The Color Gray - The New Black

I have always been attractes to gray, pretty much ever since middle school. Why? Well, first, it is a neutral color and hence, goes with everything, second, it comes in all nuances, third, is much less severe than black, forth, is more fun than black, fifth, gray shoes look awesome with matter gray hosiery, sixth, great for work, seventh, looks sophisticated, etc.

I have always wondered why would retailer make clothes in gray, yet, not manifacture accessories and shoes in this staple color. Well, right now, there are plenty of shoes, handbags, and belts out there in different shades of gray.

For the collages below I used only major retailers, such as Ann Taylor, J Crew, and Banana Republic. I decided to go with them because of their accessability, generally good price points, frequent promotions/sales, and more classic designs. And, btw, I am not affiliated with any of them, in any way.

These pumps are classic enoughto last through the fashion seasons:

From left to right: Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, J Crew, and J Crew again

Love these fancier J Crew pumps. The pink trim and the flower make it so much fun! I'd actually really love to own a pair!

I own a pair of gray boots actually. Cannot tell you enough how versatile they turned out to be. Wore them all winter and got tons of compliments for them.

From left: Banana Republic and J Crew

If you still like your footwear black, escape tha matchy-matchy world and cinch your waist with a gray or charcoal belt like the one below from Ann Taylor.

If you are tired of toting a black bag in fall and winter, try a gray one. I have a gray bag and a gray clutch and have found that they are greatly versatile.

All handbags J Crew

Lastly, I find gray clothes to be a great neutral canvas to use funky colors with. a basic example below: A slate J Crew puffer can be cinched with a neon pink skinny belt (again J Crew). I have this very same puffer and cinching it makes you look like you have really long legs, regardless of being 5'3" (in my case).

Our NYC Visit - a Photo Story

We are back, the laundry is done, and I am happy to be home.

There is so much to see and do in NYC and it was not my purpose to do it all, I wanted to rather enjoy it and take it easy.

Emma and I saw The Lion King on Broadway, and it was quite spectacular!

This photo was taken outside of our hotel. And yes, the police presence was due to our arrival! Just kidding! On our first full day, Friday, Emma and I walked from 42nd st and 2nd Ave to 66th st and 5th Ave, across Central Park to Broadway, and then back to our hotel. Naturally, I got a huge headache the day after.

On Saturday my husband, Emma, and I went to Central Park. This is a picture Sig took and I thought it was beautiful:

This is me by one of the lakes:

And this is Emma: Ice-cream and kissing:

On Sunday my headache evolved into a migraine + toothache and I stayed in the hotel. Emma and her Dad took the train to the Aquarium in Brooklyn:


After the Aquarium they enjoyed a boardwalk on the beach:

Followed by a visit to Times Square:

Playing bashful with one of NY's finest:

Later during the week Emma and I went to the Central Park Zoo. It was scorchingly hot and humid and I for a moment I felt like jumping in the pool with the seals. Emma, however, felt more like smelling the flowers:

And feeding the sheep:

The day after we visited the Museum of Natural History. It was really crowded and Emma was scared by some of the exhibits. She did, however, enjoy the mamals but was not satisfied by my answers as to why they were not moving.

There was a playgroung by the hotel and this is us there:

Our hotel was in immediate proximity to the UN building and these are some pics from there:

It was after 5pm and the flags were down, unfortunately...

Sewing-wise, I got some hard to find in notions from the Garment District, no fabric (by choice)!

Big thanks again to a fellow sewer and blogger for kindly meeting us there for a lunch and a visit to Pacific Trims.

We also went to SoHo where we went to what feels like 100 shops. I got some pretty good ideas from Scoop.

I've loved Zara since I first saw there stores in Belgium many years ago, so, naturally, we spent considerable time there.

Visiting NYC feels like a lot of work, really. Still, if my husband's project gets extended after Xmas, we may visit there again next year.

Upcoming NYC Visit

On Thursday I am leaving for NYC for a week.

I have been there only once for a day trip that included a Statute of Liberty visit, so I cannot stress enough how much I DO NOT know the city.

