Three Things Thursday

With the New Year, I decided to look for more things in my life that make me happy.  Three things Thursday is three things from this week that make me really happy.  I hope you all have a happy Thursday too!

Top left: our yoga frog that a good friend bought us for our wedding.   It reminds me daily to seek harmony.  Top right: a beautiful watch that my mom bought me for Christmas! I am sort of obsessed...  Bottom:  this spectacular book that Adam got me from the library to look at.  It is a ton of fashion shoots from Grace Coddington's career at Vogue.  Plus some interesting stories about her career and life.  

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Tutorial: Peter Pan Collar Sweater

I love sweaters very much.  Unfortunately, I own a few that I loved when I tried them on in the store, but when it came the day to day wear them, I was less than thrilled with the way they looked. The last few months, I have been trying to refashion a few of them to extend their life in my wardrobe.  This sweater was purchased for a Mother's Day photo-shoot with my two lovely sisters.  It was very cute for the photo-shoot, but once I got it home, I found it to be a little difficult to wear because of its boxy shape and overall plainness.  I finally decided to refashion it, playing up on the boxiness of the sweater.  Here goes a peter-pan collar tutorial! 

1.  Make a pattern:  This may sound daunting, but it only took me about ten minutes, and I am not much of a pattern maker.  Seriously.  Trace the neckline of your sweater onto a large piece of paper.  Find the exact middle of the back of the sweater and mark it with a little tally mark 

on your piece of paper.  Then make a right angle from your mark down the paper about 2 1/2 inches, or however wide you would like your collar to be.  (Remember that your collar is going to be laying over the sweater, so you want to draw your right angle going down towards the bottom of the sweater.)  Finish drawing your pattern so that you have a nice rounded edge where the collar meets the button-down front of your sweater.  I was very careful to make sure that the sweater fabric didn't stretch as I traced the pattern.  I only patterned half of the collar and then just cut it out on the fold so that my collar would be exactly symmetrical.  

2.  Cut out your paper pattern and put it on top of your collar fabric of choice (note:  I never put seam allowances on my patterns, but you might want to add the seam allowance so you don't forget it when you cut out the fabric)  Cut out 2 of the fabric (one for the outside, and one for the collar lining) leaving a 5/8" seam allowance around the edge.  Cut out 1 piece of lightweight interfacing.   

3.  Iron your interface onto on of the wrong sides of your collar. 

4.  Stitch around the collar leaving the edge that will be sewed to the neckline open.

 5.  Trim and grade the curved outside edge (meaning: trim the seam allowance that will be the facing the outside when you turn the collar right side out, to about 1/2 inch, or less if it looks too bulky with your fabric.  Then, take the the seam allowance layer that will be covered by the outer layer and trim it to 1/4 in.  In case this means nothing to you, see this blog's instructions).  This will help your collar look professional and clean. 

 6. Turn your collar right side out and press.  If you still have too much bulk around that corner, trim a little more of the seam allowance out.  Remember that the layer that your interfacing is attached to should be the layer that is facing out. 

7.  Serge or zig-zag the neckline edge. 
8.  Cross stitch the serged edge to the inside of the sweater neckline.  This hand stitching will allow you to keep the sweater from stretching out as you attach the collar. 

9. On the outside of the sweater, where the collar meets the neckline of the sweater, slip stitch tiny stitches to attach the collar more firmly to the sweater.  This line of stitching will go directly under where the collar folds over the neckline of the sweater. 

10.  Voila!  Wear your newly revived sweater! 

For questions or comments, please feel free to email me at landen.cloakroom@gmail.com.
Happy sewing!  

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Pattern mixing

Don't you just love all the pattern mixing that is going on right now! I figured I would jump on that band wagon. Here are 3 examples of pattern mixing from my closet! Not revolutionary perhaps, but I tried out a few different looks just for you! I am kind of obsessed with the outfit on the left (also featured here). I was absurdly happy that I have 3 different prints in the same outfit. Sometimes, it's the little things... I also had to make a conscious effort not to wear a skirt in all three of these photos. It's like I can't pattern mix without a print skirt. Or I just can't not wear a skirt in a blog post.

I also don't know if you could get much whiter than my face in these photos... Yikes!

Happy Thursday!

Left: skirt: j crew; blouse: H&M; tank: Banana Republic; shoes: gift from Mom; necklace: gift

Middle: skirt: Forever 21; blouse: H&M; necklace(old): H&M (old); shoes: gift from Mom

Right: jeans: Kohl's(old); sweater:H&M(really old); blazer:H&M (old); shoes: gift from Mom

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spontaneous belt project

Last weekend (Friday, maybe?) Landen and I went to a fabric store because she wanted to look at some patterns that were on sale.  I joined her in looking through some of the pattern catalogues, but I personally can only take so much perusing through meh womenswear designs.  So, I wandered to their clearance fabric section, where I found some cheapo $4/yd. fabric that I thought would make a swell belt.

The wanting a belt background story (fade to flashback):  We went into a Brooks Brothers outlet store a few weeks ago and something strange happened.  The vibe I usually get from BB's menswear (with the exception of their dress shirts; super high-quality those.) is "Oo, people will think I wear this on the yacht I don't have."  Not exactly my thing.  Until I saw a classy, unstructured blazer paired with a cool, chunky sweater.  Suddenly, I was singing (maybe humming) a different tune; a tune that went something like this:

(image from tumblr.com)

I was overcome by a semi-snobby desire to dress like I spent my afternoons on a yacht.  I wanted that blazer. I wanted anything like that blazer. I didn't want to spend money on that blazer. Something cheaper. Something like....that belt!  I saw a red and blue belt made out of fabric with two D-rings as a closure. I loved it! Now, $25 isn't loads for a belt, but I knew I could do better.

(Fade back into the fabric store scene.)
I found the fabric, bought 1/8 of a yard for $0.50, grabbed a 4-pack of D-rings for under $2 (after 40% off coupon), and shot home.  After an hour at Landen's sewing table, I had my belt (a belt of poor build-quality, perhaps, but my belt, all the same). Behold:

I kind of like how casual/almost-improv it looks. 

(not crazy about this shot/outfit, but it shows, to an extent, how it can contribute to a look)

I know: it's not exactly ready for the Spring collection, but for only $1.50, I can start saving for that boat.
That's all.
Adam

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Sisters Share It All: 10 Wardrobe Staples (Part 3)

And here we are with Part 3 of our 10 Wardrobe Staples series! We each did ten different outfits with our ten pieces.  This installment of the wardrobe staples was a quite the challenge for me! I didn't originally pick ten staples to be outfitted with only those ten items and no other articles of clothing (excluding accessories)! It presented a substantial challenge in outfitting them!  I spent a lot of time standing over my clothes-strewn bed debating about what went best together! It was nice to see that because they were all staple pieces, they formed some fun outfits, even if the pieces weren't necessarily meant to be worn together. Overall, I thought they turned out pretty well, and so will yours! To see where my 10 wardrobe staples were purchased, click here.

accessories on left: pearl necklaces: gift; white earrings: Kendra Scott

accessories on left: necklace - I honestly have no clue.  Possibly Kohls?;  belt - Banana Republic (similar)

accessories on right: scarf - gift 

accessories on left: earrings - Kendra Scott; scarf - gift 

accessories on right: necklace - Claire's

accessories on left: earrings - Forever 21(similar); scarf - Gap; belt - Banana Republic (similar)

accessories on right: belt - Banana Republic (similar);  necklace - gift from Mom

accessories on left:  necklace - gift from Mom

accessories on right: belt - Target; earrings - Kendra Scott

Go check out what fabulous combo's Janssen and Merrick have put together!
Happy Outfitting!

              

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The September Issue: a brief review

Last week, Adam and I decided to watch, The September Issue, a documentary about making the oh-so-important September issue of Vogue, listed under the documentaries on Netflix. You guys, it was SO fun! I do have to admit that I love movies and shows about fashion, like The Devil Wears Prada and Project Runway, so maybe I am completely biased in favor of fashion films, but I loved watching all the behind the scenes stuff and seeing what got cut from the issue and why, and how and why they picked certain things! Mostly I loved getting to know who Grace Coddington is. Grace, one of the fashion directors at Vogue, is amazing. She reminds me of why I majored in costume design. She is passionate about fashion, getting the right look, and just being creative. She was very inspiring to watch. Plus, she the kind of person that you wish you worked with. Very inspiring, a little quirky, and slightly sassy. I was reading a thing or two about the movie later, and a number of people said that she really stole the show. I definitely agree with that one! I also loved how they walked through what needed to happen in order to make the issue possible. It showed meetings with famous designers, the line up for the issue, various photo shoots and what pictures are selected and why. You also get a glimpse of how stressful and crazy it is to work in the fashion industry, but why people do it. So many opinionated and passionate people. Next time you are looking for something to watch, you ought to look here!

Not practical, but oh-so-fun!

I love the layers and poofs of this dress in contrast with her severe hair and hat! I was sort of obsesssed with this photoshoot...  

