Jul 12, 2010 | Beauty, From You
img from giftofhair.org
from formspring.me (continued from an earlier question):
I will be shaving my head in a couple of weeks for charity and as I will be pretty much bald (eek!) I was wondering if you had any ideas for cool hats or headscarves to cover me up during the hot summer. For more info on the cause visit my blog: www.susanna-d.blogspot.com
Wow! Good for you! That takes guts to do, though it’s certainly for a great cause.
If you’re looking to cover up and aren’t into purchasing a wig while waiting for your hair to grow back, either a hat or a head-scarf (or a combination of the two!) will probably be your best bet.
clockwise, from green hat:
Right now is a really great time for hats, as Target currently is stocking their Eugenia Kim for Target line of stylish, chic hats – for a fraction of the cost of what Eugenia Kim hats usually sell for. Kim, who shaved her head after suffering a bad haircut, found there was such a lack of stylish headgear on the market that she designed her own cover-up. Thus, she’s certainly no stranger to your dilemma – and I love that this wide-brimmed straw hat has its own scarf built in to it – an added plus. This green fedora is super-cute and city sassy, which would look great paired with a floaty tee and bermuda shorts. You could also try different shapes to see what works with your body type and style; military-style caps, wide sunhats, and boater hats are all on-trend options.
If you’re uncomfortable about a lack of hairline showing, then a head-scarf underneath your hat may be a good (though warm) choice. You could also, of course, wear the head-scarf on its own, tied in a chignon, bow, or donut shape. A fun print (like this monotone faces print) can look summery or sophisticated depending on how you tie it. Here is a video showing 3 variations of tying a head scarf and here is a list of links to other headscarf-tying resources. If you’re daring, you could also try a turban, though you’d have to pick and choose your coordinating outfit carefully to avoid it looking too matronly.
A cloche is always a great option since it covers your head completely, though they’re often made of felt and may be too warm for summer. A cloche-shaped straw hat, though, has a slightly retro-feminine feel to it, and looks super-sweet with any casual, breezy outfit. As the weather cools down you can also go for bucket-shaped and fuller hats made of thicker materials. Small details like ribbon trim, a flower or rhinestone clip, bows, or tiny fabric flowers elevate something that looks like you’re desperately trying to cover your head up…to a stylish accessory in your ensemble.
Excellent sources of such accoutrements (besides the obvious like department stores or boutiques) are places that specialize in headgear for people who have suffered hair loss for medical reasons, like chemotherapy, alopecia, or trichotillomania. Headcovers Unlimited and Hat, Scarves, and More are two great online places to start. (The reversible soft hats from Just In Time are super-chic too!) And since I’m suck a DIY maniac, I might try my hand at sewing up my own head-covering, choosing from the wide variety of patterns for hats and scarves from Brimming with Love.
As always, the more confidence you have, the less people will notice any lack of hair – and most people will just assume any head-covering is part of your stylichly chic ensemble anyway!
Best of luck-
xoxox
Carly
Jul 8, 2010 | DIY, From You
from formspring.me:
Any suggestion to DIYing something like Sergio Rossi’s Powder suede and nappa silk fishnet booties with crystals? http://www.sergiorossi.com/us/en/eStore/women/women-shoes-SpringSummer2010-Collection/Boots/P-PELLE-Powder-Suede-Nappa-Silk-Fishnet-Bootie-C
Jul 3, 2010 | DIY, From You
from formspring.me:
hey carly! any advice on how to diy this dress? http://lookbook.nu/look/813921-Romantic-floral-dress-and-Balenciaga Thanks!
Hi there!
I’m having a lot of trouble seeing the dress up close from the photo. It looks like a simple tube dress – but could it be constructed from multiple tiers of fabric? If you are wanting to create those tiers (i.e., likely a single piece of fabric with horizontal pleats) this is an extremely time-consuming piece. You could do this one of three ways:
1) [USING A BASE DRESS] Take a similar, well-fitting, cheap woven tube dress, like something from Forever 21, (like this plaid dress, above) and use it as the basis for your pattern. Rub off the shape for the front piece and the shape for the back piece onto a piece of paper. Then cut your paper horizontally in to 1″ increments. Add 1″ in-between, taping in more paper. Add the proper shape of the seam allowance to the edges to allow for the under/overlap of the pleats. Do the same for front and back pieces. Trace onto floral fabric, marking the bottom of each of your original 1″ cuts. Then pleat at those marks, pressing with an iron to set the pleats. Sew fabric pieces onto your Forever 21 dress.
2) [FROM SCRATCH] Alter a store-bought pattern in the same way as above to the outer pieces, cutting horizontally, adding paper, fixing the seam allowances, tracing onto your outer fabric, cutting, pleating, and pressing. You would make the inner (if there is one) exactly as in the pattern, and join the outer to the inner.
3) [NO PLEATING] Or, alternatively to not use a single piece of fabric, you could take a piece of that floral print, and cut it into 3″ horizontal strips (you’d need at least 28 strips, judging by the photo, and you’d have to adjust accordingly to how long you want your dress). Then you’d have to fold each strip in half vertically, and press that crease flat. Then you’d have to sew each piece onto your cheap Forever 21 base dress, starting at the bottom, going all the way around, and overlapping the strips vertically by 1/2″. Where they meet in the center back you’d have to leave about 1/2″ unsewn to either side of CB, trim and fold the sides of your strips under themselves, and then topstitch to the CB, and to either side of the zipper once you get to that point.
However you do it, you’re looking at hours of tedious precision work. The best fit will be accomplished by option 3).
If you just want a floral tube dress and don’t care about the tiers, you can just cut up a similar store-bought floral dress and anchor the top with elastic to keep it up. Or you could make one from scratch with a store-bought pattern.
Hope that helps!
xoxo
Carly
Jul 2, 2010 | From You
from formspring.me:
Carly, I need your help! I have a job interview for a teaching position in Japan for next year, and one of the school’s American teachers told me I need to go and buy clothes that are stylish, professional, and designer but I’m such a tight budget I can only spend a few hundred on work clothes and fun clothes. Suddenly everything I own (even my street clothes) seems not trendy or awesome enough for Japan! Where do you suggest shopping in the US?
Well, first of all, it goes without saying DO NOT GO AND BUY ANYTHING UNTIL YOU HAVE THE JOB!!! Please!! Save your money until it is certain.
Secondly, are you going to be there for an entire year without returning to the US at all in the interim? Will you be able to go there, see what the dress code is, and return to the US to shop? Do you have someone stateside to ship you boxes of clothing or shop for you once you’re gone? (Unfortunately now there is no Sea Mail anymore – so sending boxes to Japan is horribly expensive…but perhaps a necessity if you end up going and needing something sent afterwards. Believe me, I’ve done that more times than I care to count!)
If you do get the job, first of all I’d recommend having enough undergarments in your size. Unless you have an Asian body – you’re going to run into fit issues, even if you are slim and petite enough to fit into Japanese sizes. (Bras constructed for the Asian market are made to fit bodies that are flatter, with the breasts spaced further apart on the ribcage and a higher armscye – a fact that PeachJohn [the equivalent of Victoria’s Secret in Japan] boasts on their catalog pages/website addressing why Japanese girls should buy their products instead of those made by Western companies.) Victoria’s Secret does sell in Japan – but the prices and shipping are more expensive than in the U.S.
PeachJohn’s explanation of how bras are made differently for different body types in different markets.
Figure on the left is a Western body; figure on the right is a Mongol body.
