Inspiration Fashland

DIY \\ Giant pom pom chunky knit hat

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Sun, 10 Apr 2016 10:34:00 +0000

I'm a massive procrastinator, so more often than not I end up finishing off DIYs completely out of season. This most recent make is no exception, being totally inappropriate for the oncoming Spring, but I'm hoping I'll get a few wears out of it yet (and as I type it is hammering down with hail outside, so I could be in luck...)

I've tried knitting a few times in the past but never actually completed anything. The closest I came was a Gryffindor scarf I got about 50% of the way through when I was about 15, but it got abandoned (see above comment re: procrastination), and when I realised I could just buy one when I went to the Harry Potter studio tour, it was consigned to the recycling bin. However, I've had the idea for a knitted hat in mind for a while now, and finally got around to knitting this a couple of weeks ago.

I already have a bright pink chunky knit beanie from Asos that I love, and wanted another similarly beefy hat. As I love pom poms, I decided that any hat I made needed one of those, and the bigger and more ridiculous, the better in my opinion!

I liked the look of the Wool and the Gang kits that I saw in John Lewis, but the price tags are somewhat ridiculous. Over £40 to knit your own beanie!? No thanks. (They do have some free patterns though that look fun, including jumper patterns, so props to them for that.) Despite having practically zero knitting knowledge, I thought I'd go it alone and see what I could bodge together (which is pretty much my attitude towards life...)

It's made from two balls of Cygnet Seriously Chunky wool in Slate Grey, knitted on some large bamboo needles I bought on a whim in Tiger a couple of years ago (I have no idea what size they are, sorry!) I got the wool for £3 a ball from the Birmingham Indoor Market and the needles can't have been more than about £3-£4, so for less than a tenner I can't complain about the price.

I made up the pattern as I went along, helped by a combination of Pinterest tutorials, YouTube videos and counting the stitches in my Asos beanie. It's certainly not the neatest and I wouldn't want any serious knitter looking too closely at the top of the hat where the ribbing and decreases get pretty erratic, but I love it all the same. The main hat part took about 1+1/4 balls of wool, and then I used all of the remainder to make the giant pom pom. It's just made in the normal 'wrap it around two cardboard circles' fashion, which I used a coffee cup saucer to get the size from.

It's very comfy, warm and looks pretty ridiculous (the pom pom looks even larger in real life,) so ticks all the boxes for me! I'm not sure I'll be racing to knit anything else in the near future, and anyway it's coming up for warmer weather, but I am chuffed to bits with my first successfully completed knit!

DIY \\ Grainline Archer eye print shirt

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 19:13:00 +0000

I've owned the Grainline Studio Archer shirt pattern for what feels like forever, but I was too intimidated by the idea of making a shirt to use it. I finally decided to bite the bullet and tackle my fear of collars and buttonholes, and now I'm really glad I did.

I like a good 'conversation print' so I snapped up a couple of metres of this eye print cotton when I saw it on eBay. I juuust managed to squeak my shirt out of 2 metres, but the inside collar stand and inside yoke are plain white cotton. That actually worked out pretty well, as the cotton is quite sheer, and the white looks better than another layer of the pattern showing through. Because of this, I also underlined the button band and the pockets in white cotton.

This version is view 1 of the pattern, grading from a size 2 at the shoulders to a size 6 at the hips Unfortunately in doing this I lost some of the waist shaping and the shirt feels a little bit too wide. Next time I'll reshape the side seams and try and remove some width under the arms. I also added 2 inches to the length of the body, and next time I will take some length out of the sleeves.

I found the construction really simple, thanks in no small part to the brilliant sew along on the Grainline blog. I did manage to sew the collar on upside down and the yolk inside out a couple of times, but that was my own fault for sewing whilst tired!

This shirt is far from perfect, but I'm really proud of it! I'm already itching to sew up some more, and I'm considering taking on a bit more of a challenge and sewing a silk version for summer.

Designer Inspired \\ DIY Valentino-style collared star dress

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 10:55:00 +0000

I've been obsessed with space and the stars since I was little - when I was younger I had a glow in the galaxy on my bedroom ceiling, complete with specific constellations and planets - so I am definitely partial to space-themed clothing. The trend for galaxy print has been around for years now, and can look a bit tired, but I fell head over heels with the star-themed designs in the Valentino pre-fall 2015 collection.

I especially loved the collared dresses, so when I found some cute, affordable star print fabric on eBay, I decided a Valentino-inspired dress needed to be made.

You can't really tell, but the stars are metallic silver on a dark blue background.

The dress is made from a combination of two sewing patterns, the Wear Lemonade Bianca blouse and the Simple Sew Brigitte dress. It was simply a case of layering the two patterns to use the neckline and collar of the blouse with the body of the dress, which fit together with just a tiny tweak needed to the angle of the shoulder, and then I slimmed the sleeves down a little bit. And the best part - both of these patterns are free!

