A Passion For Pastels!

Hold the Front Page!! Trend Alert ...Trend Alert!

Everyone's doing it!

Ralph Lauren S/S12 .....swoon!

Hi Folks! I hope you're all keeping well and happy? Now........I've been looking through the Spring Summer 2012 Catwalk Collections for some inspiration and I gotta say ... what a year I picked for my "no new clothes" project! There is so much beautiful clothing out there at the moment, don't you agree? Just look at this lot! I can see that this task is gonna get tougher as the year progresses..... think I'm gonna need all the support I can muster to get me through!
I've been poring over magazines and checking my favourite websites to see which looks I'll be 'buying' into this year..... but as we both know .....I won't be 'buying' anything new at all!


As Penelope Pitstop would say ........

He-yalp!! He-yalp!!

One of my very favourite looks that is being showcased this season is the Pastel Pallet .... I remember having loads of cute stuff in these colours as a young lady in the 80's. I loved my pink Broderie Anglaise  dress and my lemon yellow skirt .. it was a really big look back then. Well it seems that this pretty look is going to make a comeback in a BIG way in 2012. Oh the joy!

Scrumdiddlylicious!!!

All these gorgeous colours in ice cream, cupcake and marshmallow hues (this is actually making me quite hungry now) really are good enough to eat! 

Think Ice Cream....

Think Cupcakes......

and Marshmallows!

Hungry now? Yeah thought so!
So, I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to have to put my brain to work and figure out how I am going to achieve this yummy look. That is of course, without resorting to my usual trawling of Net-A-Porter and Brand Alley or running down to the West End to grab the high street versions before everyone else gets there first!

Louis Vitton

More Louis ..ahhhhhh.....

I have a nice stock of fabrics that I've built up over the years and plenty of trims, some of which I'm fairly sure are edible looking.  I'm going to have a good look through and see what I can find. Then it's a case of deciding what to make....... but wait! I don't know about you, but when I get an idea about anything ...I want it NOW.... I need a quick fix as well as the longer term joy of something of quality.



So, I've decided I'm also going to have a go at transforming something from my existing wardrobe into one of these covetable confections! I basically want to walk round looking like a cupcake......
And this my friends, will be my next project, I'll be using all my Make, Do & Mend skills and as little money as possible to create a one off ..... or maybe even several!

I'll be looking at Vintage for inspiration as no one does pretty pastels quite like the 50's...... check these little beauties out!

I'll be back very soon with the results and of course I'll be spilling the beans on just how I did it, so you can have a go yourselves.....

Wish me luck!

Leona X

Raincoat Revamp!......... Do it like Audrey

Welcome, frugal fashion followers! Thanks for having a read of my blog.


As you probably know by now, this year I'm looking for ways to look fabulous without resorting to a trip to the shops. I've made the pledge (I must be mad) not to buy any new clothes for the whole of 2012 and I've been busy researching crafty ways to achieve the looks I want.


It's during these winter months when we're all wrapped up, that my mind starts to wander towards my spring wardrobe ... I'm looking forward to casting off the sheepskin coat and layers and lightening up a bit! When it starts to get milder and April showers call, my trusty friend is a beautiful mac..... ahhhh how long have I loved thee?

£600 for a raincoat??? You gotta be kidding!

Listen very carefully, I shall say zis only once

From Audrey Hepburn to Michelle of Zee Resistance, to Alexa Chung ...every style icon worth their salt has rocked a lovely raincoat as a staple of their wardrobe at some point over the decades.


Both Burberry and Aquascutum lay claim to the invention of this heavenly garment and they both still do the most eponymous (if expensive) versions to this day. 
Some history on the origins of the raincoat to be found here on Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trench_coat

So this Aquascutum mac is the one that's got my attention, I love the strong contrast buttons and buckles, but even if I wasn't going cold turkey for a year, I'd never be prepared to spend £600 on a coat......!


So, I'm going to revamp my mac!

Here's the lucky candidate .. my £8.00 Charity Shop Dannimac raincoat!!

For those of you not familiar with the good old Dannimac, to the best of my knowledge it's a Manchester (of course!) based company that started making macs about 100 years ago. The 70's macs are particularly good... very similar to the classic Burberry and Co's raincoat and a lot cheaper. Put it this way, if you can't make a raincoat in Manchester then you need to find another job!

Here's the 70's label design to look out for

It's got everything you need in a classic mac, from the double breasted fastening to the signature check lining and the fit is very flattering indeed. You can find these vintage treasures in Charity Shops all over the place for next to nothing. So look out for those 70's Dannimacs ..they come in all kinds of colours and lengths ...I've managed to pick up quite a few over the years as you can see here!

