May 3, 2011 | Fashion
Popularized by the lovely Rumi of FashionToast…among many, many others, this Robert Lee Morris for Elizabeth + James liquid-metal-look knuckle ring was a huge hit from last year, and continues to be a strong seller from the line. There’s just something about its sleek, minimalist beauty that seems both timeless and fashion-forward, and I’ve been drooling over it for awhile now.
Robert Lee Morris for Elizabeth + James Long Knuckle Ring, $195, Saks.com 
Knuckle Ring in Gold, $30, Shockboutique.com
So I was glad to recently find both a version at ShockBoutique.com, AND one from Forever21 as well. (Took you long enough, Forever 21! Hint: Just rip off the filigree from the front of the ring if you’re looking for an exact dupe – it’s affixed with what feels like cheap hot glue and comes off easily.;-)
Forever 21 Regal Knuckle Ring, $5.80
(The Stretchy Knuckle Ring from Forever 21 is also a lookalike for the smaller Elizabeth + James knuckle ring, at about 1.5″ long, and with a stretchy band.)
Additionally, I also found another Elizabeth + Jamese knuckle ring lookalike from Etsy seller snefter.
snefter Flat Armor Finger Knuckle Ring, $15.99, Etsy.com
(It’s not quite as long as the E + J version above, but not quite as short as the small version.)
Also find their YSL Arty Oval Ring lookalike KILLER Chunky Gold Finger Ring, and their Forever 21 sideways cross lookalike Sideways Cross Connector Double Finger Knuckle Ring in their store as well. Oh, snefter – you crafty caster, you! Now, the rings they offer for sale are not exact copies down to the millimeter, but they’re pretty goshdarn close. It’s obvious that the original pieces were not used in the creation of the molds this person uses in their jewelry, but still…they’re amazing doppelgangers!!
And speaking of that Forever 21 sideways cross ring that just EXPLODED in popularity last year (some people were paying $95+ for it on Ebay!)…
Find ASOS.com’s Double Finger ‘Cross’ Ring (above left) here and ShockBoutique’s Two-Finger Cross Ring (above right) here. And I just re-stocked my silver sideways cross rings in my Etsy shop, too.
My version of the ubiquitous sideways cross ring.
Any designer rings you’re looking for me to sniff out an affordable version of? Or a DIY? Let me know in the comments!
xoxox
Carly
All ring photos copyright of their respective owners; FashionToast photo from this post here.
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Apr 28, 2011 | DIY
Straw orange and pink sunhats from Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2011 RTW Collection.
A little paint gives a floppy straw hat a vibrant 70’s-inspired makeover a la Marc Jacobs.
Merona Wide-Brim Floppy Straw Hat, Target, $12.99.
Tulip Fabric Spray Paint in Fuchsia and in Pumpkin, $5.79 each, CreateforLess.com.
Happy DIY’ing!
xoxox
Carly
Photo is a scan of one of the Marc Jacobs advertisements shot by Juergen Teller, found in Vogue Magazine (or something…)
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Apr 22, 2011 | DIY
I’ve shared so many tutorials on this blog about remaking items you may already have in your closet, I just wanted to share them again! (Re-use of an idea – haha! Totally green!😉 ) So here are some of my favorite past projects from the last year or so, that give new life to old items!
And also, some of my recent projects:
I made this pyramid-studded zip clutch following the same directions for my DIY Laptop Sleeve from a Leather Jacket tutorial from last year – except this time I added a gigantic pyramid stud (1″ wide!) to the front, and a zipper as the closure.
You could of course make this zippered pouch out of any material you want – including fabric, a pillowcase, an old towel, vinyl, or even from a Dollar Store faux leather placemat!!
I also found a pair of leather pants at the Goodwill, and hacked off the legs, glued and sewed the hems, and hemmed the lining to create the perfect pair of leather shorts (for a mere $14.99 – which was the cost of the pants! And now I have all that extra leather I cut off to make other projects…)
(I know, it seems sort of hypocritical to highlight projects for Earth Day that use leather – considering most conventionally-made leather is tanned and finished with environmentally-unfriendly chemicals…to say nothing of the environmental impact that a single cow raised on a factory farm makes…but at least it’s an option for what to do with leather items that are sitting at thrift stores or languishing in your closet or just being thrown away…)
What will you do this Earth Day? Make something, recycle something, plant something, use less electricity or water, cook a vegetarian meal?