The collar sticks out a bit too much at the back, because it's interfaced. Next time I'll probably tack it down a little or use a less crisp fabric for the collar.
I didn't make a muslin for this dress as I was pretty sure from the simple fit and construction that it would fit pretty well. I just adjusted some seam allowances as I went, and I'm almost 100% happy with it. It's really easy and comfortable to wear, but looks quite polished, and I think I'll be making a couple more dresses from this hacked pattern.

Inspired By \\ Simple White Christmas Wrapping

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 11:43:00 +0000

Sources clockwise from top left: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
I've just about sorted out all of my Christmas shopping now, so it's time to think about wrapping presents. My dad sets the bar pretty high when it comes to wrapping (we've had custom-printed wrapping paper, confetti-filled cellophane layers and even LED-wrapped presents on past Christmases), so I thought I'd take some time to try and find some Christmas present wrapping inspiration. This year I'm feeling a simple, chic, all-white theme, accented with textured string or ribbon, and maybe even some fresh winter foliage (or failing that, some fake plastic holly!)

Designer Inspired \\ Kate Spade flamingo birthday dress

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 08:06:00 +0000

I made this dress to wear for my birthday party a couple of weeks aho. For the last couple of years I've worn my DIY flamingo suit for my birthday, but thought it was time for an update. I saw this Kate Spade flamingo-print dress and fell in love with it, but at £295 there was no way I could afford it, so I thought I'd make my own!

The flamingo fabric is actually upholstery fabric that I found on eBay, (upholstery and curtain fabrics are great for larger-scale prints,) and the pattern is the Megan dress from Love at First Stitch by Tilly Walnes.

I didn't make a toile, so the few alterations I made to the pattern I did as I was sewing it, including dropping the bust darts, lengthening the bodice, slimming the skirt in a little at the sides to match the Kate Spade dress and adding two darts on the back neck, as I always have issues with excess fabric there. I really like the shape of this dress, but I'm going to make a toile and work out the remaining fit issues I have. You can see from the pictures it's a little tight around the arms and I need to do a sway-back adjustment to remove the bunching around the lower back.

I decided to put in a lapped zip instead of the invisible zip the pattern calls for, as I wanted to try a new technique for sewing in the neckline facing at the same time as the zip for a neat finish (although I forgot to bind the edges of the facing first!) The seams are either french seams or finished with this amazing gold bias binding - I love a fun bias bound seam!

Shoes - Red Valentino via TK Maxx

Outfit \\ Sun, Moon and Stars dress

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 10:15:00 +0000

Do you ever see an item of clothing and really really want it, but somehow never get around to buying it? That's what I was like with this dress. It's the Motel Rocks sun, moon and stars babydoll dress and I've been wanting it for months, maybe years, but somehow never bought it. I think it's because it's quite a simple shape, and now I'm sewing more, I'm put off buying things that I *could* make (even though I never will.) Then just before I went on holiday earlier this month, Motel had a 25% discount code, and I thought it would be great for holiday so I bought it. (Unfortunately, although I paid for next day delivery, it didn't come the next day, and I had to go without it!)

I'm really glad I did buy it in the end, as I'm in love with it now. The print is awesome, and it's so comfortable and easy to wear. It's also one of those "day to night" pieces, and will look good with black tights in the winter. I was worried the lace-up back might look a bit silly with a visible bra, but the gap is actually pretty small so I think it looks ok.

Dress - Motel Rocks
Jacket - New Look
Shoes - George at Asda
Motel have got another 25% discount on at the moment (BHWK25), until 9am Tuesday morning, so go and have a look. I've already bought myself another two dresses!

DIY \\ Wear Lemonade 'Paloma' Dungarees

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 09:31:00 +0000

Because honestly, what's better than looking like an overgrown toddler?

Wear Lemonade is a new pattern company to me, I only found out about it a few weeks ago via Jolies Bobines, and immediately downloaded several patterns. Wear Lemonade is the clothing and pattern line from Lisa who writes the blog Make My Lemonade. Every month she releases a new item of clothing, which you can buy ready-made, buy the paper pattern or download the PDF pattern. The first few patterns were free to download, and now the new releases only cost €1.66 (so about £1.20!) which is still a total bargain. As soon as the Paloma dungaree shorts were released, I knew I had to make them. They took about 2.5 days to make in the end (including printing & assembling the pattern and some very leisurely sewing!)

They're a little on the large size as I sized up out of fear they wouldn't fit, which ended up being unnecessary. The relaxed fit means they still look good though. The pattern suggests using snaps for the straps, but I just tied them (as if I was tying a neck tie, but upside down) and I like how it looks. Of course, as Wear Lemonade is French, I had to style them with a breton top! (from Uniqlo)

The fabric is, I think, a cotton-mix sateen(ish) that I got about a million meters of from the Fancy Silk Store in London. Te details haven't come out much because of the colour, but hopefully you can see some here. I topstitched practically every seam to make them look more like real denim dungarees. It made the construction take a lot longer, but I think it was definitely worth the effort.