I am hoping that a New Yorker is reading my blog because I need some reccommendations: where to eat, what to visit, where to shop, etc.

I have already consulted Lindsay T's guide and interactive map to fabric shopping in NYC but am hoping to glean into other stuff that can be done while there, and that is off the tourist-beaten path.

As a point of reference, we will be staying very close to the United Nations building and I have a 3.5 y.o.

Thank to everyone in advance,

Adriana

Maison Martin Margiela (MMM) Oversized Clutch

I have been trying to get inspired and while it has proved difficult, I think I found something that gives me ideas.

You maybe have come across Judy Aldridge's blog http://atlantishome.typepad.com/, and if you have not, you must check it out. Its DIy section is small but she is a very stylish lady. Anyway, this is a link to a Maison Martin Margiela (MMM) clutch that she has http://atlantishome.typepad.com/.a/6a0105364db45b970c0115702278c0970c-pi.

It is bright and oversized and I like everything about this combo. I really like the yellow color but I think other brights would work too.

So, I can make this, no problem. The problem is, however, where do I find a quilted fabric like that?

If anyone has an idea, please share!

Then again, perhaps I can find faux (or genuine) leather and do the quilting myself, but I have never done leather before, much less quilted with leather. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Then, last question. Assuming I go with fabric, how do I pretreat the fabric so it is stain and water resistent? Is there any product that I can use at home?

Lastly, some eye-candy... I have been lasting over three pairs of booties that I'd likely never own:

Givency Wedge Ankle Boots

Miu Miu Textured Boots, my favourites:

Prada Boots

DIY Balmain Shoulder Pads

I have not blogged for a while. Part of it is because I have been transitioning to a new computer on account of my old one dying on me. The other part is that I have not sewn. Today, however, I came upon this blog: http://www.stylecopycat.com/. Its most current article is on DIY Balmain shoulder pads. So, I though I'd share...

Happy 4th and a Question

Happy 4th of July to Everyone!

Now, back sewing. I have a dilemma I have to solve. I love sewing clothes; home dec, accessories, handbags - not so much, unless I absolutely have to and need to. On the other hand, I have many clothes, MANY! As a matter of fact, I do not need more clothes at all! DD is pretty much the same way, besides, with her being terrified by pins, it is harder to sew for. My husband doesn't want me to sew for him. So, what do I do? Do I just continue making stuff for myself regardless that I may not need it, per se?

Hope everyone enjoys the holiday weekend and their family!

One-Shoulder Draped Dress Or What Happens When You Play With Fabric

Last summer I was playing with a large yardage of fabric and ended up draping it around myself in different diaphonous styles. It was a fun and eye-opening experience. Then, some time in May I came upon this beautiful silk Philip Lim dress (photo from bergdorfgoodman.com):

Oh, I loved it! I loved the free-form, the play with the stripe, the cute haletr effect, everything.

So, I started playing around with some fabric again, draping it on my dress form and on me. The style of the Lim dress did not work out for me, so I gave up. Then, a few days later I decided to try again something different, and my draping attempts ended up with these two variations of the same draped muslin:

Here is how I determined what orientation the srtipe should have:

It was kind of perfect: long, drapey, grecian-goddesss style, utilized stripe in the design, and one-shoulder! I have always wanted a one-shoulder top/dress!

I needed the right fabric, though, because for this style the fabric either makes or kills the dress. Quite luckily, I had a beautiful cotton voile bought from gorgeousfabrics.com last fall. It was one of those whilsical buys when you get a rather unique looking fabric with no particular idea what you'd make from it.

Two photos of the back:

Constructions details:

• fully lined in a taupe rayon
• french seams
• narrow hem
• the dress is cut somewhat on a bias (the stripe of the fabric was vertical and I was after a slightly-off effect).
• neckline is stabilized with interfacing strips.

The sewing part was obviously very straight-forward. Marking the hem, however, was a BEAR (from the grisley variety)! It took just about forever... Even DH got involved with marking the hem of the lining, so, yeah, it was something to remember.

I love the dress. It makes me feel pretty! And here it is with a jeans jacket: