DIY INSPIRATION - A NEW HEMLINE

Just as last season we saw a shift towards the fishtail hem, I have a feeling that a new shape will be huge in the coming season - this 'dippy in the middle' style (ok so clearly I'm not very good at coining fashion terms - can anyone help me out here?).  I first noticed it on the Lover serpent dress, and now I can't help but notice it everywhere - including the Chloe AW12 Lookbook below. Love it or hate it - either way I think it's here to stay - and it's highly DIYable!

Images: Oracle Fox

BEFORE & AFTER: THE ASYMMETRIC HEM MINI SKIRT

I noticed a little while ago that a subtle new skirt shape was popping up amongst many of my favourite brands - the asymmetric hem. Rather than a big cut out, this asymmetric shape has just a small triangle of fabric peeking over the edge of the hem - but it's this tiny detail that gets me. Today I'm going to share with you another before & after project - turning a (frankly tent-like) thrifted skirt into my own version of the asymmetric mini.

You may not be able to see it clearly in this photo but the original skirt had a waistline that was a little less than double my own, and that was a key element which allowed me to make the split hem.

A number of different asymmetric hem skirts inspired this project - including these two below - the Ellery 'Wei Wei' wrap skirt and a Kahlo navy leather number. I was also lightly channeling the amazing skirt shapes in the Proenzer Schouler AW12 show (recap here).

You need:
 - An oversized skirt with a zip in the back (rather than the side). Look for one at least 1.5 times the size of your waist. I was super happy to find this Stella-esque printed number in my local thrift store for less than a dollar.
- Scissors
- A needle and thread (and sewing machine if you want to change the length of the hem like I did)

 How to: 
 1. First I cut the skirt to mini length and hemmed it.

2. I put the skirt on (I have done it on the hanger here so you can see clearly) and wrapped it like a kilt or the way you would a towel, doubling the excess fabric over at the front.

3. I then pinned the folded edge to the front of the skirt, but first put it on a diagonal angle so that the hem dropped down to create the asymmetric shape.

4. Finally, I ironed and then stitched the top edge of the folded section to the front of the skirt, leaving the side edge free to allow for movement. I made sure to create a clean line along the waistband.

Wearing: DIY mini, Country Road Singlet, 'Karissa' Tony Bianco heels

DIY PRINTED TRIM MINI SKIRT

Being addicted to all things tribal, printed and mini I recently collaborated with College Fashion in making this embellished mini skirt that channels the bang-on-trend Aztec/tribal vibe that I love so much (check this out if you don't believe me!). At the risk of sounding like a broken record, for this project I took a little inspiration from one of my favourite Sass & Bide collections, a few pieces from which you can see below. Same same, but different.

I had a somewhat blah black thrifted skirt in my closet that I thought would be the perfect base for this project - and knew that with a little imagination I could make it something I would want to wear all the time come summer.

You need: 
- A skirt - check out your local thrift or dollar stores.
- Around 2 metres of embroidered trim
- A needle and thread (or sewing machine)
- Scissors

How to: 

1. To create the basic mini skirt, I shortened the longer skirt to mini length. To do this, measure the appropriate length by using a skirt you already wear as a guide for cutting.

2. Hem the skirt by rolling the fabric over and sewing down.

3. Cut two pieces of trim to match the length all the way around of the hem and waistband. If you want you can use a lighter to lightly singe the trim so it doesn't fray.

4. Hand sew (or use a sewing machine) to attach the printed trim to the waistband and the hem - sewing both edges to secure. Update: For the top piece I located the edges of the embroidered trim on either side of the back zip, and for the bottom piece I overlapped the trim and sewed  it down on the left hand side.

And there you have it, all done! A perfectly chic, on-trend and inexpensive mini skirt which will take you into spring without so much as a backwards glance.

Wearing: DIY Mini skirt | H&M t-shirt | Karen Walker Sunglasses | Mango Boots | Locally Designed Rings | DIY Bell Bracelets

On another note, I'm speaking next week on my favourite subject of reworked clothing and before & after  projects at a conference for Redress. Looking forward to it.

Follow a pair & a spare via

Bloglovin | Facebook | Twitter

DIY PEPLUM SKIRT

You probably already know that peplums are set to be a key trend this season. I was recently pondering how I could make my own version of the peplum - without having to faff around with bias cutting circular fabric etc. I then remembered a linen skirt that I thrifted a few weeks ago on a whim (one dollar yall!) and realised that its construction made it perfect for my next before & after project. The peplum skirt.

 Wearing: DIY Peplum skirt, Country Road Singlet, Karen Walker Sunglasses, DIY suede anklets (tutorial to come), heels courtesy of Tony Bianco.

The original skirt had a flared/fishtail style hem that was cut on the bias, not unlike the way a peplum is cut. I decided to remove it from the bottom of the skirt and resew it onto the top of the same skirt, this was actually a lot more simple than it looks.

Here's a little S/S12 peplum inspiration for you.

