Throwback Thursday: Bottle Cap Tee Inspired by Jessie J

          I meant to post about this DIY project many months ago, but alas, I've been crazy busy with fashion week, two internships, several trips to Boston, and launching my Etsy shop! So what better way to finally show you my bottle cap tee with a Throwback Thursday!

           It was probably over a year ago when I stumbled upon a picture of Jessie J wearing a cutoff sweatshirt adorned with bottle caps. Now, I love every fashion decision this girl makes. I dressed up as her last Halloween (right down to the Union Jack lip tattoo)! But this one was beyond perfect. It wasn't a stunning red carpet gown or elaborate performance getup, but it was pure genius! I'd never seen anything like it! Sure, people add studs, jewels, and leather to shoulders all the time, but you rarely see them using their old bottle caps on clothing. I knew right away that this was going on the top of my DIY to do list.

My inspiration...

          Unsurprisingly, I obtained the bottle caps for my DIY through some college kids who had hundreds saved up from all their parties. And luckily for me, they seemed to dabble in many varieties of beer. This made for great colors and some really cool designs! Of course, there were a few old-school soda bottle caps in there too, wink wink.

          Being the perfectionist that I am, it took me some time to plan out the arrangement. There was no way I'd have too many red ones together or two Bud Lights in a row! Other than that, making this shirt was pretty easy. I punched holes in the caps with tacks and stitched them in place with a needle and thread. Not many supplies needed, just a bit of patience.

My rendition...

Photography courtesy of Jeff Ortakales.

See more of his work at jortakalesphotography.com

Street Art at New York Fashion Week

           I had a wonderful time in NYC this September and part of that experience was getting to know the city a little better. I'd only been a couple times before, but had never walked around on my own. Going to and from fashion shows all week definitely gave me some time to wander. One of my favorite areas that I frequented was Chelsea. It's alive with artists and galleries and seems to be the latest "it" place for creative types. All the more reason for street artists to showcase their work on the sides of this neighborhood's buildings.

            I came across some pretty amazing pieces. I really like graffiti art and it was cool finding these standout pieces without even looking for them. Boston doesn't see much more than scribbled letters on its streets. In New York, the street art sits on the side of buildings as if it's a part of the concrete. It's become such a signature part of the city's culture that artists consider the sidewalks their galleries.

Left, José Parlá and JR's "Wrinkles of the City" mural. Right, Paul Kasmin and Michael Shvo's installation/gallery "Getty Station."

A remake of the famous V-J Day in Times Square, by Eduardo Kobra

"Gigante" by Os Gemeos and Futura2000

Nail Art DIY: Inspired by Lizzy Caplan's in Bachelorette

 

          Aside from the humor, one of my favorite parts about the movie, Bachelorette, was funny girl, Lizzy Caplan's manicure. For all 87 minutes, I couldn't stop staring at her nails, hoping the camera would get just a bit closer. What I loved about this simple, yet trendy, design was that it's an unexpected take on the popular burgundy red nail color. It looks sophisticated and elongates the nails for more delicate looking fingers.

           Of course, I had to do this design on my own nails immediately! Here's my quick and easy DIY for you to try her look!

Nail polish I used: 

NYC Long Wearing Top Coat

Circus by Andrea's Choice in "Reverso"

Spoiled in "I Don't Drink Cheap Wine"

Step 1: Paint one to two coats of burgundy polish, depending on coverage.

Step 2: Let nails dry completely. I actually waited a day for them to fully set, to avoid any possible smudging with the contrasting polish. Cut round silvers of tape and place them on your nails just above your cuticles. 

Step 3: Paint the white polish only on this bottom section of your nails. If needed, add another coat of white polish.

Step 4: Let nails dry completely. Apply a top coat and you're finished!

Fall 2013 Mood Board

Fall 2013 Mood Board by fashionistagal1 featuring Utzon

          This fall I've been obsessed with leather, lace, plaid, black ankle boots, and sneaker wedges. I love them together or as separate pieces in an edgy, casual outfit. For me, it's all about wearing statement pieces in a laid-back, effortless style. I also had to incorporate tuxedo pants, as an alternative to jeans, and cropped sweatpants, for lazy days, into my wardrobe this season. For accessories, I'm going for skulls on everything and lots of hats. My handbag of the moment - bucket bags, which I wrote about earlier last month. 

Summer Inspiration Board

      Summer is officially here! Although I've been out of school for almost two months and it's felt like summer for quite some time now, I feel a new sense of excitement for the season! I'm visiting my boyfriend in Los Angeles in less than a week and there isn't another place in the country that gets more "summer" than LA! I've never left the East Coast so this is going to be a fun adventure for me! I love California's beach/boho style and I'm really looking forward to experiencing a culture much different from that of New England. Of course, I'm most excited to see my boyfriend, but that kind of goes without saying!

      I always make a new inspiration board for my room at the beginning of every season and this is the one I created for summer. Victoria's Secret clothing and swimwear is always a big part of my summer wardrobe. I also really like the tunics and dresses Boden carries, however I have yet to obtain one outside of catalog pictures.

