DAILYLOOK Review

About a month ago I signed up for DAILYLOOK.  It's a subscription service that will send you a box full of items picked out especially for you (by a personal stylist that will review various social media pages that you provide to them to get a sense of your style) every month.  I've recently been doing a wardrobe overhaul and have cleared out probably half of my clothes.  I've been working on the mindset that I want to be excited about what I wear every day, so why own clothes that you don't love or don't make you feel like a million bucks?

Then I thought that I do limit myself in what I wear.  I do have a set style, as I'm sure most of us do, but I rarely branch out of that.  So I thought trying a subscription service would be a fun way to try new things, thus the decision to try DAILYLOOK.

When I got home from work yesterday, there was a fairly large box on my doorstep.  While I have been expecting a delivery from them, I was surprised at the size of the package.

When I opened the box, I was thrilled by the packaging...  I am a textile nerd.  I love fabrics, stationary, packaging, etc.  Most of my career has been involved in packaging and shipping so I really appreciate when someone goes the extra mile.  The above picture is after I fully opened the package, so you don't get to see how nice it looked before I ripped open the tissue paper and dug through the package, but how cute is the inside of this box?  I LOVED it!  For one thing, it is orange, which is my favorite color, and for another, it just makes you feel happy.  It was like getting a present.

Above are all my goodies laid out.

This was one of my favorites in the box.  A black lace dress.  I didn't keep it though as it was too small.

These pants were too small and I couldn't zip them up (thus the picture from behind) and I am not confident to pull off the crop top at this point in time either, so those went back.

Cute color, cute cut.  Just didn't love it though.

I apparently deleted the picture actually showing off the bracelet they sent (see just the littlest bit of it in the bottom left corner?) but I did get a picture of the cute packaging!  The bracelet was probably my favorite thing that they sent.  However, I didn't feel like it was worth the $69.99 they were charging for it.

All together they sent me 8 things to try.  Items not pictured are a skirt, a white tank top, and a handbag.

I ended up sending everything back from this shipment due either to dislike, size, or price.  When you send products back, you get a survey about why you are returning them so your stylist can adjust according to the feedback as necessary.

For some reason, when I signed up for the service, I was expecting a variety of brands of clothes and accessories and was disappointed that everything seemed to be DAILYLOOK brand.  I don't know if I just misunderstood this, or if it was not clearly expressed on the website, but if you sign up, I will say that is something to be aware of.

I think I will try the service for another couple of months to see if my feedback on my returns provides better results going forward.  On the initial package, I was honestly underwhelmed overall by both selection and quality, but I do think it is worth another shot.

But, I did see online this week that Hollywood Stylist Rachel Zoe will be launching a subscription service called Box of Style, starting next week.  I will absolutely be checking that out, once you can sign up for it on the 9th.  If you want more information on that, go here: http://thezoereport.com/shop/

Draping Me Some Ted Baker

Oh my goodness it has been a while since I've posted.  Work, life, and gearing up for the holidays seem to have me distracted as I am sure many of you are as well.  I have however had some free time to play with design and have something fun in the works.

I love this Ted Baker dress, from 2010 (can be found on my Pinterest Dresses board), which obviously isn't available anymore so I am working on creating my own.

So last week I pulled out my dress form and draped the basic shape:

And worked on drafting patterns for it last night:

I did have a rather (un)helpful assistant though so it was a much slower process than it should have been.

She kept lying on my patterns, chewing the paper, and running off with my tools.  Little brat.  I told the hubs I might have to buy her a mouse next time I do pattern making to keep her preoccupied because the dogs weren't helping keep her entertained.

Anyway, the dress is ready to be sewn up so now I need to brave the fabric stores to find the perfect fabric..... or maybe I have something wonderful in my stockpile that I can use.... the hunt is on!

Just a short post today but didn't want everyone to think I have been slacking!

RIP to a Legend; Oscar de la Renta

If you are at all interested in fashion, I am sure that you have heard by now that Oscar do la Renta died yesterday.  Details of his death are still unknown but what is known, is that at 82, he was a legend.