You need:

- A flared hem skirt (examples here and you'll find them in thrift stores )

- Scissors

- A sewing machine

- Thread matching your skirt

- Pins

How to:

1. First remove the flared part of the skirt using scissors. I did this by separating the seams so I didn't cut into the fabric and cause fraying.
2. My skirt only actually had the flared part at the sides and flat panels at the back and front. I cut the whole section off including the flat panels.

3. Cut the flared section into two panels to go on the sides of your skirt. I did this by putting the flared section on around my waist and working out how much fabric to remove to have the peplums sitting on the sides with about a 10cm gap in the middle.

4. Hem the edges of the peplum pieces so they look clean and polished.

6. Pin the peplum pieces to the skirt.

7. Sew the peplum pieces onto the skirt. My skirt had a zip in the back left hand side of the skirt so I sewed the peplum on but only to the edge of the zip, and then I attached the rest of the peplum (about 5cm) with a hook and eye. If your skirt has a zip in the middle of the back it will be much easier.

8. Finally I hemmed the skirt.

How easy was that? I wore it recently and it was a complete winner! For those of you who are interested, in these pics I'm also wearing another of my recent DIYs - black suede fringed anklets over the top of black suede Tony Bianco heels. Tutorial to come.

Follow a pair & a spare via

Bloglovin | Facebook | Twitter

DIY BRIGHTLY LINED LACE MINI SKIRT

Recently I refashioned a white lace mini skirt by lining it with a tube of bright red/orange jersey fabric - inspired by similar skirts I saw from Sass & Bide and Taylor Tomasi Hill for Lane Crawford. I made a tube of jersey to add but alternatively you could add a ready made colored tube skirt and just alter it to fit the zip in your skirt if it has one. 

You need:
- A white lace mini skirt (here or here). A pencil skirt would also look good!
- Some bright coloured jersey fabric - use any colour you like!
- A needle and thread
- Scissors
- A Sewing Machine (optional)

How to:
1. Lay the skirt over the top of the jersey fabric to work out how long you need the tube skirt.
2. Cut out the fabric in the shape of the skirt, cutting a piece that is double the hip width of the skirt (so you can fold it in half and sew one seam to create a tube).
3. Fold the fabric in half.
4. Sew the edges together to create a tube - you can hand or machine sew.There will probably be a zip somewhere in your lace skirt - back or side, so  leave an opening in the seam of your tube for the zip.
5.  Put the skirt on and slip the tube over the top of the lining but under the lace - orientating the seam of the jersey tube to the seam of the zip
6. Push the tube carefully between the fabric all the way to the edges of the waistband and zip and pin in place. You want none of the original lining to be showing through.
7. Take the skirt off and carefully hand stitch the coloured jersey lining in place along the waistband and down the sides of the zip.

Voila! You should have completely covered the original lining with the coloured tube skirt. I didn't have much problem with riding up of the jersey lining - make your tube skirt quite tight to stop this happening.

And you're done! You can wear this skirt a few times like this, and then remove the coloured lining or replace with another colour afterwards. Talk about making your clothes work for you rather than the other way around.

Inspiration images via Sass & Bide and How I Met Your Style

Follow via Bloglovin | Facebook | Twitter

DIY SEQUIN TRIANGLE BRA

This week has seen Harper's BAZAAR Style Network celebrate Australia Day by focusing on Australian Designers - with the girls donning some gorgeous outfits by local Aussie designers.  I decided to go a little bit abstract on the Australian theme and do a project that would be perfect to wear that quintessentially Australian festivity - the good old BBQ. This sequin bra would be perfect worn under a sheer white singlet or tee paired with denim cut offs and gladiator flats, and from it I get a bit of an Ellery or Sass & Bide vibe.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TUTORIAL OVER AT HARPER'S BAZAAR

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TUTORIAL OVER AT HARPER'S BAZAAR

DIY ELLERY INSPIRED DIP DYE SKIRT

Ummm how good is this Ellery inspired dip dyed skirt that one of my readers Jasmine posted on instagram not long ago? She used my dip dye tutorial but instead of using watered down dye to get an ombre look she used a stronger dye to get a more noticeable line - but still did the graduated colour by dipping. I thought about doing this as soon as I saw Jess wearing 'the ventures' dress a while ago - and was so glad that someone out there has done it!

I have to say that one of my favourite things about instagram is the number of people that do DIYs and post pics - some even send me a little mention which totally makes my day. DIYagram is what it should really be called.

Images via: Tuula and from a reader.

DIY INSPIRATION - TAYLOR TOMASI HILL FOR LANE CRAWFORD

How amazing does Taylor Tomasi Hill look in this skirt which is part of her lust worthy collection for Lane Crawford (see it here). Very much reminds me of the Sass & Bide skirt below, and completely inspires me to hit my local fabric market and get crafty. Trend alert: what could be better than neon layered underneath lace? 