All you have to do then is customise them with those hand finished touches that make a garment that bit more luxurious and expensive looking. Simples!


I've got a few different buckles, buttons and trim ideas here ... hmmmmm....which one to choose?

I'm gonna plump for the dark brown leather look buttons and buckle I reckon ... it'll look most like the Aqua one. So, what do I need?

I've got a belt buckle for the front, buttons of different sizes but there's one item I am missing.... I haven't got any small buckles for the sleeves!

I haven't got a small buckle for the sleeve ...what to do?

Hmmmmmm.... I have a cunning plan, I'm going to remove the original buckles from the sleeves and paint them with nail varnish to match the Large buckle at the front! 

Ta Daaaaa!

Start off by removing the original buttons using a seam ripper from the front, leave the bobble of thread from the original in place as you can use this to mark your button placement.....

Carefully remove the buttons

Here's a link for you if you're not sure about sewing on Jacket/Coat buttons, it's important that you don't sew them on too tight, if you do, then the coat won't sit cleanly when you fasten it.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2302827_properly-sew-coat-button.html

Once you've sewn on the buttons, unpick the stitches holding down the buckles, the fabric strip literally folds over the bar of the buckle and this is a lot easier than you'd think.

Gently unpick the seam holding the buckle down

You can either machine sew or hand sew the seam back down again once you've put your new buckle on, it doesn't have to look perfect, remember we're looking for a hand finished look.....

Speaking of hand finishing.... I've got one last trick up my sleeve for making this Mac look extra special,  when I used to work on Savile Row, we used to hand topstitch jackets and even down the side seams of trousers in a contrast thread to jazz them up and give off that "bespoke" vibe. I've decided that although this is pretty time consuming, I'm going to go for it as it'll take my Mac up to another level. Do it in stages over a few days so you don't get bored or get sore fingers ... believe me, it'll be worth it!

Got a lovely strong contrast thread here ...this should do the trick!

Simply stitch along all the edges of the garment, using the existing stitch lines as a guideline and a good strong needle. This is called a "Saddle Stitch"

Stitch along the seam lines at the front edge and flap

All these little extras make the garment look more and more individual

Look how well my nail varnished sleeve buckle matches the belt.... FAB!

Don't forget that the pocket edges and even the storm flap and belt can be customised too!

So, we've changed the buttons, replaced the buckles and we've top stitched all the seam edges..... let's see how our project looks now compared to before.

I'm pretty chuffed to be honest! It's turned out beautifully... I can really see and feel the difference in the before and after, the whole garment just looks a lot more upmarket and stylish.

So the next time you're passing by your local Charity shop, pop in and check out the Outerwear section and pick yourself up a lovely bargain raincoat and get customising,  it's a great way of having something completely unique. 

I've got another plain cream one here .... I'm thinking gold buttons and buckle might be rather snazzy!!

Fab new Banner by Kavel!

Hello again
Thanks for reading my blog and a very special thanks to my new followers! I hope you're all having a marvellous start to 2012.
I wanted to say thank you to my very dear and talented friend Kavel Rafferty for my amazing new banner ...isn't it fabulous?? What a lucky girl I am to have great pals to help me out.... !
I've been a fan of Kavel's work for quite a number of years now and have a few lovely pieces of her work. Kavel is an artist and illustrator based in Barcelona where she has her own Gallery "Galeria Kavel"
We have a shared love of shoes, soul and fluffy kittens all of which feature regularly in her work.

This is a flyer Kavel did for a Soul session she and her friends have over in Barcelona .... they don't need to ask me twice to take my box of records over to spin a few ...especially in February when it's like Siberia over here!

Here's her blog ..check it out.

http://galeriakavel.wordpress.com/

So, now I've got a lovely banner and some friends interested, what's next? I guess I better get on up to the den where the cutting table and sewing machine is and get some stuff created!
I've spent the last week or so formulating ideas and gathering some inspiration for some possible projects.

I've started a Facebook group for Leona's Make, Do and Mend where we can share our tips and you can find some very creative and crafty people to inspire you. Everything from swapping vintage treasures to alterations  to tearing down those curtains and making a dress!

Here's the link ...will get links set up on the sidebar as soon as I take my technophobe goggles off ....

https://www.facebook.com/groups/342056312495849/

I''m thinking that my first project is going to be a 'new' rain mac ... I've got a good old Charity Shop Dannimac that could turn into something beautiful ..... watch this space!

