I recently started a new contract which has me in an office setting 5 days a week where the dress code is “business casual.” Having worked for myself or in casual offices for most of my life, I knew I needed to step it up a notch but I didn’t want to buy a whole new wardrobe full of items I would only wear for this job. While it is still a work in progress I thought I would share my formula to update any wardrobe to business casual!

1. Invest in a pair of fitted black trousers that can be worn with ANYTHING. Mine are from Zara with a zipper at the ankle which creates a nice peek-a-boo effect with whatever shoe I’m wearing. I wear these pants daily, dressed up or down.

2. Invest in a few great fitting blazers. I have a few nice fitting, inexpensive blazers which I’m currently looking to replace with high quality blazers from Helmut Lang that I can keep for the next ten years.

3. Invest in a pair of black pumps that you can walk a mile in.

4. Identify the things already in your wardrobe that can be mixed in with your basics. I have super soft t’s from Club Monaco that I wear with my heels, trousers and a crisp blazer, it looks clean and refined and I can easily switch my blazer for a cropped leather jacket at night. Printed chiffon button-ups, thin super soft shirts, crisp vests, beautiful heels, all these wonderful things should be rotated into the mix!

5. Stay true to your style. My work style is very men’s wear inspired, but whatever your most comfortable and confident in should be the pieces you highlight and build everything else around. I buy nothing for work that I wouldn’t wear in my everyday life, so I always feel like myself only a little more professional!

Here are a few pieces I’m dreaming of to elevate my wardrobe!

Enjoy!

Alana

Zara Coated Trouser With Zips

Helmut Lang Era Suiting Blazer

Black blazer, similar here: Helmut Lang Black Blazer

 Zara Thin Strap Sandals

 Valentino Studded Pumps (seen in the very top middle picture)

Aldo Suede Heel

Welcome to the easiest scalloped jean shorts DIY ever! It’s quick and easy thanks to my latest obsession: fabric fuse! I’m a little too lazy to whip out my sewing machine and set it all up, plus the actual method of making a scalloped hem seems way too involved. Enter fabric fuse which is washable, wearable, and can be applied to a million projects (used here!)

I had this peel and stick fabric adhesive lying around which lent itself perfectly to this project!

1. Grab your old jean shorts, start cutting your fabric fuse into strips. The width of the strip should cover the whole scallop ensuring no part will fray.

2. Turn your shorts inside out and cover the entire edge of your shorts with strips. Since the fabric fuse is double sided, find some scrap fabric of a shade you won’t notice when you are wearing your shorts.  Peel off the adhesive’s paper backing and stick your fabric to your shorts, trim excess. On a piece of paper, draw the curve of the scallop exactly how you like it, this will be your stencil.

(If your fabric fuse is heat activated, simply use your iron on low heat, press for five seconds in each section, first iron the fuse to the shots, let cool then iron the scrap fabric to the fabric fuse. Trim excess)

3. Use your stencil to draw the scallop pattern on your fabric. Take your scissors and cut along your traced line.

And thats it!! This takes under 20 minutes and is such a fun new way to wear jean cutoffs this summer! I plan on wearing mine with taupe ankle boots and comfy shirts, like the photo below!

Cheers!

Alana

(photo of unknown origin)

Without further ado, I present my DIY Zimmermann inspired applique dress (seen here)!  There are quite a few steps, but I promise it’s a fun project with minimal sewing skill!

I’ve had this little summer dress for years and years, I never wore it, yet the fit and the surprising boning in the bodice made it a hard piece to let go of. It had a polka-dot layer with clean white layer underneath, so I carefully removed the outer layer revealing a perfect blank canvas for my DIY!

Tools needed: 
- a great fitting plain dress
- a roll of fabric fuse/heat bond (find long rolls at local fabric store or walmart for $10-$20)
- approx 1 meter of fabric for applique (I used the entire 1 meter for this project)
- pair of sharp scissors
- iron & ironing board
- needle and thread as needed

1. Begin drawing your applique pattern on paper to create a stencil. Use this opportunity to pin the paper stencil to yourself to create a great fit. Alter the pattern by trimming or adding paper.
2. Trace the stencils onto the smooth paper side of a roll of fabric fuse (the opposite side is the adhesive, will be hard to draw on and will transfer the pen color to your fabric, not chic!)
3. Lay your fabric fuse, adhesive side down, onto of your fabric ( if your fabric has a side you want to show make sure you use the adhesive on the back side, this will be glued to your dress ) set your iron to a low setting and press firmly for 5 seconds in each area. If the glue doesn’t adhere in some areas, simply repeat a few times until the paper doesn’t lift off.


