DIY FILES:: WETSUIT SKIRT

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I posted about Lisa Marie Fernandez's wetsuit dresses and swimsuits way back in the early days of the blog, and now finally a DIY to satisfy my neoprene needs! This is the p.e.r.f.e.c.t. summer skirt, great for a summer bash or just to add some fun to your hot summer errands. And hello-oo how perfect is this for the beach? Beyond. So what are you waiting for? Buy yourself a cheap thrift store wetsuit (that's what Natascha did) and get sewing! I'd love to find a wetsuit with fun neon colors, like some hot pinks! Then again plain black with a yellow stripe would be pretty awesome too. It's the perfect twist on a summer staple. I really wanna try this one.

Here's how she did it:

1. find a wetsuit at your local second hand store, this one was $11.99

2. cut in half (around the waistline) keep the bottom half.

3. measure from your waist to the desired skirt length (on your side) this will become your outside hemline.

4. lay the bottom half of the wetsuit flat & cut each leg straight across the same length as your hemline measurement.

5. turn inside out, and use a seam ripper / quick unpick / scissors to undo the inside hem.
6. keeping the skirt inside out, sew the front seam straight down the center.
7. turn the skirt around and fold the crotch piece over and pin in place, eliminating a little fabric so that it doesn’t flare and so that the center seam is straight.
8. sew the back seam following the line of the crotch (the original seam line)
9. over-lock the hemline (if you don't have an over-locker, just do a zigzag stitch!




If you have any questions, leave Natascha a comment and she'll do her best to explain here.

Lisa Marie Fernandez in her own wetsuit skirt

ACCESSORIES:: WANG FALL 11

Sure black is a staple, but I love me some navy blue. And now that the Alexander Wang Diego bucket bag comes in navy, there's almost no resisting it. Be strong! Don't fall prey to the fury flourishes and shiny colors of Alexander Wang accessories fall 2011. Try not to think about how long your leg would look poised atop a shiny pink stiletto. But again I revert back to my safe and stable love affair - navy. I'm picturing black skinny's, black tee, black boots, black leather jacket, and Diego stealing the show in navy.   I was never a Diego bucket bag girl before, I always preferred the blue PS1, but doesn't that leather look divine?

collage: carolinesmode

I'LL HAVE WHAT SHE'S HAVING:: PEONY LIM

Quite possibly the best head o'hair I've seen in a long time. Possibly ever. No messy topknots here, just long perfect sultry curls. Oh yeah and Miss Peony Lim also has killer fashion sense and a knack for picking perfect prints. In addition to my intense and unending jealousy for her hair, I also envy her lovely name - Peony Lim!
I already want to name my daughter Harley (after Harley Viera Newton) and now I'm adding Peony to the list. I'll probably end up with a little fashionista family "Tavi, brush your teeth! Rumi, get ready for school! Bryanboy, pick up your socks!"



If you would like Peony Lim's locks, and I'm sure you would, these are her favorite hair products:

1. Phillip Kingsley Elasticizer 
2. L'Oreal Techni.Art products (very strong professional level products)
3. Babyliss Pro stylers (curling tongs and wavers, they get super hot!)
4. Bumble and Bumble products (good for texture and shine)
5. MOP hairsprays (they are all natural)

And here is a post on how she cares for her hair.

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I'LL HAVE WHAT SHE'S HAVING:: ELISA NALIN

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I'LL HAVE WHAT SHE'S HAVING::  ELENA PERMINOVA

I'LL HAVE WHAT SHE'S HAVING::  CHRISTINE CENTENERA

WHAT I WORE:: BLUE BLAZER

Just stumbled upon these photos (taken pre-haircut). I don't wear this blazer nearly as much as I should! It seems like such a simple basic but every time I reach for it in the closet the color scares me off a little bit. Is a casual Indian dinner the right time for a bright blue blazer? How about a movie? Or grocery shopping? Clearly I just need to get over this and wear the blazer. So on this day I embraced the boldness, go bold or go home. Neon yellow! Turquoise bracelet! But not without the comfy familiarity of my trusty leather pants.


