My Autumn/Winter Wishlist. What's yours?

Hey everyone. Haven't been posting lately, busy week! My summer holiday is going too quickly though. Only 3 weeks of nothing left! Argh!
So, sooner or later (well, in England, that is), it's going to start getting colder. I'm not sure if I like it colder, but at least you can wrap up warm in hundreds of layers.

Right, my wishlist for A/W 2010:A cape. They look so cool! I've seen plently online and I'm pondering about which one to get. I WILL get one though - even if it will cost me a small fortune. I know I don't need a new coat, but all I have are plain black ones, and a parka, and a leather jacket...

Left: ASOS Hooded Military Cape, £70. Right: Primark Cape, £25.

A Nice Blouse to wear with some leather shorts. I don't usually wear blouses. In fact, I don't wear or own any, but I quite like them. They're quite cute. So far, this Primark one is the only one I like, but it's not in store till the end of September.

Blouse, Primark, £10 (!) I need it.

A duffle coat. I adore them. Okay, I don't really need another coat, but it's cold in the UK, you know! I don't think I can never have too many coats. I wear them from about September/October until about April 'cause it's so cold! So, therefore, I need as many coats as possible. Otherwise, I will die of frostbite or something similar and won't be able to update my blog.

Topshop Duffle Coat, £80

Hats, gloves, scarves. You can never have too many, in my opinion. And that's all I need to say!

Topshop Bow Beret, £8

Well, that was just some of my very long wishlist for autumn/winter. I shouldn't really buy any more clothes this year (running out of space in my warbrobe, and money!). I've already spent a fortune this summer, and I'm starting to feel a little guilty now. I think I need to stop looking online and on magazines. I MUST NOT BUY ANYTHING NEW FOR AT LEAST A FEW MONTHS! But I know that is not going to happen...

Why can I never find anything when I go shopping?

Rant time!

Went shopping today (yay - I've been deprived of shops for weeks, it seems) with dear mother. Primark, Topshop, New Look. I could say I was fairly successful, but I always feel a bit annoyed if I haven't found what I want. I desperately need a bag for school; so, I look everywhere and everything nice is too small for my school books. Grrr. And everything big enough is very ugly (I don't really want to be carrying a really bright pink, massive bag around on my shoulders for a year or two...). So I get no school bag. Brilliant.

I need some boots too. You know, like the biker boots - doesn't have to be leather, just boots! None in Primark (just awful, ugly cheap reproductions of those ugg things). Argh. None in the tiny New Look in my town. Argh. One pair in Topshop. £65. What?! I'm not paying that much for boots, thank you!

You know when you go into a shop and find something you like, then you look at the size and it's far too big? I had that today. All. Over. The. Shops. Someone hates me.

Ok, rant over. I did buy several things. A jacket in primark - £19. Not bad. A belt - £1. Bargain! A jumper for winter (because I have a distinct lack of autumn/winter warm clothes in my wardrobe). A smock dress for £15 in Topshop, using the voucher I got for my birthday:

It's massive once on, but... the £1 belt I bought is perfect with it though. I think it'll look lovely for autumn (I tend to go for browny colours in autumn. Black in winter. And light, pastel shades in spring/summer).

And then, once I get home, I realise I have no shoes that match! Lovely... I've spent too much already. I owed Mum £100 from this shopping trip and previous ones. Bye money.

I love/hate shopping.

I'll promise not to rant next time!

My wonderful (erm...) creation...

So, as promised, pictures of my interesting experiment...

I haven't ironed it yet - as you can tell - I only just finished it at 10:00 last night. I'm seriously going to learn how to machine sew; hand sewing takes up your life! But, it was fun, and I'd definitely go and buy another pattern. Maybe better material though - not many people wear curtain lining, haha!

Excuse dear mother's bedroom - it was the only room with good lighting! And excuse the mess - I was too lazy to crop it all out! Haha!

The front:

And the back:

Edit: Just realised that last picture looks a little unflattering on my behind, haha! Sorry about the blur - my brother isn't the best photographer, bless!

My Sewing Experiment

So, ever since one of my friends took Textiles class at school and can now make and alter clothes to fit her, I've been envious and wanted to be able to sew. I never got round to it, what with work and everything else in my life, but after finally convincing myself I should have a go (and thanks to Esther who also inspired me - http://esther-fromthesticks.blogspot.com/) I bought a pattern online and braced myself for the unknown....

I bought simplicity pattern 4055 because I absolutely adore regency styled dresses with the empire waistlines and puffed sleeves. Probably not the most simple place to start off with, but I've always been a bit to confident and ambitious - oops! The material I used was.... (drum roll).... curtain lining. Yep. So what? It was the cheapest I could find and I didn't want to spend a fortune on something I didn't know would work.

But, just 4 days of tedious hand sewing, my dress is almost finished, fits AND looks presentable!!! I had a few sizing issues (a bit to big in places, a bit too small in other places) but other than that, it's great!! Not sure where I'll wear it but it was an experiment and I'm so pleased with the results. I only know basic stitching (everyone knows how to!) and I used internet and mum for bits I wasn't sure about. So, basically, if I can make a dress like that, anyone can!

Pictures will be up in the next few days so check back if you want to see my attempt!