4. Keep the paper on the fabric and begin to cut out your pattern exactly how you want to see it on your dress. When all your pieces are cut out, lay them out on your dress and arrange them to your satisfaction.
5. Peel off the paper from the back of your applique exposing the adhesive, lay it adhesive side down on your dress and iron over it just as your did earlier. Do this with all of your pieces. You should now have a perfectly applied design!

6. My original dress was strapless and I decided to leave the neck and back bare under the applique (slightly different from the zimmermann dress.) Since the paper side of the applique would eventually peel off leaving exposed glue, I ironed white fabric to the back then cut along the pattern creating the cut-out neckline. I also attached a new zipper as the length of the dress was altered.

The applique should be secure and waterproof after 48 hours but if you notice a few corners lifting up, re-iron them, or secure them with a thread and needle. Some people stitch around the edges or apply no-fray glue, but I found the fabric fuse created a great non-fraying edge.

The sky is really the limit with this process, with imagination and a sharp pair of scissors you can take this craft far beyond your grandma’s applique quilt! If anyone out there attempts this project and you are confused by a weird neckline or any of the steps, please ask me for help!!

Cheers!!

Alana

I had a pair of shorts from Ruche that I really loved, but the minty green color just wasn’t as wearable as I thought it would be, so there it lay, unused for months. Recently I decided to dye them black, to add new life to them and make them more wearable with other items. Here’s how to do it yourself!

Step one: Fill a bucket with very hot water; for the deepest color, use a water temperature of 140ºF/60ºC.  For a pound of dry fabric (about 3 yards), use one package of Rit powder or 1/2 bottle of Rit liquid in 3 gallons of water.

Get your fabric dye. Dissolve powder dye thoroughly in 2 cups of very hot water first to avoid dye spotting. If dying darker material use double the amount of dye (2 packages of Rit powder or 1 bottle of Rit liquid) in 3 gallons of water.

Add 1 Tablespoon laundry detergent to all dye baths to help promote level dyeing.

The longer the garment is immersed in the dye bath, the deeper the resulting color. Items can remain in the dye bath up to 1 hour as long as the water remains hot. You’ll also have to make sure the item receives constant agitation or stirring.

When you remove clothes from dye bath, rinse in warm, then cool water until water runs clear. (Warm water helps to rinse off surface dye more effectively.)
Wash your fabric/clothes in warm water with mild detergent and then rinse thoroughly in cool water. Machine dry or hang dry.

I clearly didn’t follow ANY of my own instructions (I was on somewhat of a time crunch) so the shorts turned a lovely slate grey colour that I’m actually really happy with! Sometimes mistakes are the best things you can do!

later.
Alana

blazer: F21, tank: H&M, shoes: DIY zara

DIY trench, shirt: Old Navy, jeans: Joe Fresh, shoes: Aldo, bracelets: Tiffany's, handmade

Probably the most successful and laborious DIY I’ve ever accomplished! I fell in love with Burberry’s mixed media trench coats last year and when I miraculously stumbled across a $30 trench at Forever 21 I had to go for it! I cut up an old faux leather jacket from Le chateau, and after countless sewing, ripping apart, and re-sewing (by hand no less) I finally got the fit right, and couldn’t be happier!
Since my computer descided to kill my soul and its hard drive a month ago I lost all the pictures I took documenting the process. BUT, I made this super easy looking cheat sheet for y’all! Yaaaaaaaaaaay!

The best tip I can give to make it easier for you is to make sure the two jackets are the same size. My leather jacket was somewhat shrunken and when I took the arms off, the two did NOT fit together… hence the numerous revisions. Tip number two, Use a good sewing needle. I was too lazy to buy one after I broke TWO trying to sew with my machine so I did everything by hand.
I hope this works for everyone! I’ve had sooooo many compliments on my jacket, and everyone is shocked when I explain how I made it! So until the day that I can afford a Burberry trench without ruining my life, enjoy these pictures of me hanging with my DIY pride and joy!!

Alana