Pins and Crosses Part Two

Here is the (almost) completed DIY safety pin shirt I mentioned here and here. It was a bit big so I cut the sleeves and pinned the shoulders as well. Apologies for the graininess.

Here you can see a close-up of the shoulder;

Occasionally some belly button peaks through;

Pins and Crosses

Working on my No Di$count inspired safety pin cross shirt…I’ll post more photos when its done.

Drooling Isn’t Shirtless Day One

Drooling Isn’t Shirtless Day One: The Ex’s Shirt

This shirt is special to me because my ex-boyfriend screen printed it himself. I always wear this t-shirt with a great sense of irony; first of all because my ex was a vegan squatter crusty kid, yet he screen printed onto this really nice Levis shirt. Secondly, I almost always wear either leather boots or a leather jacket, and I remember one time running late to class and I was decked out in leather and yet wearing this vegan shirt, and this PETA guy who was flyering said he liked my shirt, despite the abundance of dead cow on my body.

So for me, this shirt is both nostalgic and hilarious. I wear it knowing that if I were still a vegan and I saw some non-vegan kid rocking an “Animal Liberation” tee and a leather jacket, I would be totally scandalized. I am fully aware of the hypocracy, but I think it has a good enough story behind it that I’m happy to wear this shirt out to Rock & Sole for some fish and chips.

Tell me your T-Shirt stories! I’m dead serious, this is the kind of thing I’m really interested in in the fashion world. Do you have an ironic t-shirt story?

Pom. Pom. Repeat.

I am halfway done with the task of bedazzling my yellow Espadrilles.

How-to: Sew pom pom to shoe. Repeat.

I recommend not sewing while wearing the shoes, for obvious reasons. I’m not sure why I’m telling you this either, because I might be the only person who thinks its a good idea to wear these in public, but you never know.

Happy May Day

Be warned, I’ve got glue and artificial flowers, and I’m not afraid to use them!

Pinned to the Cross

I might just have to steal this idea from the ladies at No Di$count and make my own safety pin cross shirt, like immediately. I have no patience for this type of tedious DIY but the result is so rad that I think its worth it.

Funny Face

“Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important”.

~Janet Lane

My beauty routine consists of…putting on my reinvented 3D glasses from Avatar. I made these for perfume class, since we needed to wear face masks for one of the exercises…they are literally 3D glasses with magazine cut-outs sloppily taped in. I wear them as a head band since I can’t see through them :D

Head Bang?

I know studs are really played out in fashion right now but I loooove this photograph and I would rock the shit out of this Savannah Wyatt “spiked crown” headband AND the black paint. I’m definitely inspired to do a DIY version.

Available on Not Just A Label. The designer notes, “Nice to wear to a death metal show. This piece is from my very first line of headpieces inspired by various things such as flappers, warriors and Jesus’ crown of thorns”.

I’m pretty sure this wouldn’t be very nice to wear to a death metal show, at least not for those around you should you get in the mood to start head banging. Just sayin’.

This amazing photograph is by Emily Searle, who has an equally amazing Tumblr.

Modern Veil?

These black lace A-Morir glasses by Kerin Rose are pretty amazing, however I’m thinking some dollar store safety glasses, some glue and black lace will do the trick. Available online for $222 if you want the real thing.

I Spy a D.I.Y.

 

I’m about to buy so much chain at Baubles & Beads this week…Malice in Chains dress by Evil Twin, available on PixieMarket.

Bionicles Rule

Remember that Vivienne Westwood ring that every fashion blogger has obsessed over? My little brother gave me a bionicle part that is like, way cooler and totally recessionista appropriate. Owned.

(The downside is I can’t really bend my finger but you know, one must suffer for fashion).

Summer Sucks

So I keep hinting at the fact that I hate summer fashion, and I’d like to say that this isn’t entirely true. Although I do prefer the crisp wind and the abundance of cardigans typical of the fall season, I’m not a complete vampire. I do like the sun, its just that I often hate summer trends.So here is the Drooling Isn’t Pretty take on this spring/summer season, along with some recessionista alternatives to these crimes in fashion.

 

Miss Hanna Beth looking cute in floral print and leather. Leatha!

1) Trend: Maxi Dresses

Verdict: Ew. Unless you are pregnant, there is no excuse. Also, “maxi dress” sounds like some kind of feminine hygiene product.

D.I.P. Take:  Believe me, the rest of the world is going to think these are as hideous as I do in about a month. So rather than waste money on what basically looks like a really aggressively patterned table cloth wrapped around you, I would recommend thrifting a short, light floral dress. Not only are these way cuter, more flattering and better suited to the apocolyptically hot weather we have been dealing with in California, they are also versatile and can outlast this season. Wear the same dress with tights, brogues and layers and you are set for the fall.

Sundrop Heels from Anthropologie

2) Trend: Yellow

Verdict: Doesn’t work for everyone, good only in small doses. 

D.I.P. Take: I know I’m really picky about color, but in theory, I do not discriminate. You just have to find the right way to wear that color to suit you. Yellow has proven to be a big thing this season, but people have a tendency to overdo it. I would recommend going with a more subtle shade of yellow rather than the canary, like mustard, which is way classier and works on more skin tones. Also, finding good accessories in yellow is a good way to enjoy this trend but also have pieces you can draw from in the seasons to come. For example, you can go the Gossip Girl route and get some yellow tights or a clutch. Personally, I’m into yellow wedges for just a little pop without looking like a walking dandelion. 

The original Sgt. Pepper jackets

3) Trend: Fringe

Verdict: WHY?

D.I.P. Take: I have a thing against suede. I think it’s only acceptable in the form of really cute boots. FRINGY SUEDE JACKETS ARE ICKY. As are fringy suede boots, purses, neckwear, belts. I’m sorry, I just can’t get behind the whole cowgirl look. Then there’s the whole cut-up fringed t-shirt thing…not into it. If you MUST indulge this trend, I would only go the route of retro evening wear. The only problem with this is there is a time and place for a flapper dress, and it sure as hell isn’t every day wear. My recessionista solution? An awesome Sgt. Pepper style jacket with the fringy tasseled shoulder pads. How could you go wrong?

Recession on the way, yeah but on another note…

Ha the title’s from a Young Jeezy song. Anyway…the recession is hitting every body hard these days, so I decided to post some realistic ways of being fashionable. I started a new category called “recessionista”, and I’ll try to post at least once a week either DIY fashion projects or links to affordable fashion. 

Today I thought I’d post a super easy craft project. I found this $71 shirt at chickdowntown, and my initial reaction was “Cute  shape, thats a creative idea but why the heck is it 70 bucks?”. So I made my own, and it seriously took like 3 minutes. 

It’s incredibly easy:

Step 1: Find an old shirt. Use a v-neck if you want it to look like this one, or just use any t-shirt that needs spicing up. I’m using a Rob Zombie shirt that I don’t wear very often. I cut the neck to look like a wide v-neck, just cuz. 

Step 2: Hack it up! Just cut the sleeves off and keep cutting down the side, leaving only a few inches at the bottom so the front and back of the shirt are still connected.

Step 3: Using the cloth you cut off, snip a 2 inch wide  strip of cloth, and tie it around the back side of the shirt. I sewed the tie on so that it wouldn’t slide around.

Step 4: For a more finished look, fold over the edges and sew them down. I just left my edges raw because its more fun. To change this look up a little, you could slide the knot toward the bottom of the shirt or use a contrasting fabric for the knot. This shape looks cute with a tube top underneath.

Voila! Would you wear this or does it look like a total hack job?