Mixed Media Pearl Necklace DIY Tutorial

My current obsession revolves around dramatic necklaces.  I have been collecting jewelry odds and ends for several months now and I wanted to put them to good use :) so I decided to make a mixed media necklace.  This one uses 2 types of bronze chain, pearls, various charms, and crystal tube beads.

Here's how I would wear it:

Top: Black T-shirt Turtleneck, Old Navy, Sm (they make the softest tee material!)

Jacket: LOFT Twill Cropped Military Jacket, Olive Green, 0P

Jeans: Gap Always Skinny Cropped Jeans, Dark Wash, Sz 4 Tall 

Leather Boots: Born (so comfy)

Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Nikki

I soooo love these Gap jeans and have been wearing them all the time (washed between each wear of course LOL).  They stay slim all day and don't at all develop the unsightly bagginess that other jeans tend to succumb to at the end of the day.

 And a close-up of the necklace:

Check out the tutorial after the jump!

Petite Fashion Challenge #3: The Look For Less

Petite Fashion Challenge #3: The Look for Less is being hosted by the lovely Sydney @ PetiteLittleGirl.

The challenge:

Who is your celeb style icon? Pick an outfit from your favorite celeb and show us how to recreate that look for less. Usually, your style icon reflects your personal style and also your body type. In this challenge, your style icon doesn’t have to be a petite.

My inspiration came from Charlize Theron.  I loved her ease and elegance in this look and decided to try to recreate it.  The picture I initially found of her cut off her legs so I improvised on the footwear.  It wasn't until later (after I took all the pics) that I found out she was wearing Gray Cardi Boots (which I also have - excuse the dated expression, but DOH!).  Oh well!  :P

 Black Blazer:  Banana Republic, Sz 2

 Top: Old Navy Striped Boat Neck Tee, XS

Jeans: Gap Always Skinny Cropped Jeans, Dark Wash, Sz 4 Tall (explanation below)

Black Leather Boots: Born 

Bag: Balenciaga Twiggy, Anthracite 

I wanted to keep the outfit pretty close so I even have a scarf peeping out of my Bal bag like Charlize's - yes, I'm THAT anal LOL.  Her bag is Balenciaga Weekender in Black with covered hardware whereas mine is a Balenciaga Twiggy in Anthracite with regular hardware.  So I wouldn't necessarily say the bag is part of the "look for less" portion unless you count that the smaller Twiggy is less expensive than her large Weekender, but everything else is!  :) This is my first posting with accessories and I have to say that it lent a certain feeling of completeness to the photo.

So why did I get jeans in Tall?  These jeans were actual crops (mid-calf, rather than ankle - see stock photo below) and I really wanted them to be regular jeans rather than short ones.  So I took a gamble and ordered Tall - they are the perfect length.  And they were on sale for $29.99 with 30% off!  The only bad thing about them is that they seem much darker than pictured, but that's not a huge deal because I love the fit so much.  Thanks PAG and Curls-and-Pearls for re-introducing me to Gap denim!!  :)

Nautical OOTD and DIY Beaded Pin

Left:  ROCKSTAR Sushi Striped Embellished Epaulet Tee, Neiman Marcus, $121

Right:  DIY Beaded Pin + Boat Neck Striped Tee from Old Navy, Sz XS, now $8, Ann Taylor Khaki Trousers, Sz 2, Banana Republic necklace

When I saw the tee above in the Neiman Marcus I HAD to try and recreate it.  It combines everything that I love - nautical stripes, epaulet, and beading!  I already had a striped tee in my closet so I set off to create a pin to go with it.

 What do you think about pin placement?  I think it looks better on top of the shoulder except that the edges don't lay flat there.

Here's the pin by itself - DIY tutorial to follow!

 These AT trousers run very large.  I usually wear a Sz 4 in pants but these are Sz 2 and are still a little roomy.  Nonetheless, the material is very soft and I like the semi-wide leg cut.  Plus they were on sale for $20!  :)

Peplum Jacket Sewing Project

Peplum Jacket, DIY

Ann Taylor Floral Front Shell (seen here on AN and here on PAG)

Black Skirt, DIY

Pearl/Ribbon Twisted Necklace, DIY

DKNY Studded Leather Sandals

For this jacket, I used a nice black and white boucle fabric from Fabric.com.  I was happy that it was a nice and soft fabric rather than itchy.  It's always a tiny bit nerve-wracking to buy fabric online as I always shop by feeling my fabrics.

