heavenly knits

These two pieces are the most recent additions to my wardrobe- the Lafayette knit dress and Smith sweater by Friend of Mine. When I saw this incredible knit, slightly metallic spun yarn that creates an amazing texture, I knew I had to have some. And what's better than one sweet knit? Two! I know it's a little OTT wearing them together but they're so perfect for each other I couldn't resist.

[wearing: Friend of Mine Lafayette knit dress & Smith sweater, heels from iOffer, choker from ebay, DIY perspex cuff]

shredded

Inspiration: Maison Martin Margiela

-What you need-

1 pair of jeans for sacrifice

stanley knife

-Method-

Slit jeans on back pockets and down the front by cutting straight horizontal lines at 'random'. I drew lines with a pencil to roughly guide the slits, don't make them too uniform or they will look weird.

Cluster the slits in sections about the thighs and upper shin area of the jeans making incisions no wider than 1cm, this makes it easier to pull the threads out.

After you've made the slits, start to pull away the blue vertical threads with your fingers (or tweezers if this is easier). I find it's quicker if you wriggle the white threads away from the blue as much as possible before trying to pull them out.

Done!

If you want, go back over any patches that look bare, but make sure you don't make holes too far up the thighs or you may end up showing off more than you want to. You can make them as shredded as you like, I went pretty far here, but you can go more extreme depending on how you like them. Just be careful if you're going to put them in the wash because they may end up disintegrating completely, hand washing is probably the best option for keeping the finish.

Note: This method is pretty time consuming (I spent a couple of hours on these!) so if you're feeling lazy, just throw the jeans into the washing machine to get the threads out. It works almost as well, although you don't have as much control over the result this way.

It's been a long time since I've put up a proper DIY, so when I stumbled upon this pair of almost perfect Ksubi jeans at Savers ($10!!) I knew they would make the perfect easy DIY shredded jeans.

I also cropped these jeans because, apart from the fact that they were a little bit too long for me full-length, I think they look much better shorter and when the weather warms up I reckon they'll become a wardrobe staple with jelly sandals and a basic tee.

[wearing: thrifted DIY'd Ksubi jeans, Siren heels]

leather love

I was traipsing around my wardrobe, still thinking about bomber jackets from my last post, and came across this leather one I've had for years. It was a big chunky bomber with a hideous belt and all around frumpy shape when I found it at my favourite op shop in Preston, it wasn't until not long ago that I found this pic on a street style blog of a girl in leather jacket with a curved cutout back and decided to try and replicate it with my manly bomber. I took the sleeves in, chopped the belt off and cut a semi-circle into the back and I think it's a pretty good makeover to be honest. It's still a hard piece to wear everyday so I've tried to put together something with a little of the badass attitude it deserves.. A very short skirt and my new 'Wangs'.

Now I know people are extremely opinionated when it comes to fakes, and I thought long and hard about how I'd feel wearing these phony heels, but when it came down to it I came up with these excuses; I currently am not in the position to afford real Wangs, these are extremely well-made/genuine leather blah blah blah, and I love the style (the Joan) so much that that is what mattered most. It's not like I'm going to go around telling people they're real, because that is totes not cool (totes wang?!) and I would feel like a genuine idiot. So thank you iOffer and the dodgy factory in China that produced these beauties! They will be sexing up lots of outfits for a long time to come :)

[Wearing: thrifted/DIY leather bomber & skirt, Sportsgirl tee, heels from iOffer, DIY copper jewellery]

key lime

Staying true to my vow to take a more colourful approach to winter wardrobe, here's some pics of my latest Asos purchase. I had been deliberating over this one for so long, leaving in my saved items for what felt like a century, that when it miraculously went on sale I almost cried. Not that it was expensive to start with, but that was just the thing to push me into it. This shirt is definitely not the same colour in the pics on the website.. a lot more blue-green than citrusy, but I am definitely not regretful. It is the loveliest silk, just the right weight, softness and transparency you need in a silk shirt. The watercolour effect is kind of strange, but gives this shirt character that means it will lift any outfit out of banality.

The shoes are another newbie from Siren. They were heavily discounted (still on sale at the moment) and I was seriously in need of a proper 'grown up' heel so these seemed like just the ticket; super simple with the sweetest little ankle strap. As you can see it was seriously windy today so taking photos was a big struggle. I didn't have a lot to choose from as most of the pics were affected by a little blurring and a lot of hair-in-faceing! I ended up doing a couple of indoor close ups which turned out a lot clearer (not to mention warmer). I think I'll have to do a whole lot more indoor posts if this chilly wind keeps up.

[wearing: Asos silk shirt, Cheap Monday jeans, Siren 'fallen' heels, DIY copper twist rings]

the metallic shoe

[ 1. Jean-Michel Cazabat Elisa pumps 2. Topshop Wowza wedges 3. Dolce Vita Nalla Specchio loafers 4. Elizabeth & James Sand pumps 5. Topshop Sandi wedges 6. Marc by Marc Jacobs new vintage glam loafers ]

[ 1. Soles disco glitter boot 2. Kathryn Wilson Diane boot 3. Topshop Game pointed court heels 4. Gorman Dime croc print boot 5. Skin Punk Deluxe boot ]

[ 1. KORS Michael Kors Eliza wedge sandals 2. Topshop Whizzkid clean wedges 3. Topshop Wowza wedges 4. Topshop Wonder clean sporty wedges 5. Viktor & Rolf bow heel sandals ]

I can't get enough of metallics at the moment, especially in shoe form. I think the hardest thing is making a shiny shoe not look tacky, there are so many seriously offensive ones out there that I've gone and hunted down some of my favourite examples of designs that just work! Paired with simple black or minimalist white and a touch of colour, they are the perfect tool to spruce up a boring outfit.

sketches

Here's a few sketches I've been working on in my 'spare time', i.e when I can't bring myself to look at a damned computer screen anymore. I very rarely sketch any of my designs before I sew anymore, in this case I've reversed the process and drawn my taffeta blazer after I finished it (albeit much more precise than it is in real life!). I used to love drawing, but it seems the digital age has stifled my freehand. Sad really, I must make an effort to dedicate some time to drawing in the future, for it's therapeutic benefits if nothing else.

botanical

My new Sara Phillips dress. What can I say? Possibly the most gorgeous floral print I've ever laid eyes on. Did I mention it is pure silk and cost me a measly $150?! Unfortunately I think it's sold out now, but there are still some incredible bargains to be had at their online store HERE.

[Wearing: Sara Phillips cape dress, Windsor Smith Loren heels, choker from Ebay, Asos cuffs and vintage bracelet/ring]