Images Via How I Met Your Style and Sass & Bide

DIY INSPIRATION - CHAIN STRAP SKIRT

This S/S12 Givenchy skirt has an amazing chain strap and rounded cut out hem. DIYable? Yes indeed! This is going at the top of my 'when-I'm-next-in-a-thrift-store' list as the inspiration for a before & after project.

Images: Fashiontoast

DIY INSPIRATION - THE MINI MAXI

This absolutely gorgeous Zimmermann skirt worn by the equally lovely Jess of Tuula really inspires me to DIY - by taking a mini skirt and layering strips of maxi length fabric underneath for maximum swishy effect!

DIY INSPIRATION - THE FRINGED MAXI SKIRT

Sandra of 5 Inch and Up looks amazing in this Aqua dress - with a maxi part made entirely out of extra long fringing - DIYable? I think so. Although this may be more of a three chef hats project in terms of difficulty and general commitment required, I would love to make one. Fringing can be difficult to find, particularly at this length, so why not go outside the box and buy yourself some fringed room dividers, the ones people sometimes have up in doorways (available here) - a very cost effective way to get some fringing in your life. Simply attach to a skirt of dress and voila!

DIY DIP DYE [OMBRE] MINI SKIRT

I'm on a dip dying frenzy at the moment and nothing is safe. For me, the trick is to create the perfect gradation between the original colour and the dyed colour. The kids are calling it ombre (say it with me: ohm-bray). Want to know how you can do it yourself?

CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK'S HARPER'S BAZAAR TUTORIAL - THE OMBRE MINI

CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK'S HARPER'S BAZAAR TUTORIAL - THE OMBRE MINI

This week will be the last post for Harper's Bazaar for this year, but I've got so many projects planned with them for next year so look forward to a very creative 2012!

Wearing: Self designed silk singlet, DIY Dip Dyed Mini Skirt, locally designed metal belt, Zara suede boots.

DIY INSPIRATION - VERSACE FOR h&m GOLD TIPPED PLEATED SKIRT

The Versace for H&M collection was pretty out there. One piece that particularly caught my eye was the pleated silk mini skirt with gold embellishments on the point of each pleat. Kind of like collar tips but for pleats. Me likey! Thrift stores are full of pleated skirts, and I think I'll be trying this out using some supplies from my local framing store. It's such a small detail that makes the world of difference to a skirt.

Image: Oracle Fox

DIY LEATHER MINI SKIRT

Warning: DIY is highly contagious.The more I immerse myself in the world of DIY, the more I find that my friends and family love to get creative too. When I was in Sydney recently I found that so many friends had projects on the go. My brother's gorgeous girlfriend impressed me no end with this black leather mini skirt. DIYed from a thrifted mid length skirt (similar to this one), she simply cut it off at the desired length and used leather glue to hem it. This is such a fun example of breathing new life into an old piece to create something on-trend and infinitely wearable.

I love to see that DIY as a movement is gathering momentum and making everyone reevaluate their approach to  fashion and what they wear. I also like to think that my passion for DIY  has played a small part in encouraging my friends and family to get crafty. One can only hope! If they're not going to read your blog and listen to your ramblings then no one is right?

Do you think that websites and blogs are helping you to tap into your inner DIY guru?

Follow via Bloglovin | Facebook | Twitter

DIY FISHTAIL SKIRT | FREE PEOPLE COLLABORATION

In case you didn't see it over at the Free People website, here is the DIY Fishtail Skirt I made recently inspired by all the similar styles on the SS12 runways for their WednesDIY feature (check it out here). It's such a simple project and a great way to spice up a tired maxi or midi skirt.

You need:
A thrifted skirt (I picked one with some subtle pleating but don't go with a fully pleated skirt as they are difficult to hem)
A pair of scissors
Needle and thread
An iron.

How to:
1.  Below is obviously the way the skirt looked before I took my scissors to it. Put your skirt on and mark where you want the front, and shortest, part of the skirt to finish.

2. Take the skirt off and fold in half down the front middle of the skirt - so rather than the back and front lying against each other, it's the two sides that face each other - the way you might fold trousers before you put them on a coat hanger. Make sure the fold is directly in the middle of the front of the skirt.


3. Lay the skirt on the floor and cut out the front of the skirt - you want a semi straight line for the first 30cm of so to create the mini part of the skirt, then tapering down to the back and bottom of the skirt.

4. Try the skirt on to see if the cut out is big enough. I did this a few times, cutting more away to suit what I wanted it to look like. Take this slowly as it's always better to cut less than to cut too much.

5. Once you have a cut out that you like, fold over the edge of the skirt and iron. Fold it twice so the rough edge is covered if you need to - my skirt was a fabric that didn't fray so I skipped that step.

6. Sew a small stitch all the way around the hem.

7. Iron flat again.

Voila! All done. Now wasn't that simple? I absolutely love how this style moves around when you walk!

Now that I've tested the process I am going to make a few different coloured versions. I hope you like it and have a go yourself.

Wearing: Mango Boots, self designed silk singlet, DIY skirt.