This is a great picture! This is the photographer who filmed the documentary Grace insisted that they not photoshop out his gut. :)

This is a beautiful 1920's type photo! I love the dogs in ruffs:)

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sartorial efforts of 2012

When looking back at some of the blog pictures from this last year, I was reminded of a few of my unofficial sartorial goals of 2012.  By unofficial sartorial goal I mean directions that I wanted to go or things I wanted to try out clothing-wise.  One picture in particular stood out to me; it looks like this:

(t-shirt: target, jacket and jeans: h&m, shoes: dsw)

This unofficial goal was called color.  You see, I love black and white.  At the beginning of this last year you could go to my closet and see 7 white shirts, 3 white shirts with black stripes, 3 black shirts, 3 grey shirts, 3 black jackets, 3 black sweaters, black jeans, white jeans, black shoes, white shoes...you get the picture.  I did have some color: a red shirt, a couple brown shirts, and probably something else. 

I wasn't getting tired of my black and white, but it felt a little too sober.  Yes, color seemed necessary.  Now, post-2012, I haven't turned into Ronald McDonald, but I've tried to venture out toward brighter horizons.  So far, it's been good; but no guarantees that it will last.  

Over the last few years I've been a comparatively bold dresser--vis-à-vis my peers-- but I get bored easily and sometimes wish for the guts/confidence to try new things.  So, I tried to be a little more adventurous (if you can't tell, adventurous in these pictures means electric blue boating shoes, different length on the trousers, and boots).  Behold:

So, not a bad year.  This year we'll try to both expand and refine things a little more.  So far my goals for 2013 include: investing in a few quality pieces instead of buying several cheapo bits; I'd like to dabble in pocket squares; and finally, I'd like to resolve the conflict between my desire to dress like a Burberry add and my desire to dress like a page from Rolling Stone magazine.  Progress updates to come.  

Until then,

Adam

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Sisters Share It All: 10 Wardrobe Staples (Part 2)

 And we are back with part 2 of the 10 Wardrobe Staples!  Here are some examples, for your viewing pleasure, of the staples that I actually own.

1. jeans:  Kohl's - The first pair of skinny jeans that I bought.  I love them.  They get worn a lot more than they should...
2. blue pants:  American Eagle (hand-me-down from Janssen) - I like these pants, but like I said before, I don't wear non-blue jeans very often, but when I wear them, I like them.
3. striped tee:  Gap - Comfy and a great layering piece.  Because of the buttons at the neckline, it actually stands on its own pretty well too.
4. blouse: H&M - Possibly my favorite blouse that I own.  This shirt gets worn A LOT!
5. skirt:  Express (thrifted from Plato's Closet) - I love the fit.  It is one of the few pencil skirts that I have found that doesn't make my hips look huge.
6. dress:  H&M - This dress is a perfect summer to winter, work to evening dress, because it is jersey, but can absolutely be dressed up or down, worn with tights or sandals, small earrings or a chunky statement necklace.
7. sweater:  J. Crew - A great crew neck both for days at the office and nights out.
8. jacket:  Anthropologie - This jacket has a fabulous fit!  Almost everytime I wear it, I comment to Adam about how much I love how it fits!
9. flats:  Cotton On - This store has rediculously low priced and low quality items, but I love these velvet flats with real pigskin leather interiors.  Best part = they were $5!
10: heels:  gift from Mom - I love the interesting texture of these shoes, but they are a great neutral and will go with almost anything.

***please note that some of the link go to the product itself, a few are suggestions of similar items and a few are just the website of the company that sold me that item.  Many of these items are quite old, and do not currently sell this item.

Go check out Janssen and Merrick's closet staples!

               

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Post-Christmas Deals and Steals

Adam and I went shopping a few times while we were in Salt Lake, and although these items from Banana Republic were the only things we bought on our trip, I felt like I made out like a bandit! All of these belts and this fabulous top were under $11 total. The belts had been marked down to 40% off $3 and $5!!! I love getting 40 % off clearance items! Did you find any great steals this holiday season?

blouse: H&M; tank: Banana Republic; skirt: j-crew; necklace: gift; earrings: Forever 21

upper left: shop similar; lower left: shop similar

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Sisters Share It All: 10 wardrobe Staples (Part 1)

For this round of Sisters Share It All, we decided to do a post about ten staples to have in your closet. This doesn't include any accessories, but we hope to have a follow-up post on accessories later! I have actually thought a lot about this kind of thing in the past, and even got so far as taking all the pictures of the clothing that I felt like I need or love having in my own closet... but then I never got around to posting about it, what with the holidays upon us and all. So now, I have the opportunity to share some things that I feel like I need to have in my closet, and where I have or would buy them! Enjoy the excess of links!