Do tell! And have a Happy Earth Day!
xoxox
Carly
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Apr 17, 2011 | Media
Spent a lazy Sunday pulling apart the magazines that have piled up over the past couple months…and came across this Lucky Magazine feature in one of their issues from a little while ago (not sure which one). Sure, P.S. I Made This did a DIY of the obi-style belt back in February, but this is a little bit of a different style – plus includes some sources for buying the leather. Here are the sources mentioned in the blurb above:
All great sources for leather, but I would also add:
(with stores throughout the U.S., this is THE place to get leatherworking supplies, tools, hardware, and skins)
(variety of exotic leathers and hides)
(includes frogskin and metallic hides)
(extremely high-quality, full-sized hides for a variety of end uses)
And, my absolute, all-time favorite:
(beautiful, amazing array of FAUX leathers and manmade vinyls!! Yay!)
My Tips: When using lambskin or lightweight leather in a loose, tied belt like in the picture – all you need to do is cut and tie. (Yay for simplicity! But don’t ever ever EVER use your the same scissors/rotary cutter you use on fabric on leather…that’s a sure way to blunt your instruments.:-( Have dedicated leather-cutters if you can! [I use my kitchen shears that I use to cut other stuff in the kitchen with b/c they’re tough and can really withstand the abuse…but I’ll never cut fabric with them! LOL])
If you want a more structured belt, say like Gucci’s S/S 2011 RTW metallic python version with tassels – finishing the edges properly will make all the difference between looking “home-made” and “couture.” If you’re using real leather, don’t forget to burnish the cut edges!!! (What is burnishing? you may ask. A how-to coming in a future post, chickadees!)
xoxox
Carly
Gucci runway photo Style.com, Yannis Vlamos / GoRunway.com
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Mar 28, 2011 | DIY
Patterns by Flirt Brooklyn for Generation Next for McCall’s…I’m dying to make the purple blouse in the center!
I was browsing in Jo-Ann Fabrics the other day (“browsing”…ha, who am I kidding – it’s practically my second home and every time I go always check out EVERY aisle to see what’s new and what they’ve moved around)…and I happened to site down and start flipping through the McCall’s pattern catalog.
Normally I don’t look through the catalogs since I’m usually bored to tears with more of the styles on offer…the only ones of any interest I usually find to be Vogue patterns (but waaaaay too expensive for just a pattern…I mean $25?? Come on.) or Burda Patterns, which are more youthful but on the more pricey side than Simplicity or Butterick [perhaps because of this?]. (The patterns available for purchase online from BurdaStyle are a different story though – affordable and perfect for a quick project!)
10 different styles of fabric flowers?? Amazing!
So in any event I was surprised to see in McCall’s book a collection of patterns called Generation Next. These patterns, created by a number of contemporary designers, are amazingly youthful, fun, and on-trend – something that many pattern companies attempt but often miss the mark at. (Ever seen the Project Runway-branded patterns from Simplicity? Some are okay, but some make you wonder what they have to do with Project Runway, or anything contemporary at all.)
(Sorry for the crappy phone camera pics – it’s all I had at the time.)
Featuring patterns by designers such as Megan Nicolay from the Generation T
books and Althea Harper from Project Runway-fame (!), this collection is priced a bit higher than the average McCall’s pattern but all the patterns are fashion-forward and similar to styles we’re seeing on retail shelves right now (at least, IMHO).
Epaulets?? When have you ever seen a pattern for removable epaulets??
I also spotted patterns for corsages (!), and patterns for jewelry. Now, I have NEVER seen jewelry patterns in a large-company pattern book at an established fabric retailer…NEVER. Just goes to show that the times, they are a-changing!
Removable shoe-jewelry, necklaces, belts, and a scarf. Those shoe “petals” at the bottom look strangely familiar…haven’t we seen this DIY tute on the Internet awhile ago???;-)
Have you seen the Generation Next collection of patterns at all? (There are a lot more patterns available at your local sewing store if it carries McCall’s – the McCall’s website only has a few.)
What do you think – should patterns just stick to being sewing patterns for fabrics – or would including DIY-style instructions for making accessories be something you’d like to see in commercially-available patterns? Innovative? Or just a sad marketing attempt at exploiting a current trend? Discuss!
xoxox
Carly
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