Hair Tutorials

I love the internet.  You can find just about any tutorial you want floating around cyberspace.  I recently came across a messy side ponytail courtesy of A Cup of Jo.

This would be perfect for a day at the beach or anytime I need a quick and stylish ponytail.

Casey from Elegant Musings has great vintage hairstyle tutorials (among great vintage clothing she sews herself!).  A couple of my favorites are a 40's style bohemian-ish headband braid and a 60's chignon bun!

All three of these hairstyles are worth trying out!

Hello March!

The above photo is my inspiration dress.  Sweetheart, A-line with a slight mermaid shape, fitted with a natural waistline, and lace detailing.  This is the type of dress I seem to be drawn towards right now.  No ballgowns, no yards and yards of fabric, no pick ups galore.  Maybe some draping at the bust if I decide to go with a satin or chiffon. I am excited to try and make a muslim draft of something like this (which should be fairly easy to do!).  I am planning on a silk satin or silk charmeuse for the lining.  I just hope I can find the "right" lace fabric in LA somewhere.

Ignoring the top, I like the shirt part of this dress with the ombre chiffon fabric and the curly hem. I would drop the waistline and make it not so poufy!

Academy Awards Favorite

I LOVED Mila Kunis's dress for the Oscars last night.  Elie Saab is one of my favorite designers.  I always love his flowy, ethereal designs!

I really loved the lace details.  Beautiful!

Tara Keely and Rivini

More wedding dress designs.  As you can see, I am a fan of the sweetheart neckline (one with a prominent v-shape). And yes, lace is making a comeback!

(images from their respective owners)

Wedding Inspirations

Since I plan to sew my wedding dress and *hope* to sew the bridesmaid dresses too, I have been looking online (a lot ;) for inspiration.  I discovered Anthropologie's bridal line BHLDN and instantly fell in love with the vintage-inspired dresses!

 (The following photos were taken from the site)

So pretty! I love the idea of red (or any color but white) shoes!  I don't think I would choose a print for my wedding gown, but I have been throwing around the idea of using a brushstroke design or ombre fabric for the bridesmaid dresses.  BHLDN has cute and unique bridesmaid dress options too!

The first bridesmaid dress is more classic, but I love how fun the others are!  I think I would choose to have a big bow in back like the bottom left-hand picture! Bellissima!

Draping in Manhattan

Some draping I noticed while I was wondering around the Garment District in NYC.  Even though I have been to NYC a few times before, this was the first time since I started sewing.  Initially, I could not find the "garment district" without any specific addresses because the descriptions online and in books are very broad.  Many of the shops are along the smaller streets that run horizontal in the city. I still don't think I found many of the stores, but I did find Mood (located on the 3rd floor of 225 West 37th; easily missed since it does not have a sign at ground level!) and bought some beautiful 100% silk burnout fabric at a store call Fabric House on West 39th Street (between 7th and 8th Ave).

Mood Fabrics
The white dress really was amazing.  I'm sure someone spent hours on the pleat work!
Usually they will do this with a single piece of fabric (not in these cases though).

You can click on the following photos to view them larger.

Window displays from a random fabric store.
I really loved the ruffle-y top in the first picture.  The skirt was beautifully draped too!

I dazingly was staring at the window displays when the owner (who was behind me, smoking a cigarette) asked me if I wanted to go inside and take a photo.  I didn't, even though now I wish I did because the glare from the window hides the amazing drape work done on the mannequins!

Grosgrain site

I discovered Grosgrain through Burdastyle a long while back when her amazing garments were featured frequently on the site. Every time I visit her site I am inspired to sew... sew more and sew often!   This month I noticed she has been taking an old knit sweater and re-vamping it into something beyond a plain old boring knit sweater.  I'm always blown away by her work.  Her creativity is endless.  Definitely worth checking out!

Embellish Knit Month:
http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/2006/10/embellish-knit-month.html