Wednesday, May 16, 2012

weekly vintage finds - hawaiian girl

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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 

Monday, May 14, 2012

inspiration - etro fall 2012

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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 

Saturday, May 12, 2012

pierrot / pierrette

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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 

Monday, May 7, 2012

singing in the rain

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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

Sunday, May 6, 2012

weekly vintage finds

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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