DIY Twisted Jersey Skirt

Happy Good Friday, and greetings from the bottom of Western Australia!  I am currently in Albany (preparing for Winter back in Perth so it seems) but that doesn't mean I can't deliver you some DIY goodness whilst we're abroad.  I also now have a Spotlight store within 5 minutes from my house, so I really have no excuses...

Plus it's the long weekend so that means extra DIY time if you're home alone like me!

Anyway, as alluded to in my recent loot post featuring part of my haul from Witchery, here's another DIY project for you to try out.  Initially my plan was to do quite a lot of cutting and sewing to achieve the gathered effect of the skirt (which is also now sold out - what a bummer!), but Fashion Eggplant's Alexander Wang jersey skirt tutorial made it a hell of a lot easier!  You could even technically do this without a sewing machine if you were patient.  

It took me a little while to get my head around the instructions on Fashion Eggplant, but it finally clicked in my head and the result of her tutorial was great!  This link takes you to a pdf of the instructions as per Fashion Eggplant's site, illustrated by me.  Hopefully it makes sense!

DIY: TWISTED JERSEY SKIRT

You will need:

1.5m of jersey fabric (or at least enough to wrap around your waist twice)

Scissors

Elastic for the waistband

Sewing machine 

1. Cut out your fabric.  The length should be double your desired skirt length, plus a bit more to account for bunching.



2. Fold the fabric in half (so the width is preserved but the length is shortened), with the good side of the fabric facing inwards.  Mismatch the ends as per the picture below and in the pdf instructions - the more of a discrepancy there is, the more twisting the skirt will have.  I recommend at least a quarter of the width to get some good-going twisting!



3. Sew the top edge together, then turn the tube you've created inside-out.



4.  Sew another seam on the top edge (see picture below), making sure you leave enough space to cram your elastic through for the waistband.



5.  Fold the tube of fabric in half & mark out where your side seam will go by tracing an existing skirt for reference.  Sew the side up!  But make sure you leave a small gap so you can insert the elastic waistband.




6.  Measure your elastic and thread it through the gap for the waistband you made earlier.



Et voila!

You can arrange the twists in the skirt to make it more or less gathered.  An easy, comfy wardrobe addition!

Here's the pdf link again if you were all like "huh???" whilst trying to follow just the photos.  And here's Fashion Eggplant's post for even more information!


xx T

Gotta Catch 'em All!

Thanks to Felix for this one - Pokemon&Fashion

Hours of tumblr amusement (as if I needed any more already).

T

2WW: Boot Camp

Today's 2 Way Wednesday theme is camouflage-chic.

Camo pants have been doing the rounds for a long while now, with the craze instigated no doubt by J Brand's Houlihans & their abundant celeb following.  But as usual, it's never too late to try out a trend & perhaps this post can be your life raft if you completely missed the boat.

This style of pants (or should I say 'pant'?  Much more fashion) is so comfortable, which was ideal for the day of lectures we were about to endure.  We both wore them quite differently & added our own little details to make the two outfits unique.  One is very "T" & the other very "S".






T wore:
Zara camo pants
Country Road bomber jacket
Rubi shoes boots
Le Specs Runaways

S Wore:
Zara khaki pants & flats
Marcs tshirt
Portmans jacket
Vintage bag from Mum


We'd love to hear what you think about these kinds of posts, so send us a comment/tweet/anonymous love letter of any kind.


xx S & T

Lake Ballard

Less than a week has passed since being in Kalgoorlie* & I already have some photos of the outback for you!  Ooh lala, so speedy!
We went on a day trip through Ora Banda & Menzies (both tiny little towns) to Lake Ballard, a spot that is usually known for its ridiculously good looking sunset, but is equally amazing in the daytime.  Google map it before you look at the photos, to put in perspective how remote it is... or just click here if you're feeling lazy.

*(most of the week has been spent sweating in the outdoors or freezing in the chilly aircon'd indoors, but that's another post altogether. One I should title "how not to pack for a trip to the outback")

An old Two-Up shed, still used for  "assorted activities" as you can see by the empty beer box

^^Proof that I did not get these photos from google images

I love how the colours in the outback are so vidid.  What I do not love is my Converses now being a vivid shade of orange mud.  Next time I'll forget my standards and just wear joggers (with jeans, gasp)!

