30. Feet first!

I once worked with a woman who was always extremely well put together. One day she revealedit: she started her outfit by selecting the shoes and building up from there. It always seemed like such a simple concept - but at the same time somehow very extravagant - and needless to say, I never did follow her cue.

But when Spygirl announced her 52-Pick-me-up theme, Feet first,  I certainly wanted to try.
I selected...

Red shoes

a skirt to match shoes

a shirt to match skirt

earrings to match shirt

Does the outfit make sense?

skirt: Gina Benotti (thrifted 2013)

tee: J.Jill (2004)

shoes: Re-Mix (2005)

earrings: via etsy (2013)

I wasn't sure, so I tried another combo:

different red shoes, same skirt as before, another tee, a different piece of jewelry...

details:

skirt: as above (2013)

tee: Indiska (2009)

shoes: Vagabond (2008)

pendant: Midecentury Modern Scandinavian, via etsy (2012)

linking with:
52-Pick-me-up
Visible Monday
Mix-It

28. Rainy Day Blues

In excellent mood this morning. There is nothing like a refreshing rain after days of sultry heat. See how the rain glistens on the roof.

Finally, finally felt like wearing a skirt (pant?) that I made in spring.

Essentially this is a wide skirt with small leg parts attached.

I paired it with a Mid Mod jewelry piece (reissued Sarpaneva if I remember correctly) and a crinkly tee (which shows badly in today's light).

How the skirt happened:
I love the clothing made by the very talented folks at Variete van Kroen, who come to Vienna at least once a year. However, buying one was not an option last year. Instead, I decided to make my own.

I searched high and low for a rayon denim which would give me the drape, but when this textured dark indigo woven cotton came my way I knew the pairing was perfect.

I had to make the pattern. Here is me trying to imagine the finished effect.

I made real pockets, and lined them with a fabric at hand - purple.

It is very very comfortable, and looks hot with a biker type jacket which I wore later when the rain really picked up. Sorry, no pictures!

linking with:
The Pleated Poppy
Coffeebeans and Bobbypins

27. A Hot Day in Blue-red-white-and-black

Oh yes! Red and white, blue and black - let's see if I can cram them into a single outfit and not look too busy.

Amazingly, it works.

details:
skirt: me-made (2013)
top: Mango (2008)
belt: Macy's (2002)
jewelry: me-made (1998, 2010)
shoes: Aerosoles (2003)

Thank you Anne for the challenge!

linking with:
52-pick-me-up
Visible Monday
Mix-It

26. A walk with Henry Rousseau

SIA, Style Imitating Art has a lush painting this week as inspiration, Woman Walking in Exotic Forest by Henry Rousseau.

I wanted to bring in the lushness and exotic mood in with color. And as I don't wear such greens I took something else very exotic.

This background fabric has followed me for 20 years. It is hand embroidered on coarse blue linen. I bought it because it was calling my name very, very loudly. I could not afford it, nor had I any idea what to use it for. A couple of years it lived in my cupboard. I would fondle it from time to time, feel the fabric, delight in the rich embroidery and vivid color.

Then we found a wooden day bed on the sidewalk in Brooklyn, bought a foam mattress and used the fabric for cover. It wore all threadbare in the places where we would sit. It was our tv-couch, and we watched a lot of movies, a lot.

Then we moved again, and now this fabric serves as curtain between the hallway and living room. Threadbare spots mean there is some daylight filtering into the dark hallway. I still love that fabric, and I know I will use it in the next place, too, as it has become part of me.

But this post was about clothing...

I am wearing a printed linen skirt, a simple blue blouse with tie, a polished slab of apatite on a suede cord (by some Brooklyn-based artist) and pomegranate red shoes. I wanted to look exotic, and this skirt with it's exiting complementary contrast (see entry 25) is maybe the most adventurous thing I own, colorwise.

details:
skirt: H&M (2009)
blouse: Promod (2011)
pendant: bought in Brooklyn (2005)
bracelet: made-by-me (2011)
shoes: Vagabond (2008)

The bracelet is made by moi. I took an inner cardboard roll of an adhesive tape, the large kind, and knitted a tube around it. I have several bracelets in fun colors and different widths (scotch tape, packing tape, duck tape...)