      Here's a breakdown of my summer must-haves:

• VS swimsuits
• Coverups and tunics
• Maxi dresses and skirts
• Pastel pants
• Strappy sandals
• Cropped sweats
• High-waisted shorts
• Billowy tops
• Fedora hat
• Tank top dresses
• Tropical patterns

     Lastly, here are some pictures I love that only add to my grand excitement to get to LA.

To see more of what inspires me, make sure you check out my boards on Pinterest here!

April Inspiration Board

     With only a month left of school, but what feels like two months worth of work, I need a little inspiration in my life. I have a lot of possible opportunities opening up, but that also means facing the uncertainty that follows them. Along with finishing my final class assignments, I'm trying to find an internship in Boston, looking for a summer sublet, and searching for an apartment for the next school year. I am just starting my new job as a stylist at Club Monaco and I'm both excited and nervous.

     This haze of decisions, planning, and hopefulness calls for a lighter mood in inspiration. I want blue skies, lots of white, and clean lines. I've been obsessed with Rihanna's Harper's Bazaar shoot last August...I'm really just obsessed with Rihanna in any photos she takes, but these are among my favorites and the styling goes with the simplicity I'm going for. Her white, thigh-high slit dress is stunning. I found a similar cut-out version in black from Nasty Gal that I would love to add to my wardrobe.

     I'm also loving Rebecca Minkoff's daring spring collection. It's sporty and 60s inspired, but executed in a minimalist style. The prints are vibrant but used sparingly, and she inlayed angular pieces of contrasting fabrics onto several pieces. The other part of her collection that I like so much is how the lookbook pictures were shot. The clothes were modeled in an oasis-like desert with a big pool in front of a mountainous backdrop.

     Another look from the spring shows I really liked was a pant and blouse set from 10 Crosby Derek Lam. Striped patterns were paired together -- the blouse, a white shirt with both straight and angular navy stripes, with blue printed trousers in criss-cross black stripes. Both pieces are very bold, but they work well in balancing each other out.

     I included a detail shot of a dress from the Lanvin spring runway in my inspiration board because I liked the angles created at the neckline and waist with contrasting fabric. I also liked the origami-like folds at the hip and shoulder.

     For the little details, I'm loving lots of delicate, thin rings stacked on a couple fingers. For fingertips, a pale  pink shade of polish looks even more graceful with slivers of silver at the tips.

Inspiration: Gidget Goes Hawaiian

Strapless Lace Dress - $88

 

     Whenever I watch old movies, of course it's the clothing I pay the most attention to. Singing in the Rain is my favorite musical and I wouldn't watch it over and over if the costumes weren't absolutely fabulous. Audrey Hepburn certainly didn't need a wardrobe to make her career a success, but it's what made every one of her major movies iconic.

 

      Recently, I watched a couple "Gidget" movies from the 1960s. After getting over the corny scripts and less than stellar acting, there's a certain enjoyment to take away from the whimsicality of these films. Set in a decade I love to pull inspiration from, there were plenty of retro fashions to make it worthwhile. My favorite dress was in Gidget Goes Hawaiian -- a red, strapless party dress worn by the snob Gidget befriends on vacation. The skirt of the dress is tiered lace and a prim little bow cinches the waistline.

 

      Only a few days after watching this movie I found a modern version of this dress on Victoria's Secret. No surprise that I was browsing their summer dresses, right? It's a perfect interpretation of the movie look and would be adorable for any summer party. However, at $88 I think I'll wait for it to go on sale! 

In the Mood for Ombre

    
     One of my favorite trends lately has been ombre...and I mean ombre everything! It's like mixing a pattern trend and color trend, yet there are so many ways to do it. About a week ago I wanted to try something new with my nails so I went with a blue ombre pattern, dabbing three different shades to create the gradient effect. After I was satisfied with my nails, this weekend I took my obsession a little further. Normally, I'm not very adventurous when it comes to my hair. I've never dyed it, haven't had it shorter than my shoulders since I was nine, and resort to the most maintenance-free styles. But I kept thinking I wanted something a little edgier than normal for summer, so my cousin dyed half of my hair lighter. It was a lot of fun, and surprisingly, I wasn't even nervous! The shade turned out not too drastic but still noticeably lighter. It's just what I needed to add a little more excitement to my look! After we dyed each other's hair we had a little photoshoot...in a tub.

Nails:

Hair:

My New Obsession with Head Scarves

     From knit to thin cotton, I'm having a moment with head scarves. I've been knitting my own for next fall/winter and I've been experimenting with wrapping long, hippie-style ones around my head. One of my favorite looks created with a head scarf is the turban. It can be done in so many different styles and it instantly gives an outfit an exotic flair. I'm not sure how my fascination started, but be prepared to see me wearing a lot more head scarves in the future!

Knit and Purl

Retro Style 

Marlene Dietrich

Audrey Hepburn

Designer

Rag & Bone Pre-fall 2012

Hermes Spring RTW 2011

Editoral

In Store

ModCloth

Celebrity Sightings

Ashley Olsen

Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City

Freja Beha Ericson

Kate Moss

Olivia Palermo

Rihanna

On the Street