Bonjour St. John

Posted on November 22, 2012 by Victoria

The blue dress. The mysterious stain. The French beret. Sound familiar?

Just a few things I have in common with Ms. Lewinsky, but it stops there.

If I had the choice, I would never wear pants. Allow me to rephrase that: If I had the choice, I would wear dresses everyday. But how to achieve this as the weather is getting colder and the daylight hours are shrinking? Three magic words: tights, knits, and knee-high boots.

I had never owned a knit dress in my closet, nor did I ever desire one, but that all changed when I found this vintage St. John dress at my favorite haunt, Mercy Vintage. They were having a sidewalk sale, and although it was a hot summer day, it did not deter me from trying this simple beauty on, sweat and all. It fit like a glove. There was a mysterious stain on it, but nothing a little elbow grease couldn’t get rid of.

St. John is world famous for their “Santana” knits, which is made from a yarn that is a mix of wool and rayon. This blend gives the knit a wrinkle resistant property. The founder, Marie St. John actually developed this technique as a way to stay fashionable without spending a fortune. Sound familiar?

I accessorized it with my souvenir scarf from Paris, and thought, why not make it a complete French look with a beret and a vintage flower broach? C’est parfait!

Now I’m craving some macaroons.

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Victoria

No Depends or dentures for this 72 year old grandfather. His outfits are so stylish, it puts me to shame! I hope to be this fashionable in my senior citizen years.

Trends & Tribulations

The internet world is buzzing about Liu Xianping, a 72-year old grandpa who was helping his granddaughter unpack clothing for her online boutique Yuekou, and started to give tips on how to style the clothing. His granddaughter shares, “He picked up one piece and tried to give some advice on how to mix and match. We thought it was fun so we started shooting.”

Liu himself has stated, “Why unacceptable (for someone like me to wear women’s clothes? Modelling for the store is helping my granddaughter and I have nothing to lose. We were very happy on the day of the shooting. I’m very old and all that I care about is to be happy.”

Seriously wishing I had a grandfather this awesome.

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Holla at a Colla: a DIY

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Victoria

Pop your collar.

Fashion retailers these days have more collars than your local Petco store. Never has one’s neck and clavicles received so much attention since choker necklaces were in style. I first started seeing this trend many months ago, when a friend wore a cute metal collar necklace to a wedding. Since then, the stylized collar has really taken off. In fashion magazines, stores, and TV – you can’t escape the allure of the fancy bejeweled collar. And no, this isn’t your average Bedazzled job. From collar necklaces to actual collar embellishment on shirts, blouses, and dresses, this is one trend that keeps getting bigger and sparklier. Your dog will want an upgrade from her flea collar soon. Woof.

This inspired me to get DIYing for once. You will need: collared shirt, needle, thread, pliers, scissors and ball chain (purchased at a hardware store). Not to quote Brian McKnight, but here are the steps (no, you do not start back at one):

Step 1: Cut collar from dress shirt (this is optional). Lay the collar flat face up. Pull threaded needle from the underside to the top near the front facing edge of the collar.

Step 2: Lay the ball chain on top of the collar, with the space between the balls next to the thread. Pull threaded needle back down to the underside of the collar, ensuring that the thread is wrapped around the chain. Secure by pulling tightly.

Step 3: Bring thread from the underside to the top of the collar on the next space between the two balls. Repeat step 2.

Step 4: Clip the desired length of the chain with pliers before securing the end down.

Step 5: Repeat steps 2-4 for the desired amount of rows. Option: stagger each row so that the ball chain will tessellate, resulting in no gaps or overlapping.

I originally wanted to cover the entire collar with the chain except that: A) I miscalculated (by a lot) and didn’t buy enough chain, and B) sewing down 3/4 inch of the collar took me 1 hour – way longer than I anticipated. Total time spent: 2 hours. In actuality, it probably is cheaper to buy from H&M, but I wouldn’t have the bragging rights of saying that I made it myself.

I feared that a low neckline shirt worn with the crisp white collar would start to look Chippendales-esque, so I paired the collar with a crew neck sweater and added a vintage sweater clip. And then a librarian look emerged. Which book should I check out next?