ButtonsAnd-Stars

My Birthday!

2008-03-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

Well, this is super late, but here it is anyway :)

I had a lovely time on my birthday. It's always exciting on birthdays, but of course, your 18th is always extra special! I woke up to find a lovely dress form from my parents. I already have one, but it was secondhand and is basically broken. The feet were always falling off! My new one is pretty beautiful, I must say. I can't wait to use it!

I also got a fabulous addition to my tea set from my sister and some perfume. Haha, I think my friends know me well, as I got a Japanes tea cup from my bestest bud too. I really enjoy my cups of tea, and am gradually collecting together a little set of tea cups and saucers. None of them match, but that's the beauty of them! Jodie also made me a card with Colin Murray on the front of it! That was the best card ever... I have a thing for Colin Murray and LOVE listening to him on Radio 1 in the evenings, so she drew a picture of him on the front of a card!! I was so excited... Jay knows me all too well as well, as he promised me £20 of the wool of my choice! I went with him to John Lewis last Friday and purchased myself a mohair/silk blend for a little cardigan I'm going to make. I needed something lightweight to wear when I'm out in town, and I think this will be ideal!

Ah, and now my birthday outfit. I loved it! I managed to get myself this lovely little number off eBay for only £65, and it's this season's Marc by Marc Jacobs. It's a gorgeous dress, and I felt really special in it : ) I adore my shoes! They still need wearing in really, as they rub if I wear them for too long, but my god, they're worth it! I got them from Solea at Kurt Geiger.

Overall, it was a lovely night! I went out for a meal and cocktails at China China and then went to a few bars with some of my favourite people. I couldn't have asked for more to be honest!

Goodness me!

2008-02-25T04:43:00.000-08:00

I haven't updated for so long! I do apologise. Things have been manic, what with my birthday and all of my A level work. I have TWO sketchbooks to hand in next Tuesday, and I'm nowhere near finished...! I swear it's gonna give me a nervous breakdown, haha!

This, in itself, isn't going to be the best of posts, as I have no time to write it! It is esentially going to be telling you what I will be posting about the next couple of weeks.

Over the past week or so, lots have things have been going on. It was my 18th birthday last Tuesday, which was fun fun fun! I bought the most fantastic dress from ebay, which I plan to show pictures of. I also bought a lovely pair of shoes to go with it. Bright green! Good stuff. I'll show you some pictures of some of the presents I was given as well, including my new dressform! I can't wait until summer when I actually have time to sew again!
I also went to a fabulous vintage fair yesterday and got the PERFECT leather bag for college. It is literally fantastic! Grey-blue worn out leather...Beautiful frame to the bag...Nice and big...Just perfect! Yet again, there will be pictures. I also managed to score a lovely knitting magazine from 1957 with a nice jumper I plan on making. The picture shows it in grey and yellow, which I think I might go for as well!
I hope to have a post up about the nice little capelet I made for Queen Michelle too!
I also plan on doing a few posts on some of the runway collections, as I've been following them. I only wish I had the time to post about them sooner!

Anyway, I hope you don't abandon my blog due to the wait. I promise, as soon as I've got my deadline out of the way, regular posting will be back!

Jusqu'ici, Mes Favoris

2008-02-13T03:56:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how I've felt about the shows so far, as a lot of designers seem to be playing it safe this year... Or maybe I can't face the thoughts of covering myself in grey cloth. Either way, I'm still looking for colour colour colour!

I have never come across Chris Benz before, but he really stood out to me for his use of colour. It all looks so juicy and edible!

The ruffles on this top look so soft and feminine, and look fabulous when paired with the masculine cut of the jacket and trousers. The gold looks really striking with the pale blue, and aren't those shoes fantastic?! I'd love a pair like that.

This outfit makes me want to buy/make a little chiffon ruffled cape. It adds an interesting touch to what would otherwise be a boring dress.

I can't even describe how much I adore this coat. It has a similar style to the one that I was given from work from the 1960s. The most gorgeous part of this is the colours though. How AMAZING does the turquoise look peeping out from the cuffs on the coat?! Really just stunning.

