There’s an easier way to save some daylight than having the whole word jump forward. We could just all wear yellow and bring some sunny cheer to the day. And we would not have to lose an hours sleep to do it. You know I really love these tartan tights from !*G^G*! because I hate that store name and would prefer to never type it out again. Nonetheless, when I put this outfit together I knew I needed to use those tights just for the whimsy of it all. Continue reading
posted by Gidge Uriza
Stepping up to meet Achariya’s Challenge are probably mostly photographers, as photography is truly the symbiant love of the posemaker. But, as a model who spends a great deal of time STANDING on poses, sorting through them sometimes and other times BEING sorted through on them, I actually have some great love for the art. Continue reading
Oh I do love the round buttons that trim this jacket from Zaara – a jacket I am sure you will see again and again as the truly well-made and flexible clothing items do get a lot of wear and air time. I decided to follow through on the theme of gold buttons – and chose the lovely necklace from Genesis that the green blouse from Zaara because of their gold buttons – but the piece that is the buttoniest of all is the pants from TOSL – the wonderful Sergeant Pepper pants. I have worn them before in another color – but this time I am grabbing the teal pants and yes, they work with that top.
I remember the first time I saw pre-pleated fabric on bolts. I was in Algeciras across the bay from Gibraltar, living with a family there while attending school. We went fabric shopping and went into a fabric store that was made for film with shelves up to the ceiling overflowing with fabrics, a rail with a sliding ladder like in old book stores and that aura of having existed in one place for over a hundred years. The store was dim and the bright sun of the Costa del Sol was kept out by thick velvet curtains – guardians against fading and sun damage. My friend was making herself a skirt and we looked at dozens of shades of cream in fabrics with sharp, narrow pleats. I had never seen such variety and abundance in fabric choices nor had I ever been in such an atmospheric and magical store. Back home, the fabric store was a back room at the florist shop and cream was cream was cream and the idea of a dozen shades of cream was unimaginable. I think that store was where I caught the fashion bug.
Ivalde’s Neferia Abel probably has been to more fabric stores that have multiple shades of cream than those who offer only one – you can see that in the subtlety with which she approaches color in this dress, Benedicte.
When most of us learn to crochet, we start out with a straight crochet and make a potholder or a dishcloth, but soon we move on to the ubiquitous granny square that has been used to make 857,634,999,234,741,337 afghans to date. If you don’t have one or two of your own, well – how did you escape? Granny square afghans usually are made when a crocheting relative has enough partials skeins from their blouses, dresses and skirts to combine – with utter disregard for color harmony – into one crocheted rectangle big enough to cover your legs – no matter that with its huge holes it will not keep you warm. It’s the thought that counts. However, at anuenue, we have someone who realized the granny square has other applications and made a bodice that originates in that design. Contrary to traditional granny square design, it is one color and that gives it a cohesion the traditional pattern usually lacks. Still with the folk roots of the granny square and the flowing gauze skirt, this is the perfect boho dress.
This outfit mixes a corset from Deadly Nightshade with a system skirt from Little Rebel. I love the system skirt – especially since I made myself a skirt shape to reduce the big booty bounty so common in the regular shape with a system skirt. Little Rebel is the epicenter of system skirt magnificence and smart fashionistas will make an occasional foray there to ensure they have a a few of the highwaisted system skirts to mix and match with short tops and corsets.
I guess because I grew up next to the Red River Valley of the North, whenever I see the phrase winter white my mind thinks of winter wheat. It’s a form of wheat that’s planted in the fall, needing the cold to flower. Of course, sometimes the winter is too hard and it kills off the crop, but then farming is possibly the only form of gambling legal in every country of the world. Now I would not wear these Novocaine winter white pants on the farm – but this truly is a perfect farm girl goes to town outfit, after all they are officially called City Slacks.
Okay, this is probably bad form – blogging a freebie that is no longer available, but I wanted to highlight Neferia Abel’s generosity as well as show you how simple accessories like a belt and a shrug can change your look. This was a fairly vampish sheath, but with the shrug, the sleeveless vamp quality is dialed down and the modishness is dialed up. You see, any freebie from Neferia is just as well-made as her regular items and could just as easily be on the wall with all the other items for sale. Not only that, but she she has given an item a day during Christmas Advent season – this particular dress was an Advent present from 2007. Her group members often get one free color of her new releases (or they did when I was still a group member) I had to drop the group a while back because of space issues, but still remember rushing to get the free color and perhaps one or two other shades when a new dress came out.
You and I all know that Ivalde’s clothing is more versatile than the word vintage implies. Now I won’t say you can wear any Ivalde item anywhere – that would be extreme. For example, I would not wear this dress fishing, but I would wear it dancing at the disco. to a cocktail party, at a fundraising event and to a concert. I could wear it today and change the belt and I could have worn it a decade ago – and that’s what classic means.
I was recently passed a couple of outfits from Riviera Couture as a thank you for some dresses I blogged awhile back. One was a lovely set of silks called Bollywood with a full bodice, but flowing silks for a skirt. It was gorgeous with a beautiful teal and royal blue brocade bodice and a gorgeous teal and cerise stola, it’s just the skirt was simply not my style. But then it occurred to me to pair it with a regular skirt and the result was better than I could have expected.