feels good to finally have time to relax...

What I want for spring...

American Eagle poppy cotton scarf
Image from mamathreads.typepad.com

Juicy Couture bloom stacking rings
Image from Neiman Marcus

Kate Spade daisy bib necklace
Image from Nordstrom

Kate Spade 'Preston' leather tote
Image from Nordstrom

Marc Jacobs stitched boater hat

I really like this hat... a lot! But I wouldn't pay $375 for it.

style.com

eluxury.com

http://frockwriter.blogspot.com/

teenvogue.com

Hmm...

karen walker pilgrim hat

DIY Tulle Skirts: Planning

I decided to take the plunge and buy the aforementioned dress, and good thing I did yesterday because it's now sold out in my size today! Luckily enough, the same dress in a solid color blue also appeared, also the last one, so now I have two dresses coming! It's a bit overkill to have the same dress in different colors, but I'll think of it as my back-up in case the abstract print looks unappealing irl.

The blue version!

Also, in the previous post, I got a fabulous recommendation to pair a black tulle skirt underneath because the skirt is so short. That's definitely a concern of mine, and because it's a full-looking skirt, a bit of breeze could be embarrassing. This got me thinking about ways to cover up our "bobbly bits" when wearing short, and especially full, skirts. Models can wear short, swingy skirts and leap about the pages of a magazine editorial, carefree, completely oblivious to the dangers of public exposure that we normal people must constantly worry about.

I tried to come up with a few ideas on how to solve this problem:

1) Wear tights or leggings, although now that summer is approaching, I think this will become less practical.
2) Wear cute hot pants or some other kind of tight, non-bulky short shorts. I have a pair of polka dot American Apparel hot pants which are really cute, and I've paired them with the same brand's shorter, full skirts. However, sometimes I don't understand how these would be any different from underwear, except for a bit more coverage. I believe that when the wind picks up, all anyone will get a peek and assume they've seen polka dotted underwear!
3) A tulle skirt is a really cute way to get a bit more fullness under the skirt and cover up underneath! It can veer towards a punk rock-inspired look if the skirt was pink or any other bright pop of color or towards a gothic, lolita look if the skirt were black. Too much tulle could end up looking a bit prom, but I think a very toned down, cream colored tulle skirt could end up looking fantastic!
4) And if worse comes to worse, just wear cute underwear, haha!

After an exhaustive search for tulle skirts and crinolines online (and serious consideration in buying a girl's size skirt and praying to the 'skinny gods' that it would fit), I started feeling a bit crafty and decided it shouldn't really be that difficult to make one. Tulle isn't expensive, and plus I could customize it for length and "poofiness". Everything's gonna be hidden under the skirt of the dress, so it wouldn't have to be perfect. My only setback is - I don't know how to sew, ha. My only sewing experience has been a single summer home ec class waaay back in the day. My mother's old sewing machine is practically a relic, and I've always been afraid of it ruining my nice fabrics.

So, in my spontaneous diy mood, I found a few pictures for inspiration:

Probably the easiest to make, Taylor Momsen on set as Jenny Humphrey has a bit of hot pink tulle peeking out from under the hem of her skirt. In truth, I'm not sure if there's crinoline underneath or if they've just sewn some tulle on the hem.

The ultimate in tulle skirts, frothing at the mouth goodness. Of course, this one's meant to be proudly showcased for all to see, rather than hidden under a skirt. Balmain Tulle Skirt featured at Elle

While the poofy, striped dress in this ad for the Hello Kitty/MAC collection is over-the-top, I do like the piping of the tulle edges underneath.

If anyone out in the blogosphere has any recommendations, suggestions, advice, I would love to hear them!

EDIT: For those of you curious to know what happened to my dresses, well, THEY NEVER ARRIVED! After waiting for more than two weeks, I emailed CS and they refunded the cost. So I never got to do this little DIY project. :o(

Need a second opinion

What do you guys think about this dress from asos? The cut is really cute especially around the shoulders, and the length is perfect for warm weather. I'm not really sure about the print - it's really funky, which could be a good thing. Is it more reminiscent of a hippy-esque, counter-culture drug trip or abstract splatterpaint art? And it costs $97, but I can't wait for the price to drop because I'm sure it will sell out in my size.

Who're Your Favorite Funny Men?

Too Many Dicks on the Dance Floor - Flight of the Conchords



Jizz In My Pants - The Lonely Island

Out of all The Lonely Island guys, I like Jorma the best! He's so cute, especially in episodes of The 'Bu. And in that skit in Awesometown where he and an alien are stranded on a planet. He definitely needs to grow out his beard - which reminds me, there are two skits with beards in that show, so definitely NOT the beard for Castaway!

But I've been a longer fan of Flight of the Conchords, Bret and Jermaine are adorably funny and they're so musically talented. Their songs have great beats!

Tracy Feith for Target

Inside Tracy Feith's boutique
From www.nymag.com

I've only recently heard about Tracy Feith, but I'm absolutely enthralled by the fact that he is a surfer turned designer. Even more exciting is that he's doing a collection for Target, which will be out May 17th! FabSugar released a sneak peek of the collection, which showcases plenty of bohemian frocks and beach-ready attire. There's lots of vintage design details and fun prints to be found! A few of my favorites...

Images edited from nitrolicious

All of it is so cute! I can't wait!

These flowers would last forever...

If money were no object, I'd be all over this! Garden-inspired jewelry from Dior's Milly-la-Forêt collection by Victoire de Castellane, Dior's Fine Jewelry creative director, isn't exactly new news, but they're such a creative idea, and so exquisitely crafted and beautiful, that I can't seem to think of anything else! Victoire was inspired by Monsieur Dior's garden at his house in Milly-la-Forêt.

And these "Oui" rings are perfect for a francophile like myself!

(notice the "oui" prong settings!)

And finally, the Milly Carnivora collection - garden party on acid! SO FUN!


Check out Dior's Fine Jewelry website for fun animations showcasing all of the collections plus a special video on how a Dior Joaillerie ring is crafted!

city lights

from stylesightings

yummy shoes!

J. Crew Augusta peep toes in soft apricot
perfect for a garden party/afternoon tea/my inner-Charlotte!

Wrong - Depeche Mode

This is an amazing video - will send shivers up your spine!

Depeche Mode - "Wrong" (official music video)