Style Caramba

Outfits

Newsboy

March 19, 2012

A few years ago my friend Geral gifted me a vintage newsboy hat her mom had found in a thrift store. I’ve been wanting to wear it but could not get one image out of my head: J.Lo circa 2002. Not that I have anything against Jenny from the block, but it certainly wouldn’t feel like myself.

Vintage newsboy cap and leopard print dress

Finally got around to wearing it with leopard print and glitter hoping to look more 70s than early 2000s, less country and more disco. Not sure what category this outfit falls into, but I kinda like how it confuses me.

Went to my mom’s hometown, El Progreso, for an interview about my blog at a local television show and took these pictures on my way back home. We stopped at what seemed like an abandoned stable and as I “posed” for the shots, we were greeted by a guard and his very. sharp. machete. Might’ve been the glitter heels that convinced him I wasn’t a criminal, but he gave us a smile and let us proceed.

Dress: thrifted, hat: vintage, shoes: Wild Dna, Deer and snake rings: Primark

I already have my eye on one of the bf’s flat caps for an outfit inspired by this lovely man (picture from an old post):

Yeee-ahhh! More about the tv interview on next week’s post!

Outfits

Print on Print

March 12, 2012

I spotted a cute ol’ lady having lunch at the only shopping mall in La Ceiba, Honduras. She was wearing a cute yellow dress with an orange floral print…seemed as if she was ready to head out to church. Reminded me of an old Jill Stuart dress, one of my first “big” thrift finds. Wore it with a skirt over it and hear yee a walking garden inspired by the cute ol’ lady:

This outfit got me more stares of confusion than my hats ever have! I provided quite the entertainment but the colors made me so happy.

Dress: thrifted Jill Stuart, Necklace: vintage from granny, Lipstick: Citrine by NYX (from Tiendas Carrion), Shoesies: Fahrenheit.

Pictures were taken by little sister, Diana. Thankyou Nuna!

DIYs & Tutorials

Circular Ruffle Skirt DIY

March 3, 2012

I bought this bandage skirt at our local department store, Carrion, only to regret it soon after. The price was good and the fabric nice & thick, so I figured it would be great for lazy days. Not really. The risk of unintentional knicker exposure was waaay too high.

I figured I’d add trusty ruffles to keep it PG13 and show you how I did it. Before you panic (flashback to the 90s denim skirts with a flimsy ruffle at the hem), Mary Katrantzou did it on her latest collection.

Mary Katrantzou AW’12 style.com

What you’ll need:

A skirt

Fabric (I used 1 1/4 yards for 4 large ruffles)

Needle & thread

Measuring tape or ruler

Chalk to mark fabric

Paper

Pen or pencil

Scissors

Pins

Measure the length of where your ruffle will be sewn. If your skirt stretches, like my knit skirt, make sure to measure it stretched out. Thiswill be the circumference of your inner circle. Divide this measurement by 6.28. The result is the RADIUS.

For example, if your stretched out skirt measures 13 inches, 13/6.28=2.07 radius. Now, cut your fabric in two, for two ruffles. Fold one of your pieces of fabric into four. Lay on a flat surface and pin it to keep it moving. This is when you’ll use the RADIUS measurement. Observe:

Hold the tape measure from the upper corner (technically, center of fabric), and pivot as you mark the radius measurement all around. This is your inner circle. For the outer circle, measure the length of ruffle + hem and seam allowance from the inner circle all around. Cut through dotted line. The result will be a donut shape. Repeat the process for a second ruffle.

Once you’ve cut both your donut shapes, sew a security seam around the inner circle. This will keep the ruffle from stretching out. Carefully snip all around this inner edge, as shown in picture. Join both ruffles at the sides and turn.

Your ruffles are now ready to be sewn to your skirt. Place them upside down, right side of fabric against the right side of skirt. Pin at center and at side seams.

As you sew down your ruffles, make sure to stretch your skirt. Otherwise, the thread will break as you slip it on. Hem the ruffles and you’re done! These are the actual, much larger ruffles I used for my skirt right before sewing them together:

If you notice, my ruffles are double and joined at the hem to avoid the annoying hemming. I also added 10 inches to the circumference to gather the ruffles for extra volume. This is optional. The final result: