for $10!)
*Christian Louboutin Simple Pump, normally retails for $790, avail. for $474 here.
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Jun 5, 2009 | Fashion
I always love to see what other bloggers/fashion mavens out there have on their wish lists. It’s inspirational to me and really introduces me to a lot of brands I may not hear about otherwise. Here’s my list, for those who care.
(from left: Studded Necklush from Urban Outfitters, Wet Seal Side-cut leggings)
And there’s more, after the jump…
(from left: 12-point star shoe clips found on Outsapop, Jacqueline Sanchez Diamond ForeverYoung Ring No. 2 from Shanalogic.com, Watermelon Barette from GoldilocksBarrettes on Etsy.com)
(from left: fabulous suspender-back jacket from EKO-LAB, Studded Jacket DIY from FourEyedFun, Pleasure Principle Multi-Option Dress found on childhood flames (okay, so I’m unoriginal), Litter‘s shoe chains (love love loving the top pair))
(from left: Queen Michelle’s drapery pull necklace from Kingdom of Style, Fringed Necklace from Kristin (BLEACHBLACK)’s tutorial on LuckyMag.com, Fiona Paxton Beaded Necklace, $288 (note to self: must find way of DIY’ing this without having to sew every little bitty bead on there else it will make me crazy), Candace Ang Ruffled Necklace…DIY tutorial here)
DIY Elastic Bralette from DustyDress
(from left: Horsehead Dress from EKO-LAB, DIY Ombre Jeans from Nelliina (DIY ombre post forthcoming from me on FashionTribes.com!), Satin Badge from Etsy.com (I think))
(from left: Bronx Shoes…drooooool. Why oh why don’t you sell these in the U.S.??? (only the tall beige cutout boots are available for a mere $175 from Amazon.com); photo from Nelliina, Marc Jacobs Zipper Bow Cuff (I’ll be adding the DIY tutorial to my site once I’m done editing the step-by-step photos); photo from Vogue mag cover scan)
(from left: Gypsy05 Lola Long Sleeve in Black/Cream….$93, KrishaBana Triple Spike Earrings from Karmaloop.com)
I’m planning tons and tons of DIY’s for all this since either the real thing is no longer available or is not affordable for me right now!
The items above that are still available on their respective sites I’ve linked to directly; most aren’t anymore, so I just linked to the site homepage. Most of these are images from my compu
ter, so if I haven’t credited you properly, it’s more the fault of my memory than anything intentional. Let me know and I’ll fix the link!
Thank you!
-Carly J. Cais
May 31, 2009 | Fashion
(Forever21 jacket, turtleneck, sequined dress, and ring; Hue tights, Payless booties, Kenneth Cole bag)
Okay, I’ll admit, these photos were taken a while back and I just didn’t post them. It’s definitely too layered of a look for summer.
The jacket (Forever21) has a removable hoodie – multifunctionality, YAY! I haven’t had an occasion to wear the sequined dress by itself, and so I paired it over a semi-matching turtleneck-and-tights-combo. (Okay, yes, this doesn’t exactly scream “wear me in June,” but hey, it’s Portland, you never know.)
Here you can see the ring I’m wearing – it’s really cool – like an abstract silver plate set with little purple beads. It looks like an alien pod to me.
Little buttoned booties from Payless! Victorian and affordable – that should be my middle name.
And, on another note, after many hair-raising tales (trying to come in on the outgoing runway and getting screamed at by the Honolulu Airport tower control guys – never a good sign when they lose their cool – barely able to straighten out to land properly after swinging wildly from side to side – almost having to attempt a water landing when the plane had a little technical difficulty somewhere just beyond Maui) Hub has finally received his pilot’s license. It still means he spends more time studying than actually flying at this point. And to think up until now his motley “career” has consisted of Guest Service at a hotel and then insurance claims adjuster. I wonder if the FAA are worried yet?
(I kid, really, he will probably be a great pilot because he loves it so much. But his tales are still hair-raising all the same…especially when he tells me most of the time he can’t understand what the tower control people are actually saying. Eeeek.)
