J. Crew Natasha Inspired DIY Top

Polka dots, gingham, anchors, stripes...they've been in constant replay in my mind.  Today's DIY was inspired by J. Crew's Natasha top.  I loved the dots and ruffles combination so decided to give it a shot.

I typically don't line my tops (too much of a pain) but a cami underneath the chiffon just wouldn't have the same effect.  I think the extra effort paid off in this case.

Inspiration:  J. Crew Natasha Top in Polka Dot, $80 (buy here)

DIY:  Polka Dot Top w/ Ruffled Placket & Collar, $10 in materials

DIY Polka Dot Top

Macy's Black Skirt (old)

The Limited Leopard Belt (old)

Target Mossimo Pearce Pumps

J. Crew Crystal Stripe Link Bracelet

Kate Spade Take a Bow Ring (avail in Kate Spade Outlet for $28)

H&M Black and White Bangles

Hermes Clic H

What kinds of prints have you been in love with lately?

Nautical (DIY) + Gingham + Bright Accessories

Remember this Pinterest image I repinned from Aubrey?  I tried it with the dotted skirt but the proportions didn't look right on me so I decided to try it with a slimmer skirt.  I tied the ends of the shirt to make it look more feminine (and outright copied Cee).

J. Crew Crewcuts Boys' Gingham Shirt

DIY Nautical Kasia Skirt

Amrita Singh Water Mill Necklace, Coral (buy here)

Timex Watch + J. Crew Strap

Orange Horsebit Bracelet & H&M Enamel Bangle

Talbots Suede Chunky Heel City Sandals

This skirt is a previous DIY using Burdastyle's Kasia:

 

I love that this pattern incorporates buttons and hip ruching to set it apart from other pencil skirts.

I don't have any orange heels so threw in some yellow ones - should I have gone with neutral colored shoe instead?

Polka Dot Skirt DIY

Still thinking of the J. Crew Elinor dress (fitting room review here), I was delighted to see this blue / white polka dot fabric on sale.  I thought about making my own version of the dress but decided to opt for a skirt instead to pair with various tops.

I'm currently obsessed with green / blue combinations and wanted to give it a try with the resulting skirt.  I fell in love with this blouse when I saw it on Jean here, but went to the store too late to buy it.  One day, I found what must have been a return and snapped it up.  I love the vibrant green!

H&M Double Placket Blouse 

DIY Polka Dot Skirt

DIY 5-Strand Pearls

Banana Republic Pearls / Chain Bracelet

Michael Kors Tortoiseshell Watch

Gucci d'Orsay Pumps, Camel

I'll need to post a better picture of the skirt in the future because you can't really see the box pleats.  I'd also like to play around with different pairings like the gingham / dot combo in this Pinterest image (repinned from Aubrey).

When it comes to dots, do you like pairing them with solids or prints?

Alteration: The Red Pants Experiment

Argh, I had this post all ready to go for Sunday evening and then, inexplicably, all the content was deleted when I hit "publish."

Let me reconstruct this darn thing and try again...

Armed with a coupon for $10 pants (from this post), it was unlikely I would be walking out of the store empty-handed.  I found these red pants and loved the color but the fit left something to be desired.  Size 4 fit my tummy well but then the legs were a bit baggy.  The unfortunate effect of baggy pants plus tapered legs was a pear-shaped nightmare.  I decided to take them home for some DIY slimming to "fix" the silhouette.  Aside from hemming, I've never really worked with pants so I was a little nervous about it.  Thankfully, simply slimming it along the inseam gave it the straighter, more-slender shape I wanted.

New York & Company 7th Avenue Sateen Slim Crop, Yelling Red, $10, orig. $43 (buy here)

I wasn't quite sure what to wear with them so I first tried my trusty stripes.

Top 1: Old Navy Tee (old)

Necklace 1: H&M Turquoise Necklace (old)

Top 2: Ann Taylor Starlight Stripe Sweater, XS (buy here)

Necklace 2: J. Crew Resin & Chain (old)

Belt:  Lands' End Canvas Rope Belt (old)

Shoes:  Gucci d'Orsay Pump, Camel (old)

Watch:  Timex face + J. Crew strap (original post here)

Then thought maybe an analogous color combination?  I wanted to try orange with it but the only oranges I had were too close to this shade of red and ultimately made me look like one giant fireball.  I decided to try peach instead. 

And added a deep purple inspired by this J. Crew image I pinned.

Shirt & Cardigan: LOFT (old)

Closer view of accessories

Horsebit Bracelet (purchased here but no longer see online)

Target Chain / Rhinestone Bracelet, $17 - reminds me a little of the J. Crew pave link bracelet

Amrita Singh Cannes Ring (buy here)

How would you wear red pants?

Vintage Inspiration: DIY Crocheted Collar

A quick "hi" from maternity blogging hiatus:  Thank you everyone for the kind words and best wishes!   I'm truly touched and appreciative of all of them!  Baby Girl is proving out to be quite the night owl where peak wakefulness is 12am-3am :) but everything is going well.  Before I pop back into hiatus, I wanted to share one of the posts I prepared before her arrival:

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So my mom is pretty much the most awesome person I know.  She sews, knits, crochets, is a fabulous cook, AND helps me take care of the little one when Hubby and I work.  I've been seeing dramatic, embellished collars in the mags lately and when I told Mom about it, she offered to not only crochet me a collar, but also TEACH me how to crochet.  We're waiting until I start maternity leave to really dive in but for now, I can crochet a mean straight line LOL.

The great thing about the collar is that it is interchangeable and can be added to any kind of ensemble.

Collar:  DIY (courtesy of Mom)

Necklace:  F21

Dress:  H&M Maxi Skirt worn as dress

Shoes:  Born Leather Slides (you may have noticed that I'm all for comfy flats now)

A closer view of the collar

What do you think?  There may be future crocheted items making their way to my Etsy store soon :)