DIY Pearls and Olivia Palermo Inspired Top

Extending my underwater obsession into a literal translation, the look seen here was inspired by mermaids, pearls and an amazing Chanel runway show!

All the DIYs were super easy and took under 20 minutes each!

I paired my DIY Olivia Palermo inspired top with a leather panel pencil skirt from Club Monaco, and my DIY Chanel Crystal Cuff. The result was floaty and romantic, anchored by the black pencil skirt. I like to balance out anything über girly with something more structured.

To create the DIY off the shoulder shirt I started with an American Apparel chiffon t-shirt and cut off the collar to widen the neckline. To created a simple hem I cut thin strips of peel & stick fabric fuse, lined the inside of the newly cut collar and folded it over. This creates a smooth hem, no sewing required!

For the arm ties I found chiffon ribbon , secured it to the arm with strips of fabric fuse and tied a bow!
Super easy!!

To create the pearl pins, I simple took a few faux pearls, some craft wire, threaded the wire through the pearl and twisted it onto the loop of the bobby pin!

For the pearls down my back, I found these Martha Stewart adhesive pearl embellishments at Michael’s and secured them to my back with eyelash glue. Use a friend for this project, as it’s hard to make a straight line in the mirror!

Happy Independence day to All my lovely American readers!

Xo

Alana

Summer Lookbook: Chanel/Olivia Palermo Inspired

Perhaps completing my transformation into a mermaid I went underwater crazy this week! Inspired by the stunning and whimsical Chanel Spring 2012 runway show, I embraced the classic pearl in an unusual way!

It’s not every day that I would wear pearls in my hair or down my spine, but it was really fun! I can’t wait to play more with subtle and unexpected pearl embellishments this summer so stay tuned! I also fell in love with the beige top seen above (worn by Olivia Palermo, designer unknown?) and I knew it would be a perfect DIY!

Come back on Wednesday for DIY Chanel pearl accessories and no-sew DIY Olivia Palermo inspired top!

Cheers

Alana

DIY Fish Scale Dress

Today I bring you the DIY dress seen here!  Inspired from the amazing Antonio Berardi and my life long dream of being a mermaid, this dress reminds me of some sort of magical sea creature. The opalescent leather sequin creates a subtle shimmer and you can really do anything with this technique!

Supplies needed:

a plain dress

strips of leather

nail polish (I used just under 1 bottle)

Scissors and super glue

scrap paper for protecting various objects from super glue!

To create a leather sequin (also seen here) I took strips of leather, spread nail polish on the surface and let it dry.

Next I simply cut out tons of small rectangles and leaf like sequins. How many you need to cut depends on how intricate your design will be.  I found a simple white dress, and I actually turned it backwards before I started creating my design. The shape of the back was a more interesting contrast to the embellishment, but any shape dress will do!

 I thought about the pattern a little bit, but started glueing freehand and let the pattern develop as it went. If that isn’t your thing, draw an outline on a piece of paper before you begin! With a piece of protective paper placed (holy alliteration Batman!) in between the layers of fabric, I began super glueing the leather sequins to the dress. With super glue all you need is a few tiny dots, as the stuff is super powerful (I think I’ve accidentally glued myself to every object in my house now!)

Feel free to play around the sequins, overlapping, only glueing one end of the sequin allowing the other end to hang out in the wind, there is no wrong way to do it! I wore it here with my DIY Chanel cuff and I had so many great compliments (the most flattering was from a 6-year-old! That’s a win in my books!)

Cheers! And Happy DIY-ing!!

Alana

Summer Lookbook: Antonio Berardi Inspired

The leather sequin strikes again! Taken from cues at the Antonio Berardi SS 2012 runway show (obsessed!) and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley I created this dress! The opalescent leather sequins remind me of a mermaid or fish scales which go perfectly with my under-the-sea theme!

Paired with my DIY Chanel crystal cuff , Vogue sunglasses and A red lip, this dress is light and easy with a touch of sparkle! It will be perfect for evening drinks on a patio, or paired with a blazer and heels for work. I wore it while hanging out with my local sea monster the Cadborosaurus who used to keep me company during coffee breaks at university!

Check back on Wednesday for the DIY instructions!!

Cheers!

