Tag Archives: 6 Different Ways

Silver skirt; 6 different ways

16/12/2010 2:59 am \ 14 Comments \

Fun times, styling up my own wardrobe!  For today I had a blast playing with the skirt I finished recently; skirt “d” from Unique Clothes Any Way You Like, by Natsuno Hiraiwa, made from a silvery grey crepe.  The loose swishiness of this skirt, the sleek unadorned styling, and the soft dove grey neutral colouring lends itself so well to many many pairings.  Although going by the looks I chose I think I’m too much in love with the paler neutrals in my collection right now, as they are so overly well represented here…  Whassup with that??  Slipping back into my old colourless ways…
Anyhoo, without further ado arranged here in order from wintery and through to summery;

At left, styled for wintery elegance; and at right, worn more casually with a fluffy cardigan and lace-up boots…

At left, a simple but smarter look suitable for the office (my “pager” is actually my camera remote, haha); and at right, just hanging out in ma hoodie yeah…

At left, worn under a light dress for softly pretty summery layers; and at right, tucked up under the armpits, the skirt transforms into a kinda dress!

And which look am I wearing for today?  Well today is quite warm, so I am sporting the last look.  As my underarm measurement is a little bigger than my waist measurement I had to undo the top button, but I like the look of this; more interesting than if all the buttons were done up.  It is amazingly cool and comfortable this way.  Just as a safety net I pinned it to my Tshirt on the inside, up under my arms, to ensure the skirt doesn’t slip down back to waist level…  Yaas, with my bust size this would be a distinct possibility…!
Thank YOU, o great inventor of the safety pin, for this stupendously wonderful gift to the sartorial world.
Which look here do you like the best?

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Navy blue blazer; 6 different ways

15/11/2010 7:00 am \ 18 Comments \

Oh this was so easy it felt like cheating; after all, it’s not so much a matter of hunting about to find what will go with a classic navy blue blazer, because of course everything goes with this thing!  So rather than just put together random seasonal outfits I went with the idea of showcasing how a navy blue blazer fits in beautifully with so many of the “looks” that are re-introduced and re-cycled into fashion season after season.
I made my blazer using Simplicity 4698, a classic silhouette that is (I think) still in the catalogue today, using deep navy blue raw silk, and lined with matching deep blue lining.  Closure is by a single large silver button.  Being blue, rather than the usual black, I think has enhanced its usefulness.  The fashion gurus advise a black blazer as an essential wardrobe basic but in my wardrobe the blue version has substituted quite happily for and therefore been just as versatile; and furthermore a more interesting option than the expected black.  Although I am still considering making a black one too … one of these days…sigh
So below left; for casual winter days, the (almost) all-black biker or rock chick look.  It works, and I reckon is chic-er than a black jacket would have been.  Below right; going nautical for summer?  Well then, navy blazer mandatory.  Will the nautical look ever go out of date….?!

Below left; Grunge, anyone?  Probably not a look rocked by the over 25’s very often, but I think the classic tailored lines of the blazer lift the whole tone of this look up a tad and make it a very viable weekend bushwalking and picnic option for a well-dressed woman.  At right; Naturally the obvious finishing touch to a business appropriate outfit (please just pretend I am wearing flesh-toned tights, which I do not have on in this photo and which would probably be mandatory in the office with an above-knee skirt, right?)

Below left; worn with romantic lacy layers one is prissily transformed into something resembling a turn of the century school schoolgirl.  That is the last century just gone, obviously…  I really like this old-fashioned look, my favourite here… well, I am just an old-fashioned girl at heart…  Below right; with a floaty full-length skirt and flat strappy sandals, channelling the bohemian/hippy look straight from the seventies.

Today I’m sporting the prim and feminine schoolmarm look just above…  But which of these looks here is your look?

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Red halter-neck sundress; 6 different ways

