Review of Lauren Rennells' "Retro Makeup"

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SSS and the end

Day 26: Bottoms Up!

Today I wore my Wearing History sailor shorts pants. No picture because it was quite a bit warmer after work and I took them off.

Day 27: Cozy!
I wore my first knitting project-wrist wamers.

Day 28: Make it work!

Work again and I wore my white pendrell with a black belt.

Day 29: Finally Fall!
Felt like fall this day so I wore my peacock blouse.

Day 30: The End!

Wore my Sorbetto for a day shopping with one of my girl friends!

I felt like this was quite a success! I didn't do terribly awesome at photographing everyday but I only missed one day of self-stitched wearing. I think it definitely is going to help me reach for my me made garments more often. Many of mine are super wearable. On that note, lets see what didn't get worn.

1. Wearing History Smooth Sailing Blouse

I think there are two main fit issues with this blouse that kept it from getting worn- too short for regular pants and the arms are a bit tight. Both are easily fixable for a future version 2. And now that I'm adding more high waisted pants to my wardrobe, hopefully I can start wearing it more often.

2. The Christmas Crepe

This is one I figured I wouldn't wear as it's super Christmas-y but I'll definitely be wearing it to holiday parties this winter!

3. Paid Dress

This is an early project that is a smidge tight in the straps. It is still wearable but it didn't get cold enough for me to wear it on days I didn't have to work.

4. The Faux Button Dress

Another early project that really sunk because of poor fabric choice. Why oh why did I pick flannel?!? It does fit well so I may take the buttons off and turn it into pjs. I really do feel like an ice skater in this dress. (Not sure why. Mayhap, I should keep it for ice skating.)

5. Runway Outfit

More fabric issues with this ensemble I made for a runway show last spring. Made from old prom dresses, this just reads too costumey for every day life. It was a super fun project though!

6. Sew Serendipity Skirt

This was another great project that had fabric issues. It's super busy and it just feels super home-ec to me even though the construction is really good. I think I need to give this pattern another go in different fabrics. The pattern designer Kay Whitt has exquisite print matching skills but I'm definitely no there yet!

7. Sailor Blouse

This one also reads a bit costumey for work. That combined with having a top designed for high waisted bottoms left this on on the hanger. I did enjoy wearing this over the summer and expect it to make a big come back next summer.

I think one of the benefits of doing a me made month is finding holes in your wardrobe. I realized that I really have few work appropriate pieces. (So those that were got worn quite a lot!) Plus, I'll be in the lab more next semester so tops are a priority for future sewing! I also could use more cold weather gear. I made a lot of cute summer pieces this summer but didn't get many transitional type pieces.

I can't wait for the next me made month!

A feather in your cap

I just adore hats and now that I'm finally working again, I'm putting forth some effort to acquire some nice vintage ones. I'd love to learn some real millinery techniques, but right now I so do not need another hobby. I recently bought two lovelies from The Vintage Hat Shop and here is the first of them.

The awesome feather is totally what sold me on this lovely pink 50s hat. I knew right away that it would go great with my floral circle skirt and I was right! I got gobs of compliments on it when I wore it to church today.

Please pardon the leggings. It was a balmy 38F when we left the house this morning and I didn't have any brown or white tights.

Here's a side view! I just adore it! I also tried out my Kat Von D eyeliner and lipstick today and both did really well! I was super impressed with the staying power of this lipstick even without lip liner! I'll do a real product review soon.

My Economic Stimulus Plan

Pretty much all that's on the news is about how the economy needs to be fixed. (Well, that or pondering if Sarah Palin is actually for real not running for president even though she says she's not.) Today I hit the local mall with one of my good friends and did my part to stimulate the economy. So here's my economic stimulus plan from today.

1) Look good, feel good, be successful!

Ladies in the 40s armed themselves with red lipstick before going to work in the factories. And I'm a firm believer that looking good leads to confidence which makes you more successful. Plus, I can wear makeup even at work or in inclement weather!

There is a Sephora at this mall and, while I've browsed inside, it's taken until now for me to get over the sticker shock enough to buy anything. I picked up Kat Von D's Autograph liner and red lipstick. I also picked up a brow pencil, eye primer and a highlighter for $3 each.

2) Back to Basics

My favorite pair of khaki shorts bit the dust this summer but I found these great replacements at White House Black Market on sale. Seriously, if I could afford it, I'd only shop at this store. I have found some really great deals on pants there like $90 jeans for $30. I also got a great cardigan on sale from The Limited. Yummy!

3) Pay attention to the details

I love accessories! They are a great way to add that something extra! Earrings are a great way for me to add a bit of work appropriate style to my look. Coral was my favorite color discovery of the summer and I think raspberry is my great fall color discovery!

Have you been stimulating the economy lately?

In which I knit and plot

So I finished my very first knitting project! Wrist warmers with cables!

I paired them with a nice pink t-shirt and I'm really loving the color combo!

The pattern I used was from Vampire Knits by Genevieve Miller. There's also a matching neck warmer but I haven't gotten that far.

They were pretty simple to knit up once I got the hang of the cable directions. The second one, however, ended up mysteriously larger than the other.....

I've also had a bit of an upset with my circle skirt embellishment for the sew along. The tutorial I used was for a skirt with a flat hem that was gathered at the top. I didn't think about how that would work with a circle skirt which has a round hem.

After freaking out a bit, I settled on embroidery and was inspired by the beautiful atomic designs from the 1950s. Here are some of my sketches of what I've been thinking about doing.

I was inspired by this fabric I stumbled upon at JoAnn's last night.


I am a bit nervous about this skirt being an orphan if I do go this route. I may go a bit simpler and do just little white "stars" like the ones on the fabric. It would go with a lot more things. I need to hem the skirt first anyways so I have some time to think about it.

I'm also a chemist so I love the idea of little embroidered atoms too.

Do you have a favorite atomic pattern? Any thoughts about how I could embellish this skirt?

Fashion and Film: Oklahoma!

I adore musicals! I'm not entirely sure why. My mom loathes them. My dad enjoyed some classic musicals but about all mom could stand was White Christmas and a Muppet Christmas Carol once a year. I do remember my first real experience with musicals. My 3rd grade class watched Oklahoma! and The King and I back to back in music class. Needless to say, I love Rodgers and Hammerstein! (Which you probably now if you saw my State Fair review). I don't actually own any R&H films but Oklahoma was on tv today.

Now you may be wondering what sort of fashion inspiration I can get out of this film being that it is a) set in a time period I don't care for and b) a Western, which is something I ordinarily can't stand. But a while ago, I read on a historical costuming blog (sorry, can't remember which one) that often times hair, makeup and even costumes (to some extent) reflect the values of the period the movie was made in, rather than set in, which makes sense as beauty standards change over time and many practices would be ridiculous to modern viewers. So being that this film is from 1955, we can glean some tidbits of 50s fabulousness.

Gingham is always adorable! I could totally see this as a 50s day dress just shorter and with a few more crinolines!

I'm always on the lookout for hats and this film was no disappointment.

More gingham, more hats!

This white party number was dreamy.

The guys sported some fab plaids too!

Plus the music is pretty great too!

SSS and Slip ups

Day 22: Repeat

I wore my sorbetto again. I think this means I need to make another one!

Day 23: Fail

So I didn't wear anything me made today. On the other hand, I never got properly dressed or left the house. So that evens it out, right?

Day 24: Here comes the bride!

My husband is a wedding photographer (among other things) and I am the assistant photographer. We did a wedding this day and here's what I wore. I think I need to make a nice dress I can wear for weddings, especially if we are busier next summer!

Day 25: Yay fall!

I made this dress at the end of spring/beginning of summer during a freak cold spell and didn't get to wear it more than once. It's finally cool enough for me to wear it again! Woot!