Just a quick note to anyone who isn’t aware, I am currently in Devon on a week-long holiday. I shall not be back until August 1st, so I doubt I shall be able to update until such a time. Hope you all have a good week!
Busy as a bee for the past few days and indeed the ones to come! I’ve been delving through the etsy beginner’s info stuff before setting up the shop because I thought it best to be informed first. Some of it (such as clear photo advice) I knew from attempting to run the shop here for the past 2 years, but some of it was really useful and well worth checking out if you’re thinking of selling on there!
I was particularly interested in the bit about under 18s, because sadly, being 17, I am lumped into this category despite being (at least in my opinion) quite sensible with money. Anyway, I have a few options I believe - one of them being a joint shop with my grandma. The problem I face with this is that our designs/target markets are likely to be slightly different so I wonder whether the shop would be cohesive. And also, etsy seem to prefer it if it’s one person to a shop. We shall have to see though.
Other than that, I have been signing up to various social networking sites (much to my dislike, I’m not a big fan honestly - much prefer my blog and email!) of which links can be found on the contact page; trying to finish the end of term in one piece (last day today!); preparing to go to Devon on Friday for a week; taking/editing photos for a friend and generally living life as it is. Proper posts will be coming back soon I promise, especially because I’ll be on the summer holiday!
I always find that I have a burst of energy/creativity one week and then absolutely nothing. Yesterday I sat for an hour just trying to think what to blog about and in the end gave up trying. I know there are many a blogger out there who can churn out several posts a day, but I’m just not one of them!
So today, I did the regular computer routine of checking emails & bloglines for my daily fixes. Luckily, the fabulous Gala had her weekly links post and within it, was a link to generating ideas for blogging. So handy let me tell you! So taking the advice, I spent the evening not worrying, but watching back episodes on Threadbanger. Now I really want to crack out my sewing machine, so I may well do so tomorrow.
The other post which got me thinking this week was Susie’s post on how your blog is your space. We’ve established I’m not a several posts a day blogger, but following the jist of Susie’s post, it really doesn’t matter! This is my virtual space essentially - I want to love every single post I publish, because if I don’t love it, you won’t enjoy it anyway! I guess that’s one of the reasons why I love blogging - I get to show things that inspire me through a wonderful creative outlet and generally just have fun. As some of you know, I live in Birmingham and quite honestly, I have never liked it. One of the reasons I started a website when I was 15 (back in 2006, when this site was first born) was to escape to somewhere I do like and also to force me to be more creative rather than feeling stifled where I was!
What happened I ask you? I have no idea, but I know, strangely, I’m much less creative than I used to be. So it is my mission by the end of this year (mid year resolutions anyone?) to stop worrying and dive straight in! I will, un-apologetically, be precisely who I imagine I am, because the only one stopping me being that person, is me. And that last sentence applies to every single one of you!
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This is my outfit for Death Cab for Cutie! I was pretty much on my own for the entire gig, but they were rather amazing live. Plus they played 2 of my favourite songs! I shalln’t bore you with an inept review because music is not my strong point; but I can talk to you about my outfit…
Almost an entirely ‘thrifted’ outfit as you can see! I hate dressing for gigs because I don’t really own many ‘going out’ clothes as honestly, I rarely go out. However, I found this skirt which I had been meaning to alter as it’s just a little too long (I’m only 5 foot 4, so too long and I feel a bit drowned). As I had about 15 minutes before I had to leave, I got some pinking shears and cut up the seam (and the opposite side) a little way and then tied both sides into a double knot. Voila, I’d shortened it, added a little interest with some ties and made it more like a bubble skirt! I was rather proud of my quick diy skills.
My gosh, I have been at the height of laziness for the entire weekend. All I did was have a Monty Python marathon, which though wonderful, meant I was very unproductive. I blame it on having a funny week last week (went to a uni open day) and it nearly being the end of term! Anyway, onto some ‘latest’ finds (though some are from months ago, so can’t really be considered ‘latest’ but I’m just grouping them together)…
First off, I have had the incredible luck of finding not one, but two chain strap bags in charity shops. I know these style of bags are super popular with ‘indie’ crowds (how I hate group labels) but I guess there is something about the chain strap which make it so classic (very chic & Chanel too) and therefore draws me in like a little moth as well. I found the blue one a few months ago for around £1.50 I think and the black one I found a few weeks ago for £3.50 - but worth every penny as it’s in amazing condition.