Happy summer to all of you – and if you live in the Portland area – watch out in the skies above!!:-)
-Carly J. Cais
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May 29, 2009 | Fashion
I had a love affair with Banana Republic in February of 2005. My MIL took me on a shopping spree there and I seriously could have bought [read: had her buy for me] everything in the store. That was then.**
**I was also pregnant at the time and didn’t know it. MIL suspected since I had to keep running to the bathroom to pee in-between outfit changes, and then all the lovely outfits she bought for me had to be stuffed into the back of my closet as my ever-expanding waistline busted out of them in subsequent weeks.
But that was then.
And after that, Banana Republic produced crap for what seemed about an age.
And now, methinks they’re back on track. What with the BR Monogram Collection, and the regular stuff in their stores, it’s looking pretty delicious again. (Who wasn’t drooling over that gorgeous beaded silk halter-gown Keri Russell was wearing on the cover of the Dec 2008 Lucky Magazine??)
Yah, baby. Saw this in a Marie Claire a little while ago, squealed, and then scored one for a fraction of the cost on Ebay. I’m kind of between sizes though (in the ridiculous, Gap-fueled vanity sizing system that Banana Republic apparently subscribes to). In this dress in a 6, I’m swimming. In a 4, it fits, but it won’t allow my ribcage to expand (i.e., if I eat a satisfying meal, take a deep breath, etc.). I have now discovered Hollywood’s secret to staying thin! It’s wearing a skintight woven, lined Banana Republic dress that fits you perfectly only if you have nothing in your stomach. And don’t breathe.
When I wore it to my brother’s rehearsal dinner, people thought the frilly neckline was part of the dress. It’s not! It’s a little wrap in a gorgeous marbled black satin – that I found on Etsy couretsy of lolashowgirl’s shop. I love it so much…and it looks great too with a simple white tank.
The shoes are going to be sacrificed for a DIY long in the making…just a little short of funds right now, so it’s been put on hold. Pleaser shoes, from Ebay store Starry Nights (the ONLY store on Ebay that sells stripper/goth shoes that doesn’t charge like $15+ for shipping)…I feel so incredibly tall in them.
I look mad in this photo. You want something, Mister?
Everything I thought gave me a sort of vampirish-look (in a good way!)…plus I’m a sucker for anything with a frilly neckline.
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May 23, 2009 | Fashion
It’s beautiful here in Portland, and apparently we’re going to have sunshine for the next 8 days straight. Ick. I try to spurn the sun as much as possible, feeling that my vampirish-pallor necessitates it. [I burn within minutes or break out in an attractive rash under the sun…or applied to heat…light…emotion…wool…yup, just about anything one can be applied to. Fall is my favorite time of the year.] Meanwhile my garden is going nuts and so I’ve been out and about, trying to control the lush jungle that has sprung up around me. Not so much time for blogging.
But, in honor of the continuous sunshine, I thought to post this – an outfit I wore when Hub and I went out for our 5-yr. anniversary to the Portland restaurant Beast. (Yup, it’s been that long, and yup, it was super-yummy.)
The jacket is vintage…my mother’s mother bought the fabric in the Philippines in the 1950’s or so, and had it made into a jacket-and-evening gown combo. The fabric is made of pineapple fibers (!), dyed to this obnoxious yellow, and has this shimmery look to it. The dye ended up taking in subtle vertical striations (isn’t that a nice word?) and gradations of light to bright yellow. It feels like soft seatbelts to the touch. My mother wore the set to her graduation sometime in the late 60’s…and ended up spilling sauce down the front of the gown; a nice brown stain. I am still trying to figure out how to salvage the gown, and though the jacket is completely the wrong size for me, I still thought it sunshiny and fun.
The dress I made as a sample for my now-defunct line RIVETED‘s Holiday 2007 Collection…it never went into production and that was the last season I produced before I ran out of funds.:-(
Boots are Payless from a couple years ago. Hot pink, slouchy, suede-y…what’s not to love???
If I look tired in the photos – I am…I was about a week and a half into my allergic reaction-pneumonitis-bronchitis trifecta saga that I got the day before going to Hawaii for a friend’s wedding.
I am currently vigorously applying myself to Gossip Girl Season 1 courtesy of Netflix…I feel it requires my attention.
-Carly J. Cais
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