Tag Archives: Daily Outfit

The Futuristic Nun

29/09/2011 1:57 pm \ 13 Comments \

Self-stitched September, the penultimate day!!
Some thoughts on the day; lovely weather, things are warming up beautifully around here!  Walking this morning was so lovely, the highlight of my day.  Apart from that a fairly uneventful schedule; office work, cooking, blah blah blah.  Oh I forgot, I have been sewing!  And I have a couple of new things to show off now!!  But I’ll hold off until after self-stitched September is over.  I’ll write more about my thoughts on the challenge this time around, tomorrow… when it is actually over (tiny yay!! with a self high-five that I’ve almost finished)
My dress; I know it’s kind of an unusual one… I made it a few years ago inspired by the fabric.  I’ve always loved the contrast between the heavy shimmer-y grey/purple fabric and the flimsy white fabric that is a pseudo petticoat.  Together they reminded me somehow of a nun’s robe.  Soon after finishing it I read a report about a runway show (I think it might have been Rick Owens, or Helmut Lang, someone like that??) and the journalist described the parade as like being confronted by an army of futuristic nuns stomping down the catwalk… well who could resist an image like that?  Certainly not me.  So that is how I’ve always thought of this dress.  It isn’t a copy of any dress, or doesn’t even look like anything that was in the collection, but I picture sister Perpetua giving aid to the needy on board a space-ship being garbed in something like this.  You see I do sometimes play little games with my apparel, even if they are very silly games, hehe.  I wore my brown cardigan for some of the day too.
Yesterday a birthday gift from my parents arrived.  LOOOOOK!
Here are some of my favourite projects, that will probably be attempted first.  Ohmygosh, I just have soooo many plans…

Details:
Dress; my own design based on Burda 8511, grey/purple shimmer-y stuff and white cotton, white velvet ribbon
Cardigan; my own design, of Jo Sharp Silk Road DK Tweed in Brindle
Shoes; Country Road

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Sherbie jacket

28/09/2011 2:51 pm \ 21 Comments \

… so named because it is exactly the same colour as of one of my favourite childhood lollies.
Thank you for the feedback on the Spring colour challenge yesterday!  I am still up in the air over whether I will actually join in officially or not; but in the meantime I have chosen a colour palette based on stash fabrics that I want to make up, and realised that this little jacket fitted in with it perfectly!
I’m embarrassed to admit that I made this about three years ago, and have barely worn it.  It has probably been worn about three times in total!  But I was doing a bit of clothing rotation; cleaning out my wardrobe and sorting out some warmer weather gear for the new season and came across it again in a suitcase of spring clothes and decided it was high time I brought into regular circulation.  It is actually quite a goodie if I say so myself… 😉 and I plan to make it a staple for this spring.
It is Burda 7723, a pattern which has been seen here quite a lot.  That is because I have made up the shorts loads of times… but the jacket just this once.  It is of sherbie-apricot coloured raw silk, and has a contrasting darker apricot coloured hessian silk collar and pocket flaps.  Those pocket flaps are not just for show, there are real pockets underneath but they are pretty small and probably not useful for anything bigger than a mobile phone, house key and a credit card.  Well, all a woman needs, hehe…. 🙂  The jacket is fully lined in black acetate lining fabric.  Goodness knows why I chose black, I guess I must have thought it was a cool idea at the time.  I’m thinking the black lining looks a little weird now…
Some thoughts on the other things;
The pale pink layered damask skirt made about four years ago, I was super sad to spot a few areas around the welt seams where the fabric is starting to wear through age… and I still adore this skirt.  Noooooo!
The little sleeveless white wrap blouse, another old spring/summer staple.
Now I have to explain the extra random piccie below, I feel like a bit of a fool because I stuffed up.  I went out on my walk and took a nice picture for self-stitched September, and to show off the jacket… and thought that was that.  Then remembered that today was day of the mini-challenge; the night-shot; doh!  So normally I can’t bear there to be more than one photo of the same outfit in a post.  You’ve probably noticed that I will generally have one photo only, except for details shots or a back/side view or if there is some extra added feature and so on…  I’m just like, one shot is enough already!  But I just have to join in the mini photo challenge, so I nipped out to our street tree and took a night shot too… and there it is below.  So I’m sorry if you too hate multiple photos of the same outfit; and I sympathise.  But unfortunately you just couldn’t see much detail of the jacket in the night-shot, so it just had to be done!
But the good news; I did learn how to take a night shot on my camera… something that is new to me.  The shutter speed is set to 30 seconds, and I just stood as still as possible for those 30 seconds.  That is why you can see some car lights zooming down the street behind me!  I’m just amazed the picture worked out… pretty cool, huh?