De la Renta has been a symbol of elegance, grace, femininity, and glamour since 1965 when he launched his brand.  He has dressed celebrities, royalty, and political figures, along with "successful working women" for nearly 50 years.



I have never worn anything Oscar de la Renta, but I really think that any woman that wears one of his creations must feel like a princess.  His gowns have such style and structure.



He dressed icons such as Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy, two of the most memorable style icons of the previous century and his work has carried over to be a symbol of elegance into this century.  He will truly be missed.



Peter Copping was appointed as the Creative Director last week and I look forward to seeing him continue on the sophistication associated with the brand.

Baby Sweaters Everywhere!

I recently found out that my best friend is having a baby.  I am so excited for her.  Unfortunately we live about 1,600 miles away from each other so I don't feel like there is much I can do to help her get ready for this big change in her life so I decided I could use my skills and make her a bunch of baby clothes.  I am having so much fun doing this.  Baby things are tiny, quick to make, and can use such fun textiles.  I'm loving it!

So far I've made a few sweaters (all patterns were found on Ravelry, I believe...)

I LOVE shawl collar things.  I think all sweaters should have a shawl collar.

Hard to see but there is a cable up the side of this one.

This one has a cute bow that attaches at the neck.  I'll post more photos when I get it sewn together and the bow attached.

I still need to sew seams together and put buttons on but this is my progress so far.  I have a huge stack of fabric to sew into adorable little things too.  I can't wait!

Project Tuesday

I decided several months ago that I wanted to recreate some of the things that I find on Pinterest and love but either can't afford, or are old seasons so can't find to buy anywhere.  I even bought fabric to start on some of the projects (back in April).  I finally got started on one of them.

I have been in love with the Boston Proper shirt since I first saw it on Pinterest:

Unfortunately, it must be an old season shirt because I couldn't find it anywhere on their site.  But I've been mildly obsessed with this shirt.  So, I decided I would make my own.

Finding a similar fabric was the hardest part of this project.  I love the cut out patterns and embroidery on this one.  I looked everywhere and even looked at curtains and table clothes (channeling Gone With The Wind), but still couldn't find anything that I loved.  I did eventually find an eyelet that I thought would work.

So, I pulled out my sewing and pattern making supplies and went to town making a pattern:

My favorite tool in the world!  My iron.  j/k BTW.  I've had this iron for two years and have only used it once for a craft project.  I hate ironing clothes, but an iron is essential when sewing.  It's so important to press seams as you go.

Drafting my pattern.  I forgot how much I really do enjoy pattern making.  I wanted to just make patterns all night long.

Fabric all cut out and ready to sew.  At this point in time though, I didn't have any white thread so things got put on hold until I went and bought some.

Then last night I got it all sewn together.  Unfortunately, I don't love the end result, so I have it on my dress form and am working on figuring out how to change it so I like it better.  I added a ribbon at the bust and I do like that but overall I'm not in love with the shirt.  I think I'm going to cut out some of the circles (that you can't really see in the pictures) in the eyelet pattern and see if that helps any.  But I think the big problem is the fabric choice.  The eyelet doesn't drape and is more stiff than the Boston Proper shirt.  I'll keep playing with it though and see what I can do to make it better.

I Love Me Some Trashy Diva

Trashy Diva is a brand that I discovered a few years ago and I love them!  They are retro inspired designs and their dresses are so fun and you don't have to be a Rockabilly to wear them.

The brand started in the 90s and at that time they were selling vintage finds (thus the "Trashy" in their name).  As time went on though, the brand broke away from that and began producing original designs.  One of the things that I love about Trashy Diva is that their dresses are all made of quality fabrics, ie. silks, rayons, etc.  and they are pretty reasonably priced for being boutique type clothing.  Most dresses costing in the low hundreds, or on sale for as low as about $40.

Their site offers clothing, undergarments, handbags, shoes, jewelry, etc.  But it is definitely the dresses that I look for when I visit.

