Erica Bunker | DIY Style! The Art of Cultivating a Stylish Wardrobe: Vogue 8333

What I'm Wearing | The Rainy Day Edition!

2:00 PM

Don't you just hate rainy days? I know I do. I wish I could just opt out of every obligation and just stay home and sew. Grocery shopping? Sorry, I'm not going. Eat whatever you can find... it's raining. My child needs to be picked up from school? Sorry kid. Bum a ride... it's raining. I kid...

So, instead of being a Grumpy Gus about the weather... you know, matters completely out of my control. I decided to suck it up, put on a nice outfit and attend an early morning event.

Can I tell y'all how much I still love this jacket? Oh, and my husband told me I have way too many consecutive posts wearing sunglasses. And he'd appreciate if I gave them a rest. Well, since there was no sun, I granted his wish! LOL

click to enlarge

So, the reason I got out in the cold rain was for Belk's Spring '13 Fashion Tour that was held on yesterday at the Birmingham Summit Mall location. And it was totally worth it. I'll talk more about the fashion trends that were introduced in a separate post. But I wanted to share with you the beauty trends that were gifted to us in our goodie bag. I can't wait to fully experience all of the products. But as of right now, my favorite 2 are the AHAVA Mineral Hand Cream and Isaac Mizrahi's new fragrance "Fabulous". The hand cream is amazing. I've been using it since I left the store yesterday. It doesn't have a greasy residue and it's perfect to use while handling fabric and using a touch screen device. And the fragrance smells wonderful. And what better name for what I'm certain will become my Spring/Summer signature scent.

Wearing: jacket: Vogue 8333; leather peplum top: Vogue 8815; pants: Vogue 1143; shoes: Shoe Dazzle.com; necklace: BCBG Max Azria (old); purse (old); umbrella: Totes.

Baroque and Brocade

What I'm Wearing | Ivory + Sparkle + Shine

12:15 PM

Last night was Date Night: Cocktails while watching the Lakers vs. Knicks! Go Jeremy Lin! And we saw "Safe House". Great movie with plenty of action from beginning to end. I highly recommend it! Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds were excellent!

The temp starting dropping last night and it was windy, cold and misty by the time the night was over. Seems as if everytime I wear these pants, it begins to rain. Jinx! And today it's freezing, so I have to pull a dreaded coat out of the closet.

If you've noticed, I take "Date Night" pretty serious. It's that special time that my husband and I carve out for ourselves so that we can just be "us". And I dress for the occasion. If we were still in the dating stage of our relationship, I would have gotten all dolled-up to go out with my boyfriend. So why not do that for my husband?! And he does the same for me. I think when you stop putting forth effort, that's when marriages go down hill. After 20 years, we have to keep it fresh and fun!

Wearing: blazer: Vogue 8333; top: sequined pullover (old) from Know Style; pants: Vogue 1059; shoes: calf-hair leopard slingbacks: last seen here; green clutch is same as here.

Baroque and Brocade

Vogue 8333 - My Baroque-style Jacket

8:30 PM

Project Details:

Pattern: Vogue 8333 - Claire Shaeffer's Custom Couture Collection

Pattern Sizing: 6 - 22, I cut the 16.

Description: Semi-fitted, lined, partially interfaced, below waist jacket has princess seams, slightly extended shoulders, shoulder pads, in-seam pockets with pleats, side panels (no side seams), shaped hem, and long two-piece sleeves with buttoned vents. A: underlined and couture construction techniques.

Did it look like the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Well, kind of!

Fabric: Black-Gold-Silver Brocade (54% Nylon, 30% Poly) from Jo-Anns

Lining: Ivory Charmeuse (100% Silk)

Were the instructions easy to follow? The instructions are EXCEPTIONAL! Even if you never actually sew this pattern, if you have a desire to learn "luxurious couture construction details" it's worth purchasing. You can apply them to any jacket or coat!

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? In addition to the awesome instructions and couture tips that are included, this pattern has excellent "bones".

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I made a small FBA and added 2 inches to the length. Yes, it was pretty short (for me)! I also used a combination of both the ready-to-wear instructions and the couture.

As I previously mentioned, I blocked fused with a nylon fusible knit interfacing. I added 3 buttons to the sleeve vent instead of 1. I used uncovered shoulder pads and sleeve heads. I added piping to my lining for a little bit of color.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? This is a fabulous jacket and I wouldn't be opposed to sewing it again. And I highly recommend it. It's like taking a couture class!

couture sewing

Updates!

6:00 PM

In case any of you were wondering if I had abandoned the idea of making my "Balmain-inspired" jacket, well here is where I am so far...

I completed the shell last night. I had mentioned that I was going to fuse the fabric and I was warned of complications. Well... I'm hard-headed and determined to do things MY way! LOL "My Way" is to block fuse first. That way if there's any shrinkage, it'll happen before I cut!

That jacket is going together great and the drafting is SUPERB! I've had a lot going on lately and it's just really slow going. I still haven't even cut the lining out. Sigh... I'm ready for this to be finished, but I'm not going to rush it. If I don't feel like working on it, then that's usually a day of no sewing. Sadly, I'm monogamous to a project. I can't start a "relationship" until I've ended the last!

I love the sleeves! I may use this draft for a "Chanel" jacket that I'm planning this season. Unlike the pattern (which has 1 button), I added three buttons to mine. I absolutely LOVE the buttons! I think they match the "Baroque-ness" of the jacket that I was going for!

More to come on this...

In other news...

A few readers had suggested that I enter my "birthday dress" in the LBD Contest at Pattern Review. I was thinking, now how in the world am I supposed to turn this backless dress into a daytime look??? I mentioned this to my husband and without even blinking, he said, "Add a jacket." A jacket? Well, duh! Why didn't I think of that?

Here is my composite photo:

And here is what I did to change it up:

I added a necklace, my Simplicity 3631 jacket (made it 3 years ago and I still wear it!), fishnet tights and ankle booties.

For my next look, I added a leather bomber jacket, a black leather studded belt, black suede over-the-knee boots and a bright orange fringed bag for a pop of color.

Voting starts on Sunday, October 17th! If you like the way I put this together, then please VOTE for me!

Baroque and Brocade

Inspiration: Baroque Style

1:00 PM

So, lately I've been inspired by the baroque opulence that seems to be everywhere for this Fall. I'm completely seduced by the rich, gilded fabrics. I've been completely obsessed with the Balmain F/W 2010 collection since I first saw it. I fell in love with the hard-hitting rocker chic meets 17th century European style.