16/10/2010 4:31 am \ 21 Comments \

Ha!
The last time I wore this for my blog and I was writing a description, I was about to segue into rhapsodies about how useful a garment it was when it occurred to me I hadn’t done a 6-way post in a while and this would be a good candidate…
I actually love doing these; shopping in my own closet is fun when I have the time, and it certainly brings to light some garments and combinations that hadn’t occurred to me before and breathes a new lease of life into some “lurkers” that haven’t been worn in a while.
When I first made this dress it was intended to be a light beach dress to cover up the bathers, and it spent the first few months of its life just tossed randomly into my beach bag… then one evening I put some white linen pants on underneath (those particular ones were old ones, also permanently tossed in my beach bag for a coverup on colder days) and I realised it could be quite a chic combination, if said linen pants hadn’t been so creased from being stuffed casually in the bottom of a bag, hehe…  The dress migrated to a hanger in my wardrobe and has been worn for occasions of various formality since, so it is quite useful and demonstrates why everybody should have a little sundress with a pretty hemline and of a cheerful colour in their wardrobe…
For the bodice part with the halter neck I used McCalls 4453, and the skirt part I drafted myself, inspired by the hemline on some dress I had seen somewhere, in a perfume commercial? ( I think?) …  It is made from sparkly red/pink polyester chiffon, and lined with pale pink lining fabric.  I altered the bodice to close at the left side seam with an invisible zip.
For its original purpose; at left, it is worn as a very casual beach dress; then at right, with white linen pants on underneath it becomes quite chic enough for a semi-formal summer evening function.  I wore it like this to the theatre in Melbourne, and when we met friends at a swish-o riverside restaurant in the evening also…

On slightly fresher days; at left, it is funky and fun with a fluffy cardigan and lace-up boots for casual wear; then at right worn as a tunic with jeans on underneath and high heels, it looks not-too-casual for a barbecue with friends

Even in more wintry temperatures, it can work as a top over a skirt with tights, flat boots, cardigan and scarf for everyday wear (boy, I wish I’d thought of this combination during last winter, because I love this outfit now I’ve thought of it!).  And even though it’s a summery dress, with a top, tights and high heeled boots all in a solid one-colour worn underneath, at right, it’s warm enough for cooler days and looks a bit edgy and kinda mod.  I could start wearing it from early spring like this, and stretch it out to cooler autumn days also, out to town or to meet friends or the husband.

Which one do you like the best?
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Leopard twin-set; 6 different ways

19/08/2010 2:43 am \ 15 Comments \

 

I haven’t done one of these for a while and I just felt like doing another one, thanks to my enthusiasm for my new leopard print twinset!
I foresee the future usefulness and versatility of this twin-set is in the fabric and the print.  Firstly the jersey is close knit and of high quality that looks quite luxe; and here I’m just going to say I reckon it pays off in the long run to spend a little more on quality fabrics.   Your clothes will last longer, they will look better, and most importantly you will look better in them too!  Isn’t the time and effort you put into your dressmaking worth a good quality fabric?
Secondly the print is a mix of ivory, grey, charcoal and just a touch of black, a particularly useful colour combination to have in a print.  I don’t know about other ladies, but I have a lot of solid colour neutrals in my wardrobe and not many prints.  Although I love neutrals with a passion, just occasionally I feel I look a little uninspired and dull when I wear them as a set of unrelieved solids.  Every now and then a print, and particularly an exotic print like this, is what is needed to refresh and add a touch of interest to a mix of blocked neutral solids…
Of course the beauty of a twin-set is that it can be split, the top and the cardigan can work separately with other garments as well as, natch, together.  Is this cheating, doing a six way styling feature using essentially two garments?  Well I don’t think so… anyway here ‘tis…
When going casz, the top and cardigan works just as well for summer and winter…
At left, when a tiny bit more chic-ness is required, say for shopping or running errands about the neighbourhood; and at right, for the first time I’ve included an option for business attire!  I don’t have very much need for business wear in my lifestyle, but I think this combo is smart enough for this purpose…
And for a more dressy option when say, meeting friends or the husband for lunch, or going out in the evening (the ensemble at right is how I wore it last Saturday night for a soccer wind-up dinner and presentation at Sam’s school, he won fairest and best trophy for his team!! so proud… )

 

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Red floral skirt; 6 different ways

25/03/2010 4:05 am \ 4 Comments \

Today I’m doing another “6-ways to wear an item of clothing in my wardrobe” post.  Phew, that’s a horribly in-succinct title….
I’m showcasing my red floral skirt, made from Vogue 2894 that has been an absolute little gem in my wardrobe all summer, and I continue to reach for it well into autumn too.  It’s become a fast favourite, although I’ve made some new stuff recently and I should start wearing some of that now … does anyone else make clothes and them put them carefully away in their wardrobe on a padded hanger, virtually not to see the light of day for a few more months because you consider them “too good” to wear just yet?  I’m terrible that way.
Anyhoo, I’ve had some fun dressing up this skirt in a few different ways, for hot weather and a few cool weather options in there too.  I’ve worn it in several different ways already in this blog and here I’ve searched for a few new options in my wardrobe with which to wear it in the coming months.
The beauty of a multicoloured garment like this one is that it has plenty of colours in it to pick out, which can be colour matched as in below, at left a casual summer version and at right a casual version for cooler weather.  

Also, some colour contrasts will work equally well.  I’m a believer that denim works with practically everything, and especially with red I just love it…

Even though the skirt has neither navy or chocolate in it these contrasting colours fit in tonally with the sharp clear and strong colours in the skirt and work well as cooler weather neutrals with it as here:

In a post-script, my clean up is progressing well.  I took two of these photos today, and can you guess which two photos are the post-storm ones?  No?  Well, that’s because I’ve done such a fab job cleaning up this corner of the garden…!  (hehe)
For interest, the denim jacket and the hot pink cardi version I shot today, and the latter is the version I’m wearing for today…

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Gunmetal blue trousers, 6 different ways

22/02/2010 1:57 am \ 10 Comments \

I thought it was time for another 6-way profile of an item of clothing in my wardrobe.  These are fun for me to do, shopping in my wardrobe and stretching my imagination, blasting away any preconceived ideas I’ve got about how to wear a certain garment.  This time I’ve chosen to showcase my gunmetal blue linen trousers, from Burda 7944.  Of course there is only one way to wear trousers, you can only vary the tops you’re wearing with it.  However linen is such a great fibre, cool and airy enough for summer, and these pants are loose enough that I can envisage wearing thermals underneath when the weather gets colder.  So I think I’ll be able to stretch them out into my winter wardrobe also.
Burda 7944 is a great menswear inspired shape, something like the look Katharine Hepburn originally pioneered in the 40’s.  It does use a lot of fabric, because the legs are so wide, and require extra length for the cuff at the bottom, but it results in such a great look.  I’ve always loved the menswear look on women, and I’ve even borrowed my husband’s linen shirt I made him for one of these looks!
For today I’ve styled it first for a casual look, for both summer and winter:

And for a slightly more dressy look, say if one is going to meet friends in town for an outing, summer and winter:

And finally a little more formal, for an evening do, both for summer and for winter:

 

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Olive green corduroy skirt, 6 different ways

21/01/2010 2:39 am \ 6 Comments \

My olive green corduroy skirt out of Vogue 7303 has been incredibly useful in my wardrobe and is something I grab without thinking on a regular basis, secure in knowing it will go with just about anything else I own.  With one small exception, it can go anywhere and do anything.  The exception, natch, is for dressy wear.  It’s a corduroy skirt.  Corduroy spells casual, no getting away from that.
Could you make a ball-gown out of corduroy, I wonder, and carry it off?  Perhaps it could give the same look as velvet, in the right design, maybe? That’s food for thought…
Anyhoo, getting off track, as per usual…
This skirt is a fantastic skirt in that it has worked for me in all seasons; hot weather all the way through to cold weather, and the olive green colour is so handy in that it goes with every other colour (yes, Virginia, olive green is a fabulous neutral).  I mean obviously it goes with the usual creams, white, black and brown.  But for today I have tried to style it with all the colours of the rainbow to show just how great a colour it is.

Being a mini(-ish) it can be worn in hot weather; here it is casual, and then a little more smart, say for shopping…

Then, the corduroy texture still looks appropriate if the weather is a little cooler…

Finally in the winter it scrubs up pretty good with tights and looks kind of mod (OK, the sun is blazing brightly in these photos, you just have to use your imagination and conjure up a bit of rain and cold wind to get the winter vibe in these pictures…)

Just for interest, I am wearing the purple version for today…

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Dress, 6 different ways

23/12/2009 1:52 am \ 5 Comments \

I was thinking it was about time I did another 6-way remix of one of my garments; I had fun doing the previous one on my favourite skirt here and it helps me to appreciate the versatility of what I have in my own wardrobe myself.  Shopping in my own wardrobe!!  I mentioned recently that I would do one on my olive corduroy skirt, but that would just be another skirt same as the last 6-way so decided to do a dress instead.  Olive skirt next time.  Maybe I’ll try to do one of these each month…
I made this Burda 8071, view A sundress last summer out of cream broderie anglaise cheesecloth and don’t wear it enough.  I think it deserves more outings.  So here I’ve styled it 6 ways; as a plain dress, as a tunic over jeans, as a pinafore, over tights, as a dress over a petticoat and over a longer skirt.  As in the last 6-way, 3 ways are for summer; casual, semi-casual and a little more formal, and likewise for winter.  Although seriously when I was photographing these winter looks I thought I might die from heat exhaustion, 34C+ and only the slightest breeze!  Man!  Suffering for my blog…
So here is the dress styled for casual wear, both summer and winter;

Styled a little smarter for shopping or running errands, summer or winter;

And a tad more formal, for lunches, functions or going into the city with friends (yeah, summer and winter);

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