weekly vintage finds - hawaiian girl

here are a few little trinkets i  picked up at a local yard sale this weekend…

*vintage christmas reindeer - made in japan - $2
*vintage patterned bias trim - $.10 cents
*3 plastic cake decorations w/ moveable legs - $1
*vintage hula doll w/ moveable parts - $2

i am totally in love with the vintage doll, which still has its original rubber band parts attaching the moveable head, arms & legs to the body. she's super fragile so i'm putting her straight into my curiosity cabinet. i love her sea-shell top, green plastic pleated skirt & those adorable white summer sandals. i hope you are all having a great week so far!

xoxo

☆ emilia ☆

inspiration - etro fall 2012

i know it's a little early to be mentioning anything about fall - ok, a lot early. i mean, we're not even into summer yet… geez. but, with my fall cloak project on the brain and not much inspiration to guide me, i couldn't help but notice the etro fall 2012 collection when i stumbled upon a few images of the show. the lush colors, huge mix of fabrics and exciting pairings of materials gave me the jump-start i needed to start designing a cloak with autumn in mind.

the detachable peplum belts are my favorite - i've got to say, i've fallen hard for the recent peplum trend and can't wait to get my hands on a peplum skirt, dress or belt of my own. i love the equestrian feel of that large brown leather waist cinching peplum belt and the black & maize dress it's paired with - the one w/ those dramatic sleeves - is pretty much 'to die for.' this collection has it all - rich velvets, delicate lace mesh, fall staples like tweeds, knits & tailored suits as well as several gorgeous sheer evening dresses with elaborate patterning and textural details.

this collection sure got my creative juices flowing - there are so many options for my fall cloak! one amazing detail i might have to copy on one of my cloaks is that adorable ruffle collar with bright red lining on the fur capelet. isn't it just adorable? i love little details like that - and, the etro fall 2012 collection is chock full of just those kinds of exquisite, over-the-top elements. these pieces are kind of making me excited for fall. just a little bit…

xoxo

☆ emilia ☆

pierrot / pierrette

today i'm finally sharing with you photos of my final pleated skirt attempt from the diy couture 'how to make a pleated skirt' instruction book. after two other attempts, i feel like i finally got this one right in terms of fabric choice, length and fit and i'm absolutely thrilled that i have had such positive experiences with the construction of these skirts! i feel a bit amazed that i was able to pull these pleated skirts off and actually come out with garments i really love.

for this skirt, i had pierrot / pierette in mind as inspiration. i have always been influenced by all things french and pierrot, in particular, has always caught my interest in his many incarnations from 'sad clown' to pantomime to musician. originally, i planned on making both a pierrot and a harlequin skirt with each symbolizing the personality & look of each of the characters (i may at some point finish the other skirt, we'll see.) i wanted them both to feature diamonds and match somewhat, but for the pierrot skirt to have a very light, soft palette in keeping with the traditional white pierrot suit and to really contrast with the bright, bold colors of the flashy harlequin skirt.

so, i went with a white bottom weight fabric - 95% cotton / 5% - medium weight, and dyed it with a mixture of pink and tan RIT dye before screen printing a series of cream triangles on it to form diamonds in different patterns for the front and back. i concentrated the diamonds in the center on the front piece and went with more of a bottom border pattern for the back. i made the waist extra thick and the length a bit longer than the other two skirts and feel like i really hit the perfect balance this time. it fits me like a glove & is very forgiving - that 5% spandex makes a really big difference in fit & comfort! i used a bit of my leftover fabric to make a 'capelet' of sorts in pretty much the same way as the skirt - basically, a pleated skirt for my shoulders - onto which i added two big black buttons for a more authentic pierrot / pierrette look.

i hope you like my pierrot / pierrette inspired skirt (the last pleated skirt i'm making for a while!) next, it's on to making cloaks using the diy couture 'how to make a cloak' instruction book. i'll be making a couple of lightweight cloaks over the next several weeks before attempting a serious fall cloak with expensive tweed or similar wool fabric and am so happy my sewing skills are slowly but steadily improving… yay! 

xoxo

☆ emilia ☆

singing in the rain

today, i'm sharing with you a very special recent vintage find which is so adorable i felt it deserved it's very own post… and. it's very own outfit! i found this amazing vintage children's umbrella at an estate sale this weekend and snagged it for my goddaughter - i couldn't believe my luck. when i woke up today and saw it was going to be a lovely rainy day, i just knew i had to style an outfit around it to share it with you. isn't it just the most darling little thing you've ever seen?! 

i never thought i would top the madeline outfit i put together for her last christmas and worried i might never come across anything quite as special for her again. as soon as i saw this umbrella, my heart sank and then leaped for joy! it's crazy cute and an adorable mixture of bambi, donald duck & the chipmunks although it doesn't say 'disney' on it anywhere - not sure if it's a knock-off or what. it's a little bent up but not terribly - i can't wait to send it off to her and to see pics of her splashing around with it!! it melts my heart just to think about it. i'm so glad i came across this adorable rainy day accessory, which only set me back $4.00… not too bad!

xoxo

☆ emilia ☆

*outfit details: clothes & scarf - vintage // shoes - penny loves kenny // rings - vintage, ebay, forever 21

weekly vintage finds

here are a few pics of this weekend's vintage finds. i went to an estate sale on '50% off' day hoping to score a porcelain glove mold (no go!) but instead walked away with a few other unexpected treasures:

*vintage cloth doll - $.50 cents

*sarah vaughan double 45 - $.25 cents

*vintage porcelain doll - $1.50

*vintage tea cup - $.25 cents

all in all, it was a great weekend for treasure hunting… hope your weekend has been full of treasures too!

xoxo

☆ emilia ☆