The closures are two poppers on each side, with 'fake' buttons over the top. Because they're quite large, I don't even need to undo the poppers to get them on and off though. The little bit of gold you can see is some bias tape that's covering the join between the bib and the shorts - my overlocker was out of action when I made these so I wanted to conceal the raw edge, rather than just zig-zag the edges.

Despite the fact these have a bajillion pieces, they went together quickly and easily, and I definitely want to make another pair. They're a fun item so I think a large-scale print would look great on them - maybe these pineapples or this boat patterned chambray fabric?

So, thoughts? And are you wearing dungarees this summer? I was initially doubtful of the trend, but I'm now totally in love with this pair!

Review \\ Book review - 'And Then, I Died' by May Sage

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 17:00:00 +0000

The debut novel by author May Sage ‘And Then, I Died’ is a romantic mystery thriller. William ‘Liam’ Slate is a successful young entrepreneur and committed bachelor living in New York, uninterested in ever pursuing a long-term relationship, when the mysterious Beth Carver suddenly enters his life under slightly strange circumstances, and he starts to reconsider that stance. A straightforward love story, apart from the frequent attempts on Liam’s life, and Beth’s traumatic past and unusual vocation…

As the story centres on a rich businessman and the young woman who makes him question his commitment singledom, it would be easy to draw comparisons to Fifty Shades of Grey. However, this would be to do ‘And Then, I Died’ a great disservice. William Slate, our male protagonist, is no Christian Grey. Instead, May Sage has done a fantastic job of creating believable, sympathetic characters, not just in Liam and his love-interest, the mysterious Beth, but the supporting characters of Victoria and Charlotte also feel well-rounded (and it’s good to see women portrayed as successful and independent in a romance novel). I often find I dislike the main female characters in contemporary fiction, mainly as they are often written as one-dimensional or more than a little dim, so it was refreshing to read a fully fleshed-out, likeable character in Beth. Although she is supposed to be drop-dead gorgeous and highly intelligent, she isn’t the ‘impossibly-perfect’ fictional woman trope, instead displaying a range of emotions and different sides to her personality that make her more believable.

The story itself kept my interest throughout. Although this is a romance and there are sex scenes, these elements are balanced with the mystery of Beth’s past and her trying to come to terms with that, and a thriller component from the assassination attempts on Liam. I would have liked a little more on Liam’s backstory and family relationships, as these become an important story but aren’t elaborated on as much as I felt they could have been. The pacing was good for the majority of the book, not lingering on one aspect of the story for too long, but I felt the ending and final exposition was a little rushed. I enjoyed the decision to end the book on a cliffhanger though, rather than tying the story up in an expected ‘happily ever after’.

There were some turns of phrase and uses of words in the book that I found awkward, but overall Sage has produced an easy to read, enjoyable novel, that makes for perfect holiday reading or a book to unwind with at bedtime.
The copy I read included an excerpt from the next book in this series, which from the looks of it will feature characters from ‘And Then, I Died’, but not deal directly with Liam and Beth’s story, which I think is a really interesting way to approach the next books. Initially I wouldn’t have thought I’d become too invested in a story about rich New York businessmen and women, but I’ll definitely be buying the next book in the series when it comes out.

You can buy ‘And Then, I Died’ on Amazon (the Kindle version is a bargain at £1.99), and the author is giving away signed copies on her Facebook page.

This is a sponsored post - I was paid to review the book, however my review is unbiased and contains my honest opinions only.

DIY \\ Striped 'hacked' dress - BHL Charlotte & Christine Haynes Emery

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 18:47:00 +0000

This is my latest sewing creation and it's a hacked pattern - a combination of the Christine Haynes Emery dress bodice (the pattern from my 'saucy mermaids' dress) and the By Hand London Charlotte skirt. I've got a couple of midi-length bodycon jersey dresses, and thought I'd like to recreate a similar silhouette but more structured. I had loads of this striped cotton sateen that I got for dirt cheap on eBay, and so I thought I'd have a go at this dress.

I made a few modifications to the original patterns - I moved the bodice darts slightly to meet up with the central darts on the skirt, slimmed the sleeves down and added a back vent. I also lengthened the skirt darts slightly to improve the fit, but that's a standard adjustment I make on my (numerous) Charlotte skirts.

I'm trying to learn a new skill or try a new method of construction with every new garment I sew at the moment, to improve my sewing. This is the first time I've added a vent to a skirt. I just read a couple of tutorials I found by googling and it was really straightforward and has turned out really well. I also finished the neckline with (bright pink) bias binding, which I haven't done before. It's not perfect, but this was always going to be a 'try it and see what happens' make. The stripes are a teeny bit off on the side seams and the invisible zip is not so invisible, but I still really love this dress. It's fun combining the in-your-face bold stripes with a longer skirt and sleeves than I'd usually go for.

I'm getting more confident with pattern manipulation now and I'm really pleased with how this 'hack' turned out. I'm definitely going to be messing about with more pattern combinations from now on!

Outfit \\ Striped shirt and sandals

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 11:04:00 +0000

My dad took these pictures for me when we took the dog for a walk yesterday afternoon. Its weird having blog pictures taken by someone else when you're so used to a tripod and remote, which is why the only ones that made the cut have me looking away from the camera. All the face-on ones are me grimacing or mid sentence telling my dad what to do.

Even though it was really sunny and quite warm, it's hard to shake my preference monochrome! The only concession to summer in this outfit is the sandals really..

I've had this shirt for what feels like a million years and it's still one of my most regularly worn pieces. I bought it on my year abroad at uni when I was living in Lyon, which is a terrifying 5 years ago now. (I feel like I'm coming on for a quarter-life crisis, especially as the big 2-5 is looming!)

Shirt - H&M
Jeans - Primark (DIY rips)
Sandals - New Look
Backpack - TK Maxx

Outfit \\ Denim dress & 70s styling

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 11:58:00 +0000

I had a denim dress picked out as one of my key Spring/Summer items in my last wardrobe planning post, and ended up finding this one on Asos. It had initially sold out in my size, but was restocked (yay!) and I've been wearing it loads since I bought it.

The boots are also from Asos and I've had them for years. They're faux suede so I thought they'd go nicely with the dress for a 70s vibe. They also have a really tall block heel, which makes them easy to walk in for the height. I had a business meeting the day I wore this, so wanted to feel a bit taller and more confident, hence the heels!

I apologise for the photo quality. For some reason my camera was just not playing ball. It's kind of old and probably a bit clapped out now, but it's nearly my birthday and I've got my eye on that beautiful Olympus PEN (hint hint parents if you're reading...)

Outfit \\ Striped Collared Dress

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 18:26:00 +0000

I had my doubts about whether or not I should post this outfit, as it's so simple I worried it's boring. But then I thought sod it. Not all outfits have to be full of statement pieces, or the latest trends.

I really like this new dress. It's from Dorothy Perkins, where I rarely shop, but I saw it in store and thought it was really cute. I got it online a couple of days later, and there was a 24% off code on the site, plus an extra 10% off for your first order, so I think it came to less than £13 in the end. It's really comfy, but really cute, and I think will be a staple in my summer wardrobe this year!

The weather is still amazing, so I didn't need the jacket after about 10am! It's a really old cream bouclé biker from Zara, that I always find a bit tricky to style but can't bring myself to get rid of.

Dress - Dorothy Perkins
Jacket - Zara
Shoes - Office
Sunglasses - Marc by Marc Jacobs (from TK Maxx)

Tutorial \\ DIY Workout Tops How-To Video

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 08:52:00 +0000

I've been trying to be a bit more healthy, and do more exercise. Unfortunately, "workout" clothing can be quite expensive, especially vest tops, for the small amount of fabric they actually use... I have a bunch of t-shirts I don't wear though, so I thought I'd DIY some into workout vests. I made three different types, (two from Primark t-shirts and one from an old work t-shirt - yes, I used to work on a pub crawl, such a fun job!), and I've filmed a how-to video in case anyone else is interested in making any of them. They're all super quick and easy and only take a few minutes. All you need is scissors and a needle and thread!

The video is at the bottom of the post - please feel free to subscribe to me on YouTube too, as I won't be posting all of my videos on the blog.

Outfit \\ Summer Goth

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 19:48:00 +0000

I'm totally going to jinx it by saying this, but hasn't the weather been glorious recently! Now it's sunny, I can take some outfit pictures outside! Our house has been total chaos for months because of building work and lots of redecorating, so there's barely been a corner that's not piled with displaced furniture or plaster dust, so photos inside have been impossible!

Of course the sunshine has done nothing to dissuade me from wearing my usual uniform of all black errthing... #summergoth4eva

I've had this top for years, but only recently started actually wearing it. It's obviously very bra-flashy, but it's summer so who cares!

I basically wear this jacket every other day, so get ready to be sick to the back teeth of seeing it. It's amazing irl, all gold metallic thread embroidery and beads, and the material is slightly sheer. It's Pucci and I got it from TK Maxx. The RRP was £2000 but I paid a teeny fraction of that of course. Cost per wear on this must be nearing the pennies now.

Top - Missguided
Jacket - Emilio Pucci (from TK Maxx)
Jeans - Primark (DIY rips)
Shoes - Office
Sunglasses - Gok Wan at SpecSavers (prescription all the way baby!)