1. Good fitting jeans - it is tough to say who sells the best jeans because everyone has different needs in a pair of jeans, as well as jeans never being a one size fits all type of clothing item. Personally, I like Joe's jeans quite a bit, and have found them for a good price. I also have owned at least one and possibly two pairs of DKNY pants from Ross that have made me quite happy in fit and overall quality. I don't think it matters much what type of jeans you wear as long as you they fit you properly and you feel great in them. And, I don't think you have to pay an arm and a leg to get a proper fitting, good quality pair. This pair might be worth the price though, if they looked half as fabulous on me as they do on the model.

2. Solid or striped tee for layering - this became a real staple when I worked at Anthropologie. I love wearing a jacket with it, a fun printed scarf or both. A few options are here, and here .

3. Blouse - I almost bought this at H&M last weekend. I love the details (I am still considering going back to get it!). I also love this dress shirt from H&M and have it in two different colors. See one of them here. The fit on this shirt is quite excellent!

4. Pencil Skirt - I have one from J.Crew that I love and think this one has a nice looking fit and comes in pretty colors!

5. Dress - This dress is inexpensive and has a pretty cut to it. I also love this.

6. Button-down cardigan - I have a number of these in various colors and styles. I love how well they layer and how they can dress up an outfit in an instant with a scarf or necklace. I have this darling one from J. Crew in orange.

7. Pants - Disclaimer: I don't actually wear very many pants that are not jeans. If I were to wear pants other than jeans, they would probably be these, or these. Or slim fitting white pants.

8. Blazer or structured jacket - I like this one or for something a little more adventurous, this one (I actually got this one for Christmas and am thus biased, but it does look great on! Better than in the photo).

9. Flats - A sophisticated pair, an everyday pair (Janssen has these in red and they are darling!), a marbled pair, or a slightly sparkly pair (I love a good pair of mary-jane style shoes!).

10. Heels or wedges - Everyone should own and wear a good pair of heels. They don't have to be expensive to be beautiful. If you can do expensive, these are gorgeous, and these are so fun!

I don't know about you, but now I want to go shop!

         

Check out Janssen and Merrick's 10 Staples Links!

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more like guidelines: collars and ties

I think it pretty safe to say that most of us have heard a fashion rule or two at some point or another.  You know: "never wear a black belt with brown shoes," "never wear white after labor day," or "don't wear gold and silver together." Well, these rules are more like guidelines, really.  I personally don't believe that you have to know a rule before you bend it, but sometimes knowing the general guidelines can be really helpful in building a coherent look.

As narrow ties have been in vogue for the last several years, some men may wish to try one out, but are hesitant to do so, afraid that it'll look puny and ridiculous.  Here's one way to help avoid that:  Match the width of you tie to the width of your collar.

More conservative dress shirts in the United States have a fairly wide collar on them.  If your shirt has a narrow collar, wear a narrow tie; a wide tie around a narrow collar can make the tie look bulky.  Conversely, if your shirt has a wide collar, wear a wider tie; a narrow tie around a wide collar can make the tie look puny and ridiculous.

As I said, these guidelines can be ignored if you're going for a certain look.  Fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld frequently sports a narrow tie around a very large and high collar.  He knows he's being unconventional; that's the point.

(photo from vogue.co.uk)

So, if high collars are your thing, then take a page from Karl's book.  However, if that's not your bag, try to keep the proportions between your collar and tie in balance; it helps the look flow a little more easily from one piece to another.

For what it's worth.
Adam

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Travels

These last two weeks have been filled with vacation, family, delicious food and travel to Las Vegas and SLC. Here are a few highlights from our trip:

Sme fantastic feta and herb bread that we bought while we were Christmas shopping in Las Vegas!!! I don't know if I can rave about this enough. It was SO SO good

We had one delicious breakfast at Hash House A Go Go.

We spent a little time at the Bellagio on Christmas Eve, where we enjoyed the festive arboretum and a two-man xylophone group. My brother now thinks that there is no cooler profession than that. We also played a game that my dad and I are fond of, where we go into a designer store, guess how much we think a purse is, and try to get the sales associate to tell us how much it actually costs. Dad won this time. He was a mere $150 off!

The most creative wrapped gift of Christmas. Adam wrapped my new watch up as a cat!

A little jaunt down to a freezing and beautiful Temple Square, in Downtown SLC with some of Adam's family.

The amazing fountains at City Creek Shopping Mall. They are set to music, but they have fire on them. It was pretty amazing. And surprisingly warm!

Our drive back through UT, AZ, NM and TX had a lot of beautiful and unusual mountains! We are happy to be home and starting a great new year!

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