Hot Pink, Shimmering Gold And Gothic Romance.

Here we are. It's Thursday. London Fashion Week is done and we're onto Milan Fashion week. Celebrities are being spotted, and street style is being  photographed. Designers continue to show a bit of everything, classy to wacky. And I'm loving it!

Unfortunately, I live in Canada and I'm broke, so I can't actually go to London or Milan. But I can experience it from afar, via the internet, and a wonderful website; style.com, where you can see full collections from every fashion show, right away. The fall/winter collections for this year are stunning. And I've noticed a few trends that I can't wait to try out!

One trend is a colour that's been lighting up runways, left, right, and centre!  Hot pink is hot for fall and I for one am looking forward to injecting a splash of fluorescent femininity into my wardrobe.

But what goes with hot pink other than the obvious choices of black and white? Well,Twenty 8 Twelve, shows that purple pairs quite nicely when done in  an equally vibrant shade.

What I would also put with hot pink (because, why not?) would be something in metallic gold! And gold has be ALL OVER the runways lately. We've seen it as hardware on skirts and bags at Burberry Prorsum;

Dramatic evening gowns by Giles;

And elegant embroidery from Marchesa.

Of course, there must be a contrast to these brighter looks, and there is.  Also gracing the catwalk at London  Fashion Week were quite a few dark, gothic looks.

This is what I love about fashion; with every season, there's so much creativity and inspiration!  And there's always great new trends! 

Brand New Bows!

A couple of years ago, for Christmas, I received a cute pair of black, satin slippers, with little bows on them.

A few months ago, on of those bows fell off, and I lost it.

So, I made new bows for my slippers.

I used scissors, a needle and thread, and 2 equal lengths of black satin ribbon.

The one slipper had already lost it's bow, but I had to take the bow off of the other.  

I tied ribbons into bows, and adjusted them until they looked the way I wanted them to; nice and full, and even.

Then, I sewed from the inside of the slipper, out,

I stuck the needle through the centre of the bow,

And I sewed the bow down with about 3 or 4 stitches, until I was satisfied that it was secure.

Then I did the same with the second slipper.

And VOILA!  I actually like these bows much better than the bows that the slippers came with.  These are much bigger and more feminine.

Beautifying Blemishes

A stain is to a garment as a really bad pimple is to a face.  It's obvious, distracting, and sometimes just gross.

But, unlike pimples, not all stains go away.

Such was the case with one of my favourite summer dresses.

You can't really tell from this photo, but this dress has (had?) a few fairly visible ink stains on the skirt and the bodice.

Stains 1, 2, and 3, respectively.

I tried every different tip I could find on how to remove ink from fabric but the stains had dried and weren't going to budge. 

Then, I came across a tip, in a magazine at school, that suggested fixing holes and rips by covering them with embroidery.  I though that would work perfectly to cover up stains, as well!

So, sketched out some floral motifs; 

And finally decided on two that I liked.

Keep in mind, as I tell you about my project; 

So, I spread part of the skirt over my embroidery hoop, with the stain sitting dead in the centre.  I drew one of the motifs over top, and I began.

First, the stems and leaves, in a dark, olive green.

Then, some princess-pink blossoms.

And a white french knot in the centre.

I also started putting flowers elsewhere on the skirt.

For the bodice I decided I'd use multiple, tiny french knots.  So far, I've done three.

But the entire bodice WILL be covered in little dots. It WILL be!

This is how the dress looks now.

Not a HUGE difference, I know. I only added three tiny dots and a few small  flowers. And one of those flowers is hidden behind a pleat. But this is a work in progress. I plan on doing about an hour of embroidery each night and I should have it all ready in time for when the warm weather returns. 

I Just Saw Les Miserables!

Ok, so I knew of the story as a child, because my dad is, like, obsessed with it! But I never really understood the story; what it was about or how it went.  But tonight, with my mom and dad, I went to see it. And, in my opinion, it is a masterpiece!

The music is so heartfelt and beautiful. Unlike some musicals, where the musics distracts from the story, in Les Mis, the music really adds to it.

Scenes that I think are sheer perfection?

Well, this scene, of course:

Anne Hathaway singing "I Dreamed A Dream" after her character has had to resort to prostitution to support her beloved child that she never gets to see.  I cried.

Also, the scene after the battle at the barricade, where the bodies of the revolutionaries are lined up, and Javert pins his medal to that little boy's vest. Again, I cried.

Then, the next scene taking place in that horribly destroyed tavern; Marius singing about his friends and how he hopes their sacrifice was not in vain.

Who could NOT cry when seeing such a beautiful face in so much pain?

And, of course, I love the message of the movie; that everyone needs a second chance, and everyone needs mercy and grace, because no one's perfect and everyone has their struggles.  

All in all, I now understand my fathers obsession, and now I share it.