Tag Archives: spring fashion

Handsewn

Tackling Designer Fashion: The Best Way to Save Money

Arguably, one of the main advantages of knowing how to sew is never spending thousands of dollars on designer clothing. Sure, it doesn’t entirely alleviate the temptation of copping a few garments from Moda Operandi, but there’s definitely a level of pride in thinking, ‘hey, I could totally make that.’ Over the years, my skills in pattern-making, drafting, and machine sewing have improved to a level where I can confidently construct my own haute couture closet. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no expert. I’m still a work in progress.

My next project consisted of a semi-easy DIY: the Ivory Ruffle Apron Top from Selkie. At first glance, it’s relatively simple in construction. I didn’t have to worry about fit as much, as the most complicated step is the short bodice. I made my own variations in terms of the shoulder straps and back. Instead of opting for a corset detail or a zipper, I decided to install shirring for a more comfortable fit. I’m pretty proud of the end result, as it offers the right amount of volume and drama.

What I’m Wearing

  • Top: Handmade (Inspired by Selkie)
  • Skirt: Aritzia (Sunday Best)
  • Bag: Prada
  • Hair accessories: Sukoshi Mart
  • Boots: Thrifted

Next up, I wanted to tackle the Paris Georgia Singlet top. This proved to be rather detail-oriented, as it was quite difficult to nail the heart neckline as I was sewing the bias in. Additionally, I wasn’t keen on buying special fabric for this project, given that I wanted to reduce the amount of material I had on the backlog. The best that I could do was black satin, meaning that I needed to add in darts to ensure the perfect fit. Since the fabric offered no stretch, I decided to opt for shirring again in place of a zipper. The end result gives me mixed feelings, as it’s not totally on point with the real Paris Georgia top, but it does bear a slight resemblance.

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Summer Lookbook: 31° Degrees and Over

As Canada’s abnormal humidity persists, I find myself bathing in complimentary a.c granted at my local thrift stores. Obviously, I’m not just there to soak in the crisp cold air, as I also picked up a few key pieces along the way. Dresses are something that I should generally avoid, given that I’ve amassed a sizable collection over the years. Nevertheless, I still managed to find three incredible designs that I just couldn’t say no to. In my own defense, I have been quite strict in how I thrift, so it’s been a hot minute since I picked anything at my local second-hand shop.

I’ll admit that these three looks are not the most friendly considering the weather, but they’ll do just finely in normal 22° degree humidity. I wanted to keep things flirty and fun, since we’re nearing the somewhat end of summer. Oh, and to switch things up a little, I put on a pink wig for a pop of color. I’m not totally accustomed to this hue, but it’s started to grow on me. As a note to my future self: don’t buy $30 wigs off of Amazon. This one managed to lose a significant amount of hair after two uses.

Without further ado, let’s jump ahead in this summer-inspired lookbook!

Egg Sandwiches For Saturday’s Picnic

What I’m Wearing

  • Dress: Thrifted
  • Shoes: Converses
  • Bag: Bapy by A Bathing Ape (Farfetch)

Milkshakes and Movie Theatres

What I’m Wearing

  • Dress: Algo-Ettes (vintage)
  • Cardigan: thrifted
  • Shoes: Vivaia
  • Bag: thrifted

City Hall

What I’m Wearing:

  • Dress: Theory (thrifted)
  • Cardigan: hand-me-down
  • Shoes: Michael Kors (thrifted)
  • Bag: Charles & Keith (thrifted)

Sugar Cookie for Summer

What I’m Wearing

  • Dress: handsewn
  • Blouse: thrifted
  • Shoes: Michael Kors (thrifted)
  • Bag: Bapy by A Bathing Ape (Farfetch)
  • Earrings: Sukoshi Mart
  • Necklace: thrifted
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She’s Beauty, She’s Grace, Her Outfits Are All Over the Place: A Lookbook

Summer humidity gets the best of us. While we usually affiliate laziness with the lack of entertainment, we typically gloss over the fact that fashion is often cast aside. On most days, I can’t be bothered to dress up, given that I generally resort to plain basics and breathable clothing as my go-to option. What can I say? I love practicality. With that being said, I’m often disappointed with the outfits I choose to opt for each day, as I’m all always hungering for something a little extra. After all, summer (and spring) is the season for flirtatious cuts, romantic silhouettes, and lots of floral print.