linking with:
Style Imitating Art

20. Freezing in red and brown

It's freezing again. There hasn't been much summer yet, I see some people wearing their winter coats (fake fur looks so wrong in May) or tights and boots. I refuse to wear winter garb anymore, there will be a long winter to do just that.
Instead I grabbed some darker colors and a bit heavier materials. Everything is cotton, but just thicker. (Yes, those are bare legs. I refuse tights in summer.) At home I wear woolly socks and wrap myself in a blankie, that's how cold it is.

skirt: Flare (Stockholm 2010)
tee: Pimkie (Wien 2013)
cardi: a recent remake
shoes: Gabor (2010)

A close-up on the beautiful patterns that work surprisingly well together:

I love the earrings, they are a recent acquisition from etsy. This is how I wear my florals!

It's funny to think that next week this time I'll be working. I'm cramming for last exams (Monday Tuesday) and then off I go. I am not particularly looking forward to my new job, but a girl's got to eat...it's one of the realities in life.

18. subversive - so not

It's Style Imitating Art-time again. The picture was lovely, full of sweet colors. But if you look closely, you can see a subversive, menacing element in there. It has a hint of ugly going-ons under the beautiful surface.

 
I tried, I really did. I would have loved to interpret this more literal, but these kind of colors are not part of my wardrobe. I own softer, similar tones in small doses: wrapped silk necklace, a leather ring, a bag, the deep turq of the skirt.

I went to uni like this and thought myself really very stylish. Necklace was maybe a bit over the top, you don't see a lot of jewelry on students - but this lecture was mostly "grown-ups" so I felt safe.

 The ring I left home, though, that was too much for school.

skirt: thrifted (2010)
tee: zero (2013)
cardigan: no name (2013)
shoes: Medicus via Deichmann (2013)
bag: Brooklyn (2005)
leather ring: Vienna (2013)
silk wrapped necklace (2012)

linking with:
Visible Monday
Style Imitating Art

15. My Life as a Woodcut

I love the gentle nudge when it comes to my wardrobe choices.
Well, there are wardrobe choices - and then there are wardrobe choices. Have you ever tried taking your inspiration from a painting, its mood, its colors, its actual message?

Following an artwork takes clothing choices to another level. This week's SIA - Style Imitating Art - inspiration artwork was "Feeding Ducks" by Mary Cassatt.

There was a lot of inspiration: soft colors like blue, celadon, old rose, muddy peach; a feeling of serenity; Japanese woodcut style; faintly Victorian clothing; water, boat and ducks.

So how did I incorporate them in my outfit?
Long sleeves for Victorian, blue and white woodcut printed blouse, a blue skirt, a blue scarf with ducks, an Art Deco style silk scarf with muddy peachy tones and celadon, a duck brooch, and shoes like a boat.

Here ducky ducky ducky...

I put the blue duck scarf at my feet - this is water. I pretend to be feeding the ducks, see?

Other fun stuff I am wearing:

these insane shoes. I found these at the car boot sale. They are going to be refashioned into

shoes for my Medieval wardrobe, but for this little while I enjoyed them with a mundane outfit.

Also starring: a delicate fabric loop necklace. I love these soft mauves and greys and the flash of gold.
And the woodcut shirt again - crinkled tissue cotton, perfect for a hot day.

The outfit once more:

skirt: me-made 2013
blouse: Esprit 2008
scarf and duck pin: passing through my hands
belt: la Femme Mimi 2013
necklace: Lassy Fair 2013

So, in the beginning I wrote how I feel this challenge is beneficial to my wardrobe choices. I am ashamed to say, this combination that looks so "normal"would never have happened had it not been for the challenge.
One tends to keep within a certain comfort zone. For me, perhaps, the comfort zone is a skirt, tee and cardigan. Time to change that!

linking with:
Sunday Style
Visible Monday
Mix.it
Style Imitating Art

14. mayday, mayday

On May 1st Europe shuts down. It's our Labor Day, day for marching along for better work conditions (if so inclined) or for having a picnic, barbeque or a long walk in the woods (if so inclined).

I am invited to a barbeque, which is not going to be in a park nor in a garden, instead in the stony court yard of a city apartment. Weather is coolish, so I may wear this outfit.  There is a draped jersey tank  under the leather jacket and a jersey skirt (patterned as not to show spills...).
If you are looking for Recycled Fashion, please scroll down.

jacket: me-made (2013)
skirt: me-made (2013)
top: H&M (2006)
shoes: Gabor (2009)
necklace and pin (2013)

I played around with jewelry and hung a yellow flower bouquet brooch pin onto the necklace that is fashioned from two bracelets a while ago (see post#7). I thought the pin adds the outfit a nice spring flair.  Though maybe a tad much for a barbeque?

jersey fabric with a houndstooth netting for lining

Skirt is a recent make. I showed one last week that I had made out of one yard of jersey - this is the very same cut. Another impulse buy fabric which I spontaneously liked but originally thought hard to combine. But it turns out I have things to combine. I like summer darks like aubergine and bittersweet,  both go well with this.

Now for the Refashion part:
I have been coveting a draped suede cardigan jacket. This Draped Paper Weight Suede Jacket made my heart go pitty-pat - it would have been a dream. But as always, dreams come with a hefty price tag...
When life threw a vintage 1980's suede costume my direction I grabbed it with both hands. 2€ for the set, I could not believe my ears.

 

It was of course very dated plus several sizes too small.

For my draped jacket, I took a Burda pattern (from magazine 11/2012 #132). I modified the fronts to be more square and extended them a good 8"/ 20cm to give them enough drape.
I cut the back from the existing back, sleeves from sleeves and the fronts from the skirt.
I used the old lining, too. I took no photos of the process, so I leave you with the finished photo for comparison of before - after.

Now I am left with a heap of odd leather bits which I am going to use to make something for my Medieval wardrobe. By the by,  I have added a link to my Medieval blog for those who might be interested. Be warned, there is no juicy clothing to be seen just yet (as I lost all the photos from last year), just a few random thoughts on research.

Had there been enough leftover scraps, this is what I would have loved to make! Leather ...um... stockings? What do you think?

linking with:
me-made-Mittwoch
Mix-it
Recycled Fashion Finds
we are beautiful
Refashion Co-op First Friday

12. Dressing Up The Jeff Koonesque Way...

... if that even is a word. I love SIA for their challenges! It really gets your creative juices flowing when you have to dress in a way that would reflect a painting.
Here is this week's inspiration, a giant red and pink and flashy gold bow by Jeff Koons.

What is a girl to do whose favorite color is grey? Answer: she'll dig deep into her closet, she'll get creative and pair together items that were probably never meant to go ... that is the genious behind this challenge!

So, for color's sake, I paired together a silk dress that isn't even a dress but just two giant scarves sewn together, a pair of red gold earrings (very mod!), a red and pink ring

a clutch with golden accents,

and because the outfit already had a flapper feeling to it, I donned on a recently thrifted vintage pair of Clarks.

Want to see the outfit?

 I love it. Thank you SIA! This was fun.

dress: Zara (thrifted 2013)
shoes: Clarks (thrifted 2013)
clutch: Promod (2012)
earrings and necklace: Designer's Market Blickfang (Vienna 2012)

linking with:
Sunday Style
Visible Monday
Style Imitating Art

8. Austrian Pride

Style Imitating Art is a fun challenge, one that I always like to try.
This week there's a wonderfully bizarre picture, but the colors read very "normal" - tan, americana, polkadots. Instead of Americana, I chose Austrian (that's where I live)

It was a true challenge for me, because tan is not part of my wardrobe. But then I remembered a shirt that I had bought for dyeing - hooray.

In going with the bizarre theme of the week, I made equally bizarre choices. These shouldn't go together, but somehow they do. Austrian overload, be aware!

linen skirt, blue, by Mac Scott
knitted merino cardigan, red, made by myself

a long long overshirt with ties to hike the bottom up, tan, tags missing
Austrian dirndl-blouse (covers the breast, just), white, by Bösch
blue tights, by Hue
Austrian Edelweiss shoes, black, by Geier Wally

blue felt cutout necklace, by some wonderful young designers in Tallinn, Estonia. It can be worn as a belt, too.

linking with: Style Imitating Art
Visible Monday