I took these photos last week and I think I can already critique a few things.  One, I think maybe I should belt my skirt if I leave the jacket open.  Two, I think this would look better with tights and pumps rather than bare legs and sandals.  Thoughts?  I'm trying to learn from all you fashionistas!  :)

Want to make your own Peplum Jacket?  Check out McCall's Pattern M5936:

Purple Power OOTD :)

I was very much feeling "purple" today for whatever reason.  Once I had my tee and cardi, it was like I couldn't help piling on more purple!  :D  I felt pretty good about my outfit until I took pictures of it and wondered if I looked like a giant eggplant.  Help me out fellow bloggies - what do you think?

LOFT Long V-Neck Cardi, XS, $25

LOFT Tiered Tee, XS, $22

BR Martin Fit Pants (from a long time ago), Sz 4

Frye Bridget Wedge Sandals

Pearl/Ribbon Twisted Necklace and Bracelet, DIY

BR pants used to absolutely be my go-to pants but it seems like whenever I try their pants now, they are very ill-fitting and I'm not quite sure why.  Anyhow, these pants are at least 2-3 years old and I still love them. 

Back view:  I didn't even have to cut my head off! LOL :P

Frye Bridget Studded Sandals w/ a 4.5" heel.

I thought these would be ridiculously hard to walk in, but it's really not bad.  I definitely can't wear it for a day full of errands but a day at the office was fine - and this is coming from a gal who values comfort in footwear.

DIY Bracelet

I'm a Sucker for a Sale - LOFT Reviews

It seems these days that all I do is go to LOFT, but after seeing that there would be additional 50% off sale items on ReallyPetite's LOFT haul posting, I honestly just couldn't resist.  After a long and stressful day at work, I decided to treat myself with a little deal hunting.  ;)

It started out as another boxy day in the fitting room:

Leopard Spots Bubble Hem Shell, $20, XS

I really liked the print on this but it just seemed a little too billowy to be flattering.

Verdict: No

Sleeveless Ruffle Front Top, $20, XS

This was huge!  It fit more like a regular medium than XS - petite ladies beware.

Verdict: Way too big, no

Unconstructed Ruffle Shell, XS, $12

I liked the ruffle detail but the shirt seemed too long and shapeless.  Plus the material was see-through.

Verdict: No

 Tiered Asymmetrical Top, XS, $22

I LOVE this - the asymmetrical neckline, the tiers, the color!  It reminds me of the beloved Ruffle Front Cardigan.

Verdict:  Definitely buy

 Navy Blue Blazer, Sz 0, ~$30

I thought this fit pretty well in the torso but it seemed to make my shoulders look broad?  Maybe it was my imagination?

Verdict: No

Bow Front Tee, XXSP, $17

Firstly, it's kind of a bad sign when I can fit into XXSP :P  I actually really liked this shirt from the front and the back.  It was a combination of jersey and charmeuse(?) so the fit was generally good.  But the ripple effect it has that looks cute in the front made me look lumpy/fat from the side.

Verdict: No

Dangle Necklace, $15

So cute!!!  I briefly contemplated making my own, but searching for all the components was not appealing.  Plus, $15 is a pretty good price!

Verdict: Buy

Aren't you proud of my restraint in shopping?  LOL

A Walk on the Wild Side: Animal Print Top Project

Now I've never been one to sport the animal print look but I've been inspired by bloggers like Ping, Curls-And-Pearls, ExtraPetite, and LittleNashua (just to name a few) so when I saw this leopard-esque printed fabric at Joann's of all places, I had to get it.  You may recognize this silhouette from my LOFT fitting room review here as similar to the Bow V-neck Top.  Though I think the bow gets a little lost in the print, I love that it peeks out when wearing a cardi or blazer.

 The bow

And with a cardi and black pencil skirt.  I think I'll pair a black cardi and khakis next time for more of a contrast on top.

Thoughts?  Are you pro or anti-animal print?

