Fashion DIY: Exercise Your Closet

That is right...I said exercise your closet, don't throw it away! If you are anything like me my dears, you have a closet and maybe dressers and storage boxes full of clothes! Do you wear them all? Yeah, me neither. That is where Fashion DIY becomes crucial!

Every season I try and weed through my addiction to pare down the fat which is a pretty daunting task...especially since I own many clothes that are too good to part with (from before I lost weight in France...and yes, I realize this is a good problem to have). Now that I find myself sans sewing machine in NYC (a fact that is killing me btdub) I can't actually fix these items, so they just sit there taking up very valuable Manhattan square footage. So what is Fashion DIY well its creating ways to upcycle your clothing, or shop in your own closet if you will!

Here's an easy fix that does not involve sewing skills or any real seamstress tools:

Color Dyeing

I recently bought a corset top from Forever 21 that I later gave me buyer's remorse (which is a sickness I almost never get). Of course when I tried to return said top...Forever 21 with their non-existent customer service policy, how very un-American, would not allow the brand new frock (that had not even left the bag) to be exchanged. So what was I to do? Dye it!!

Totally cute corset top...but in peach...which I later realize that under the my sheer summer tops, just looked like I was naked because it was the same color as my skin. Whoa! was I ever uncomfortable!

 1. Find the classic RIT dye at your pharmacy, in a color your choice (I happen to be a sucker for teal)

2. Mix (following package instructions) with water and bring to boil. 
3. Soak garment for instructed time. Note: more or less time should be altered for desired color. Looking for a pastel? Less. Deep jewel tone? More.

4. Thoroughly rinse and wash garment and allow to dry.

5. Style accordingly! 

And Voila! Fashion DIY at it's finest! Now my once bare-all corset top is a cute pop of color under my sheer summer pieces. Je l'adore! There is always a way to re-work your closet, you just have to get creative. Don't be afraid to play around with old pieces..try and wear them in unconventional ways, or dye them in the latest hot color. That Fashion DIY may just be the little CPR revival your wardrobe needed!

Go try your own Fashion DIY 

and report back!

Bonne chance mes cheris!

Fashionspiration: Easter Sunday Fashion

Mes cheris I had the greatest Easter Sunday, chocked  full of adventures, and my Easter Sunday Fashion was decided the morning of, and shaped up for a home run. Early morning the roomies and I grabbed a delish breakfast at Alice's Tea Cup...a.mazing! I ordered the Eggs Benny with smoked salmon on a buttermilk scone and oh wow it was divine. Not to mention the pumpkin scone I had later with leftovers!

After Breakfast, we walked in Central Park and enjoyed a leisurely stroll in beautiful warm weather. We danced around Bethesda Fountain, one of my favorite NYC spots, took lots of pictures...and probably blended in with the tourists...except for the cute outfits and heels.

Layered racerback tanks from Target and Buffalo Exhange started my Easter Sunday fashion. Buffalo Exchange also provided the finds for the sling purse and the cute Steve Madden platforms. The circle skirt I made myself with upcycled 70's fabric.

Although not totally bursting with color, I did make sure to pop some pastel into my outfit for a nod to traditional Easter Sunday fashion. It turned out to mimic the sky which did not stay this overcast all day. It actually shined brightly enough to give me a good dosage of color after laying out on my terrace when we got home.

I had no idea until writing this blog post that Buffalo Exchange had furnished 70% of my outfit! I am obsessed with this store filled with fashionable goodies from vintage to designer (and so much fun for those into the thrill of the hunt)!

After a fun filled day, I attended a wonderful and moving Easter Sunday service at my church. Then explored different areas of New York after, from Union Square to my neighborhood, the Upper West Side! I love that I live in a city where the day can take me any and everywhere!

I hope your Easter Sunday, as well as your Easter Sunday fashion was inspired and phenomenal...

What did you wear mes cheris?

Clothing DIY: Upcycle Your Tshirt

After waiting far too long for Spring to arrive, I had a clothing DIY weekend! Over the years I have acquired a large amount of fitted tees and rather than throw things away I was inspired to upcycle my tshirt. Fun as well as reducing my need to spend money shopping...win, win!

Here is a casual baseball long sleeve tee that was a gift of love...but it is just not my style. Here are some simple step by step rules for a clothing DIY overhaul for you:

1. Cut

Being scissor happy is Clothing DIY Guideline numero uno! Cut off the sleeves and sew the hem back (I decided to lave a trim of the navy blue along edge). From the sleeves, cut out as many ping pong ball sized circles as possible, then slit the circles all the way around. When you upcycle your tshirt you always want to try and use as much of the fabric as possible...hello? free fabric!

2. Embellish

Stack 3-4 circles at a time and hand sew them onto the shirt, place them close together so they gather. I placed mine strategically over the insignia branding the shirt, and then went from there.

Once all pieces are in place, ruffle them up by finger-combing them. Get them to stand up and look messy, this will create the wild flourish effect.

Et voila! Upcycle that tshirt into a clothing DIY dream! For either a casual look paired with these Anthropologie pants I've had waiting in my closet for Spring to arrive, or a flirty look like this Leifsdotter maxi skirt from Neiman Marcus.

Have you ever Clothing DIYed 

your wardrobe mes cheris?

DIY Fever Giveaway!

It isn't hard to guess that I love making things. Heck, I run a business off of it. I love being creative, and I love finding ways to add my own flair to things, especially when it allows me to live fabulously but still on a budget! Well darlings, do I have fantastic surprise for you!

New York Design Shop is a DIY shop strictly dedicated to all things fashion! I was thrilled upon discovering it, and all the many things it offers for the crafty fashionista. I caught up with Jenna Columbini for a bit, to learn more about her fabulous venture...and she surprised me with a wonderful gift for you guys... an NYDS TOTE OVERFLOWING with DIY GOODIES!!

1. When/How did NYDS get started?
NYDS launched in November 2009, however it was about a year in the making before that. I was working as a merchandiser for a trimmings company in the fashion district, and I couldn't stop DIY'ing with all the trim! It took about a year for me to fully develop the idea, lots of market research, design and help from interns/assistants and web designers. Once I got funding we hit the studio and crafted our hearts out. We have now been live for about 4 months and already the response is amazing.

2. Introduce yourself to your new customers!

NYDS is owned of Jacobson Capital Services, a corporation that has been around for almost 70 years. JCS dips in many areas of the fashion industry and real estate markets. We are located only online, but hopefully after this year we'll be able to begin planning the early stages of our first retail store...imagine a "build a bear" for DIY fashion!! Our mission is to help fashionistas to create and stand out of the crowd. We at NYDS are fashion obsessed, but are also very aware of the price that is often paid for high fashion. At NYDS we help you to put together the same looks you see on the runway, but for much less!

3. What sets you apart from other DIY stores?

We haven't seen any other Fashion DIY stores, which we think is what makes us different. There are the big crafting stores, the home DIY stores, but at NYDS, we put fashion in your hands.

4. What is in the works for the future?

There is so much in the works for the future. We currently are adding new products every week, and at least 5 new How To projects every week. We've got some new DIY designers coming on board which is exciting a well. Also now that we are almost at 100 projects, we will begin separating them into collections based on different trends. That should be super fun! Also, I am hoping to add a DIY Home section and a DIY weddings section within the next year.

Lace Leggings! by newyorkdesignshop featuring Stella McCartney tights

5. What is your favorite thing about NYC?

Well, I love Manhattan, but I have to say that all of the Brooklyn artisan flea markets are super fun. I also love being able to get anywhere by train so that I can read my books and fashion mags every day! Last but not least, my office is located 2 blocks from Bryant Park so I am totally emersed in fashion, just the way I like it!

6. Anything else fun you'd like to add?
I would just like to say thanks to everyone who's been giving such amazing feedback, and who has emailed me with letters of thanks for providing fashionista crafters with a go-to spot!

"Also, please let your readers know that we take requests!"

For instance, if you saw something in a fashion week collection that you MUST have, you can email me a pic, and I'll have one of the designers create a DIY How TO Guide! We'll also make sure we offer the materials to create the design :)

Studs to DIY for... by newyorkdesignshop featuring Burberry accessories

A crafty shop that actually listens to my needs? Consider me SOLD! To think, anything I see on the runway I can instantly have the knowledge of reproduction techniques at my fingertips is wonderful. I personally can't wait to see all that's in store for NYDS. Now let's see who this awesome tote will be in store for...

