Black velvet (high waisted pants) if you pleeeease.

I made these black velvet high waisted pants a couple of weeks ago. I have been wanting some for quite some time... but couldn't for the life of me find a pair that fancied my fanny. So I made these out of a stretchy velvet and added two silver clasps at the waist. We snuck into an abandoned mansion the other day and snapped these photos. I love trespassing slash pretending to be photogenic. I wonder if I should start calling myself the Long Bob Haircut Girl instead of just the regular Bob Haircut Girl?

Blonde bobs & brocade dresses

So I made this dress about a month ago. It was maybe kinda sorta inspired by these:

{Miu Miu Spring 2008}

And maybe this:

From Luella Spring 2009. Which, by the way, Zooey Deschanel wore to the Grammy's recently. Um, talk about killing two birds with one stone. Luella is pretty much like my favorite. And Zooey is pretty much like in my top three when it comes to ultimate girl crushes.

And alas, here is another one of my attempts at sewing and trying to make something without a pattern. AND. Wearing a blonde bob. AND managing to look purdy scary all at the same time:

This is just me trying to make cool stuff.

This is a dress that I have been working on for the past week. And I'm finally finished!! I'm really obsessed with brocades right now, so I just had to make the skirt out of a gold and black brocade fabric. Oh, and I love lace and velvet... so I added some velvet trim and black lace at the collar and sleeves. It also has a cute little dolly collar. And hook-and-eye closures up the bodice (which are more visible when you put it on). Although it's hard to see in the photos, I made the bodice of the dress out of a gold and cream fabric that I've had for years, but for some reason, I hadn't used it yet. I used a pattern (which I modified a lil' bit) just for the front and back of the bodice. The rest of the dress was just made without a pattern, and me crossing my fingers that it would actually turn out (ahhh!). I made it a wee bit short on purpose, so that I can wear it with leggings or tights. I think this dress will go perfectly with my black oxford ankle boots from H&M. Maybe I'll take a picture of me actually wearing it later this week. I was having a bad hair day, so I figured I'd spare you the shock and awe of seeing me today.

Oh, and I can't stop listening to this song by Cathy Davey:

Noses and mouths are soooo last season.

At least that's what I heard.

I'm a copy cat. And. A few months ago I copied an artist's picture of Louise Brooks, showing just half her face with no mouth or nose. I can't find the name of the person who did the original painting, but it's on the cover of Louise's book, "Lulu in Hollywood." I loved the picture so much, I decided to paint one of my own on canvas, and I hung it up in my apartment. But I decided to make her eyebrow and eye a wee bit more slanted.

This is the cover of the book:

DIY to the max, times your mom, squared.

Runway steez for real girlz.

I nevvvvvver spend a lot of money on clothes. Yep, I'm cheap. Most of my wardrobe is vintage or thrifted or made by me. If I buy something retail, I'll never spend more than, oh, $50 on one item (unless it's a coat?). That just means I'll have more money left over to buy the important things in life, like green apple Mentos.

I also heart Erin Fetherston. Like, so much. Not only do I love her personal style (and hair!), but her designs are always so pretty and feminine. I love the outfit below, but I refuse to splurge on anything... soooo......

...I decided to make my own re-mix of the outfit for total cheaps like me. I put pictures below, but here's an explanation first:

Coat: I couldn't find one with ruffles at the shoulders (which by the way reminds me of a vintage girls' Rothschild coat), but this one still has billow sleeves. It's from yesstyle.com (Japan and Korean fashion that's super affordable and you can't find in the states), you can find the coat here

Dress: Just a simple jersey dress from Forever 21. I love jersey. Find it here

Shoes: Cute little flats from Target

Tights: I love tights from Target

Black scarf & salmon colored hat: I plan to knit those. Ahhhh.... I heart knitting so much. It's also so therapeutic. I put an old knitting pattern picture from 1964 down below because I like the girl's bob haircut, of course. Oh, and because it's old.

Bag: I plan to make that too (yes, with my poor sewing skills). I'm so happy to see more and more girls wearing tapestry bags lately because I have loved them for years, but I was always too afraid they were grandma-ish, and that people were looking at me funny. I love the fabric pictured below, so I'm hoping to be able to find something at least similar at the fabric store.

A dress made out of crap.

Ok, so. I made a dress out of crap on Monday night. I don't watch much t.v., but when I do, I get serious A.D.D. So I have to work on projects at the same time. Gossip Girl was on that night. I have a confession to make. I like it. I usually haaaaate t.v. and I refuse to associate with "The O.C.," "The Hills," etc. If you really wanna know, I believe that "The Hills" was inspired by the Devil. But. I like Gossip Girl. So there. I'm convinced that the reason why I like it is because it's in New York.

Ok, back to my point. So I have this plain gray shirt that I bought off the sale rack for like $5 at Forever 21 months ago, but I've never worn it. I've been known to convert shirts into dresses. Sometimes I don't even know why I own shirts, because I never wear pants (well maybe like once a month). I wear dresses always. Pants invoke serious claustrophobia, if you ask me. So uncomfortable. So. I decided to convert my Forever 21 shirt into a dress. Don't be mad... and don't laugh at me either... but here's an explanation of the dress / outfit... oh, and I put some pictures below:

Bodice of dress: Forever 21 top ($5 off the sale rack)
Skirt of dress: Eeeeek... an old satin pillow case the I haven't used in years (should I be embarrassed? I just didn't have the right kind of black fabric...)
White lace trim at neck: Vintage fabric that I bought at an estate sale
Black velvet buttons at neck: Came from a vintage dress (I switched the buttons out on another dress and saved these)
White lace trim at hem: Also vintage, from an estate sale
Tights: Target (??)
Shoes: H&M in L.A.
Bow in hair: Made from vintage lace trim (tied into a bow and then attached it to a bobby pin)
Bob haircut: Cut by me. Why pay a hair stylist when you can do it yourself...?


Yeah.