Tag: Brandhyze Stanley

BUDGET/SPENDING

My Manilla Fashion Makeover Feature

I get great joy out of sharing tips on how to shop on a budget.  I feel like a great thing to remember when you have limited funds is that, you should aim to invest in closet staples that can be worn countless times, in a variety of different ways — that way you get a lot of mileage out of each and every piece you purchase. Think of it like this….you won’t have a bunch of odds and ends that only go with one look, if when you are looking to buy something, you think to yourself “can I think of at least 3 outfits I can wear this with right now?”

So because of my love of sharing frugal style advice, I was oh so glad when the folks over at Manilla asked me to be a part of their #GetItTogether series and do a Fashion Makeover Video for a very deserving young lady named, Kate.

I’m ecstatic with how it turned out, and can’t wait for you to see it.  Want to see the one piece we got for her that was used interchangeably throughout the 3 looks?  Check out the video on Youtube here.

DIY

Frugal-nomics DIY: Ombre Sequin Skirt

I’ve been totally snatching up anything sparkly these last few months, and I immediately fell in love with this ombre-like sequin fabric when I found it recently.  I’ll admit, it takes a little work to finish the edges of things you make with sequins (like this Rihanna inspired top I made here), but they are certainly stand out pieces that will be memorable closet keepers. Tell me what you think below.


SUPPLIES: 1 yard of ombre sequin fabric, some straight pins, an invisible zipper, scissors, and a skirt you already own with a shape you like.

HOW-TO:
1. First up, fold your fabric in half and lay a skirt you love on top of it to create your own pattern.
2. Now, go ahead and cut out the 2 forms of the pattern you just created.
3. Place those 2 forms together — insides facing — and pick the side where you’d like to place your zipper.  Open up the two forms, and giving yourself a 1/2 inch seam allowance, pin the zipper on one side of the form, being sure to start close to the top of the waist band. (Note: I liked more of the rust color on the bottom, so I folded down quite a bit at the waist to center my desired design).
4.  Once one side of the zipper is in place, go ahead and flip the skirt over and pin the 2nd half, down.
5. Close up the remainder of the zippered side of the skirt with straight pins.
6. It was easier for me pin the correct shape with the skirt on, so I slipped it on to pin the opposite side. 

HOW-TO CONT’D
7. Open up that zipper and sew it into place on both sides.
8. Now that the zipper is intact, go ahead and sew together the remainder of this side of the skirt.
9. After feeling a little clumsy with the fabric scissors, I opted to snip off the remainder of a 1/4 inch seam allowance of sequins with cuticle scissors. This step takes a little while, but the clean edge it provides is well worth it.
10. Fold back 1/4 inch hem and pin it into place.
11. It’s a lot less messier if you put some paper down, so lay the skirt on top, and uncover only the area you want to spray with adhesive.  Let it dry.
12. Hand stitch 1/4 inch hem, remove pins, and then you are all set!

 

OUTFITS

Cargo Diem

Happy Friday guys!!!  So while it’s technically fall, we are squeezing out our last handful of warm days, and I couldn’t resist showing you a few pieces I’ve picked up and customized over these last few months.  I’ve been wanting a cargo vest since last year — that’s why I always say to invest in a few wardrobe pieces and you’ll get wear out of them year after year — so since I had a couple thrifted cargo jackets, I took one to my tailor and had the sleeves removed to achieve the look I wanted.  To top off the look, I also took to creating my own version of a necklace I’ve been drooling over — the Pegasus Necklace by Stella & Dot.  But, I didn’t want to fork over the $200 plus price tag….so…after a little digging, I found some leaf chain and took to my latest #diy.  Like the look….tell me what you think below. Have a beautiful weekend!

:: OUTFIT ::

Cargo Vest :: H&M (originally a thrifted jacket that I had turned into a vest)
Tank :: Faded Glory
Shorts :: Zara (2nd hand from eBay)
Necklace :: (My own creation)
Boots :: Steve Madden
Bag :: Kenneth Cole