This will be a 1 week contest closing Monday March 15th, Midnight NYC time.

LISTEN UP, the entry options are slightly different this time.

Entries 1-3 are REQUIRED

These will count as ONE entry, so leave ONE comment for all.

1. Visit NYDS and leave your email in the "Stay in Touch" box in the bottom left corner

(Its not spammy I promise, just some DIY Goodness every so often)!

2. Comment below with your favorite materials

3. Follow NYDS on Twitter AND Facebook

Entries 4-6 are optional for better odds.

You need to leave a separate comment for 4-6!

4. Be a follower of The Embellished Life

5. Tweet this giveaway and/or follow Embellished (@fashiondiva304)

leave the URL below

6. Become a fan of Embellished on Facebook

Recap for clarity:

To be applicable you should have ONE comment below stating:

-You've entered your email, picked your favs, and followed NYDS on the net-

And if you choose, up to THREE additional comments stating:

-I follow Embellished on the net, and I've tweeted this, etc-

for better odds

Escape Yourself for a Night!

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays for one sole reason: COSTUMES! Since I was little, I have always made my costume (with Mom's help). Then as I got older I got really into it, and the last couple years I have actually made my whole costume from the pattern to the final product!

Since Halloween is coming up, I wanted to recap some costumes for you, in case you're still in search of an idea. I'm not telling you what I'm going to be this year, you'll have to wait until after its unveiled! * I am going to put these in order of ease, so if you're not an expert sewer you can still make a costume for Halloween!

Old School Madonna. This one is comfortable and so much fun. Fishnet gloves, some kind of huge sheer bow in your hair (I added a side pony), rough layered 80s tops, tutu, leggings, High Top Chucks and LOTS of bangles. Don't forget to add your Madonna Rock Star attitude to complete the look!

Jessica Rabbit. You won't believe how many people didn't know who I was, what on Earth did they watch on TV growing up...did they miss the Roger Rabbit movie? Slinky, sexy red dress with a slit all the way up to your hip (I cut a slit up my repurposed dress). Purple satin gloves, heels, red long wig. And pucker your lips, sip martinis and be sultry all night.

The classic Marilyn. Super easy: pretty dress, pin curl hair, gloves and heels! The hairstyle makes this outfit a little harder, but if you just buy the blonde wig, it is easy. Plus you can justify buying a gorgeous dress because it can double as you costume and wedding/soiree ensemble later! Don't forget dramatic false lashes (mine have a diamond eyeliner), red lipstick, and a beauty mark!Cleopatra. This was fun because not many people do this costume! I made the skirt out of a simple McCall's pattern. Folded my cami in half and added gold around the straps. Draped gold fabric around my waist. I bought copper from a home improvement store and bent it into two armbands. Ebay provided the Egyptian necklace. Put on wig, go crazy with make-up (the Egyptian cat eye is fun), I also put on lots of bronzer and gold shimmer, since I'm not blessed with olive skin.
Flapper. This is soo much fun to be. I made a sheath dress and added each layer of fringe. Also, you can't see it, but the back is plunging with 2 horizontal sequin bands going across it. Add fishnet stockings, beaded headband, fingerwave wig, LONG pearls, heels, bright red lipstick etc. My two favorite accessories for this outfit were a long skinny cigarette holder (not shown), and a garter belt...that holds a mini gun!
Wonder Woman. This is pretty close competition for my favorite costume ever! I made blue high waisted undie bottoms and joined them with the corset top (I had to create all the patterns on this one, Warning: there are no decent Wonder Woman costumes or patterns to buy). Appliqued the gold belt on and added a loop to hold the lasso. Created patent leather boot covers tailored for a pair of my knee high boots, and then created a gold headband and cuffs. Don't forget to applique on all the stars, and sew on the gold ric-rac WW symbol. *I added sheer tights for warmth and a little extra coverage for comfort* I had to add brown extensions since my hair was a little past chin length at this point. So I felt like someone completely different, it was awesome.

Remember, always make costumes with friends. Just like you don't carve pumpkins alone because it is a fun group activity so can costuming! Go shopping for fabrics together, bounce ideas off each other, and then if you get stuck mid-way two heads are better than one!

So, what will you be for halloween? What has your favorite costume been in the past (handmade I hope)!