Archive for the 'Morphed' Category

Traverse Reverse

Published on October 18, 2010 in Ensemble and Morphed. 2 Comments

Being the extremely thrifty and frugal gal that I am, I just love me a good deal. In some cases, good deals are made even sweeter with some creativity and ingenuity. Take this dress for example. I purchased it from MiSh mAsH at an Art&Flea a while ago for $8. It’s made with this great chambray-esque fabric that breathes well and has just a bit of sheen. I knew I had to make a few fit changes so as I started in on the hem, taking in the sides and moving around some buttons, it occurred to me that I could make it REVERSIBLE!! And that’s just what I did. (You’ll see what I did below.)

These awesome lace up boots were another find from MiSh mAsH at Art&Flea. I like to think of them as the pedal equivalent of the ‘sisterhood of the traveling pants’ because my pal Trina and I could both fit them and we have feet separated by 2 sizes! Below is the back of my dress. To reverse it, I just unbutton and tuck the corners under to create a v-neck. Tadaaa!

dress & boots – MiSh mAsH at Art&Flea
sunglasses – Max Mara
vintage necklace – flea market
belt – Forever21

Morphed: Laura Ashley dress

Published on September 6, 2010 in Ensemble and Morphed. 1 Comment

Remember back when I talked about that incredible thrifting adventure? This original Laura Ashley dress was one of my finds. Not sure if you can tell from the ‘before’ photo, but the dress was rather large. It was marked as a size 12, and I usually wear a 0 or 2, so you can imagine the alterations. I will note, however, that through my thrifting experience, it seems that sizes from a few decades ago cannot be compared to sizes now. Indeed, I’ve found 6′s & 8′s from previous decades to fit perfectly, while 2′s & 4′s are almost impossible to get into.

For this dress, I took in the sides of the bodice by a couple of inches, the shoulder straps were shortened 2 inches on each side, and I took up the hem by 14 inches! Because the skirt hoop was so large, I also took that in significantly. I’m sad that some of the photos make it look like the skirt hem is crooked, but I can assure you it’s not. The fullness complicates the way it falls at times, I guess.

This leather satchel was given to me by Mark’s mother. It was actually handcrafted by a friend of the family’s. It’s amazing to think about the care and craft that went into the piece. Apparently that friend is a physician and just works with leather as a hobby… jeez, makes me feel like a slacker.

I LOVE that this dress has pockets!

dress – Laura Ashley thrifted + morphed
flats – Esprit
leather satchel – a handcrafted hand-me-down
earrings – Forever21

Sneak Preview

Published on June 28, 2010 in Ensemble and Morphed. 5 Comments Tags: , .

Yesterday was a dream come true for me.  The hubby and I spent the whole day playing dress up and running around the island taking photos with our favorite photographer, Christie Pham.  It was her idea to do a one-year anniversary photo shoot and since we always have so much fun with her and her husband, Matt, we jumped at the opportunity to hang out.  We invited some friends and the 6 of us bounced around the island posing and doing frantic wardrobe changes in our cars. It was amazing!

I can’t wait to see Christie’s photos.  She is so talented, I know they will be wonderful (hopefully in spite of the post-wedding weight gain for the hubs and I). She will be processing the photos in the next few weeks, but I wanted to show a little sneak preview in the meantime.  All of the photos below were taken on my husband’s new iPhone 4. (We have some funny videos as well).  BTW, the iPhone 4 is brilliant!

The top photo was taken on my poor iPhone 3GS with an app called “Shake It”. Christie told us about it and it’s great.  The app simulates an old polaroid camera complete with the sound effects and wait time.  The photo itself is of my little sewing area right on the coffee table.  I was rushing to finish altering some of the outfits for the photo shoot right before we met.  Glad I woke up at 6am on Sunday to get them done!

Here I am trying to blend into the wall.  We were waiting for the actual shoot to take place – our friends were on the other side of the building, thankfully in nice contrasting colors.  But, I am already thinking of outfits that will work here for future blog posts.

I was extremely excited to finally wear some of the vintage items that I inherited from the hubby’s grandmother.  Among those was this polka dot, silk top (one of the alteration pieces from the morning) and the amazing mink fur coat.

I’ll save the ensemble details for later.

Morphed: Matron Dress

Published on June 4, 2010 in Ensemble and Morphed. 0 Comments

There’s something to be said about taking seemingly hideous things and turning them into pieces of life that can be appreciated. Take this dress, for example. When I first found it on the rack of a thrift store, it was terribly depressing: gray, shapeless, and matronly. But, looking closer, the design was a hidden gem waiting to be morphed into something I am now proud to wear. I gave it a waist by adding a band of elastic, hemmed it, opened the collar, and took up the sleeves.

The same sentiment could be said about the new paint color of the iconic Hygienic Store on the windward side of Oahu. In a can with the intent of placing it on a building, it might seem an odd choice of color.  But, in the country side surrounded by lush green mountains and an ocean bay, it stands out beautifully. Not too mention, also goes rather well with a certain gray dress.

Thanks to my lovely little sister for taking these photos while we were on the hunt for a coffee table from craigslist. She braved some strange stares from some very scary, very local locals.

I applaud the person who thought of this pattern. I mean, who wouldn’t love some pinstripes with polka dots and dainty leaves? The brooch is a favorite of mine that I bought at a vintage store in Pittsburgh while I was in college. In moving back to Hawaii, I thought I had lost it. Lucky for me, I was rifling through some old boxes in my apartment and there it was.

dress – thrifted and morphed
brooch, belt – vintage
shoes  - BCBG
pearl earrings – mothers or grandmothers

Copy Cat

Published on May 4, 2010 in Ensemble, Inspiration and Morphed. 2 Comments

A couple of weekends ago, I was in American Apparel and spotted this great skirt (below).  Such a perfect, comfortable, summer look.  I was smitten with it.  But, like many of the items at AA, it seemed overpriced for what it was. I tried it on, took note of the details and committed myself to finding a cheaper version or making it myself.

On a quick run to the first thrift store on my list, I found a perfect copy cat! Blue chambray? Check! Banded waist? Check? Elastic back waistband? Check!  Vertical stripes? Check! It had everything I was looking for PLUS pockets! I was ecstatic. Don’t be mislead, my skirt in it’s original form was not perfect. It was ankle length and came with a matching shoulder-padded top. But, I was able to separate the set and just purchase the skirt for $8. I took it home for hemming and voila!

Just had to throw in this LOST shout-out. My office is in a very “special” neighborhood near downtown Honolulu. What it lacks in glamour or sanitation, it makes up for in cheap real estate. Therefore, empty lots in the area provide perfect storage for props. Being the crazy “Lostie” that I am, I get really giddy when I see replicas of the Dharma Initiative’s VW twinkie vans or yellow NYC taxi’s. While I was taking these outfit photos, I spotted the Oceanic Airlines cargo truck and had to snap a few photos. I was surprised to see how the Oceanic logo and my earrings mirrored one another.

skirt – thrifted and morphed
black top – GAP
belt – vintage
necklace – Ginger 13
earrings – Forever21
leopard print shoes – Preview from Nordstrom Rack