Ruffles and Lace

Ruffles and lace are one of my biggest obsessions at the moment. They can be casual and they can be dressy - just depends how you wear them.

Erdem's Autumn and Winter collection are full of pretty ruffle and lace dresses, from floor length to short. From this:
To this:
Now, I wouldn't call them the prettiest dresses (especially the last one), but they're so detailed, it's hard for me to stop looking at them. Maybe it's hard to see on here, but to me, they're almost like an intricate work of art and it's beautiful in it's own way.
Obviously, unless you're a millionaire - which I'm not - you're not going to be able to afford dresses like this. So let's look at the alternatives...


The first dress is from Topshop and is £55 - http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33057&storeId=12556&productId=1739492&langId=-1&categoryId=&parent_category_rn=
Pricy, but the quality is nice, and, although it isn't a replicar of the Erdem dress, the ruffles are both of the top half of the dress and the colour is quite similar. If you aren't keen on the price of that dress, then Asos.com have an alternative for £22 - http://www.asos.com/Asos/Asos-Lace-Ruffle-Tie-Back-Dress/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=1096810&SearchQuery=ruffle%20dress&Rf-700=1000&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=20&sort=3&clr=Cream

Personally, I prefer the look of the Topshop dress, but I prefer the Asos price!

If you're after lace instead of ruffles. You can't go wrong with a dress from Yumi or Iska (www.uttamdirect.com).This dress, though not maxi, has the same kind of detailing of the Erdem maxi dress. You can buy it here - http://www.uttamdirect.com/products/Lace-Bubble%252dHem-Tunic.html - for just £19.45 in the sale! I am a fan of uttamdirect.com because most of their dresses are so beautiful and detailed. My Iska ruffle skirt dress was even handmade! It's perfect for what I like to wear, and - especially in the sale - is also in my budget.

Esther Boller - Fashion Designer

I discovered Esther’s blog - http://esther-fromthesticks.blogspot.com/ - via Lookbook a few months ago. I am so glad I did. From beautiful lace dresses to pretty vintage blouses, her work is what I’ve been searching for about two years since I became obsessed with 19^th Century novels and the clothing they wore. She will also be opening her own shop on etsy.com in a few months time, which I am very excited about! Esther kindly answered a few questions for the blog.

Who, or what, inspires you the most?

Esther: I get inspired by a lot of things. Movies are probably one of the biggest inspirations to me. I look at a character and think what she'd wear next or how I could make her style into something I’d wear. I get inspired by everything though, I never know when something will hit me next.

Do you follow trends on the catwalk or just experiment and make what you like?

Esther: I mainly just make whatever I feel like making. When I was younger I used to look at the catwalks all the time for ideas, but now I stay away from them and try to find my own design style.

What item of clothing would you most like to make next?

Esther: Well I just got a ton of fabric to make a 30s style dress so I’m really excited about working on that.

In a lot of your clothes, you take features from the 19th century (I.e. high necked collars) and make them more modern, more wearable. Is this something you recently included in your clothing, or have you always had a love for older clothes?

Esther: Well I just recently discovered a love for the older Victorian style dresses. It’s probably due to the Victorian movie watching marathon I had a while back. Haha, I just couldn’t get enough of them. So I tried to make them more my style and turn them into something I could wear.

Where and what would you most like to be doing in 10 years time?

Esther: Wow, I'll be 25...that's scary! Well I’d love to be somewhere in Europe or somewhere overcast most of the year where I can save a ton on sun block! I’d like to be working on building up my own fashion line. But really I just want to love whatever I’m doing, whether it be a fashion designer or a sassy toll booth operator, I want to be happy with my job.

Thanks, Esther! I wish you so much success in the future because you really deserve it! Check out Esther’s blog at - http://esther-fromthesticks.blogspot.com/ - if you haven’t already!

Lookbook.nu

I have a love/hate relationship with lookbook.nu.

Pros:

• It gives people the chance to show their style to the world
• It helps me (and I'm sure lots of other people feel the same) with inspiration for fashion and photography.

Cons

• Hypes and karma - a lot of people go un-noticed on lookbook because of the whole karma aspect and hyping favourite looks.
• A lot of people hype looks because the person is a) skinny, b) good-looking or the photo is pretty well executed. The whole point of lookbook is to show people your style and 'looks', not how pretty you or your picture is! Ok, yes, I have hyped a lot of looks with good photography, but I have to like the look first - if it's something I'd never wear, then I won't hype. I have so seen many people who have high karma on the 'hot' page just wearing shorts and t-shirt and they've only got there because of their looks and dress size. That's not inspirational!

Yes, I have lookbook myself, not that I'm a popular, hyped member. I'm the total opposite. I hate a lot of my looks on there (ok, I only have about five, but you know what I mean) but the ones I dislike the most, people love. For example, this one:

LOOKBOOK.nu: "The Crazy Cat Lady" by Kitty B

Uninspiring, boring, casual, nothing special. But it's the most hyped look I have. What?!

And, the looks I love the most, get few hypes. I don't get it! This is one I'm most proud of, which I posted today: LOOKBOOK.nu: "I'm a little bit lost without you." by Kitty B

One day, I might end up loving lookbook. But at the moment, I'm only liking it.