I was about to happily pronounce "Happy weekend everybody!" but then I realized it's Wednesday. (Nothing worse than mistakenly thinking it's Friday) So, reluctantly, happy Wednesday everybody.

blazer thrifted, Bondi markets

shirt T by Alexander Wang

pants Bardot

bag Etsy

jewelry mostly thrifted

boots ... one of those black-out purchases I make

Do you ever have shopping black-outs? Where you buy something you really shouldn't (another pair of black ankle boots) and then can't even remember doing it the next day - is it just me?

SHOES:: HERMES + VANS

Sometimes I like a dress but not the print, or like the print but not the dress. Solution? Ask the company to simply make your perfect dress in your perfect print - problem solved. In the world of Robert Verdi, you just ask Vans to make their signature shoe out of your favorite Hermes scarves and that way you will never have to suffer the embarrassment of walking into a room to discover that you are accidental shoe twins with someone else. Luckyduck.

Perhaps if we kick up a collective fuss Vans will start reproducing these (or an equally fabulous print) for the masses!

Who's with me???

source: creativeboysclub

READY TO WEAR ROOM:: Bold Stripes

My bedroom in my family's home is actually painted this color! My childhood bedframe is the focus of the room, an ornate wooden frame that I painted a glossy black which really pops against the paint. Sigh, I miss home! Can you tell?
I had a lot of fun making this summery set, stripes are a year round favorite of mine so this room was just screaming to be used as a Ready to Wear Room! I'd wear this to a summer BBQ by the pool or even shopping with the girls. And because the wall color of this room reminded me of the classic Tiffany blue, I'd top the look off with a stack of bracelet chains from the Tiffany Locks collection. I've seen so many fabulous wrist statements lately that I'm craving a thick stack of gold and silver bracelets with everything from beachwear to a suit. In fact I'd go so far as to say a look is not complete if your wrists are naked! 


xoxo Cristina

sources: Living Etc, Topshop, Asos, Netaporter

HAPPY FRIDAY

Just a little inspiration for exactly how I'd like to look this weekend. Maybe short hair isn't so bad. Happy Friday all!

xoxo Cristina

DIY FILES:: CELINE POUCH

Utterly in love with this DIY project by Brooke of Just B. She's pretty much saved me the $1000 that this Celine pouch would have cost, and opened us all up to a world of possible color combinations! The American Apparel clutch is a great substitute for the Celine and comes in so many different colors, so go wild with the combos! 


All you need is a leather pouch, acrylic paint in white and the color bright color of your choice, paint brush, painters tape, blow dryer & acrylic coating spray (shown later) 

Step 1. Mark off the area you want to paint with painters tape. If you are a real perfectionist you can measure it out to make sure it is even on both sides or trust your insticts and eye ball it like I did.


Step 2. Mix white acrylic paint with a bit of water for first layer to help it adhere to the leather. Start brushing onto leather from tape down to avoid too much leakage under the tape. (As tedious as you can be I'm sorry to say this still happens).

Step 4. After the white dries, bring out the neon guns and do the same without water added. The white acts as a primer so that your color will pop bright against the muted leather. 


Step 5. I used a blow dryer during this process because I couldn't take the waiting in between layers to paint. Works miraculously to get an even coat.


Step 6. When you're finally satisfied with the painted color cover the non painted leather with paper or cover with a magazine of some sort. Last minute I didn't like the feeling of the rough paint so ran to the craft store for glossy acrylic spray coat. This helps protect the paint from water and wear while also giving it a soft smooth finish like the leather! Let dry for 2 hours.

Now, I'm picturing white with a pink stripe, blue with a yellow stripe, green with a white stripe... the possibilities are endless!


p.s. Had a couple issues with Blogger, not sure why the post below got re-posted and I lost all my comments on this post!

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source: Just B

WHAT I WORE:: Uniform

Do you all have a uniform? A go-to outfit that you feel comfortable in almost any occasion? This would probably be mine. It starts with an easy tank - I believe 3 out of my 4 outfit posts so far have involved one of these tank tops, they're made of the softest material I have ever felt! These leather pants are my staple, they feel more dressed up than jeans, and depending on the occasion they can be sexy, laid back, grungy, or semi-formal. And 90% of the time you'll find me in some form of black boot, this day it was beat up Doc Martens. What's your go-to look??

shirt: American Apparel

pants: Bardot

boots: Doc Marten

jewelry: thrifted

bag: Etsy

WHAT I WORE:: Pre-cold & haircut

Hi guys, this is another variation on my uniform, except this time with leather shorts (same American Apparel tank, really love the material). This was taken a few days ago before the cold snap hit in Sydney, I was actually hot wearing shorts and a tank! Aaand now I'm freezing.

These were ALSO taken before I went and accidentally got all my hair chopped off today. I asked for long layers and what do I get? An almost bob. So say bye to my belly button length locks, because now I'm a soccer mom. Ok not a soccer mom but I'm still adjusting. Tear*

tank top: American Apparel

shorts: vintage

shoes: Jeffrey Campbell

necklace: $5 at the Bondi markets

bracelets: assorted (eBay, Sportsgirl, F21, vintage)

bag: etsy

ACCESSORIES:: PINK HATS

It was Elena Perminova who first alerted me to my dire need for a pink hat, and it was Bec&Bridge's recent collection at Rosemount Australia Fashion Week that sealed the deal. The hats were the result of a collaboration with hatmaker Akubra. I love love a good collaboration, and I think it was a brilliant move for  Aussie label Bec&Bridge to pair up with Akubra - there is nothing more quintessentially Australian than an Akubra! (They usually look a little more like this). Clearly I need a pink akubra to throw in with a white tee, boyfriend jeans, and some stilettos. Expect these to be popular with the street stylers!

Hats available here

sources: oraclefox, bec&bridge

THIS WEEK ON:: THE OLSENS

These girls never cease to inspire, therefore I believe they deserve their very own series: 

This Week on the Olsens!

I hope you enjoy pouring over their looks as much as I do because to me, you can never have too much MKA.

To see how to get the Olsens' suit & stripes look, check out my post on coco+kelley!

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RUNWAY:: LOVER

Definitely one of my favorite collections to come out of Rosemount Australian Fashion Week was Lover's lace amazingness. Bloggers go gaga for pretty much anything lace or crochet, so I'm quite sure this collection will have the rest of the fashion world in a tizzy too. Wondering who will wear this to a premiere, Florence Welch in the long white lace? Kate Bosworth in the red lace with nude ballet flats? And imagine the editorials! Can't wait to see this collection in action.

source: vogue, google images, oraclefox

STREET STYLE:: RAFW

Checking out Sydney street style during fashion week, the standout element was all of the color!

I love seeing how the girls used it, and I'm definitely inspired to work some more brights into my own wardrobe, in particular pinks, reds, and citron. And Christine, what can I say? She deserved her very own page in this post. She's wearing my dreampants with a Bassike tee and a killer collar. Well done Sydney!

RUNWAY:: Josh Goot RAFW

We've been seeing loads of innovative designs using digital prints in recent years, but Josh Goot is the undeniable master of the craft. The enlarged brush strokes reminded me of the artist James Nares's paintings. I can't wait to see how the tastemakers wear these looks in real life! This is one of those collections that has my imagination running wild - I'm picturing Anna Dello Russo with a fantastical headpiece on, or Christine Centenera in one of the paint splattered skirts paired with a structured black top. And the shoes! Just imagine all of the beautiful shoes you could wear with these dresses! The last is obviously my pick, I think some fierce black booties would look so sharp. I'm always happy to see Australian talent thriving, stay tuned for more RAFW posts this week!