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 ☆

inspiration - british pathé vintage fashion film archive

i spent a large part of this past weekend combing through the fantastic british pathé vintage fashion archives on youtube. there are so many amazing little videos in the collection highlighting vintage 40's, 50's & 60's trends in accessories, makeup and fashion of all kinds from wigs & shoes to swimsuits & swim caps. i love the footage of vintage fashion shows and all the strange & quirky newsreel type films like the "girls with sexy eyes" holiday camp contest or "battle of the bulges - 1940s style" which features all sorts of oddball exercise equipment & maneuvers. but, my absolute favorites are the clips of vintage shoe, hosiery, and even umbrella fashions - check out the video above featuring the most fabulous trends in 1950's spectacles. but be warned… you will quickly become addicted to these quirky & charming old films!

xoxo

☆ emilia ☆

adventures in dip dye

i couldn't help but get caught up in the "dip dye frenzy" last season on a pair and a spare - i'm pretty sure it was geneva's dip dye ombre mini skirt diy that made me fall in love with the blog and i've been a devoted fan ever since. she gave me the inspiration to make my own glitter shoes and i've been wanting to try another one of her diy tutorials for a while now (or, rather a whole bunch of them) but hadn't come across the right materials… until now!

a couple of weeks back, i came across a cream lace top on a thrift store run and then a homemade vintage white polka-dot skirt at a rummage sale. both of the items were crying out for some personality and the vintage skirt had a few tiny brown spots along the hem that refused to come out. i used the same technique geneva used on her ombre mini-skirt with a combination of navy & teal RIT dye for the lace top and pink RIT dye for the skirt. the top took a few days - i didn't want to overdue it so i kept dyeing and washing and dyeing some more - even using an old toothbrush at one point to spot dye a couple of areas until i was happy with it.

the skirt was inspired directly by the fam irvoll dress i mentioned a couple of weeks ago. i love the little burst of pink - i can't tell you what a difference it made to the skirt… it really brought it to life! one problem is that the skirt is incredibly sheer and i don't have a long enough slip so i'm on the lookout for a longer slip. overall, i'm absolutely thrilled with the results and can't wait to give another one of geneva's diy's a try! they're so quick & easy - almost instant gratification - and really breathe new life into old, outdated pieces.

xoxo

☆ emilia ☆

inspiration - everlasting sprout

images: via Tokyo Fashion.com

this week, i've been feeling all kinds of inspired by the everlasting sprout A/W 2012 collection. there's so much i like about this collection including the unique knit pieces, the bold floral patterns, the socks, and all the adorable details found throughout. before i started crocheting, i really didn't give much thought to knits on the runway but these days i'm particularly smitten with designers who are known for incorporating avant-garde knit designs into their collections - i've learned to appreciate the material and the medium so much more than i ever did before. don't you just love all the textures and those gorgeous patterned knits (especially the dresses and skirts?!) i love the idea of florals for fall and the colors are just perfect - a bit darker but still incredibly bright & fun.

i've also been looking at collections with more of a critical "can-i diy?' eye lately thanks to geneva from a pair and a spare and have been finding sweet details everywhere i look that seem doable. like, the ruffles on those short pants pictured above? … love! i can't wait to get my hands on some secondhand tweed pants to shorten and add some flirty ruffles to - what a sweet, feminine touch for fall.

xoxo

☆ emilia ☆ 

weekly vintage finds

          

          

          

          

not much garage sale activity this week… but, one interesting thing i picked up was an old scrapbook filled with circus memorabilia, old magazine shots of little girls posing w/ animals (like the ones above,) and several vintage pics of puppies & kittens - adorable!

total cost? … only 25 cents!         

xoxo

☆ emilia ☆