Ombre Nails

I wish I could say that I painted my nails myself, or that I have a great DIY ombre nails tutorial for you, but unfortunately I cheated and got these done at a salon.  If you're in nyc and want to try it out, I went to Valley Nails;  however, if you are feeling crafty and want to try the ombre look yourself, check out these tutorials:

Glamour Tutorial

Wink and Blush Tutorial

 

 

DIY Sew: 1/2 Circle Skirt

 

I was over on WhoWhatWear.com the other day and came across an article about 10 Must Try Outfit Ideas. My favorite outfit idea and also the one I was most excited to try to DIY was this one below: Thin Wool Sweater and Circle Skirt.  This is totally DIYable right? Well I was aching to find out, so, as usual I began to do some construction research.

 

As you can see from the first picture I decided to make my circle skirt a mini. 
See below for tutorial & materials list:

 

Here's what you need to get started:

Pattern

1.5 to 2 yards of knit fabric

matching thread

sewing machine

scissors

fabric chalk

 Cut pattern pieces out

You'll notice after cutting that you'll need to sew up one side of the skirt

DONE!
 

How to: Draft a 1/2 Circle Skirt Pattern

I've been dying to make myself a circle skirt lately, I love the relaxed flowy look, and think it would be a perfect addition to my fall wardrobe.  There's only one minor thing that's standing in my way of sewing the actual skirt..... the pattern...I don't have one, but surely I can figure out how to draft one myself. 

Here's how it all went down:

First I gathered my materials:

Craft paper

measuring tape

pen

scrap paper and calculator

 

Calculate the radius of your waist.  This is achieved with the following formula:

radius= waist/3.14/2
**when sewing with knits you'll have to subtract 3'' from your waist before plugging the waist number into the above formula.  Use the below formula for knits only.
radius(for knits)= (waist-3)/3.14/2

In the below formula 2r-.5'', r= radius; note 18'' below represents how long your skirt will be minus 1 inch (the extra inch is accounting for the hem), if you'd like your skirt shorter or longer, adjust this number.

 

Lines A to B, and A to D should be the same length, each line =2(radius)-.5''

Lines B to C and D to E each measure 18''

 

 

 

 

Cut out the waistband and skirt pattern pieces and now you're ready to create your skirt!

Check back tomorrow for a picture tutorial of my version!



NYFW: BCBG MAXAZRIA

By some strike of luck this morning I got to go to my very first fashion show... and in case you didn't realize, it's New York Fashion Week!! I showed up to Lincoln center a half hour early and sat around the fountain, taking in the beautiful stylish people around me. I was so fascinated with the whole scene, there were photographers everywhere, asking for street style snaps from the stylish attendees. As I sat people watching, a Marie Claire editor approached the girl sitting next to me and asked if she'd like to be in their street style column! The girl was so unassuming, I'm actually not even sure if she was there for the show or just passing through the square. Later, when I met up with my friend to go inside, we were stopped for a photo (!), I couldn't believe it, I think it was more for his style than mine, but I'll take it! (Check out the fashion week pics from the photographer, he was representing mobella blog here) Once inside I got to hang in the style lounge for a few minutes until the show began seating; I was then escorted to my seat and saw a real fashion runway for the very first time! Scanning the seats my eyes came across Fashion Police Hosts Juliana Rancic and George Kotsiopoulos, and then to fashion icon/model/host Heidi Klum! When the show started I was captivated by all the BGBC Maxazria looks, the confidence of the models, music and design, it was a really powerful, and inspiring experience.

 

Here are a few pics I took..

 

 

 

 

And here are my favorite looks I grabbed from Style.com:

 

My mind is racing with ways to DIY these looks, are you inspired?

DIY Sew: Striped Shorts

back

Continuing on last week's shorts theme, I decided to make myself a second pair.  This time there was an extra element of difficulty because I decided to refashion a striped scarf.

 

I used my homemade shorts pattern to trace the four pieces of the pattern (you can find the pattern how to here) be sure to fold the fabric with good sides together and line up each stripe.  Then I followed the same steps as the last shorts tutorial.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The shorts in action!

learn how to make your own animated picture here

 



DIY Sew: Patterned Shorts

 

To my pleasant surprise learning how to sew shorts was a lot easier than I imagined.  I did a quick google search "how to sew shorts without a pattern" and came across some helpful tips.  After a quick search of my dresser I emerged with a decent fitting pair of shorts (to be used to create my pattern), and then proceeded to scour my apartment for the remaining supplies: scissors, paper bag (for tracing the pattern on), pen, fabric chalk, zipper, fabric (in my case table cloth), and of course my trusty sewing machine. The entire process probably took about an hour or so, but I'm convinced it was just because it was my first time (I sewed up a second pair the next day and they came together in a half hour!)
Follow along with the steps below to sew up a pair of your own.

For further tips on installing darts and an exposed zipper, check out this tutorial.

Inspiration: Patterned Shorts

       Check out my pin board here

I saw these inspiring pins of patterned shorts floating around pinterest, and they got me thinking.  It's about time to figure out how to sew up some shorts of my own.  I love all the flashy/bright prints; I'm thinking I can try out my own pair with the table cloth remnants from my latest skirt; what do you think?