I feel as though I could eat this jacket. I'm not sure whether it is a coat or a cardigan, but either way, it really does remind me of juicy apples. It has the perfect length sleeves for me, as I love bracelet sleeves. Goodness, the little border really makes this outfit.

What a lovely dress! The nude backdrop of the dress really emphasise the gradiated colours of the tie. It gives the straps a really interesting shape, too.

Pretty PRETTY jacket. I love anything double breasted, and this really works, especially with the combination of textures on the jacket. Yet again though, it's the colour combination of the blue and the yellow. I think I'm going to replace the buttons on my coat with yellow ones!

I was going to write about Eley Kishimoto's show in this post too, but I have now realised that this is a very long one, so I will have to leave it til later! I'm feeling so much colour inspiration from this : )

Anna Sui

2008-02-11T03:40:00.000-08:00

I'm REALLY not a fan of Anna Sui. There's just too much going on in her designs, and it all ends up looking rather messy to me! I decided, however, to take a look at her A/W collection and was pleasantly surprised by the lovely printed tights. I just know that I will be exploring details like that this year.

I think those shoes are awful though. I'm a fan of certain ugly shoes, but these just step over that line...! I'm going to have to invest in a few Celeste Stein tights, I think.

copyandpaste

2008-02-10T06:16:00.000-08:00

Haha, the way that the high street are able to so easily knock off designers makes me laugh! I'm ever so greatful though :)

Marc by Marc Jacobs

Topshop

Not huge amounts of difference really!

In other news: I believe I have found the dress I am going to wear on my birthday. We'll have to see...

Oooh la la!

2008-02-07T03:01:00.000-08:00

How incredible are these Eley Kishimoto shoes?! You can get them from ASOS for £160.

I'm on the search for a new dress and a pair of shoes, ready for my 18th, which is in less than two weeks! Not really sure where to look, as I want something quite unusual to wear. I think I might go for vintage.

Westwood's hitting Nottingham!

2008-02-03T13:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's right! Vivienne Westwood is opening a shop next month in the Flying Horse Mall in Nottingham. I am so incredibly excited: two floors of Westwoody goodness!

Vivienne Westwood has been my idol in terms of designers, ever since I started becoming interested in fashion. She's so quirky, and is not afraid to push boundaries; something that I really admire. Last christmas, my parents bought me this book for christmas, and I started to love her even more as I read about her life and where she gets inspiration from. She's just generally an incredibly inspirational woman. I hope to be as fearless as her when I start my fashion career.

I am now in the process of trying to decide whether it is worth saving up a load of money, so that I can buy one of her beautiful creations. Of anyone, I'd want my first designer piece to be one of hers. I am about 90% certain that I will go ahead, despite my low monthly wage!

So, to indulge myself in preparation, I have been looking on a few websites (thought not many places sell her things online!) to see the possibilities...

This shirt dress is really lovely and clean-looking. The neckline is beautiful, with the peter pan collar. I'm not normally a wearer of lower necklines, but I do really like this. I probably wouldn't shell out for this though, as it wouldn't really be an investment. I want something SIGNATURE Westwood, that I will always treasure.

Haha, I really do love this waistcoat. It's rather insane, but that's what she's all about! It all looks rather off, with the strange neckline and wonky buttoning, but it really works for me. The back is unusual as well, although I haven't pictured it. I don't normally wear pink, but I even love the colour of this!

I would buy this solely for the slashed satin. I was amazed when I saw all of those outfits, with the same slashes, in my book, as it was all done so intricately. It makes the fabric look like that corrugated metal!

Oh goodness, I'd love to own a pair of pirate boots. They're so...iconic. And really gorgeous. I have a thing for fastenings at the moment, so these suit me just fine! They'd definitely be a long term investment, and I would treasure these... I could wear them with anything! Hehe, look at me rambling away...! I must admit, these are my first choice out of the ones I've shown.

Let's hope that the shop lives up to my expectations, eh?

P.S. I am about to embark on quite an exciting project, which I hope to share with you in the next week or so. It's a first for me, but I hope to continue with this.

You can dress her up, but you still can't take her to town...