Look who decided to photobomb my picture taking session! Meet the newest addition to the family, Tess. She's a rescue border collie, and we've had her for about 6 weeks and have completely fallen in love!

Tutorial \\ SS15 Nail Art Trends - White & Stripes

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Fri, 22 May 2015 10:02:00 +0000

Catwalk shows are one of my favourite places to get beauty inspiration. The creativity of the shows extends beyond the clothes and into the make up and nail art on display, so if I'm feeling in a bit of a beauty rut, Style.com is one of my go-to places. The other great thing about runway-inspired beauty looks is that, even if you can't afford a whole new wardrobe of clothes each season, you can keep up to date with trends for a lot less money though your make up and nails.

So recently I had a look though the nail art that was on show at the SS15 shows. One of the key trends seemed to be white & stripes.

Nails from the Erin Featherston, Nonoo, Baja East and Kate Spade shows.
The look that I found most interesting was the "negative space" stripe at Nonoo, so I had a go at recreating it myself. It's quite a simple design, but I think it's quite interesting and unusual.

I decided to do a little "how to" video about how to recreate the look, because why not. It's very quick and easy!

Let me know if you try it, or link me to your most recent nail art!

DIY \\ Leopard print A-line skirt - Tilly & The Buttons Delphine

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 13:36:00 +0000

In my Spring wishlist post I included a picture of a Topshop jacquard leopard print skirt. I first saw it on The Debrief in an article where Kristabel took pictures of various Topshop outfits. Then I kept seeing it (and many other similar ones) pop up on blogs and people at work and really wanted it, but couldn't bring myself to spend the best part of £38 on a pretty basic skirt. So I thought I'd make my own...

The inspiration...
Images from: Topshop, Pinterest (no attribution), The Debrief, Collage Vintage.
I found some really similar leopard print upholstery fabric on eBay for only £5.75 per metre and decided to use the Delphine skirt pattern from the Tilly and the Buttons book "Love at First Stitch: Demystifying Dressmaking". The Delphine pattern is a bit more of an exaggerated a-line shape than I was after, so I just slimmed the sides in a little below the hips. And here's the result:

I'm really pleased with how it turned out! When you add up the fabric and the zip (I had the rest of the notions I needed already), it cost me a whole £6.75! Which is a damn sight less than £38, plus I know it's great quality and won't fall apart because I sewed it myself! Plus, an a-line skirt was one of my "Spring key pieces", so I'm sure it will get worn to death!

The skirt is underlined with what I *think* is a stretch gaberdine that I got an absolute ton of from the Fancy Silk Store in Birmingham. I knew the upholstery fabric would stretch out of shape without it, and this helps give the a-line shape more structure too. The seams and hem are all bound in bright pink bias binding! The binding added a lot of time to the construction of the skirt, but I love the neatness of a bound seam and had this pink binding left over from my flamingo suit and I thought it would be fun to have a secret flash of colour inside the skirt. Also, you can't see it very well but there's a "handmade by fritha louise" tag on the waistband that I got made by Woven Labels UK.

Jacket - Emilio Pucci (from TK Maxx)
T-shirt - Zoe Karssen (from TK Maxx)
Skirt - DIY
Boots - Asos
What do you think? Have you ever made your own version of something you've wanted from the highstreet?

Spring 2015 Wardrobe Planning - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 17:32:00 +0000

So following on from part 1 of my Spring wardrobe planning post, I've had a think about the trends I like, and what I already own, and come up with a shopping list of five key items to buy (or make) for the new season.

A-line skirt

All runway images from Style.com. Skirts from (l-r) New Look x2, Topshop
Mini skirts are a wardrobe staple for me, so I'm definitely going to be getting a 70s-style A-line mini for Spring. Or maybe a couple... I'm really taken with the button-through denim version from New Look, and I think I'm going to have to tick off the suede trend too in the form of a skirt.

Flared jeans

Jeans from (l-r) Clothing at Tesco, Topshop
Flares are one of the most obvious ways to channel the seventies this season. I'm a jeans girl at heart so despite the many lovely trouser versions popping up on the high street, it'll be denim all the way for me. Now to decide whether to go for a cropped kick flare, like the Topshop ones pictured on the right, or full on bell bottom. The pair in the image are from F&F and are a bargainous £20!

Denim dress
Dresses from (l-r) Warehouse, All Saints, Zara
Again with the denim, I'm after a dress. There are so many different styles available, but I'm especially loving the Chloe-esque button-through "denim jacket dress" from Warehouse. I don't think I can justify spending £52 on it though, so if anyone sees anything similar but less expensive, please let me know!