From the outback with love,

xx S

A Bit More Than Basic

This is how I'd dress every day if I were allowed to - clean and simple, just how I like it.  It looks el borangggg, except for the fact on closer inspection the black pants are in a subtle brocade fabric, and the trainers have a hidden wedge (hooray for the height advantage).  Pow!  Basics with a sneaky twist!  I'm not sure what started it or where it came from, but I'm preferring a basic pared-down ensemble to trend dressing at the present.  Which reminds me that I still have to show you my illustrated "perfect" wardrobe!  (Soon, soon - I bought that iPad and have been sketching in my spare time)

Anyway continuing on that tangent, apart from one weekend in Sihanoukville where I spent a solid 6+ hours watching FashionTV, I haven't kept up with fashion month.  It's a bit of a travesty since I'm supposed to be a blogger and have an opinion about that sort of stuff, but in reality my current state is that it's just a bit fatigued - mostly when it comes to the media circus, (more) street style, etc.  Don't you fret, it's probably just a phase - but I do wonder; why is everyone feeling so super-saturated at the moment?  See Francesca & Ivania - they both put it nicely.  The funny thing is that this fatigue seems to be doing the rounds right now, and I've noticed a solid dose of this "back to basics" business on a fair few blogs. I wonder what the rebound will be and when it will happen?

Karen Walker sunglasses
Agent Ninety-Nine striped tee - c/o General Pants
Axara Paris brocade pants
Nike Dunk Ski-Hi's (my fave shoes of 2012)

Happy Monday - some travel photos to grace the blog this week!

xx T

My Latest Loot: Winter '13

Oh weather, the moment I think I'm on top of my wardrobe, you change.  Because of you, weather, I never strayed too far from the sidewalk have been forced to create a proper trans-seasonal wardrobe.  In Perth, the business of Summer & Winter wardrobes is 100% Australian bull.  All you truly need is proper basics in breathable material that will work for anytime, seeing as "Winter" lasts for about a fortnight & only requires a light jacket + scarf.

Witchery faux fur vest here,  Trenery boat neck top here, All Saints leather jacket here (Just Jeans bargain here), Trenery knit here, Ksubi denim here, Country Road boots here.

The collage above is almost within my grasp, thanks to going a bit wild last week on the retail front.  I am now conveniently sitting in the hot Australian outback with a wardrobe of lovely Winter clothes at home.  Good one Steph!

xx S

2WW: Runaways

Today is the beginning of an exciting new Wednesday venture on Le Fanciulle.
We're calling it 2 Way Wednesday (2WW) & we'll see how long it lasts...

On a related but different note, sunglasses have always been a struggle for T & I.  That is, nice ones that properly suit our faces.  We're not believers in the bug-eyed-celeb look or spending huge amounts for something you might sit on any moment, so imagine our surprise when we came across a pair that suits us both!  (Not to mention they are SO sturdy.  I'd say unbreakable, but that would be tempting fate.)

Le Specs 'Runaways' from Sunglasses Shop


Le Specs are growing on us for a good quality pair of shades.  They lie in a happy middle ground (price wise) between the people who get their annual eyewear supply in Bali & the people who splurge on big brands.  As you can see in the mad gif above, we're pretty happy about this current pair!

On a real life note, T & I have left Perth (again!) and today we begin a month in rural Western Australia.  We will try very hard not to become flanno-wearing bogans.


xx S

Speedy

Oh harro!
This is my work outfit.

Actually that's a big lie - I have a uniform for work, and also I'd never wear this get-up to the hospital because the skirt is too short and the bag doesn't fit my laptop.  But I did wear this for our blogger's high tea, a little while back now!  (Still salivating though...)

Yeah yeah, I'm still dragging my feet in showing you my illustrated perfect wardrobe.  BUT be assured that all the elements in the featured get-up are from said wardrobe.  Including the LV Speedy 25, which I decided last year during exam-time that it would be the holiday bag addition.  So here I am looking most fresh-off-the-boat, toting my LV like your stereotypical Asian lady.  But the good thing I think is that there is not a hint of "It-bag" in sight (admittedly though, if the mini Pashli had been in stock, I would have bought it), and for that I am happy this little work-horse has joined my collection of classics.

What could go wrong? Audrey Hepburn had the 25 made for her!  

Zimmerman silk shirt (eBay gold!)
Zara skirt 
Bloch patent ballet flats
LV Speedy 25 bag - thanks Simon!


Attempting to curate more classics as we speak,

xx T

Lavender Blue Dilly Dilly

Double me, aren't you lucky?!

I was so chuffed when I realised this lavender blazer perfectly matched my new Uniqlo shirt.  Combined with some neutral coloured chinos & accessories, this is quite a fancy-lady-attending-High-Tea outfit, I must say... which is lucky, as that is exactly where it was worn.

Chinos - Cheap Monday
Shirt - Uniqlo
Blazer - Armani (hand me down)
Bag - Seafolly
Shoes - Zara

Keep your peepers open for T's high tea outfit tomorrow, which you can read in style while we both spend an absolutely glamorous 7-ish hours on a bus (T) or train (S) to the outback...


xx S