Details:
Jacket; Burda 7723, apricot raw silk, darker apricot silk collar and pocket flaps, lined in black acetate
Top; NewLook 6252, white seersucker
Skirt; my own design based on Vogue 7303 (a basic A-line skirt pattern) pale pink shimmer-y damask, to see this skirt styled in 6 different ways go here
Sandshoes; Country Road

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Green is good

27/09/2011 11:25 am \ 12 Comments \

Just to explain the winter-y-like apparel; well it has been insanely wet and windy today; everyone here is incredulous about how cold it is for this time of the year.  I look fairly dry here, but I was rained on earlier and then blasted dry by the wind…  Whatever happened to spring?!
Some thoughts on my outfit; I really like how all these sludgy greens blend harmoniously together, and almost unconsciously I’ve been slowly accumulating more items in these colours.  I would like for them to be more of a staple colour in my wardrobe because I think they suit me.
Lately I’ve been toying with the (alien) idea of actually planning my wardrobe… up until now I have just happily made stuff up as whim and whimsy took me; buying fabric that I loved, and making up things as inspiration and need has hit.  But I’ve been reading up on Collette’s “fall” challenge and even joined up! although for us southern hemispheries it is a Spring challenge…!  I’ve looked through my stash and selected a few pieces of fabric that go together nicely and started planning a little mini collection of pieces that should actually go together. Even though my current random approach has always worked out quite well, I’m sort of excited at the thought of being more organised.
But I do have a few reservations; mostly that I will rebelliously lose interest in making something if I feel “I have to”, even if it is me who in the first place told myself that I had to.  The planning stage is always the fun part, and the actual sewing up can turn out to be a bit of a hard slog, maybe even a chore.  I want my sewing to be fun.
Has anybody else found these challenges to be successful, or are they difficult to follow through?

Details:
Shirt; Burda 7767 with modifications, dark olive linen, details here
Jeans; Burda 7863, khaki stretch gabardine, details and my review of this pattern here
Scarf; knitted by me, from a wool kit
Socks; not seen but knit by me also, details here
Shoes; Francesco Morichetti, from Zomp shoes

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Not the same dress at all…

26/09/2011 9:59 am \ 20 Comments \

Looking back at last year’s self-stitched September, I can definitely see how this spring has been colder, and we have had a lot more rain.  I was wearing a lot less during last year’s challenge, and complaining petulantly about the lack of rain.  And unfortunately we will be having an unseasonal cold snap for the rest of the week; meaning I cannot actually wear just yet several of my new creations for the last few days of self-stitched September.  I have just finished two new dresses and am starting on a new skirt, but they are all just a tad too summery for right now and will have to wait a bit. 
But I still have some suitable nice things that haven’t been worn here for a while.  This may at first glance appear identical to the dress I wore two days ago, but it is not.  Trust me…  True, these two dresses were made up using the same pattern.. but wait; that dress was silver and beige lace; this dress is black and beige lace.  And this one is sleeveless (better view here) See, huh?  Totally not identical at all  right??  :))  I’m sure anyone could appreciate the vast difference between the two dresses…   any true lace-lover will completely concur with the wisdom in buying these fabrics and sewing up two NewLook 6699’s, without apparently fully realising that I would end up with two pretty similar dresses.  Totally understandable, I’m sure anyone could make the same mistake  fabulous wardrobe decision.
Well, they were made a year apart from each other, so I can be forgiven.  Sort of.  But perhaps I should hold off from buying any more lace just yet, hehe.
And worn with my little snakeskin cardi for wind protection.

Details:
Dress; NewLook 6699, black and beige lace, with ivory silk lining
Cardigan; my own design, rubber coated knit embossed with a snakeskin print, details here
Tights; Kolotex
Shoes; Django and Juliette, from Zomp shoes

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Red, white and blue

25/09/2011 6:03 am \ 15 Comments \

Self-stitched September, Day 25
Thank you all for your beautiful birthday wishes yesterday!  I was very very touched that so many lovely ladies took the time to wish me well, and I did have a delightful day and evening too, thank you.
Today we met up with extended family for a breakfast in Kings Park, because as well as my birthday yesterday it is my mother’s birthday in a few days.  So we had a BIG meet-up.  And I bullied requested nicely for Craig to take my photo today for the challenge… and since I usually take all my own photos of my creations it is kind of funny to me to see how weirdly self-conscious I look when someone else takes my photo.  Eek!  Who is that woman and what on earth is she smirking at?!
Now; for the self-stitched stuff…
This skirt, one of the first really ad-hoc and creative things I attempted, donkey’s years ago, will be a lifelong keeper I think.  Years later I still really love it, and am proud of it.  I feel sorta shabbily feminine when I wear it, which I think are adjectives I could happily include when describing my own style.  Along with alternative and slightly weird too, hehe.  Up until now I have only ever worn it with either white or blue tops.  Ever ever…  A red jacket is really branching out.  Now I’ve got them on together I can’t think why it didn’t occur to me to try different colours with this skirt sooner!  Proving to myself yet again that see, doing this self-stitched challenge can be quite educational, in really forcing me to stretch my sartorial wings and really use my own wardrobe…  
And the “crisp white shirt” which is not particularly super crisp any more and I really should get onto making myself another, pronto, because this is now a firm staple in my wardrobe which I can’t imagine a self-stitched life without…
And my little red bracelet sleeved jacket which I love more and more with each wear and am looking forward to wearing even more now the spring weather is approaching.  Yay! for spring!