'Boyfriend' shirt

Shirts from (l-r) Topshop, Zara, Uniqlo
I suddenly can't see how I've lived without one of these shirts. I keep imagining outfits with a slightly oversized, blue and white shirt - tucked into a skater skirt, half tucked into a pair of boyfriend jeans with rolled up ankles and some heels, unbuttoned with a vest and denim shorts - I just won't be able to get through Spring and Summer without one... (yes, I can justify any purchase to myself!)

Utility jumpsuit
Jumpsuits from Asos
Asos is killing it on the utility jumpsuits for Spring. All three pictured above are Asos own brand. Not being all leggy and model-ish, I'd probably look like a car mechanic in the denim one, but I'm tempted by the pink jumpsuit. Ok, so it's highly impractical and not at all like the khaki or black version I initially had in mind, but look, so pretty!

What are you going to be buying for the new season? And am I going crazy thinking flares are a good idea? Or should I just embrace the freedom for my ankles...

Spring 2015 Wardrobe Planning - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 19:28:00 +0000

I really struggle to dress myself when the weather warms up. Don't get me wrong, I love the summer, but I am a winter dresser at heart. Give me jumpers, tights, layers and lots and lots of black and I'm happy. Once we get to Spring though, it feels like 90% of my wardrobe is unwearable and I revert to an incredibly boring uniform of jeans and t-shirts with the occasional dress if I feel up to getting my legs out.

UK-based peeps will know that Spring has sprung, and the warm weather seems to be here to stay (or almost, today is a little chilly.) Unfortunately, having just quit my job and all, I'm pretty broke, so can't do my usual panicked smash-and-grab of all things floaty and pastel-coloured in Primark and the like to fill up my Summer wardrobe (no, I have no idea where all of last year's clothes went either.) Instead, I've decided that careful planning is in order, to identify my 'key pieces' for summer, so I come out with an affordable, functional wardrobe (i.e. no impulse trend buys that I then find I just totally cannot style.)

I used to do this kind of post a lot back in the day, and they were always really fun to do, so I thought I'd resurrect the seasonal planning. So, no more rambling, here are my favourite trends for SS15.

Seventies

Featuring Chloe, Anna Sui, Tom Ford, Saint Laurent. All images from Style.com
Unless you've been living in a cave, you'll know that the 70s is a huge trend this season. I always used to think seventies fashions were without exception completely vile, but that's the way of things with fashion isn't it. One minute you hate something, the next you can't wait to wear it. Anyway, I think this is a 'tread carefully for fear of looking like you're in fancy dress' kind of trend, but I'm sure some seventies-esque separates will be making their way into my wardrobe. I am definitely hankering after a pair of flares, A-line mini skirts and copious amounts of suede right now (although probably with fewer sparkles and less paisley than Tom Ford, Saint Laurent et al.)

Denim

Featuring Chloe, Anna Sui, Marques’Almeida, Fendi, Tommy Hilfiger, Ashish
Can we call denim a trend? Jeans are a staple of mine, and I have a well-loved denim jacket that comes out every Spring, but this season seems to be about denim overload. The more layers, colours, washes, patches etc the better. A denim dress is a must-have, and I'm feeling it's finally time to break away from my trusted skinnies and try out some different styles of jeans - I'm especially taken with the boyfriend fit with the huge turn ups from Marques'Almeida.

Utility Luxe

Featuring Marissa Webb, Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, Victoria Beckham
I'm always a fan of anything vaguely military, so this season's utility trend is really appealing to me. I'm far more upset than I should admit to that I can't afford the Ralph Lauren black jumpsuit and white maxi dress with the pockets (not that I can wear all white for more than 2 minutes without spilling something down myself.) I'll be on the hunt for the perfect jumpsuit - I'm telling myself it will be a good investment as it's a day to night/dress up or dress down piece right? I've already got a great pair of green skinny cargo trousers that I love, so they'll be getting worn to death no doubt.

Boyfriend Shirts

Featuring Michael Kors, Jil Sander, Peter Som, Tory Burch
A little bit more of a micro-trend here, but I'm loving all of the smart, blue and white "men's" shirts that were on the Spring catwalks. A cheap trend to buy into if you have an obliging and conveniently-sized boyfriend(/brother/dad/long-suffering male friend), and even if you don't, it's always a good idea to own a smart shirt right? I especially love the styling at Michael Kors with the full, sheer, floral skirts and tied-off belts, which will be an easy silhouette to copy.

So there they are, my favourite trends. Now to condense them down into a (short) shopping list of must-buy (or make) items, and hopefully I'll be able to get through Spring without overheating in inappropriately wintery clothes, or looking like I've gotten dressed in the dark! Part 2 with that in coming soon!

A little life update

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 14:35:00 +0000

Change is afoot round these parts (which hopefully means more blogging, yay!)
If you're a nosey type and want to listen to me ramble for 5 minutes about what's going on in my life, here's a little video I filmed just for you.
See you soon...

