Archive for the ‘Fashion’ Category
-
Crafty times: the zipper flower part 2
Well crafters, there’s good news and there’s bad news.
The good news is, the zipper flower is done. Ish.
The bad news is that it just about defeated me and I’ve finished this project with one zipper amoeba and a whole new appreciation for Velcro, snaps and ties.
Zippers are a tricky business, and to turn one into a flower, well, I think that takes a little more dexterity than your correspondent here could muster. Only those who play fast and loose with the whole representational thing are likely to call my little craft a flower. It is a zipper amoeba.
Here’s how I did it, along with a few tips on how NOT to do yours.
First, I consulted a very handy tutorial on craftster.org. Once I had an idea of what I was doing (or thought I did), I gathered my crafting components: needle, thread, scissors and zipper. I had run out of black thread and so had to buy more, which nudged my costs above the £5 mark, but not too far out of reach: all in, my bill was £6.30.
Everything you need to make a zipper flower
Posted in Crafting, Fashion, Uncategorized
-
May the best-dressed man win – part 2
Here I am, back for instalment two of my manly clothing challenge. Today I’m going to look at a few trends to embrace – and a few faux-pas to avoid – before flagging up my first menswear shopping destination.
Pockets everywhere -- a top trend for Autumn/Winter
The not-so-fine line between fashion and faux-pas
I think it’s fair to say that some men tend to be a little more wary of fashion than they need to be.
Posted in Fashion
-
May the best-dressed man win – part 1
Hot on the heels of our recent (and so successful!) Mulberry handbag challenge, we’ve received another fashion test, this one from an OolaMoola reader named Roberto.
Roberto has asked us to “find a top class and top condition man bag from Mulberry… and a classic Mac… or anything male-centric”.
The Mac -- perfect for Autumn
From fashion week to the high street, men’s fashion tends to take a backseat to women’s fashion. This challenge provides me with an opportunity to try to redress that balance, or at least offer a little hope to the menfolk out there who are still wearing last, last, last season’s tired threads.
Posted in Fashion
-
Last year’s clothing, this year’s trends – part 2
Earlier this week I described two easy ways to get an extra season out of boots (toughen them up with boot straps or even skinny belts) and lightweight jackets (stitch in some shoulder pads).
For this post, I’m trying out a third way of extending the wardrobe into Autumn/Winter 09: switch up the buttons on your winter coats.
For my first foray into button swapping, I’m using a grey wool Banana Republic coat. I bought it two seasons ago but have only worn it a dozen or so times, so it’s still in very good condition.
As you can see, it’s a fairly low-key topper: slightly cropped sleeves, hits athe high hip, minimal detailing, and just the four plain dark buttons. This coat needs an update if it’s going to get any wear this season.
Posted in Fashion
-
Last year’s clothing, this year’s trends – part 1
Every season, fashion nudges us in new directions – or at least directions slightly different to the ones we were moving in the season before! You can spend a fortune keeping up with trends by replacing your clothing every season, or you can get a little crafty by adapting last year’s clothing to this year’s trends.
Perhaps one of the biggest Autumn/Winter 09 trends is the re-embracing of that old eighties standby, the shoulder pad. What works on the runway isn’t always necessarily meant to work in real life (case in point: huge shoulder pads are toned down to a more high-street friendly detailed shoulder) but something we’re seeing a lot of, and will only see more of in the months to come, is the shoulder pad.
Posted in Fashion
-
The Mulberry handbag challenge – job done!
I am pleased to report that the Mulberry handbag challenge is now complete, thanks to a clever little shop called Seconda Mano.
Seconda Mano -- this way for bargains
This past weekend I ambled up to Seconda Mano (no website, but I’m told one is on the way) in Islington to investigate an oft-told tale that until now I had disregarded as the stuff of urban myth.
Posted in Fashion
-
The Mulberry handbag challenge – part 2
Week two of the handbag hunt and alas I’m no closer…
This is a tricky challenge, finding a Mulberry handbag for £100
This week I looked online and did some research into offline shopping. Specifically, I looked into the places I think we’re most likely to hit paydirt: charity shops.
First I checked eBay
Posted in Fashion
-
Beauty case giveaway - Day 1!
London Fashion Week kicks off at Somerset House this Friday, with some of the hottest designers showing their latest collections. To celebrate the arrival of style in our capital, Oola Moola has teamed up with Beauty-Boxes.com to give you the chance to win a fabulous beauty case every day of London Fashion Week.
Today we’re giving away this gorgeous, Cream Valene Case:
The Valene would grace any dressing table, bedroom or bathroom. With stylish chrome hinges and black handle, the case opens to reveal two soft lined compartments, perfect for storing make-up, brushes or hair accessories. The deep bottom tray securely holds bottles or pots, whilst the lockable catch on top means that all your beauty secrets stay that way!
Want to be the lucky winner? Well, you CAN! But first, we have a question for you…
Which designer said: “No, I’m not a French designer either. I’m from nowhere. I’m a European, old European is all I am.”
For your chance to win, tweet the answer to us @oolamoola on Twitter before 9:00 am Friday 18/09/09. That’s tomorrow morning!
When the deadline is up - we’ll collect all the correct answers and draw a winner, who will be announced here at our blog before the end of the day.
By participating, you agree to the full Terms & Conditions found here.
Good luck, and don’t forget to come back tomorrow when we’ll be giving away the St. Tropez beauty case…
Posted in Fashion
-
Sew your own: simple shift dress
I enjoyed an at-home stitch and bitch the other night with a friend who wanted to try out a little sewing project.
She was inspired by the myriad multi-way shift dresses in shops at the moment and thought she would try to make one of her own. I was invited along in official pressing capacity (which was fine with me – if my Mum taught me anything at the sewing machine it is that Ironing Is Critical).
Our goal was to make a simple dress that could be worn multiple ways. We took as inspiration the sack dress, originally developed in the 1950s by Givenchy, and more recently re-thought by American Apparel. In fact, many people are making similar dresses. Lucky for us, the fabulous eHow hosts a helpful little sack dress tutorial which uses an old t-shirt as a pattern.
Posted in Fashion
-
Win a gorgeous beauty case every day of London Fashion Week
In celebration of London Fashion Week, Oola Moola has teamed up with Beautyboxes.com to give you the chance to win a stylish beauty box every day of London Fashion Week.
Beautifully designed and durable, the beauty cases come in different styles, colours and finishes. They’re the perfect choice to keep your cosmetic collection safe and organised, while you work or travel.
Visit Oola Moola every day from Friday 18th September for your chance to win.
Good luck!