Leather Wrap Bracelet DIY w/ Tutorial - Version 2

You *might* remember that I did another version of this Chan Luu inspired bracelet here.  I really liked the way it looked in general but didn't feel like it was very "me" when I wore it.  So this time I wanted to use a more monochromatic palette as well as less-Boho type beads.

Here's what it looks like on.  I can wrap it 5x around my wrist if I want it to be completely flush to my skin or wrap it 4x for a looser fit.

This was version 1 - I like version 2 much better!  The key differences are leather color (from brown to metallic pearl) and bead type (multi colored rounds vs. silver faceted crystal).  What do you guys think?

Want to make your own?  Check out this awesome tutorial from Ruby Mines (sorry this link no longer works, to see my version of the tutorial with video, click here)!

Trip to NYC - Traveling OOTD

Comfort is always my priority when traveling.  Usually this means I go to the airport wearing sweats and t-shirts but since I was accompanying hubby on a business/personal trip, I needed to look a tad more polished for seeing his coworkers.  I decided to go with my new Gap sweater dress with leggings and boots.  What do you wear when traveling?

Top: Gap Striped Sweater Dress, $25, Sz S

Leggings: Gray knit, Sonoma from Kohl's, Sz XS

Boots: Hunter Wellies in Black

Necklace:  DIY Pearl Cluster Pendant

So what did we do in NYC?  We ate like kings!

Chili Crab from Fatty Crab, West Village

Roasted Pork (w/ crispy skin) Rice, Sun Sai Gai, Chinatown

And what else?  I went to the garment district to salivate over their fabrics and picked up a few silks for future projects.  Of course, while I was there, we stopped by Parsons New School for Design and Mood for fabric (I'm a huge Project Runway fan).  

And on our last day, we got to attend the Thursday taping of the Late Show w/ David Letterman.  Since we got there rather early, we got to sit in the 3rd row.  Guests for the night were Diddy and Emma Stone.  You can actually see me when they do their quick pan across the audience :)

One of my favorite bloggers (PetiteXXS) is doing a $25 Starbucks gift card giveaway, go check it out!

Sewing Project: Belted Capelet

Though we had highs in the low 60s just a few weeks ago, we are now back to high 80s!   Nevertheless, I am gearing up for cooler weather projects.

I saw this DVF capelet at CUSP and fell in love with it!  The price is $395 and I didn't want to spend that much on something that I considered relatively trendy (versus say a classic trench) so I set off to make my own.

I knew I wanted something pretty neutral so I chose this black and white specked suiting material from Fabric.com for the project.

I found a pretty close pattern from McCall's - M5764 using View D (on model).  I would recommend this pattern to anyone who's interested in replicating it.

                                   

I think it turned out pretty decent!

By the way, the jeans in this picture are those Gap cropped skinny jeans with zippers I bought on Columbus Day.  They are the perfect under-boot jean!  I've purchased jean leggings before for this purpose but they did not look like denim at all.  The only bad thing about them (like all of my jeans), they get looser and baggier as the day progresses so I might purchase a pair in a smaller size next time around.

My next project will be a peplum jacket using McCall's M5936 so stay tuned :)

More Columbus Day Sale Finds - Gap, BR Extra 40% Off

When I got the Gap email saying they were having a 40% (45% if you have their credit card) off the entire store including sale items, I knew I had to go check it out.

Here's what I got:

Gap Always Skinny Zipper Jeans, Dark Wash, $27.50 (in store, 45% off entire purchase with Gap Card)

No fitting room pics today due to an uncharged iPhone (sorry!)  These jeans are supposed to be cropped (I guess for ladies at an average height), but fall below my ankle so they look like regular skinny jeans on me.

Gap Striped Sweater Dress, $25 (in store, 45% off entire purchase with Gap Card)

The smallest size they had was S, so it's a bit baggy but it can pass as just a slouchy tunic.

While I was at the mall, I saw that BR was having an extra 40% off their sale items as well!  So I wound up getting the Pleated Fan Tank I had been eyeing in XS.  The top is a little big and low cut, but it's fixable for the sale price.  I love the pleating!  Sale price was $11.50!

Sigh - showing some shopping restraint is difficult around all these sales.