2008-01-30T07:51:00.000-08:00

As I said in a previous post, I have recently finished knitting a dress. I'm ever so pleased with the results! I thought I'd share a few picture of it with you to see what you think.

I apologise for my bedraggled appearance! I've not been coping well with the breakup, so I've not been at my best to be honest. Rain doesn't help either, hehe. But anyway, back to the dress. It's a simple shift style dress, with barely any shaping, however, a ribbon cinches in the waist enough to avoid looking like a sack of potatoes!

There's a little bit of lace work around the neckline, which was really fun to do. I also ADORE the ladder-like edging.

I was originally going to use organza ribbon for the tie, as it was the only type I could find in the right colour. But then, I found this fabulous royal purple velvet ribbon. It looks even brighter in real life. I'm glad I used this one, as it really makes the colour of the dress stand out. I love little details like that.

You can find the pattern for this in Rowan Studio 3, and it is called Hanne. It's actually a top, but I altered mine to make it a dress. The yarn is called Rowan 4ply soft, and really is lovely to work with. I'm having a major obsession with it at the moment.

Once I've got my other little projects out of the way, I hope to start on one of the Weardowney ones!

How fascinating!

2008-01-27T16:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I had a lovely night out with some friends as the Rescue Rooms to try and cheer myself up. What a fabulous time we had! Dancing the night away... I really do enjoy a good dance.

Anyway, the purpose of this post is to say that I decided to borrow the fascinator we have in the shop for the night! It looks so fabulous, and it's so easy to wear as it had a hidden clip on the inside of it, so it stays even in my thin hair. I got LOADS of compliments on it, and it made me feel really glamourous! It added such a new element to my outfit.

It's got me thinking though... I need to buy a few of these things! They really do "fascinate" people, as I got loads of people coming up to me asking what it was, and also, I've taken quite a liking to it. I don't want to give it back! I've had a look on etsy and found some lovely ones!

This is only $25.

This one is only $25 too!

This one does rather appeal... It's so extravagant! I think I could get away with this actually.

How adorable is this one! I love the spotty feathers...

I can feel a few purchases coming along...!

House of Weardowney

2008-01-25T03:40:00.000-08:00

I can't tell you how much I adore Weardowney. Their knitwear designs are so innovative and refreshing, so when my good friend Jazz decided to sell a SIGNED book of their knitting patterns, I got so excited and snapped it up right away! It lives up to my hopes and more. I think I'm going to be very busy with my needles...

(Apologies for the chopped off photos... I'm only just learning to use my scanner!)

Aren't those socks amazing?! They've got a little bit of lurex in them... The pattern across the centre and then at the top really makes it. I just want to slouch around my house in these! Unfortunately this isn't a pattern in the book...Just a picture! I'm going to have a search around for it though. It may be on their website or something.

I think the best PJs ever would involve these little knitted bloomers. I'd feel so special! They're incredibly cute. Yet again, not a pattern in this book, but I thought I'd show you how beautiful they are!

This skirt is SO incredible... A knitted lace bubble skirt. It would cost a bomb to make, but I imagine it would feel really luxurious and heavy. I love when your clothing has a bit of weight to it. I'm going to make this soon, although it will take 37092 years to finish! I think I would make it in the same blue, or another jewel toned colour.

I really like the length of this, although I'm not sure about the yarn they used for the main body of it. They've knitted a strand of blue and a strand of orange together to create that blotchy effect, but I'm not sure if it works... I would make it in a solid colour with a nice contrasting edging.

This is first on my knit list to make! It's a really slouchy cardigan with absolutely gorgeous detailing. It has a lovely thick chevron edging around the hem and the cuffs, with a thick woolen tie fastening. The shoulders have a fantastic rib on them as well, almost like a shoulder pad, if that makes sense! It doesn't look at all dated either. I'm going to knit this in a lighter colour to emphasise the detailing even more.

What do you think guys? Doesn't it make you want to learn to knit?! I'll give you a few progress shots as I make it to show you how they're getting on.

P.S. I've finished the knitted dress I was making! I just need to sew on a lovely ribbon, and then I'll be able to post a picture of it. It's one of the nicest things I've made, and I'm really proud!