DIY Draped Japanese Dress

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 17:32:00 +0000

I bought Drape Drape months ago, and finally got round to making my first garment up from it a few weeks ago. This is no.6, the 'low-back gather drape dress'.

Drape Drape pattern piece Japanese DIY drapey low back dress

Drape Drape pattern piece Japanese DIY drapey low back dress

The crazy pattern piece. Image via Amazon.
I didn't realise how enormous the pattern piece for this would turn out! it took up my whole living room floor (in my admittedly tiny flat), and looked a bit like a squashed bat once it was cut out. Other than that it was actually pretty easy to sew. The instructions look a bit crazy but are actually really easy to follow. My binding is a bit dodgy in places, but this is my first completed project using jersey (and you can't really tell because it's all black!)

Its's a bit boring from the front, but I think that despite the dramatic back neckline it could be quite versatile. I might even wear it to work with a top underneath.

I'm definitely looking forward to making more of the Drape Drape patterns now. The interesting shapes made up in monochrome colours really appeals to my sense of style!

The Dolce and Gabb-Anna Dress

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 13:57:00 +0000

Dolce and Gabbana is (are?) one of my favourite fashion designers. Season after season I fall head over heels with their collections. I'm not even a 'Dolce & Gabbana girl'. My style doesn't really include lace babydoll dresses and bloomers, but there's something about their aesthetic - and the fact that each collection is different from the last and yet still recognisable as D&G - that really appeals to me.
source: style.comThe Autumn Winter 2013 collection stuck with me particularly - aside from the golden, mosaic-inspired show opening, the rest of the collection was monochrome looks in black, white and scarlet. Red isn't really my colour - I try to keep it away from my face especially - but after I saw the look in the centre of the image above, and realised how similar to the By Hand London Anna dress it looked, I couldn't get the idea of making my own homage out of my head.

I found this amazing sparkly red wool blend fabric on Goldhawk Road. It's a very strange fabric - it's bobbly like a bouclé, with some metallic threads shot through, but it's also stretchy. That made it a bit of a pain in the bum to sew as it shifted and stretched a lot, but I finally got there!

I shortened the skirt considerably, (you know how I love a mini,) and the thickness of the fabric means it holds its flared shape really nicely. Yes the skirt doesn't look like the Dolce and Gabbana dress, but the Anna skirt is more wearable for me.

The waist seam got a bit bulky, which is why this looks best with a belt. Once I'd sewn all the million seams involved in the Anna, and inserted the bodice lining, I didn't fancy unpicking everything to try and remove the bulk.

Pattern: By Hand London Anna dress
Fabric: Wool blend from Goldhawk Road (can't remember which shop exactly, but it was one of the messier ones!), cheapy polyester lining fabric (probably from eBay.)
Notions: Invisible zip

Somewhat Ridiculous Tartan Trousers

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 23:07:00 +0000

source: style.com
Ask any of my friends or colleagues and they'll tell you I'm obsessed with tartan. I've always had a thing for it, (I remember being dressed in various tartan dresses as a kid,) but it notched up a gear after seeing the check-tastic Moschino A/W '13 collection.
Look at all of that crazy OTT matchy-matchy tartan wonderousness! I still have plans for a tartan jacket (or full tartan suit...?)

I had this black Stewart tartan in my stash, waiting to turn it into a dress, but as soon as I got my hands on the By Hand London Holly pattern, I knew I had to have a pair of ridiculously wide-legged tartan trousers in my life!

I spent a lot of time cutting these out and making sure to match the patterns. I should have tacked the side seams together though as even though I carefully pinned, the fabric shifted and I'm a bit off on the left leg especially, where the zip is. Speaking of the zip, I was so keen to get these sewn up and finished once I'd started, that I inserted a lapped zip instead of the invisible zip called for in the pattern, as
I didn't have an invisible zip to hand. These are a really quick make actually, and a lot easier than I anticipated. The best thing about these trousers is how incredibly comfortable they are!

I definitely want to make another pair, (I'm thinking in navy suiting fabric with a thin white pinstripe?) but I might reduce the width of the legs slightly next time. I've also used the trouser part of the pattern to make a playsuit which I'll blog about shortly!

Pattern: By Hand London Holly jumpsuit
Fabric: Black Stewart tartan polyviscose from eBay.
Notions: 1x 'bog standard' skirt zip, 1x hook and bar

P.S. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Here's to an amazing 2015!

Elastic Strap 'Cage' Dress

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Sat, 27 Dec 2014 18:19:00 +0000

sources clockwise from left: A Pair and A Spare, Outi Les Pyy, This Fashion Is Mine (x2), Pinterest
I'd been seeing these 'cage bra' DIYs all over the internet and I really like them, however I knew I wouldn't get much wear out of just a bra, no matter how cool it looked. I decided instead to do something similar but with a dress.