My other find of recent times is this floral dress. It’s in need of alteration in the length and such - but I rather love the neckline/bodice shape and the print! It made me smile when I saw it because it was just so jolly looking and if my memory serves me correctly, it was less than £2!
I’ve been a little more selective with what I buy from charity shops now simply because I noticed that I was heading for that danger zone where you just buy for the sake of it being cheap. Not a good place to be because it means all your money just disappears and you end up with things you half like, as opposed to fully liking. I will at some point in the next few weeks be setting up an etsy shop comprising of vintage & handmade items, which I am very excited about! And don’t worry, everything I’ll be selling will be something I do like myself. How about yourselves, have you found anything nice lately?
Everyone seems to be going a bit barmy about bows recently - the coveted, wish wish wish and of course, I can’t speak of bows without mentioning flying saucer. Though I am rather partial to the bow (I should show you the massive bow clip I found a few months ago in my house) as a slight deviation, I thought I’d make some roses.
One of the [not pictured] items I bought from that car boot sale last month was a book called Practical Ribboncraft by Christine Kingdom. Within this, were tutorials on how to make roses, rosettes, bows; weaving with ribbon; ribbon embroidery and some other ribbon related crafts. The roses are rather simple to make, though a little tough to sew in place due to the many layers (a thimble would be useful!). I would very much like to try the wire edge ribbon method as it looks quick & even easier, but both methods yield results of course.
From Practical Ribboncraft book - click for full size!
As you can see at the top, I made one from ribbon (red) and I tried one in a strip of fabric (stripey) which was quite successful really. I’m not entirely certain what I’ll use them for as yet, but I’m sure some kind of adornment can be fashioned!
The past, has always held a certain fascination for me. I love learning about history (in a way which does not involve analysing sources like the school taught type) and I suppose that may be why I adore vintage fashion. It is like owning a tangible slice of that era gone by - the aftermath or legacy of a generation as it were. I honestly believe you can tell a lot about an time period through the dress they chose to wear; not only that, but vintage styling seemed to be more elegant - something the modern world lacks I often feel.
I’ll admit to not feeling fully confident on my ability to look at a design and say “oh yes, very reminiscent of 1920s Paris” or some similar mumbo jumbo, but I reckon I’m fairly versed up on at least the basics (i.e. not in depth, but a general jist) of the 1900s - present day (this book helped). So, in a bid to go that one step further with learning about historical dress, I purchased Four Hundred Years of Fashion a short time ago.
The book is, as the blurb states:
This lively history of fashion has become a classic in its field. Based on the V&A’s world famous collection, it tells the story of men’s and women’s fashionable dress through the ages right up to the present day. Over 200 illustrations cover clothes for all occasions and include a wide range of fashion accessories. The expertise of the Museum’s Department of Textiles and Dress gives the text unequalled authority and makes it indispensable for students and anyone with an interest in fashion.
Considering the fact that I had not read the blurb or seen the book prior to purchasing (amazon & all), it’s hardly surprising that I was slightly shocked when I received it. My first impression was that it was a heck of a lot thinner than I imagined it to be. Couple that with the somewhat drab look of the pages (I’m a fairly visual person and though I love reading novels, for books of this nature, I’m always more enticed to read when the presentation is interesting) and you may be able to grasp why I ended up not reading much of the text.
A typical B&W page layout // Accessories pages featured toward back
Despite the downfall of the layout, the book is informative and well written (what I did read of it that was, I am planning to read through all the text in small sessions, so I do not get bored or overwhelmed with information). There are a fair few images of the V&A collection which allows the reader to actually see the clothes - I would definitely LOVE to see them in real life. It is structured, as it’s split into sections covering pre-1900s, post-1900s, men’s, women’s and accessories. I like the fact that it covers menswear, something which is often neglected in fashion books, but is just as essential to know about when studying historical wear or fashion in general. It’s all inspiration at the end of the day - you can easily take a technique or idea from menswear to translate into womenswear and vice versa.
Menswear through the ages
Of course, as it frequently states throughout the text, the collection of women’s clothing is rather more comprehensive than the men’s, simply due to the typical nature of women and the typical nature of men. There were some absolutely beautiful clothes featured! It’s astounding, especially when you consider that the majority of the pre-1900 clothes are hand-made - no machines whatsoever, just a needle and thread. I found that, especially with the post-1900 stuff, I could picture wearing it in the present day. Maybe it’s just my aesthetic which means that I can easily picture wearing something 1940s-esque today (clearly I like looking like I just stepped out from a different time!) or maybe it was just that I could imagine elements of certain outfits being incorporated into modern dress. Either way, for some of the styles, they did not seem outdated in the slightest - they seemed rather timeless.
