DIY: Valentino SS14 Embellished Leather Headband

        One of my favorite Spring 2014 collections as a whole was Valentino. It had all the cornerstones of my spring wardrobe -- lace, crisp collared shirts, bohemian prints, suede and strappy sandals. But what really finished every look was the red headband atop each model's head, embellished with studs. The studs reminded me of some gold crest buttons I had and I immediately decided to recreate the Valentino headband.

Photo credit: Style.com

        You can create your own embellished headband by following my DIY "how-to" below. To start, you will need a plain thick headband, red suede or leather fabric, fabric glue, a sewing needle, thread, fabric scissors, and gold buttons.

Step 1: Cut the leather fabric into a rounded strip that will cover the headband.

Step 2: Position the fabric on the headband and tack it in place with glue on just a couple edges. 

Step 3: Sew each button onto the fabric, matching the Valentino pattern. The number of buttons you use is up to you, depending on how closely you space them. Make sure they are sewn securely. 

Step 4: Once all of the buttons are sewn, glue the rest of the fabric edges to the headband. Pull the fabric taut as you glue to ensure everything will stay in place. 

Step 5: This is an additional step, so you may not find it necessary. The buttons I used are a bit bulky so they moved around and jingled on top of my head. Since I'd rather not sound like a Christmas caroler, I tacked each button in place with fabric glue.

       Once I finished my headband, it was time for a photoshoot! I put on my most Valentino-esque outfit -- a sleeveless oxford, a new patterned maxi dress and t-strap pointy toe heels. I figured I couldn't go this far without the ear-covering, low ponytail, so I sprayed back any flyaways and completed the look. Thanks to my talented brother for the photos!

Photographs courtesy of J. Ortakales Photography

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.

Spring Awakening at the Beginning of Winter

    

     Today I woke up to the first bit of snow that I've seen for a while. I've been back home on break for almost a month now and there have only been a couple light snowfalls. I'm not a fan of the snow and in fact, a thin covering of white on Christmas is all I need. Meanwhile, I go to work at PacSun and there's something wrong about bringing spring shipment out while the snow is just beginning to accumulate. Companies bring on the upcoming season as if the current one slid right under their noses, but I guess they're just trying to keep up with fashion week! While pastels and florals are prematurely replacing knits and earth tones at work, I start my online shopping right on time! No sooner than when I see the first notification in my inbox of the Victoria's Secret semi-annual sale do I race to their site to browse bathing suits and sweaters...for hours! It's a really bad addiction, I know! But last year it ended in one of my favorite purchases to date--my cosmic monokini! How can I possibly pass up great deals on bikinis that I'd been eyeing all summer? The only downside is that I have an entire winter to wait out before I can wear them!

    In light of embracing the arrival of spring while snow will still be falling for months, Matthew Williamson's Spring 2012 collection is a little bit of sunshine and what I'm looking forward to come April. Until then, I'll be dreaming of escaping the dreary cold while in the Caribbean wearing his sea-green and orange caftan with Japanese flowers and a pair of Charlotte Olympia tie-dyed platforms.

(photo credits: style.com)

(photo credit: butterhotshoes.com)



Spring Cleaning

     
     I officially envy anyone who lives in a climate where it's currently above 40° F or hasn't seen a snowflake for over a week. Being the second day of spring, you would think there would be rain and sun to welcome the new season, but New Hampshire always seems to throw us a curveball. The snow that was rapidly melting only a few days ago, has now been accumulating all day long. All I want right now is hot, hot weather!

      On another note, there are still some things that have put me in a spring mood regardless of the three added inches of snow on the ground. Saturday, the weather was actually nice (but this was pre-snowfall I remind you) and I had a spring shopping trip with my mom, complete with a book sale, Starbucks, and lots of irresistible tops at Banana Republic. Yesterday, I went dress shopping with my friend Rose and I found a perfect party dress for just under $15.

     Now, the part of my post that brings me to the reason it's titled "Spring Cleaning!" I've realized my blog-roll is pretty messy. Some blogs on it don't exist anymore or haven't posted for months and some I don't even know why they ended up on the list because I never visit them. So I'm going to work on cleaning it up and making it more relevant to what interests me and may interest you. If you would like me to include your blog, hit me up with an email and we can talk about exchanging links!

Savvy Shopping Sunday (N° 3)

Hey guys!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so it's a great time to seek out the sales! From lacy lingerie to free shipping, there are plenty of stores that are giving special gifts to all of their valentines! Hope you all enjoy your weekend retail!

xoxo

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