Dolce & Gabbana Floral Skirt

Last year, I began seeing this trend of bright floral pants, and I thought it was too much and not for me. However, as I saw more bloggers and celebrities wearing the print, the trend began to grow on me.

I saw a few options being sold online and for a full price but I hesitated because I was reluctant to purchase something that was very risky and might not last more than 2 seasons. Yeah, I hoard all my stuff, including clothes so I do not want to throw something out just because it is no longer fashionable.

One of my most favourite thing to do while thrifting now is looking for bedsheets with interesting prints or larger sized clothing, so that I can have a chance to be creative. I look for thrifted because I still make many mistakes when it comes to sewing!

I found this at the fabric stash and it cost $4 for 4 yards. The fabric was a little stiff, and I was wondering about making a pair of pants. 

I have never sewn with a pattern and all the sewing I have done to date is drafted by me. Sometimes I just trace off a well fitted garment and cross my fingers that it will work out. I decided to start with a skirt because I figured I have enough fabric to sew both a skirt and pants. These skirts were my inspirations.

 Dolce & Gabbana

I wish I knew the source of this skirt.

Has it been that long since I drafted a pattern? After painstakingly being so careful be detailed with the sewing, even unpicking several times because the zipper looked crooked, and hand sewing the waistband, I put on the skirt and realised that I forgot to include an ease. NO EASE = NO ROOM! Argh! I could not tuck a shirt in, so I had to settle for a t-shirt.

The front looks ok. But it is very tight, I have to hold my belly in so that I can zip it up. 

Overall, I was very pleased with both the quality of the fabric and my sewing, I seem to be getting better at the details but I obviously need to work on my drafting. 

Back to the drawing board! 

Thrifted Finds: Too Good Not To Share

Every winter, the blues hit me really hard. I am trying to read books to lift my spirits and am reading Simple Abundance which was a birthday gift from one of my dearest friends, Renee and doing positive things. Going to the thrift store really helps me because as we all know, retail therapy is probably cheaper than therapy anyway! I go to one near my house and the volunteers there are all so friendly, mostly retired teachers who I know by name. I was having one of those days when I decided to stop by, even though I had already visited it a few days ago.

I check out the shoe section first and I saw these, waiting for me.

They were brand new, their soles unscuffed. Size 37.5. My size. The universe was smiling at me. I picked it up without even trying them on and when I went to pay for it, the lady exclaimed what a find it was for $12. Yes folks. Once the cashier made the announcement, other women came running up to see this and they wanted to know if other sizes were available in the thrift store too. It made me smile!

I went back yesterday and two ladies who were shoppers recognise me as the "Jimmy Choo lady". You know why I love this shop, because the shoppers are amazing and friendly too!

Inspired By Pinterest: Cream Slater Skirt

Hello readers! I apologise for the long absence from my blog. It is just that life became more busy and this blog was facing some sort of an identity crisis because it started as a place to talk about my craft and then it became more about fashion. I really should start a separate blog about my thrifted fashion finds but if I can't maintain this one, I think there is less hope of keeping up to date with the other one.

Last year, I pinned this image of a Victoria Secret model, Candice Swanepoel because I loved the simple yet chic look of this whole ensemble. It also helps that she is tall, young and blonde!

I looked through the internet to see if I could find something similar but then I thought, "Why not make it myself?"

So during a sale at Joann Fabrics, I spotted fabric in the remnant section. It was meant for curtains but it had a sheen to it that I liked. I think I paid $2-$4 for the whole lot.

I went through the internet to see if I could pick up some tips on how to sew a box pleated skirt and here is a helpful one. I did not use a yoke as she did and the width of my pleats were 2" wide.

After sewing the skirt, I realised that the colour and drape was different from Candice's. It was pretty labour intense because of the folding of the pleats.  

I did not zip up fully when I took the picture, oops. 

This is the bad thing about taking your own pictures. You don't get to see all the errors in your photo until the shoot is done. I did not notice that my shirt needed to be tucked in better so that there would be no wrinkling just above the waist. I have a preview screen but it is tiny and seriously when time is short, I don't really want to scroll through the pictures to see if anything is wrong. But I endeavour to improve my photography for my blog. The other strange thing is - can you see the stripes above? I reckon there is a funk with my camera because the lines are slanting in the picture. Does anyone know why that happens? All my photos have this slant and sometimes when I take pictures, it just makes people look weird.

Overall, I can't wait to wear this when summer rolls around. There is a blizzard outside and school is cancelled. I love snow days! My kids are outside sledding. Stay safe and warm, friends! 

Painting: Woman with a Stick

Hi everyone! I have not been posting much here lately, it doesn't mean that I have been idle - I have been busy doing all sorts of DIY and some sewing here and there. The reason for me dithering on my blog was because I am having an identity crisis on what sort of blog this is turning out to be. I have been posting many fashion posts and this started off to document my craft.

I am thinking of starting another blog, I keep talking about it but I am horrible at making my blog look presentable. I might have to go to a professional to get my blog looking nicer and all.

But in the meantime, I finished a painting for my cousin who lives in New York. He and I grew up in very strict Malaysian schools where students get caned for mistakes or talking too loudly. He was in Poland and he saw a painting which reminded him of his student days so he wanted me to paint it.

So here it is, it took me a week. I painted it on paper, and had it in a frame which I bought from Michaels.

 I am only regretful that I did not take more pictures after the painting was done. Here it is already inside the frame and the glass is reflecting the stair rail. But I was also very pleased with how it turned out.

Inspired Designs: Valentino Rockstud Shoes

Source: fash-eccentric.com via Linda on Pinterest

Source: paloma81.blogspot.com via Grace on Pinterest

It is no secret that I love shoes and I especially love Valentinos - I just bought the Rockstud Kitten Heels from Nordstrom and I love them. I struggle with owning them because I love them but the price ($958 with tax) is not something that sits well with me. I usually thrift for my clothes or make them if it is easy enough.  I do the same with shoes too. I try to be a good steward of my own finances so I cannot find a reason to hold on to a pair of shoes which is almost $1,000. Please note, my blog is not to judge those who buy luxury items as every one has different financial situations.

Anyway, I saw this email in my inbox today, and I had to share it with my readers. (Well the 9 of you anyway)

Valentino Pointed Ballerina Pumps retailing for $536.61

Sole Society has an inspired pair called Martine for $49.95

I am thankful for these companies that sell these "inspired" designs because I can delight in them without guilt.

Romwe Review: Studded Anamolous Top

I have never bought anything from Chinese based websites before, because returns just seem to be a bit more daunting. Many bloggers I know purchase from several websites like Romwe or Sheinside and the quality seems to be fine from what I read. So what made me take the plunge was a top I saw Karen Cheng wearing this.

I went to the link and I got to see all the lovely details more clearly. You will have to click on Karen's website to see the link so that she gets all the shopping credits - I don't do anything like that yet on my blog so I would like her to earn something from it if you decide to buy since she introduced it. So yeah, I don't get anything from reviewing this purchase either but I hope it helps someone who is thinking of buying something from them. I had to go through many blogs but no one really writes in detail about what their purchase experiences are like. They just say that the product is nice which is not really enough for a cautious shopper like me.

I sat on it for several weeks before caving in. I have been looking at some peplum style tops but never taken the plunge to get anything because I have been trying to sew my own. (Tutorial to come soon!) This one had the extras - the hem was shorter in front and longer at the back; also the shoulders had these rockstar studs which I liked. I signed up with Romwe and they give you a code for being a first time buyer. You get 20% off, which is generous. The good thing about this website is that they assure you that you have 365 days to make a return but the downside is that you foot the cost to return it to China. I do not know how much it costs to return something to China but I can imagine it will be quite expensive.

With some trepidation, I bought it with the knowledge that I might be saddled with something too big or ill fitting. It took me 2 weeks to receive my order and you get a tracking number to see where it is. That helps!

There was a noticeable smell when I first opened the package. I had to wash it immediately because it really smelled of chemicals. I hand washed it because the fabric was very thin. I was hoping that it would be thicker than T-shirt material but it was more like a sheer knit. I would not put this in the machine to wash in order to retain its shape. The sewing was good and because it is a stretch fabric, it fit me well. I am glad to say that I will not be returning this top! It has made me more confident in buying from this website in the future and if I ever need to return something, I will write about it too.

I am wearing it with a pair of skinny pants I bought while I was in Singapore $18.  The Nine West leather handbag was a $4 steal from a thrift store.

Front view

Back - it covers your backside in a discreet manner! 

And my Nine West Shoes, which I thrifted for $2!

I wore this to the Motor Vehicle Agency to obtain my driver's license since mine was stolen in Malaysia. I usually dress up when I go take pictures for the license but I felt extremely LOUD in a sea of denims and neutrals today. I was kind of embarrassed to say the least but pretended not to care since it was too late to back down!

Hope you all have a nice weekend!

I Went Overboard With Alexander Wang

I have pinned this image for a while now and I just loved the ruched look of the knit skirt.

Source: wendyslookbook.com via Grace on Pinterest

and this picture, worn by an actress I do not know:

Source: adventuresindressmaking.com via Grace on Pinterest

I tried to make it myself after looking online at several patterns but I could not figure out how the skirt was twisted. So I went to look it up to see how much it cost and it was $128 for a knit skirt, a bit too much for me! No doubt, it was an Alexander Wang skirt and I do love his creations.

Then I went thrift store shopping and walked into a store. I saw a skirt which I thought had a strange hemline so I passed up on it without a second thought. I was with a girlfriend that day and we stopped by a sushi place to have lunch. We were talking about sewing something and I scrolled through my Pinterest account to show her the dress I planned on sewing when I saw the two pictures above and suddenly, a light went on in my head.

Could it be...? 

We dashed back to the store and it was gone from the rack! I was nonchalant about the skirt but my friend persisted in finding the other racks for me and she found it. YES it was - an Alexander Wang skirt! THE skirt! It was a bit loose for me (Size S) but if I wore a long top over it, you would not guess that the waist was not wrapping around my waist at all. It was $22.00 my friends. No brainer. It was coming home with me.

I don't know why I was holding my top hem down for dear life, but hey, I don't care, I have my skirt!

A butt shot. 

This girlfriend of mine is new in the USA so she has never walked into a thrift store before and she had been to the outlet malls, thinking, "Oh this is so affordable!" When I took her to the thrift store, she practically bought a basketfull of stuff! She has been converted to a thrift store shopper! We also went to Nordstrom Rack, and I asked the lady where the Burberry clothes were. I just like to look at them but usually they are too expensive for my budget so I just touch them and put them on longingly. I know, I am sad, right? Next to the Burberry line was - Alexander Wang. And there was only ONE skirt on that rack. Yep, it was the ruched skirt, the same one, in grey and it was size XS!!! It was new and it was $39! I could not believe it so I brought it home and told my husband I was going to sell one since the thrift stores do not accept returns.

Here is the grey version: 

Strike a pose:

Strut down my walkway. The neighbour pruning his trees was my audience. It was a very "posh catwalk" moment for me.

My shoes are from Malaysia

My top is silk and thrifted ($8), it is my favourite top to wear at the moment. Amongst my 423 other favourite tops.

Well, I know I said I would sell the other one but I lied. I like them both too much so I am going to keep them. See my happy smile above?

Just a note on its construction since I wanted to sew it initially; there is an elastic band at the bottom of the skirt and when I put my foot through the skirt to wear it, my foot catches on the hem. It is a tight opening at the bottom of the hem and you have to stretch it in order to have both legs go through it. It is made from two pieces of knit fabric, obviously against the bias. I am not sure that after looking at it, I am able to recreate it because I have not been able to figure out how it was twisted. It looks seamless, very neatly done. This is a mark of a designer piece, so cleverly made and very clean. I love it!

Happy Monday, everyone!