neat-o

I'm still working. But I want to share these great little gems with you!

From Monkapaws via Love My Dress

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You all have got to check out this blog and subscribe. It is seriously amazing and I just can't keep it to myself any longer. OK, now I'm going back to work.

Working on something big!

I'll most likely be a little M.I.A. for a couple of weeks because I'm working on something big! (That I unfortunately can't tell you about just yet!) See you soon!

Dress of a different color

An earlier post of mine about wearing alternative color wedding gowns has enjoyed a bit of traffic, mostly for the black gown I featured in the picture. I thought you alterna-brides might take inspiration this interesting black gown by Oblivion Clothing.

Golden Globes Glamour

So the Emmy's had the intense heat, and the Golden Globes had the rain (so much for our perfect Southern California weather)!

A few trends from the night: The multi-colored Remember Haiti ribbon was de riguer. Jewelry was understated again, with virtually no necklaces to be seen. There were lots of one-shoulder numbers and many of the gowns were so long they actually "puddled" on the ground with not even a peep of shoe to be seen. An elegant look, but probably difficult to deal with on the rain-soaked red carpet (I thought they would have put up a tent!). Unfortunately, none of the umbrellas were much to look at.

There were so many gorgeous gowns to look at. Kate Hudson's Marchesa gown was a feat of fabric engineering, constructed with superb craftsmanship and fitted her perfectly.


Modern Family's Sofia Vergara stood out from the crowd in a slate-with-crimson-accents Carolina Herrera gown with a unique train.

Mo'Nique looked incredible in her gold drapey strapless gown that complimented her full figure perfectly.


Black was probably the most popular color choice of the evening. January Jone's Lanvin gown did black best, boasting clean bold lines and texture variation.



Pastel fleshy tones were another popular choice for the evening. Mad Men's Christina Hendricks took the cake in her va-va-voom peach satin Christian Siriano gown. I love that she is never afraid of her gorgeous curves!


Emily Blunt, Drew Barrymoore, Nicole Kidman, Felicity Huffman also sported lovely pale-hued gowns.

There was also a smattering of winter jewel tones worn by the likes of Zoe Saldana, Gabourey Sidibe ,and Jenna Krakowski, but Marion Cottillard set the bar for the night in her super dark emerald green Christian Dior with that edgy little peek of a slip showing from her up-to-there slit. It seems unfair that so much talent, beauty, and French fashion sense could belong to one woman, but there you have it!


There were quite a few bold choices on the red carpet as well, which I find refreshing.

Tina Fey looked appropriately whimsical in her black-and-white Zac Posen gown. I think the length is a little awkward for her, but love the shoes!

Diane Kruger of Inglorious Basterds really pulled of this hot-pink ombre Christian Lacroix gown. I love the juxtaposition of the bright color with the conservative cut.

Chloe Sevigny almost suffered a wardrobe malfunction when the train of her lilac Valentino gown was trod upon as she ascended the stage to accept her award for her role on Big Love. The strapless ruffled number was a par-for-the-course daring choice for the actress but unfortunately did not flatter from every angle.

Patricia Arquette of Medium definitely gets the "better luck next time" for her snake-print number. Between the print, the criss-cross bodice, awkward neckline and the flutter sleeves there is just too much going on and it does nothing to flatter her figure.


PS: Dear Olivia Wilde, Mariah Carey, Halle Berry, in this fashion-lover's humble opinion, the plunging neckline look is way over. We all know you have amazing breasts, but it's time to move on.

Style Conscious

(via Love, JD)

Help Haiti! $15 gets you this t-shirt, designed by Studio Number One,

& 100% of the cost goes to UNICEF relief efforts in Haiti.

Every penny going to Haiti right now means life-saving medicine, water

and shelter, and UNICEF is especially instrumental in securing these

for children.

Order your shirt here and spread the word!

Project Trench Coat

Sometimes you lose a button in a busy place and you don't have any idea where you placed the little plastic baggie with the extra button that came with your garment when you bought it. (Exhibit A, missing button on left side of jacket, lost at a bowling alley during a holiday party).

But you don't despair because you know that you can solve your problem and dress up your plain garment with some cool new buttons for just a little time and effort and not much cash. (Exhibit B: square tiger-stripe amber, silvery and black buttons purchased for $1 each at Michael Levine's in downtown LA's garment district).


And the result is a slightly dressed-up, improved version of the original (Exhibit C). I ended up going a little more subtle than I had originally planned, but I feel like the result is polished but still interesting. I feel just a little cooler wearing my black Target trench now.
Of course, I could have avoided all this effort if I had just reinforced the buttons when I first bought the jacket, but I'm rarely that motivated. Also, while I was putting away the extra new buttons that I bought, I found the original manufacturer-provided extra button in my button stash (turns out I occasionally put things where they belong). But I'm OK with that, I like the new buttons much better.

"I don't even know how to sew on a button!"

When I tell people that I sew, one of the most common responses is, "I don't even know how to sew on a button!" There are a some practical life skills I think should be taught to everyone in school that get sadly overlooked by many... how to type, how to balance your checkbook, and how to sew on a button are just a few. Through the power of the internet, you can now learn this handy little life skill and will no longer need to call on mom or shell out money to a dry cleaner to get buttons replaced. Also, replacing boring buttons with buttons that are whimsical, colorful, or elegant can breathe new life into a garment and make it look couture and one-of-a-kind. They are like jewelry for you garment. And no one will ever guess you bought it at Target.

Here's one video that shows how to sew on a typical four-hole button. The video moves a bit fast, so pause it as needed. They have tried to make it a bit hip and fun by adding music and amusing titles.



And here's one that demonstrates sewing a shank button. It is a little slower moving, and very thorough and informative.



Happy button sewing!

(stay tuned for the results of my own missing button project!)