Layering for Fall - and becoming a chiffony

Hi!

I finally finished a top I started a while ago, a beautiful georgette print that I got from The Common Thread.

I have a love-hate relationship with these fabrics. While I love the look of a sheer top, sewing and caring for them is not easy. If you follow Project Runway, you know that there was a clique forming who would only use chiffon and silk on everything. Am I becoming one of them? Oh no!

They do make for great layering pieces, which are a must here in Austin, as the weather starts to cool down.

Want to get a similar look? Try here.

 

What I am wearing:

Cardigan - J.Crew

Top - made by me 

Jeans - Banana Republic

Shoes - Madewell

Love,

Sam

Cobalt Blue Shoes - Doing it Yourself

Hi,
After the very successful attempt with shoes + spray paint and all the blue accessories becoming the next trend to follow, I decided to go through my pile of clothes to give away and fire away the spray can once more.

I had these great suede shoes, that had some bad stains and I was told they couldn't be fixed. I also picked a purse that was not working.

 The I cleaned them ...

 And wrapped with tape.

 Even the inside of the shoes...

 Then started painting.

After the first coat, I realized it would take several more.

 But the end result is a pair of bright blue shoes and a nice purse.

 Check out the flowing hair!

Jeans - the Gap
T-shirt - Banana Republic
Necklace - Kendra Scott
Shoes - Enzo Angiolini
Purse - unknown

The twenties

Hi!

This outfit was inspired by the great fashions of the 1920's that have been popping up everywhere (and also here). I have always had a crush to this era: the rich fabrics, the prints, the embroideries. It looks feminine and daring!

So I have made this crushed velvet t-shirt. It is very basic and it can be styled in a multitude of ways.

 I used an old dress that no longer fitted my style (or body for that matter) and for a pattern, I used  regular t-shirt and added some ease.

The good thing about starting from a finished dress is that I was able to keep it simple and use the hem of the dress as the hem of the top, so one less step to do.

Jeans: Banana Republic
Sandals: Nine West
Hair pin: BCBG
Necklace: BCBG

I love it, because it took me one hour to do the whole thing!

I hope you enjoy the final look!

Love,

Sam

In Memorian

Hi!

This is a very emotional post for me. On September 13th 2011, my grandfather Plinio passed away. He was 85 years old and lived a great, very fruitful life.
When I was growing up, visiting him was one of my favorite adventures. I got to visit the big city, hear his stories, and be creative! As I grew older, I went to see him when I needed to advice or when I wanted to escape from my angry world. He would always see me, lend a shoulder, pour some wine or some mate.

In my memory, he was always very elegant, charming, and an amazing storyteller - a mix of Don Draper and Big Fish. So, when we were trying to figure out what to do with his clothes as a family, I asked to keep one of his tweed jackets, which I intended to fix.

The process was pretty interesting! I had never seen the insides of menswear before and, boy, is it complicated!

I manage to really only open the lining and work in a few darts and tightened some seams, to keep a pretty boxy, menswear look. I think he would have approved.

These shoes were made for walking

Hi!

So, it seems like shoes covered in glitter are all the rage for the Brazilian winter. I have a feeling it will be a fad, because it is easy to get tired of it. And I cringe at spending R$200 (about US$90) to have shoes that will be done soon and that I can't really wear to work.

Adding to the fad issue, I have tried to get clothing and accessories fixed, instead of scrapping them, but my trips to cobblers and seamstresses here have been VERY frustrating.

And then... I saw this video and looked at the pile of shoes that needed fixing and a light bulb went off.

After I got the supplies, I chose these boots, which were a little worn out and was told that there was nothing that could be done to fix them.

 Then I wiped them really well...

 And wrapped the portions that were not supposed to be painted with tape, and went to town with the spray.

 This is what they looked like after the first coat. And this is also when I realized that the boots didn't need any glitter to look really cute!

 And they did, after the second coat of spray!

This is my happy face with the new boots! Yay! Plus it really inspired me to do some other things with spray paint. More to come!

Shirt - Banana Republic
T-shirt - Banana Republic
Gray Jeans - Banana Republic
Boots - Arezzo
Scarf - J. Crew

I wanted to start the outfit project with my latest attempt at sewing: white pants! I actually started them quite sometime ago, so I would have a nice pair for the Brazilian Summer. Alas, work got the best of my time and now that we are in the thick of Fall (yes, it does get cold here), I managed to finish them.

So I give you my very summery look.

I decided for this pair to start from scratch, after a few very unfortunate trials with old patterns.

All the measurements taken...

... The instructions were followed, with a few adaptions.

And, Voila! The end result was a pretty nice pattern.

It turns out I miscalculated the length of the pants and the fabric, so the pants turned out a little short. :-( On the plus side, since I started the pattern I have lost weight :-)

And here is the end result....

Ok - I know, I know... I look really serious. I am working here on self-photography and all.

White Pants - Cotton - By Sam
Stripped shell - J. Crew
Red Jacket - Linen - By Sam (from an old pattern I had saved from my graduation project)
Shoes - MoB
Necklace - somewhere in 25 de Marco

Getting started

Welcome to The New Outfit Project!

My goal was to create something new, using tools that I learned while in my fashion design program.

The project: Each post will bring you a garment, designed from start (sketch) to finish (outfit) and a description of my challenges while doing it.

I hope you enjoy it!

-Sam