Because I Was Cold

...and bored, I went ahead and made myself a cape to layer on top of a jacket I often wear for extra warmth. I pulled out some thermal quilted sateen I had in my fabric trunk, draped right onto my form, eyed and cut a doubled collar then added a woven rope toggle for closure. To achieve the shape there are no side or back seams, simply shoulder darts. All edges are finished with clean rolled hems. Not only does it supply extra warmth for these cold NYC days but adds that extra jaunty flare I so often go for!



Not to shabby for a quick idea and a little over an hour's time, what do you think?

Boston

On a quick visit home with two of my absolute favs, John and Marlon, I got style blogged while strolling Newbury St. by a lovely lady named Martini. Check out her work here.

A "Say Something" Hat

With Ginny's triumphant albeit short return to New York City came a dinner with friends and the need for a look worthy of such an occasion. I decided on a Louis Vuitton bridal button shirt, vintage Gianni Versace trousers and crowned the whole look with a hat I made special for this very event.

I started with bright yellow feathers sold in packs of 4 on sale for $1.15 each at my local craft store. To jazz them up a little I gave them a gradient splatter effect using watered down black acrylic paint purchased for $3.



Once I completed all 16 feathers I let them dry and began sculpting the base from 2 packs of black sculpey clay at a whopping $1 a pack. Once molded to the desired form I evenly spaced 16 holes using the end of a round end of a crochet hook. I then heated the oven to the 275 degrees, placed the mold on foil on a baking sheet and let cook for the instructed length of time.



While my mold was hardening in the oven, I decided for just a little more flare, to tip the feathers with gold glitter. Easily achieved but applying Mod Podge with a paint bush, gently laying glue side down in a mound of glitter and tapping off excess.




Once the mold finished baking and had cooled, I one by one placed each feather in it's coordinating hole permanently cemented by a dollop of hot glue. I then measured a length of waistband elastic I had in my supplies and applied it to the base using a generous amount of hot glue. I covered with with black satin and my Say Something Hat was complete.



I'm pretty sure I made a splash.

Fabric Manipulation Experimentation

Say that 10 times fast!

Just messing around with some muslin, coming up with ideas for future projects.




The creative juices are flowing.

Running Wilde

Familiar face at the 5:16 minute mark wearing my New Years Vest.



Good times!

Twinkle Toes: Ode to GBS

My best girl, former 2 year roommate and all around wunderkind Ginny Branch Stelling's recent blog post entitled Twinkle Toes proved most inspiring.

She writes...

"tis the season to pull out (or invest in) your glittery-iest, shiniest most drag queen fabulous shoes. i have a few in my arsenal already, but am always looking to expand my collection. sequins and glitter are kind of like black licorice, you either love it or hate it. i'm so on team sparkly. besides even if you wear sensible shoes 24/7, this is the most legit time to embrace a little bit of chintz."

And since sparkly man-shoes are a rare commodity I decided to go ahead and make my own. I went out and found a pair of Florsheim oxfords, bought some glitter in black and gold, pulled out my Modge Podge from the craft drawer and got to work.



I'm in love with the outcome, Thanks Ginny!



P.S. I love and miss you very much. I think of you everyday, I've saved all your notes and keep them right next to my bedroom door in a frame with my favorite picture of you. It makes me happy. Creepy?

Mercedes Benz Commercial

Familiar face at the 13 second mark...

Italian Mercedes Benz GLK Commercial

Just another day.

Halloween

What a blast! I spent the majority of the weekend with my two best friends Brendan and Nick as well as a few others. We had an unreal amount of fun, here are some pictures from the weekend.


Nick, Susan and Brendan as Mario, Princess Peach and Luigi


Mario and Luigi


Me as Cat(wo)Man and yes I made the entire thing.


Thanks boys for such a fun time!

Halloween Commission

It's not uncommon this time of year for me to recieve frantic phone calls from friends asking for help with their costumes. A girlfriend of mine needed a Red Riding Hood to complete here Little Red Riding Hood ensemble. A quick trip to the fabric store and just under an hour later... voila, a red cape from scratch complete with oversized hood and lace trim.



I love Halloween!

Halloween Inspiration

I kid you not...