This week, I decided to jazz things up by creating three looks. I’ll be totally honest with you, most of them aren’t practical for beating the summer humidity, but as the saying goes: fashion demands sacrifice. It’s also worth noting that 90% of the pieces I’m wearing are thrifted.

With further ado, let’s get started!

The Fairy Blouse

For modesty’s sake! 🙂
Sorry for the accidental baby butt

What I’m Wearing

  • Blouse: handmade
  • Shorts: thrifted
  • Shoes: Vivaia
  • Bracelet (anklet): gifted

The Garden Girl

What I’m Wearing

  • Overalls: thrifted
  • TankTop: Uniqlo
  • Cardigan: hand-me-down
  • Shoes: Converses

Cocktails for Girl’s Night Out

What I’m Wearing

  • Dress: thrifted
  • Jacket: hand-me-down
  • Necklace: hand-me-down
  • Shoes: thrifted
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The Pink Sunset Romper

The story starts at the thrift store, because of course it does.

More specifically, I spotted this gorgeous silk polyester blend that was hanging around in the drapery section. It was originally a curtain, considering that it had a scalloped hem with a tasseled trim. I loved the stitching details, as it showcased this stunning floral decal from top to bottom. Since the fabric looked so regal and sophisticated, it was only fitting that I make a dress. If you’re a long-time reader of this blog, then you already know of my obsession with sewing skirts and gowns. Obviously, I don’t need another dress in my overflowing closet, but when the material speaks to you, you listen.

Instead of opting for the usual mini, I wanted to add shorts underneath to make it more wearable. In the past, I’ve had my fill of wearing bottoms underneath for extra modesty, but it always made the resulting outfit look too bulky. Fortunately, the fabric at hand was relatively thin, so I didn’t have to worry about excess material. To keep things flexible, I decided to shirr the front bodice. Originally, I thought to make a corset to make the dress more romantic, but I knew it would sacrifice a bit of comfortability. Trekking forward, I used a pre-existing pattern I had for shorts and fused them together with the finished top. I pleated the remaining fabric and managed to sandwich the hem into the waistband.

The result is a half win. At first, I wanted the waist to have a more v-line cut to help accentuate the torso, but that proved rather difficult for stretchy fabric. I think it would’ve been easier if I stuck with the corset bodice, but I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have gotten many uses. Secondly, the shorts aren’t as obscure as I wanted them to be, but it did remind me of those early Victorian bloomers that women wore for biking. All in all, I think this is a super cute romper to wear for the summer season.

What I’m wearing:

  • Romper: handmade
  • Boots: ASOS
  • Necklace: thrifted
  • Pearl earrings: Sukoshi Mart
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The Ultimate Cottage Core Dress

A couple of days ago, I chanced upon BestDressed’s Instagram page to view a project she originally designed. It was this gorgeous mini dress with a flared skirt and puff sleeves. I’m assuming that Ashley was originally inspired by the Insta-famous Selkie dress that’s all over social media. I happen to own the Baby Banana Puff number, so I absolutely had no reason to make another version. But, c’est la vie—I still wanted to try. 

What made Ashley’s version so enchanting to me was not primarily the silhouette. Her fabric of choice featured this gorgeous vintage floral fabric. In a bizarre turn of events, I happened to chance upon the same kind of material at my local thrift store. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very different from what Ashley had, but it still imbues that same antique vibe. Instead of flowers, I got fruit, which in my opinion is a lot more decadent. 

The construction itself wasn’t very hard. With that being said, I did run into a few problems regarding fit, so I had to add more fabric in the back. It’s a bit janky, but you honestly couldn’t tell unless you really squinted at it. The dress itself is relatively heavy, due to the fact that it comes with chiffon lining on the inside. 

What I’m wearing:

  • Dress: handmade 
  • Shoes: Vivaia 
  • Necklace: thrifted
  • Rings: The Black Market
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Lookbook: A Taste of Summer Elegance

I’m well aware that this is my billionth post about summer fashion, but what can I say? The beauty of nature, the tranquility of chirping cicadas, and the flirtatious attitude of sun-swept afternoons beckons to me. Plus, it’s the only season of the year in which you’re free to wear a mix of autumn and springtime fashion. For this collection, I wanted to imbue that fantasy of summertime romance, something that you’d find in a classic Ghibli movie. 

The three garments featured are 100% handmade. I made these over the cusp of 2 months, with one taking the majority of my time. The two short-sleeved blouses I crafted were relatively easy to create. To be fair, I did have the help of a pre-made pattern I bought on Etsy. Shout out to Anna the Tailor; she did the real grunt work in regards to measurements. 

So, without further ado, here are the three projects I’ve completed so far. 

The China Porcelain Blouse

Using a pattern I bought from Etsy, I created this poetic blouse using chiffon silk. I wanted to imbue that delicate nature of blue-painted porcelain, so I thought to embroider the neck collar and the cuffs manually. I didn’t plan to add the pearl buttons on the sides, but it helped to provide that romantic element to the entire look. The shirring detail helped to give the blouse some shape, especially when paired with the dramatic sleeves. 

What I’m wearing:

  • Blouse: handmade 
  • Skirt: thrifted 
  • Shoes: Vivaia 
  • Bag: thrifted 

The Pink Tie-up Top 

A couple of weeks ago, my uncle gifted me this gorgeous pink fabric that was originally used as a tablecloth. Originally, I wanted to make pants, but I dreamt of this cute blouse with tie-up detail. It’s a little hard to see, but there’s a sizeable cut-out on the back to help give the garment more oomph. The fit is perfect, minus a few raw hems here are there. It’s a little bit stiff, but I think it gives the blouse some needed structure. 

What I’m wearing:

  • Top: handmade 
  • Pants: thrifted 
  • Shoes: Converse 
  • Bag: gifted 

The Silk Cowl Neck Top 

I bought this luxurious creamy silk eons ago, and I originally made plans to make a bustier out of it. It didn’t turn out how I wanted it to look, so I thought to make use of the remaining fabric into a silk top. Using a pattern bought from Etsy, this cute blouse was relatively easy to construct. I think I used a polyester/silk blend, so it didn’t drape the way that I wanted it to fold. As a temporary fix, I used some double-sided tape to help create that dramatic ‘curtain effect.’

What I’m wearing:

  • Top: handmade
  • Pants: thrifted 
  • Shoes: Vivaia
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lookbook, Uncategorized

Spring has Sprung and so has Fashion

I have no legitimate excuses as to why this post is so late, so I’ll spare you the sob story. Today’s topic is about spring fashion, and the excitement I have in shedding my bulky winter coat. The warm season is finally upon us, and we’re one step closer to wearing mini skirts, dresses, and shorts. Of course, you’re ultimately free to wear whatever you want, but this transition period is the sweet spot between chilly and warm. I got the chance to head over to downtown Toronto in the past couple of weeks, and it would be a missed opportunity to not wear something cute.

Below, I created two cohesive outfits that are casual enough for everyday wear, but imbue a subtle sense of romanticism for those who want to celebrate spring. You may have already seen some pieces in older posts, but I guess it goes to show how versatile they are 🙂 Anywho, enjoy!

The Museum Date Outfit

What I’m wearing:

  • Sweater: thrifted from Black Market
  • Skirt: Sunday Best from Aritzia
  • Tights: N/A
  • Boots (off camera): ASOS
  • Tote bag: Gift

Cherry Blossom Tea Party Outfit

What I’m Wearing:

  • Top: Handmade
  • Cardigan: Oak + Fort
  • Jeans: Reformation
  • Shoes: Converses
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The Strawberry Romper

Yes, I know this outfit is devoid of actual strawberries, but I thought to keep it light. The pink gingham paired with the red buttons does enough to provide the illusion of rouge berries, plus—it carries the illusion of springtime bliss. With April just around the corner, I thought it best to get a head start on this season’s clothing. I scored this gorgeous fabric at my local thrift. I didn’t realize that it came from Pottery Barn, so I’m pretty sure that the $5 price tag was only 1% of the original cost. Anywho, I used a pattern made by Etsy seller Patternsbybrandijoan to create this adorable romper.

I used the button-up shirt pattern to construct the upper-half of the two-piece. For the shorts, I just sourced some tailored bottoms I had lying around. I decided I wanted a cinched-in waist, so I adjoined the two pieces to make a channel for the elastic to feed through. I’m pretty proud of the result, minus some raw seams here and there. Occasion-wise, this romper would make for a great casual outfit for the spring and summer.

What I’m Wearing

  • Romper: handmade
  • Shoes: Fila Disruptor
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