Question ... Could I give up buying clothes for a whole year?

Well, here we are folks.. I've finally managed to find a blogspot easy enough for a technophobe like me to use!


This blog is going to be all about my efforts to cure myself of my shopping addiction, using my creativity, skills and imagination to find a new way to furnish my need to always have something new and fresh in my wardrobe.  
I'll also be adding posts on my allotment vegetable growing, preserves and drinks making, crafty creations and anything else imaginative I manage to get up to that keeps me away from the shops !


But first ... to the Question!

 After reading an article in the Guardian "Making Do and Mending my ways" by Rebecca Smithers, where she wrote about her addiction to retail therapy, I asked myself this question " Could I go a whole year without buying clothes?"


"No Way!" was my first reaction to the concept, "Why Bother?" was my second thought ... I ran upstairs to the Boudoir and opened up (one of) my wardrobes for a quick stock check ... the wardrobe for 'just' dresses ... I counted about 70 of them ..... then I drew back the curtain covering my  60 boxes of shoes. I looked over my shoulder to see a rail full of macs and skirts and before I could go into our own bedroom and start looking through my 'second' wardrobe, I'd already answered my question.


There's not much chance of me having to run around starkers if I stay away from Zara for a year now is there???!!!


The 'dress' wardrobe

So, it's official ... I'm a hoarder. Admittedly, a lot of my purchases are from Charity Shops and flea markets so, as Jesse J says .."it's not about the money money money" but there's no denying it ... I don't really need more clothes.  I just can't resist the temptation to 'pop' into Selfridges or 'just have a quick look' at Brand Alley. After all, online shopping is not real shopping is it? Trouble is, some of the stuff that is sitting in my wardrobe (s) still has the tags on and remains unworn (shame on me). Marks and Spencer's reckon a whopping 92% of people cling on to stuff they'll never wear! One of the issues I have is that as I can fluctuate in weight, I have a couple of different sizes of clothes in there, so a key aim is to find a happy medium size wise where most of my stuff fits well and maybe say goodbye to the stuff I was wearing at 18!


The shoe shelves! 

A bit of History
Most of us know about the "make do and mend" movement that started during WW2. There was a massive shortage of supplies in the UK due to the sinking of ships trying to bring supplies across the channel to Blighty. During this time, British clothing manufacturers were commissioned to make uniforms as a priority. This led to a shortage in 'civilian' clothing as clothes rationing was introduced in 1941. The Ministry of Information started the "Make do and mend"campaign in order to help women get the most possible wear out of theirs and their Family's clothes. 


Tips included were; how to wash and iron more carefully to make clothes last longer, re-knitting woollens to save materials, darning clothes, using patterns for making clothes out of curtains and tablecloths and many many more. All these tips were put into practice and the British woman became an expert at making something out of nothing!

How is this relevant to todays society?


Now, I'm not suggesting we should all start building bunkers in our Gardens or start using gravy browning to draw seams on the back of our legs .. I've not gone completely bonkers (yet)!
I do think though that we live in a throwaway society. Clothing has become so cheap now, as high street retailers squeeze supplier's margins harder and harder so that you can buy a brand new top for the price of a pint! Why should we bother looking after our stuff or repairing/customising it when we can just buy another one? Fashion magazines encourage us to abandon "last years" styles and buy new ones so we can be "on trend". Heaven forbid we might be seen in a Pocahontas shawl when the look for this season is 'Future Sailor!"




I'd like to see if we can still be 'on trend' without having to keep buying more and more cheap throwaway clothing. I'd like to see if making, upcycling, reworking, customising and plain old rediscovering my existing clothes could liberate me from this constant need to go shopping! I loathe shopping malls, yet i feel compelled to go and see "what's in".  I have started to doubt whether constantly buying stuff actually brings me any happiness? If it does, it seems to be short lived and it's not long before I'm trawling the shops or the net for something else. If "Retail Therapy" was a head shrink, I'd have changed my doctor by now. Could doing things differently actually be more satisfying?








So, I've decided to take the plunge. I'm not going to buy any new clothes for the whole of 2012! GASP! There, I've said it!
Instead, I'm going to Make. Do. And Mend! I'd love to share my experience with you and hope that you might find some ideas you can use yourselves. In these uncertain times, we could all probably do with hanging on to our hard earned cash, I'd like to come out of the experience as one of those ladies we all envy who manages to buy quality rather than quantity and is happy to do that!




Wish me luck guys ... I'm gonna need it (I've already seen a dress that I want)
Leona X