I bought a plain, strapless black bodycon midi dress from Missguided for about £8, and a couple of metres of wide elastic, and just started playing about with it on my dress form. I knew I wanted the triangles at the front, but had a few ideas for the back, so I tried out the variations to the left.

After deciding what I wanted, it was just a simple job of pinning, cutting and hand-stitching the elastic into place. You could do this on a sewing machine, but I thought it would be easier to leave it on the dress form and stitch it on there. And here's the finished dress as I wore it on Christmas Eve in town.

A super simple DIY (and really cheap too!) but I think it looks pretty cool. I really want to try making something with the upside-down pentagram shape in the inspiration image, so I'm on the lookout for another suitable garment to do that with now. Who knows, maybe I will try a bra next time.

Runway-inspired Make Up Tutorials

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Sat, 25 Oct 2014 14:48:00 +0000

As well as being a sporadic blogger, I'm also a sporadic YouTuber! I've dabbled in make up-related videos in the past and have really enjoyed them, especially tutorials. I'm by no means an expert, and I don't wear an expertly applied face of make up every day (I'm more of a slap it on in a rush kinda gal, but I don't leave the house without concealer and mascara at the very least), but I really enjoy interesting make up looks.

I find one of my favourite places to look for make up inspiration is catwalk shows, as the looks you see at Fashion Week often push the boundaries of everyday make up. Lots of the looks are very adaptable and wearable however, which is why I've decided to start doing make up tutorial videos based on "fashion" make up looks from the catwalks.

I've uploaded a couple so far - both Autumn/Winter 2014 looks - one based on the Vivienne Westwood Red Label show and one on the Missoni show. I'd love to know what you think, I've not seen very many YouTubers doing runway looks so I thought these might be entertaining and interesting for people.

If you like what you see you can subscribe to my YouTube channel for more to come, although I will post the videos here occasionally too as I feel they fit with the title of the blog!

The Better Late Than Never Dress

noreply@blogger.com (fritha louise) — Thu, 25 Sep 2014 19:48:00 +0000

This dress is a perfect example of how I sew things. I originally intended it to be an entry for the "Sew Dolly Clackett" sewalong earlier this year, where the idea was to sew something in the style of the always-awesome Roisin. The deadline for entries was the end of April, so I decided on my pattern and fabric and ordered it all etc a good month before then. And then I traced the pattern, muslined the bodice, cut my fabric and started sewing it up about three weeks before the deadline. When did I finish it? The second week of August.. Yes, I am definitely a) a procrastinator and b) incredibly fickle when it comes to my sewing projects. I'll start something, then a shiny new pattern or some awesome new fabric will catch my eye, I'll drop everything and start a new project. Then the same thing will happen again. Over and over and over again. My pile of half-finished garments is really quite horrifying.

But in the end, I finished this dress! And in the style of Roisin, I've named it - the "better late than never dress." But before we get on to pictures, here's my inspiration!

Los Amantes Clandestinos dress, Absent Friends dress, Blanche dress. All images via Dolly Clackett, of course.
I knew I wanted to use the Dolly Clackett fave Emery Dress pattern, even if it is a bit more girly and twee than my usual style. I also knew if I was going to go all-out Dolly Clackett, I wanted to use an Alexander Henry fabric. I was considering using the white colour way of the pin-ups with hearts fabric, but knew I probably wouldn't end up wearing it out, so I eventually went for the awesome pin-up mermaids "Sirens" fabric.

I definitely didn't expect the mermaids to be quite so big, so I was surprised when I received the fabric in the post - but now I'm totally in love with the pattern. I went for the more muted teal and green colourway and I think it's really beautiful. I think it makes the dress more wearable than you'd expect for an item of clothing covered in half-naked mermaids...

I tried to be really careful with the pattern placement so as to make the most out of the print, and not deform any of the mermaids with the bodice darts- and as such I barely managed to squeak this out of the two metres of fabric I bought. Fortunately I'd decided to forgo the collar and bow from the pattern, and I like my skirts quite short! I've still ended up with one mermaid's face right on my right boob though, oops!

I also chose to do a lapped zip instead of an invisible one - mainly because I wanted to have a go at a new technique. I've only ever sewn one other lapped zip before, and that was on a cushion so barely counts, and this one isn't perfect but I'm still really pleased with it.

The sleeves are finished by hand but I machined the skirt hem. I'm also really pleased with those gathers. I've never managed to get neat, even gathers before but I was really patient with these and it's really paid off!

Pattern: Christine Haynes Emery dress
Fabric: Alexander Henry 'Sirens' from Fondant Fabrics
Notions: 22" dress zip

So there we have it. The months-in-the-making Better Late Than Never dress. Now excuse me whilst I run off to twirl around in it because it makes me feel so girly and cute!