DIY

Glitzy Glam

DIY green sequin shorts: My little labor of love before and after.

Growing up we didn’t have a lot of money so my mom would get our clothes (I’m the youngest of 3 brothers) from the community church. Although with very little options we were very grateful of course because the clothes were free. I remember this one particular green sequins xmas sweater that apparently was loved by my mother so much she would always have me wear it to school. I used to cry about it but she thought I was so cute and was just being difficult…We used to live in Jersey and during the winter it was freezing cold so I kept it on under my big coat….The freakin’ monster itches like hell and I think I could have blinded all the kids in class with the sparkles. Just imagine a bright green sweater covered in sequins with a ginormous tree in the front, and this tree was not your ordinary xmas tree. Anyway, I was the laughing stock for a while so as you can see sequins has never really land a soft spot on my heart.

…But as I got older, I have definitely learned to embrace unique styles, colors, textures and fabrics that I used to shy away from for one reason or another. Yes, even sequins!

Recently I came across a picture on Pinterest of someone wearing a pair of high waisted green sequin shorts and my hate turned into love right then and there. I wanted to add my own twist to it but I just adore simplicity of the white silky blouse tucked into a a pair of glitzy glam sequin shorts. I did however loose the pantyhose and blazer, added layered pearls and a pair of fuschia pumps. Ooh yeah, I think I’m ready for Vegas!

I’ve tried searching for the lady in green as I would like to give credit where it’s due but I can’t find her…so if you’re out there…Hello and thank you for bringing sequins back into my life (this time without the scary big tree :). xo

The most beautiful garden of sparkling flowers wrapped intricately over nude satin is this NaTasha Couture clutch. It’s the perfect (evening) accessory to add sparkles to any outfit.

[Photos by NR]
 
Top: Equipment signature white blouse
Bottom: DIY green sequin high waisted shorts
Shoes: Zara fuchsia pumps  / Purse: NaTasha Couture crystal clutch
Bracelets: Michael Kors ‘Collections’ two-tone link chain pave bracelet (similar here), Lauren by Ralph Lauren two-tone oval link / Necklace: Forever 21 pearl necklace
 

Happy Hump Day everyone! Thank you for stopping by and I hope you’re day is off to a great start!

Love, KTR

in DIY / Outfits  by KTR 62 comments

Walking On Sunshine

Vibrant, feminine, delicate with a dash of edge and sass… These beauties are just my cup of tea! I found these yellow Zara sandals during a shopping trip in LA and it was the very last pair in my size! I have the worst luck when it comes to finding a size 6 at Zara (in store), let along something so pretty and wearable. It seems like my obsession with neon is not going to subside anytime soon.

[Photos by NR]
 
Top: Material Girl black blazer / H&M white tank
Bottom: DIY distressed denim studded shorts (before: this)
Bag: BCBGeneration woven envelope clutch
Shoes: Zara yellow ankle strap sandals
Accessories: Bracelets: (From top to bottom) F21, market in PR, ASOS spikes, neon from Melrose Ave. /
Ring: BCBGeneration pave hearts ring / Glasses: Giorgio Armani aviators
 

In addition for my love for neon, one of my favorite summer trends are high waisted distressed denim studded shorts (that’s a mouth full!). A couple of months ago it was somewhat difficult to find them in stores, at least ones that are high waisted, distressed and has studs. They were mostly sold online and ranged anywhere between $75-$200… For something that I’ll wear only during the summer, economically it’s more efficient to make them at home. It’s pretty easy too! Cut, snip, thrown in washer/dryer and voila!

These particularly shorts were originally a pair of high waisted mom’s jeans purchased from a vintage shop for $10. Since I recently made a pair of blue distressed shorts, I experimented with bleach to turn this pair into white shorts. I was pretty happy with the results!

The awesome thing about DIY projects is that you can customize them to be exactly how you like. And since it’s your labor of love, it’s extra special. I love arts & crafts so naturally DIY projects are always fun for me (well until something goes wrong lol). Do you like to DIY? I’d love to know what’s your most prized DIY project… Mine was a piece of art that took me over 6 months to complete.

You can check out my DIY instructions on my first pair of distressed demin shorts here.

Happy Friday lovers! xo

in DIY / Outfits  by KTR 27 comments

Forever Is Not Long Enough (+ PFC #16)

I can remember the details like it was yesterday…It was the most beautiful September day in Georgia as I walked down the aisle with butterflies fluttering in my stomach while the tune Canon in D by the O’Neill Brothers was playing in the background. I was a nervous wreck, but for the first time that day, I saw my better half, with tears of joy and a smile of an angel. Everything was just perfect from that moment on…

[Photos by NR]
Dress: Forever 21 white lace dress (similar here)
Shoes: Beverly Feldman Davina polka dots pumps (similar here)
Birdcage Veil/ headband: DIY
Accesories: Kate Spade pearl earrings / Carolee pearl necklaces / black lace gloves from Etsy
 

With so many friends tying the knot this year, I started missing my own wedding. Periodically when the wedding fever kicks in, I would put on my dress and run around the house in it. This time I thought it would be fun to do an “after the fact” bridal session. However, since my wedding dress would sometimes occupied an entire room (not to mentioned she will swallow everyone and everything that comes under her path lol), I opted for a lightweight, easy breezy little white dress.

