Coachella Dreaming Denim Shorts

Inspired by the sloughs of photos from Coachella Festival and my nostalgia for outdoor summer concerts in NoDa, I decided to create a pair of perfect, loud, tough, crazy, fun jorts that I imagine myself wearing to one of these music celebrations.
For my shorts, I used a pair of high-waisted, leopard print stretch jeans from Buffalo Exchange (that I bought for $13.00 I might add!) Though I was fairly tame with my use of studs, I invite you to go crazy with yours!

Materials:
Jeans (of any pattern, color or fit, as long as you don’t mind shredding them!)
Bedazzler and studs (Yes, I do love my bedazzler)
Pliers
Fabric pencil
Ruler
Scissors

For instructions and photos of my killer finished jorts, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/86405222@N02/sets/72157633427378630/

Charlotte’s Secondhand Shopping Guide

Happy belated Earth Day! In honor of our glorious earth, I compiled a list of my favorite resale stores in Charlotte to spread fashion and environmental consciousness to all! I promise, if you visit some of these places, you will realize that you don’t have to surrender your sense of style in order to shop sustainably.

Dilworth:

Summerbird Consignment: The closets of the sophisticated 20-30 somethings from Dilworth and Myers Park have been opened to the public! Though some pieces may be a little pricey, they have a great sale section that changes out pretty quickly. I found  a pair of $10 black jeggings with zippers there, as well as my favorite putty colored Rebecca Taylor sweater.

Plaza Midwood:

Buffalo Exchange: Imagine the most harmonious combination of Urban Outfitters and Madewell, and you have Buffalo Exchange. With equal parts edgy street style (see employees, they always look phenomenal) and Southpark sportswear, it’s my go to for nearly every event. I’ve found multiple homecoming dresses here, as well as jeans and sweet accessories.

Hong Kong Vintage- THE place for authentic vintage. The selection includes pieces from every decade of the last century, and every piece is incredibly well preserved. My favorite pieces from Hong Kong include a floral 50s housewife dress and a slouchy men’s plaid button down. Yes, there is a men’s section, so bring your guy friends!

Junior League Wearhouse- though the window displays may be aimed at an older audience, don’t be fooled! I’ve found plenty of sweet dresses, Citizens jeans and youthful blouses here. Also, all proceeds go toward the Junior League’s initiative to promote women’s involvement in service and to help children in need in the Charlotte area.

Frock Shop- set up in a beautiful old home, this delightfully well-organized store offers a wide variety of secondhand clothes from the early 1900s to the present. Some of my favorite finds include a snuggly grey cashmere sweater and vintage Kate Spade pumps!

NoDa:

The Rat’s Nest- the perfect place for vintage Levi’s cutoffs, fringed biker jackets and cowboy boots for all! Complete with a functional Pong game and an extremely conspicuous rat painted on the front of the building, this place is equally fun to shop and hang out in.

Ballantyne:

Ballantyne Goodwill: As mentioned in a previous post, I found my chic red BCBG sheath here, and it was a total success at homecoming! I have also found eclectic sweaters, grandpa-esque moccasins and a plaid schoolgirl skirt!

Post-Consumer Prom

 In a sea of monochromatic column gowns, how does one stand out at prom? By wearing vintage, of course!

Inspired by The Great Gatsby and Downton Abbey, my prom ensemble consisted of my grandmother’s silver beaded evening bag from the 1950s, vintage clip-on earrings and bracelet from Varnadore Costumes (ah, the perks of being an employee!), and a below-the knee beauty of a dress in white and silver beads from Bygone’s Vintage in Richmond, Virginia. My darling date, Davis, sported a rented tux with tails to complete the Gatsby theme, looking dapper while staying economically and environmentally savvy.

Why buy an on-trend gown if every girl at prom will be wearing the same thing? Why invest in a style that won’t last for several seasons? My advice is to invest in the tried and true designs from decades past, and purchase pieces as unique as they are eco-friendly!

If you care to explore Bygone’s, visit http://www.bygonesvintage.com/
And for my own prom pictures, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/86405222@N02/sets/72157633258212578/

Pretty Peplum Top

Though I can’t tell if it’s because a sleeveless peplum top makes me yearn for summertime, or because I am obsessed with overly cutesy things, this project is one of my favorite transformations to date. I began with a retro sleeveless dress with a knee-length tulle edged hemline, and, after some seam ripping and restitching, transformed the drop-waisted darling into a positively adorable peplum top, just in time for the (finally!) warmer temperatures.

Though the dress you choose to transform might not have the same construction as the one I used, hopefully my instructions will give you some ideas for how to tweak your dress regardless of form!

Materials:
1) Dress with a full(er) skirt
2) Scissors
3) Seam ripper
4) Pins
5) Sewing Machine!

For before and after pictures of my dress and instructions for how to transform your own, click here! http://www.flickr.com/photos/86405222@N02/sets/72157633201734850/

Fun with Leather Continued: Bows!