Some of my favourites within the book
Four Hundred Years of Fashion is, as the blurb states, an “indispensable for students and anyone with an interest in fashion“. It strikes me as a very useful reference tool as opposed to something which will literally spell out the components of vintage style. I love the fact that this book not only looks at ‘fashion’ (as in 20th century - present day, when the concept actually existed) but at styles of dress older than that (pre-1900s). I’d recommend it to mainly those who may be studying fashion or costume in some way (as I wish to be someday…), but if you’re like me and have a love of history & fashion, then it’s probably worth at least a flick through.
On my internet travels recently, I came across a rather intriguing website - Style Will Save Us. Essentially, an online magazine devoted to all things stylish yet ‘green’. Or, as put in their own words:
StyleWillSaveUs is an independent digital style magazine magazine (no paper here, we’re saving trees!) that loves all things super-stylish, organic, ethical, fairtrade, eco-friendly, vintage, recycled and sustainable.
As you’ve probably noticed, I can occasionally be a little bit ‘green’ and with regards to fashion & style (and indeed life in general), I like to do my little bit. I challenged myself to avoid high street clothing completely for a year, favouring secondhand/vintage and hand-made. Websites such as Style Will Save Us strike me as brilliant because they show you that you can be super stylish & fashionable whilst being eco-friendly and ethical.
credit: all images from stylewillsaveus.com
I think with eco-chic, many people have no idea where to begin. Some detest secondhand clothes or have no skill (or no confidence!) in craft - which is fair enough - but finding new, fashion forward alternatives to fast consumerism can prove tricky. Luckily, the ‘green’ cause has been a little more vocal of late through websites and blogs like SWSU and I think people are actually starting to think about where/what their clothes are from. Heck, the credit crunch must help in this way because people are more likely to be careful where their money is going.
A few quotes I particularly liked from SWSU:
…by making a few smart choices we can live lovely lives safe in the knowledge that what’s good for us can also be good for the planet.
Small things make a big difference when we do them together – all we need to do is stop for a moment, think about things and change a couple of habits or three…. That’s where StyleWillSaveUs comes in. We’re desperate to tell you about all the cool things you can do and buy so your hard earned cash goes on something you truly believe in.
I certainly believe it is possible to create a more educated world where fashion and eco/ethical issue have a positive balance. Before, many people probably avoided eco-fashion simply because it was so, well, unfashionable. No matter how much I harp on about creating your own unique style, people will always follow fashion and really, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that - it’s just about having the right mix, where you pick and choose trends to fit in with who you are. Style Will Save Us strikes me as a excellent website for that fashion-lover who wants to be more environmentally conscious, whilst still being their stylish self.
First things first, I ought to inform you lovely blog readers that the url has now moved. You are currently viewing this from coralstars.com rather than coralstars.com/blog! Don’t worry if you are a feed subscriber, I have already updated the settings in feedburner and all should be working for you! We are currently attempting to get the redirection for visitors set up which should be done soon enough…
In other news, we have a lovely new layout! This is why I have been absent for the entire week in terms of posting - I’ve been working behind the scenes instead. The kinks are still being ironed out, but we are pretty much up and running. Do let me know if you run into any problems whilst using it.
To all those looking forward to the shop relaunch, I have decided that it would be more effective/easier to create an etsy shop rather than manually do one on here. I shall be creating that over the next few weeks and, with some luck, that should be open in the summer! Now then, I am off to sleep, real posts will commence this weekend!
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In a rare moment of freedom during school, I decided take a photo of why exactly I don’t post more outfit photos (not that you necessarily want to see more pictures of me) - the dreaded school ‘dress code’.
Whilst most schools in the UK allow their students to wear whatever they want in sixth form, my school requires us to wear black and white. And it’s not as if we can mix it up a bit (white jacket with black shirt maybe? or a spot of grey?) - we HAVE to wear a plain white top or shirt, with black trousers/skirt/shorts and black jacket, suitable for an ‘office environment’. It’s a blooming pain I can tell you - I crave a bit of colour in what I wear, it cheers me up! Plus most of my wardrobe is colourful, not black & white.
Luckily, we can wear whatever shoes we want (something I am lacking in though), any accessories (colourful scarves are a regular feature for me, though not shown here) and wear nail polish if we want. I guess I just have to get my thinking cap on as to outfit concoctions…