Details:
Skirt; my own design, various cottons, front and back views here
Top; Burda 8497, white cotton, details here
Jacket; Vogue 2894, red silk hessian, details and my review of this pattern here
Sandals; Pedro Miralles, from Soletta shoes

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I’m gonna party…

24/09/2011 6:50 am \ 32 Comments \

…like it’s ma birthday…
‘Cos it is!  Hehe, and I’m going to take full advantage, by doing exactly as I please… which means very little office work.  Sadly Craig is working all today  :((  but we are all going out to dinner together as a family tonight, so I am looking forward to that.  This morning I stayed in bed for a bit, super self-indulgently flipping through Vogue, then Cassie brought me a cup of tea as well as one for herself and we sat chatting for a good half hour.  It was so nice!  She is a very sweet and spontaneous daughter like this sometimes …  Then I wheedled Tim and Sam out of bed (who are also sweet, if not so spontaneous) and we went out for brekkie together.  Again, so nice!  I’m glad my children are great fun company…
I plan to walk the dog and sew too.  (so nice!  oh, OK I’ll stop that now…)
So today being a please-myself kind of a day, I picked out my favourite (self-stitched) spring-time dress to wear.  Thankfully the weather gods are smiling with a delightful 23C and only light-ish breezes, so I can. 
I can, so I do.
I dress, therefore I am.
(Descartes, you know… sort of)
Being lace it can look quite dressy but I happily downgraded this dress to casual status a while ago, and so it gets worn anywhere anytime now.  Weather permitting, obviously…!  It used to be one of my formal choices and I have worn it to weddings, cocktail thingy-s and dressy afternoon gatherings but I think it looks perfectly elegant with thongs or low casual sandals for ordinary days.  I think favourite dresses should be worn whenever, don’t you?
First thing this morning was a little fresh so I also had on my own brown cardi, which I am carrying here.  Even with that old textured cardi it looked quite good together.  Or should I say; the dress made the cardi look good…?  When we go out tonight I will fling on my grey wool spring coat, step into some heels, put up my hair, and be perfectly elegant for a swisho restaurant too.
Hope you all avagoodone!

Details:
Dress; based loosely on NewLook 6699, beige and silver lace, purple/brown shot silk chiffon, beige border lace, beige cotton lining
Cardigan, my own design, Jo Sharp Silk Road DK Tweed in Brindle, details here
Shoes; Bronx, from Zomp shoes

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Heya…

23/09/2011 11:36 am \ 6 Comments \

… and thank you so much for your kind well-wishes yesterday.   Sorry, I’m still a bit flat.  Today our schizophrenic weather who doesn’t know if it’s Arthur or Martha, turned so so beautiful.  This was such a contrast to the last few dismal days I couldn’t bear the thought of wasting it, so I forced myself to get out and involved in my normal daily activities.  That could have been a mistake.
Today I am wearing a skirt (with side seam pockets) and shirt, all re-fashioned from three of Craig’s old business shirts here.  It is still one of my favourite re-fashions, and just pulling it out of the wardrobe and putting it on kinda inspired me to think about a few more of the men’s shirts that I still have in my re-fashion pile…. oh dear, so many plans and so little time to actually implement them!
Hehe, in case you didn’t know by now, I do often like a little “weird” or at least a little twisted, with my clothes.  I think I was so pleased with this outfit because it looks like a sort of freaky monster version of the mundane boring business shirt.  So the fabric is business shirt fabric, quiet tasteful stripes and all (even the orange fabric has a very tiny pinstripe although it is hard to tell from this picture) and the general shape of the shirt and skirt has that business shirt aura.  But first impressions can be deceiving, the eye, on first registering “business shirt” then takes a second look and goes, “hang on a minute… this is NOT a business shirt.  This is like the business shirt after that twisted little next door neighbour kid in Toy Story who frankensteined his toys got a hold of it… !”
(cue twilight zone music) this is the psyched-out, butchered, business-shirt-on-elm-street!

source

Hmmm,I’ve just read back that whole load of nonsense above, apparently written by me.  Perhaps I’d better go and lie down…

Details:
Shirt and skirt; my own design, a refashion of three old business shirts, details here
Shoes; Bronx, from Zomp shoes

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Back again

22/09/2011 11:08 am \ 11 Comments \
Hello.
I’m feeling a bit woolly-headed so I’m warmly rugged up and back to standing in a familiar place for self-stitched September today.  So I’m not feeling very imaginative.  But fortuitously so; I think the thickly clouded whiteness of sky, the smooth beige stretch of pale river sand and the glassy grey stillness of the river set off the rough tweedy textures and dull blue and rusty red colours in my (self-stitched) outfit quite well, no?
I’m going to squeeze a few lemons and consume some vitamin C now… later dudes.
Details:
Top; based on top “a” from Unique Clothes Any Way You Like by Natsuno Hiraiwa with a collar of my own design; blue shot cotton, details here
Jacket; the “wearing a square” design from Pattern Magic 2 by Tomoko Nakamichi; blue grey mystery fabric, details here
Skirt; Vogue 8363, rusty red wool and silk tweed, details here
Tights; my own design, denim look jersey, details and my tutorial on drafting your own custom fit tights here
Shoes; Francesco Morichetti, from Zomp shoes
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