I. Love. BOWS. On shoes, in hair, as a motif in jewelry, I love it. Thus, I dedicated this week’s post to the ever-so-versatile bow, this time in leather! If you read my post from several weeks ago, these bows were done in leather scraps from Modern Fabrics, an eco-conscious fabric store in Charlotte, NC. The bows take almost no time to make, and they go on everything. To compliment the adorable simplicity of the bows, I’ll keep this post short and sweet!

Materials:
Leather Scraps (preferably flimsier)
Leather glue
Ruler
Rotary Cutter/Cutting mat

For instructions, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/86405222@N02/sets/72157633144957188/

All That Glitters

This week’s project is more of an inspiration than instructions, because there are infinite possibilities when it comes to bling! I was inspired by Elizabeth and James’ updated tees and my lovely friend Caroline’s bejeweled sweater to devote a post to the many ways sparkle can transform a look. From sequins, studs, beads and rhinestones, any drab garment can be brought back to life with some strategically placed sparkle.

My personal experiment with glitz was actually made from two recycled pieces- a plain grey t-shirt and a rhinestone choker once worn by my great aunt. I had never worn the necklace before, so I thought this project would provide the perfect opportunity to use it! I disconnected the individual rhinestones and sewed them onto the tee, after much indecision about where to place them, but ultimately succeeded in transforming both the necklace and the tee!

I hope this inspires you to put your costume jewelry to good use, and to look at your own closet differently. Any unwearable piece can be made wearable with a few alterations!

For pictures of my tee, before and after, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/86405222@N02/sets/72157633018830395/

Clear Conscience Leather Cuff

This week’s project is inspired by my new favorite fabric store- Modern Fabrics in Charlotte’s South End. Though it sells fabric primarily for upholstery and draperies, I decided to visit after I learned about their mission. All of the fabric in their store is rescued from textile factory floors, and would otherwise be discarded. Their products are high-quality and totally usable, but the dimensions of some fabrics would qualify as waste to some of the large companies they do business with. In a nutshell, their entire inventory is recycled! With the growing popularity of repurposing old furniture, it makes perfect sense to have a recycled fabric store to aid in the eco-home improvement process!
As I wandered through the store, I found a large bin filled to the brim with leather scraps, advertised at only several dollars per pound. Though some of you readers may be opposed to using leather (and I absolutely respect you if you are), I thought that using this otherwise waste material as a functional accessory justified my use of animal hide. Modern Fabrics luckily found just as much value in these remnants as I did, selling the scraps instead of wasting these irregular yet usable bits and pieces.

So, in honor of their scrap saving, I designed a cuff bracelet from a single piece of leather from their bin! All you need is a scrap at least 2″ by 14″, a rotary cutter, a ruler, a silver sharpie and a really good eraser!

For instructions see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/86405222@N02/sets/72157632978745415
To check out Modern Fabrics, visit: http://www.modern-fabrics.com/about/

Cold Shoulder Flannel

If you’re like me, you have far too many plaid, button-down flannel shirts. Some bought, some borrowed, some men’s, some women’s. Whatever type they might be, I have an abundance of them, and I thought it was about time to add some dimension to this classic style. Inspired by the influx of cut-out details in fashion magazines, I decided to tweak my flannel in an unconventional way- to remove the shoulders! Just enough of an alteration to give it a whole new look, but not enough to take away from its original snuggliness too much.

This project requires a sewing machine, but you only need the basic straight stitch!

Here’s what else you will need:
Scissors
Straight pins
Ruler

For pictures and instructions, visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/86405222@N02/sets/72157632911176146/

Fifties Floral: More Secondhand Successes

This week’s post is not a project, but just a little tidbit about one of the wonderful pieces I’ve found while secondhand shopping! This delightful number is from Honk Kong Vintage on Central Avenue. It is an original 1950s frock sporting a three-layer petticoat and a plunging V-back. I wore it to a wedding last summer, and my senior picture photo shoot (see the flickr link!)
I love this dress particularly because I know that whenever I wear it, I never have to worry about wearing the same thing as anyone else. Try shopping vintage sometime, your recycled style will be rewarded with the security of knowing your outfit will stand out in a crowd!

For photos of my Fifties frock, visit

http://www.flickr.com/photos/86405222@N02/sets

 To explore Hong Kong Vintage, visit

http://www.hongkongvintage.com/

More Things to be Happy About!

Ecouturier is officially a nationwide phenom! The Charlotte Observer article was just featured in the Kansas City Star newspaper! In the article, I mentioned Washington University in St. Louis, which is probably how it made its way to Missouri. For the full article, go to:

http://www.kansascity.com/2013/01/24/4028645/fashion-student-turns-out-earth.html

Also, last Thursday, I was asked to speak on Charlotte’s Fox News Rising morning show about consignment shopping and repurposing clothes! I still haven’t watched the clip myself, because my worst fear is watching myself on film. But hopefully you will enjoy it! Watch it here at:

http://www.foxcharlotte.com/rising/wardrobe-wednesday/First-Class-Style-Second-Hand-Threads-188198271.html

I am so incredibly thrilled that my message has gone this far… Things can only go up from here!