Alana

DIY Antonio Berardi Inspired Jacket

I fell in love with almost everything seen walking down the Antonio Berardi Spring 2012 runway show, especially the jacket seen below! After a little research I discovered the sequins are made of embossed leather and I knew I had to make some myself!

Supplie needed:
- a plain jacket/blazer
- approx a square foot piece of leather
- coloured beads
- coloured nailpolish
- scissors, needle & thread and super glue

I began by painting my piece of leather with glossy red nail polish. I found this to be the quickest and easiest method to achieving a permanent glossy embossed effect on leather.

I also started stringing beads together on one long piece of thread.

I cut out several small leaf like pieces from the painted leather and secured them to the blazer using super glue. I didn’t follow a design per say, just took quick glances at the original and created my own pattern. The super glue holds the leather extremely well and is much quicker than using a needle and thread!

I kept the design fairly simple, but the great thing is that you can start with less embelishment to the design and add more after!

The leather sequins adds a nice touch to the blazer, making it less flashy but still embellished! I already have a few other projects using leather in similar ways and it’s really fun, as you can create any pattern, style, colour and effect with with the added luxe of leather accenting!

Cheers!

Alana

Cue the walk down the plank and the face plant that never was!

Summer Lookbook: Embellished Jacket

Welcome to my Summer Lookbook week 2! Today’s look was inspired by the incredibly beautiful Antonio Berardi Spring/Sumer 2012 runway show, where flowy pieces were embellished with embossed leather, and deep red was the standout colour. I love leather accents and the colour red, and these designs were incredibly intricate and beautiful!

I decided I has to try this for myself, taking the idea of an embellished jacket with red leather sequins woven down the arms. I used fewer leather sequins than the original to make it a little more wearable, but after looking at the pictures, I will probably add some more!!

I paired my DIY jacket with a plain soft t from Club Monaco, black pants from Zara and boots from Steve Madden. I plan on wearing this all summer to dress up a simple outfit of jean cutoffs, boots and a loose tank, or over a simple fitted maxi dress.  For some reason this jacket seemed appropriate for captaining a pirate ship, much to the dismay of a few children playing that day who thought I was goofing around on the job.

Stay tuned for the DIY jacket, and the DIY leather embossed sequin instructions and more summer fun all week! To see the other looks and DIYs from my Summer Lookbook click here!

Cheers!

Alana

Photos by Erica Parsons

DIY Layered Wave Dress

As seen here, I have an affinity for ocean-esque clothing and this DIY flows like an ocean breeze and looks like the coast of Bora Bora. Inspired by liquidy blue dresses from the spring/summer runways, I wanted something “oceany” yet wearable.

In what could be the easiest DIY ever, I began with two identical (and affordable) blue dresses one size small and the other size medium. I used the smaller dress as the base and cut the larger dress a few inches above my waist. 

I finished of the cropped dress with a simple hem then hand stitched it on top of the base dress.

The result was a swingy, flowy dress that elevated a simple shift to something more! I can’t sop thinking of more variations on this, like colour blocking with two different tones and trying different fabrics. You could even skip the step where I sewed the two dresses together, keeping the pieces separate so you can mix and match colours!

So easy, so simple, so many possibilities!

I paired the dress with a gold cuff worn above the elbow, beige wedges (so great for elongating the legs,) my new favourite cat-eye sunglasses, and tousled Bardot hair. I’m going to wear this look all summer, especially for fun days out!

Cheers!

Alana

Summer Look Book!

Watching the spring/summer runway shows is one of my favourite fashion indulgences, and S/S 2012 was one of my favourite seasons yet! The heavy influence from all things “under-the-sea” took me to a magical place where adorning yourself with sea creatures and taking fashion cues from the tide is perfectly acceptable!
I thought I would translate my favourite looks from the runway to include items you can buy in stores and fun new DIY projects to bring the runway to your own life!
For the next 4 weeks I will feature new looks, DIY projects and fun photos and videos!

I’m starting off this week with my first look inspired by ocean waves! Watery blue dresses in all shades were seen at Lela Rose, Haider Ackermann, Elie Saab and Alice & Olivia, and the fluid shapes can be totally wearable on any body type/ skin tone!

I made my super easy DIY dress in a flowy turquiose, and it’s perfect for day or night, casual or dressy, and playing around in an octopus’ garden!

Join me all week for DIY instructions, and other fun stuff!
Cheers!!
Alana