Wanting a similar vintage look, I wore the same birdcage veil and headband that I made for that big day. I thought about selling these after the wedding but changed my mind because they are so special to me…I’m really glad I made that choice!

Petite Fashion Challenge #16

After finishing this photo shoot I realized how perfect this outfit was for this month’s Petite Fashion Challenge #16 hosted by the lovely Lauren of Petite on a Penny. Since Lauren didn’t specify if we should be dressed as a guest, I took the chance and dressed as a summer bride! Of course I’d never wear white (or off-white) to another bride’s wedding!! :)

The challenge: “Summer Wedding – Create an outfit for a summer wedding (the dress code is up to you). For bonus points, try to make your whole outfit, head to toe, come in under $100 (or, exclude shoes and accessories to meet the $100 mark).”

in DIY / Fashion Challenge / Outfits  by KTR 38 comments

Hello Blue Rebel

Love this monogram “KTR” necklace (that resembles my blog logo) but I love it even more since it’s a gift from my dad… Someone else who wears monograms fabulously is one of my fave SF blogger, Atlantic-Pacific, who’s style is impeccable! If you haven’t, make sure you check out her blog.

One of my favorite trend this summer is high-waisted studded distressed denim shorts (that’s a mouth full :). I was looking everywhere from ebay to the usual online stores like NastyGal, ShopBop and UrbanOutfitters, but the ones I really love were well over $200, which I don’t think is worth the price IMO…esp if it’s something that can be made at home.

[Photos by NR]
 
Top: BCBGMAXAZRIA Emma button down silk chiffon blouse
Shorts: DIY (see below for tutorial)
Glasses: Giorgio Armani / Necklace: Gifted / Shoes: Christian Louboutin Very Prive
Purse: Milly Allie Clutch
Bracelets: (from top) Michael Kors ‘Collections’ two-tone link chain pave bracelet (similar here), Jest Jewels, DIY wrap bracelets, Rachel Roy friendship, Bar III neon bangle

 

I was in UrbanOutfitters last week and saw a bunch of “one of a kind” distressed shorts. After inquiring, a sales associate told me those particular shorts were jeans that’s “renewed.” My Translation: Those shorts were denim jeans purchased from thrift stores (or other various vintage shops) for under $10. Then they were cut, distressed, and now selling for $100+.

If I was short on time, I probably would gave in if the exact style and color I wanted was available in stores, but they weren’t… so I set out on yet another DIY adventure to make these babies…and the end result is below. Do you love it?

in DIY / Outfits  by KTR 37 comments

Day at the San Jose Flea Market

The friendship bracelets stand

Wore an amazingly comfortable James Perse cotton racerback maxi (that obviously need a little trimming) and my Juicy Couture fedora who always come to the rescue for those bad hair days!

[Photos by NR]
Dress: James Perse maxi cotton dress (sold here, here and here)
Purse: Rebecca Minkoff Swing Black Shoulder Bag
Shoes: DV by Dolce Vita Archer Sandals
Hat: Juicy Couture Perforated Fedora / Glasses: Gucci
Bracelets: spikes from Ebay, friendship bracelets from Flea Market / DIY wrap bracelets
 

About a month ago I was on the hunt for more friendship bracelets and decided to check out the San Jose flea market. My little brother (who’s now a New Yorker) came to visit and was conveniently dragged along for the ride. I’m sure he was super thrilled!

I can’t believe I have been living in CA for half of my life but I have never been to a flea market. “What the heck is a flea market and do they sell fleas?” That was a questions I used to ask when I was little… Flea market was a term used for street markets that sold mainly secondhand merchandise, which would be the type of items that might be infested with fleas. The first few flea markets were in Paris in 1922 and they were called marché aux puces which translates to ‘market with fleas’.

Of course that has changed over the years and we know/hope flea markets no longer sell items infested with fleas. Actually everything we saw seems new and they have everything from furniture to car parts to under garments to haircuts to food. You name it, they got it. It was pretty cool, but I think we enjoyed the snacks the most. My favorite was the mangos with chilli powder and fresh coconut that the nice man behind the food stand chopped up for us.

We did had a bit of a snafu with a furniture vendor (well, it was actually a bit of a nightmare) and my only advice to you is: if you ever decide to purchase furniture from a flea market (or any place in general), check your items carefully when it arrived at your home. I didn’t and I got the wrong item, the wrong brand and wrong color (lol). Oh well, problem eventually was solved and now we’re all happy with our purchase from a store. :)

Readers: What’s your best and worst flea market experience?

in Outfits  by KTR 28 comments