Check out their dresses and you'll see why:

Trashy Diva Orlando Mini Dress.  Cotton Voile.  $159

Also available in a more dressy/sexy version.  Rayon/Acetate.  $163

I love their Courtney Coat Dress.  I've tried one on before and should've bought it then but didn't.  Very fun and flattering.  Cotton blend Satin.  $181

If you love Mad Men, you will love this dress.  I know that I do!  I love the peacock feather details.  Katherine Dress.  Heavy Weight Rayon.  $172

This Streetcar Dress is so cute in plaid and with the neck bow.  Light-Weight Cotton.  $165

***This dress is making me slightly crazy because it very strongly reminds me of a female fashion designer from the 1950s whose designs were inspired off of menswear.  She used mens shirting fabrics for dresses and rompers.  For the life of me I can't remember her name.  I've been "Googling" for half an hour and am not any closer to figuring out her name.  She was fantastic so I wish I could share more about her but I can't remember enough right now to share.  Anyone have a clue about who I'm thinking of?  I'll have to do some research and share about her at a later date.***

This is the last one I'll share today.  I think this dress is sexy and classic all at the same time.  Honey Dress.  Lightweight Cotton Stretch Poplin.  $108

Anyway, if you love vintage, or at least vintage inspired, you should check out Trashy Diva (www.TrashyDiva.com).  Their clothes are a modern take on 1940-60s fashion and the result is timeless, affordable, clothing.  I am a fan!

A Ted Baker Kind of Day

I've been slacking at posting the last week.  It's been record heat and that has sucked the motivation out of me.  I have lots of blogs in the works, in my head at least, but haven't gotten them all ironed out to perfection yet.  So, while sitting here, drained of energy and motivation, Ted Baker popped into my head and seemed like something worth talking about today.

When I go to Las Vegas, I love to go check out the Ted Baker shops.  The designs are very feminine, classic, and are the essence of English fashion.  I love pretty much everything I've seen of Ted Baker.  My only complaint with the clothes are that they are not of necessarily the nicest fabrics....  That doesn't mean they are cheap fabrics by any means, but if I am going to pay hundreds of dollars for a dress, I hope it is silk, rayon, wool, something along those lines, but Baker seems to use a lot of polyesters.  Polyester, when you break it down and think about it, really isn't that bad.  Care is generally easier.  The quality of polyester has improved significantly over the years and can be made to feel like silk or other natural fibers, but for some reason, I have a mental block about it and have a really hard time justifying paying the cost when the fabric is polyester.  Is that weird?  Anyone else have that?  And not all of his clothes are polyester.  It just seems that what I pick out when I am at his stores is.

One day I think I will break down and actually buy some Ted Baker clothes though because I think the designs are so fresh and fun.

What are some of his designs that I'm currently loving?

This floral embroidered dress.  Currently on sale for $367, down from $525.  I think this is a very sweet dress.  It would be great for weddings you might have to go to, dates, summer parties, etc.  Silk.  See embroidery pattern below:

As a general rule, I hate jumpsuits.  I don't think they are flattering.  I think maybe 2% of the population can pull them off, and that percentage is not usually the percentage that you see wearing them.  That being said, I think this is a cute jumpsuit, or playsuit as they are refering to this.  I think I like it because it doesn't look like a jumpsuit.  It looks like shorts and a top.  This is the Jordann dancing leaves print playsuit on sale for $173, down from $248.  Polyester.

This Tallar swoop neck dress.  Retro, classic, flirty.  On sale for $332, down from $475.  Silk :)

Liano Dancing Leaves dress.  $192 down from $275.  Polyester.  I think this is very cute, youthful, and looks like so much fun to wear.

So my picks for today didn't back up my polyester rant from above.  I totally failed there, well halfway anyway.  Oh well.  You should check out Ted Baker at www.TedBaker-London.com.

They have a sale going on now:

I also started a Facebook page where I post daily sales that I know about.  And some days, I post what I am wearing.  Picture quality is typical Myspace pictures usually, but it lets you see what my style is and what I wear.

Fathers Day & Bow Ties

So, it's Fathers Day.  If you are like me, you have a hard time figuring out what to get the dad that has everything.  I was racking my brain for weeks trying to figure out what to get, and what I could afford to get my dad.  Luckily, about a week before, my mom gave me the great idea to make my dad bow ties.  This seemed very manageable.

So, I pulled out my vintage Bernina (that I got at the DI for $15, complete with sewing table - not pictured).

Went to the fabric store and got WAY more fabric than I had intended but I was thrilled with all the fun prints they had in and couldn't decide.  This is after narrowing down the selection significantly.

And I went to town cutting, sewing, flipping, pressing, etc.

Almost done!  Pinning and pressing and hand sewing the flip hole shut.

Two of the finished products!

I was hoping to tie them up so they would be cute bows when I gave them to him but I apparently can't figure out how to tie a bow tie!  Luckily for me, there are sites such as the Social Primer (www.SocialPrimer.com - It's an interesting site, men especially should check it out.  It's like the guys version of Miss Manners)  that can educate people like me on how to tie a bow tie:

Now for some pictures of men in bow ties :)

Chuck from Gossip Girl.

Jay-Z.

Will Smith

Brad Pitt.

See, you just can't go wrong with a bow tie :)

What/Who Is An Untraditional Fashionista?

I am perhaps a bit of an oxymoron.  I don't consider myself a fashionista in the literal sense.  I don't follow fashion religiously.  I don't spend hours upon hours at the mall or flipping through fashion magazines.  I can't look at a garment and tell you who the designer is off hand (most of the time anyway).  I don't get a new wardrobe every season to keep up with the current trends.  I don't own any designer clothing.  I don't subscribe to WWD (Womens Wear Daily).  I pretty much always wear jeans and a tee shirt and hardly ever do my hair and even less often do I wear makeup.

So why do I consider myself a fashionista at all? 

That is a good question.  I don't consider myself an authority in the world of fashion at all.  However, I studied fashion in school, have designed collections for about a dozen fashion shows, I've received multiple awards for my designs and pattern making, have quite an extensive wardrobe, worked retail for about a decade, love, love, love textiles, and have a deep appreciation for well made clothing and fine fabrics.  I love the world of fashion and clothing but am not consumed by it.  Thus, I consider myself "An Untraditional Fashionista."

I believe that fashion is everywhere.  Not just in the clothes we wear.  Fashion is life, as cliché as that sounds.  Fashion is in the clothes we wear, in the cars we drive, in the way we decorate our houses, in our appliances, in the pets we own, in how we arrange our desks, in the beauty of flowers and nature.  Fashion is everywhere and fashion is inspired by everything.

In my blog, I don't plan to spend a considerable amount of time on current trends, what top designers are doing, or who wore it best type things.  I may still do those things to some degree but I don't believe that will be the focus of my writings.  I just plan to share what things I love and what inspires me.  I hope to design clothing based off of those things and share those as well.

My thought is that with the world and technology being what it is now, we are surrounded by fashion and resources.  I, like I am sure many, am pretty hooked on Pinterest.  I have multiple boards dedicated to fashion on it.  I have one for wardrobing ideas, one for fashion project tutorials and patterns, and one for clothing and accessories that I see online and just love, not to mention boards for hair, makeup, nails, etc.  If you look at my "Clothing <3" board, you would see that the things I love are not the things I told you I wear.  There are a few reasons for that... mostly that the things I admire and love, aren't the things that are practical to my current lifestyle.  I love classic clothing.  I love tailored, well made suits and dresses.  I love silks and wools.  However, I manage a warehouse.  I have 3 messy, jumpy dogs.  I can't wear skirts and heels to work.  I don't want dogs jumping all over my fresh silk dresses.  I don't have thousands of dollars of disposable income every month to spend on apparel.  Things like that.  Those might sound like excuses and to some degree maybe they are.  But that is the life I lead and who I am.  Maybe one day I will have a life where I can be different than what I am now but that isn't the case now and I am happy with that.  That doesn't mean I don't understand and appreciate clothing construction, design, or fashion any less.  I still like to dress up on weekends or for events.  I have dozens of different shoes.  I have plenty of dresses.  I have nice, quality clothing but those aren't my every day reality.

In short, this is who I am.  I will share with you the things that inspire me, things I appreciate, things I create, etc.  Welcome to my blog :)