Also, trends and fads come and go in Japan like that. If you can fit into Japanese sizes, I’d highly recommend you shop there after you arrive to purchase things you feel are trendy, chic, work-appropriate, and fit into your budget. I’m not sure where you’ll be living, but if you’re in Tokyo, my favorite places for trendy stuff is Shibuya-109 and Free’s Mart in Jiyuugaoka; and LaForet Harajuku, Marui City, and beams (Shibuya) for more upscale chic items. Office attire (like suits) can be amazingly expensive but can also be bought at any department store – like Marui – and they do offer tailoring services.
If you do not fit into Japanese sizes (i.e., you’re taller than 5’4″ and larger than a 4/6) – then I think the most cautious approach (so you don’t use up all your hard-earned money) is to find out the dress code from a future colleague or the teachers’ liaison at the school. (Not the person who told you to wear only designer – though I can’t speak to that particular school’s dress code, if that’s a recommendation of what you have to wear in Japan to look “professional” in general, then that person doesn’t know squat!) Bah. You can wear any type of clothing, any style – and look fine! (You’ll probably be surprised at what looks “professional” depending on the profession and the workplace.) As a foreigner you’re automatically in a class by yourself and are thus quite exempt from stranger’s judgments on how you dress. (Within reason.) The only question is dressing appropriately for the job – in which case I think only the people working there will be able to enlighten you as to what works.
Teaching in Japan by carlyjcais featuring J Crew
Many online stores will ship to Japan (though for a hefty fee) if you’d feel more comfortable shopping after you arrive. At the very least, if no one can offer advice (though I’m not sure what type of teaching job it is or where), I would arm myself with one skirt suit, just in case (I like ones from Victoria’s Secret, J. Crew, Spiegel, Newport-News, Banana Republic, and Ann Taylor; department stores like Nordstroms, Dillard’s, Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, Burlington Coat Factory, and Macy’s will also have some great, affordable choices); a button-down shirt in a solid feminine color; low-heeled, extremely comfortable shoes for the TONS of walking you will do there (and any extra shoes if you do not fit into a 23.5 – 24.5 regular width shoe…i.e, size 6.5 – 7.5 which are the standard sizes routinely available in Japan); a comfortable dress (maybe a low-key print?) and a cardigan to go over it – i.e., no bare shoulders!; a bag with multiple compartments that you can lug around all day; and a pair of crease-front pants in a neutral color. (For all I know you may be teaching at a completely casual place where the teachers show up in polo-shirts and shorts!!) Nothing has to be designer; pick black and you can’t go wrong; stay away from busy, bright prints or loud colors; have a good coat to last you through the winter…and everything else can be bought there. (Hose; handkerchief; gloves; scarf – even shoes etc.)
Hope that helps and best of luck!
xoxox
Carly
imgs in compostie from magicaljapan.co.jp; breakthroughlearninganddevelopment.com; luggage.com; composited by me
Jun 28, 2010 | Beauty, From You
from formspring.me:
Hi Carly, I really love you blog. Been reading it for a while now and you always manage to inspire me into new sewing projects! I have a little DIY question for you… I’m shaving my head for charity in a couple of weeks and as I will be pretty much bald
Hi there! Can you continue your question in the comments to this post? The question got cut off by formspring, as you can see!
Thanks-
Carly
Jun 25, 2010 | DIY, From You
from formspring.me:
Could you do a tutorial on how to make one of these headbands?
That’s an easy one! They’re exactly the same principle as the instructions for making the main fabric part of my DIY Jennifer Behr Spiked Turban, except these headbands use a slightly wider piece of fabric, folded over and knotted in the middle. (You don’t need to do an underpanel like in the Jennifer Behr turban; that was merely to protect the forehead from being scratched by the spikes. For this version, “fluff up” the center knot to give it more volume so it doesn’t cinch the fabric too tightly.) To me – it looks like one of the headbands is a stretch black velvet, but that could just be the lighting. Definitely use a piece of fabric that has some stretch to it (i.e., lycra).
Hope that helps!
Have fun making your own-
xoxox
Carly
