this is such a fun project to transform your basic tees into trendy tops with shoulder detail. this video shows you a few different shoulder detail options, but i’m sure you can come up with other great ways to add your own detail. let me know if you try this!
Author: kristen
thank you reiter8 for the recycled sail bag!
about a month ago, i contacted katherine at reiter8 about purchasing a custom recycled sail bag. she was very responsive and accommodating – getting back to my questions quickly and giving me choices on color and layout. reiter8 takes sails that are no longer being used and recycles them into unique bags, pillows, wallets, luggage tags and more.
the bag she created for me had a blue number 30 on it with green organic cotton lining. this week is my parent’s 30th wedding anniversary. when they first met, they went sailing a lot and they recently started picking it up again. so my sister and i gave the custom sail bag to them this weekend for their anniversary and they loved it! i was thinking they can use it as a beach bag or for when they go sailing, but my mom loved it so much that she brought it out to dinner that night.
so thank you very much katherine! if you are looking for a unique gift, i recommend you check out reiter8!
my favorite indie finds from N.E.E.T magazine
the september issue of indie magazine, N.E.E.T., just came out! here are my favorite finds from the issue:
- an article about Fischer Clothing. i am really excited about their fall collection..and hint, hint..you will be seeing a lot more of Fischer at the clothing menu next month!
- a section featuring some really fun illustrations based off the missed connections from craiglist. have you ever read through those? i wonder if any have worked! the illustrator, Sophie Blackall, sells the illustrations as prints from her shop.
style inspiration: mary tyler moore show
yesterday i discovered that you can watch 3 seasons worth of mary tyler moore show on hulu and that makes me very happy! when watching a couple of the episodes i remembered how much i love mary and rhoda’s style. i wish i could go on the set and go shopping because there are so many cool outfits i would love to wear.
are there any tv shows you wish you could go on set and shop from?
fall 2010 fashion guide: colors
i’m really excited about some of the hot colors in fashion this fall because they are rich and can mix and match with so many other colors to make fabulous layered outfits. but, i’m finding a trend in the colors this year – they remind me of some of my favorite foods. yummy!
i see olives in alice + olivia and oscar de la renta.
i see eggplant in oscar de la renta and zac posen.
i see caramel in michael kors and chloe.
kat von d is so cool
i don’t have any tattoos and don’t have plans for getting one, but i love kat von d, from la ink. i think she’s so “rad.” i think what i like about her is that she’s a 28 year old successful business woman with a calm, cool demeanor. and she’s very confident in her style. it’s not something i would be able to get away with, but it totally works for her.
what are kat von d’s wardrobe staples? black, leather, tight, skin showing, edgy, grunge. she would probably like the leather pants and vest from Black Market Baby:
and i know she likes the shredded shirts from Supadupa Vintage because she’s tweeted about how much she loves them!
kat von d pic from her myspace page
idea to sketch to in the store: from indie designer lauren nevada
where did the clothes you are wearing come from? where were they sewed? who found the fabric? who came up with the idea?
chances are, you haven’t really put much thought into this, right? but there’s a lot of that goes into your clothes, especially when they are handmade or made by independent designers like lauren nevada. lauren was kind enough to share with the clothing menu where this dress she designed came from:
which at one point looked like this:
lauren’s original inspiration for this piece began with the collar – she started working on it over a year ago incorporating it into a dress, and then into a type of jumper that twisted into shorts. as she continued to work with it she felt that it needed to be a dress so the shorts bottom morphed into a skirt.
the hand-painted panels on the front are done by a brooklyn textile artist who lauren met by chance. while the artist was showing lauren pieces of her work they spoke about being inspired by stars and galaxies in the sky. so the artist worked with those ideas and came up with samples that lauren incorporated in the dress.
pretty cool, huh?
what i wore for a productive day at work
i’m trying something new over here posting pics of what i wear. i’m no photographer as you can tell, but hopefully you can get past that and enjoy my outfits! here’s what i wore today to work, which ended up being a very productive day!
jacket from the gap (from my friend, meg – thanks!)
tunic from lucky lady in seaside heights, nj
pants from express (have had since college when i last shopped at that store!)
what i read: fellow indie blogger Miss Malaprop
Mallory from Miss Malaprop is a fellow blogger who is a big supporter of indie designers. she even recently opened an online shop selling a variety of handmade and eco-friendly items! since she’s always writing about new designers on her blog, i asked her to share some of her favorite independent designers with the clothing menu. here are her words:
When I get asked the question, “Who are some of your favorite independent designers and why?,” it’s a pretty tough choice, as tons of potential picks come to mind. (I have, after all, been blogging about indie designers for 4 years now, so I’ve accumulated a lot of favorites and wishlists!) However, to narrow it down a bit, I just need to turn to my closet. I may covet A LOT of designers and their work, but I try to limit the amount of purchases I actually make. Those who have moved me to buy multiple times? See below:
Emily and Amanda of Ureshii are two super talented ladies based near Vancouver who make the best array of brightly colored basics ever. They use comfy fabrics like jersey made from rayon, cotton or bamboo, and they make just about everything to order, so it’s created just for you, to fit your measurements and color and style preferences. The first picks that I ordered from them were a Drapey Top and a Soft Tunic, which I absolutely love, so after Christmas this past year, I treated myself to a Horizontality Dress. Totally different than anything I owned before, perfectly amazing.
I had the pleasure of working here for a couple of years, around 2006-2008, but my love for Trashy Diva goes all the way back to the beginning (1996-ish!), when they just sold vintage clothing out of a little shop in the French Quarter. Since then, Trashy Diva has grown into 4 boutiques in the New Orleans area, plus their clothing line is carried at 30+ other stores all over the world. My former boss, Candice Gwinn, designs all of the clothes you’ll find in the current Trashy Diva collections, and she draws her inspriation from vintage patterns and fabrics from the 1920s-1960s.
While Fluevog isn’t quite as indie as the previous designers, this company is still a small independent brand compared to many. Fluevog produces AMAZING shoes and accessories, and they’ve definitely got a cult following. I found out about Fluevogs through a couple fanatical friends, and since I bought my first pair, I’ve been hooked. Their shoes are pricey, but they’re worth it. The quality is totally top-notch, their heels are the most comfortable I’ve ever owned, and I’m not ashamed to say that I’ve created a special savings account in the past to save up for a pair of Fluevogs that I really wanted.
indie music i’m loving now
as i’ve mentioned before, music is a big passion of mine. i love going to concerts and finding new bands. what bands/songs are you loving right now? please share!
here are some songs i’ve been listening to non-stop for the past month or so:
mumford and sons – little lion man
how can you not love the banjo?
edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros – home
the edited radio version cut out the best part of the song! listen to the story at 3:15 to 3:47 – it’s my fav.