Do It Yourself: Proenza-Inspired Wrap Skirt

Living in New York City 40 blocks away from Lincoln Center, where Fashion Week took place, and not being able to go to any shows was a hugeeee bummer.  I followed Fashionista.com and Refinery29 religiously throughout the week to check out all the action I was missing, including the show-goer attire, and came across my favorite fall color trend: oxblood.  It was EVERYWHERE.  I HAD to have it.

I've been a fan of DIY projects since, well, forever.  There's just something about wearing an original piece of jewelry or accessory or clothing that makes you feel GOOD.  Like really good.  Especially when someone stops and asks you where it's from, and you say with dignity, "Oh, I made it myself!"  When I saw this blog post featured on Refinery29, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  I was going to hand-sew myself a wrap skirt in my new favorite oxblood color.

SPOILER ALERT: It happened.

Please note: the lighting in my room is just terrible, but it is indeed the same skirt!

The blogger behind A Pair and A Spare is an Aussie girl, and her blog is just fabulous.  Her DIY's are ridiculously amazing and her sense of fashion is stunning.  Oh, and she's adorable.  SO, I gave it a whirl, and having not sewn a clothing item together since Intermediate Sewing sophomore year of high school, it came out pretty decent.

The original blog post, "DIY Proenza Schouler Inspired Wrap Skirt," can be found here.

So, why am I bragging about this skirt project?  1. Originality is priceless, and 2. The total project cost me about $50, with everything bought from Mood Fabrics in NYC.  A Proenza wrap skirt is how much, you may ask?  Well, this skirt from Barney's is $4,450, so you get the idea.

The most important part of this project was pinning and trying it on, pinning and trying it on, and pinning and trying it on.  Because I hand-sewed the skirt as opposed to using a sewing machine, I flipped the hem over about a quarter inch and then over again another inch so that the hem wouldn't fray.  Also, I used four snaps, instead of the blogger's suggestion of two or three.

Things I liked about the project:

• Originality. Duh.
• Listening to new music + sewing something new = how to spend the perfect Saturday afternoon
• Now I have a brand new skirt! Yay!

Things I didn't like about the project:

• The blogger claims it's one of the easiest projects she's ever done, but honestly, it took me forever.  Could be that I havent sewn in a long time and after I pinned the hem all the way around I had to re-pin it to double-roll the fabric.
• Trying to measure the skirt length and all that is HARD.  I pretty much eyeballed the whole project, and if I didn't have an eye for balance and precision, the project would have looked a lot worse.
• One of the hardest parts was sewing the "V"s in the back of the skirt.  It's a lot of Trial and Error.

Alas, the finished product.

I'm thinking two outfits: 1. Oversized grey sweater over the skirt, big necklace, tights, brown boots.  And 2. Black long-sleeved shirt tucked into the skirt, big necklace, black tights, black boots.

Do you think you'd take the time to do this project yourself, or spend your $50 on a skirt elsewhere without the DIY hassle?  Comment away!

Situation: personalizedbronzerproblems

With the summer coming to a close, I couldn't be more lost in my emotions.  As excited as I am for fall outfits - perfect knee-high boots, oversized sweaters, and OF COURSE, endless amounts of leggings - I couldn't be more upset knowing that my tan will slowly fade away.  Three years ago, this wouldn't have been a problem.  Boston's Darque Tan on Commonwealth Ave. assisted me with a (very expensive and definitely overpriced) monthly unlimited tanning package and all was right in the world.  After giving up booth tanning for life, I now face the mid-season problem of pale skin.  And, well, it sucks... especially for a Jersey girl.

Bronzer has been a good friend to me for years.  While I've been buying my bronzer from my good friend Annie's makeup store, I may put my purchases on hold for the time being.  Why?  Because my little sister, Dariel, is obsessed with Pinterest and found a recipe to make your own bronzer and customize it for your personal skin tone.

The best part: IT'S TWO INGREDIENTS.

Sit back and observe.

STEP ONE:  Buy corn starch and cinnamon.  If you're living in the city and there's cheap dollar stores nearby, perfect.  The total cost of my purchase was less than $4.00

STEP TWO:  Mix 2 tbsp. cinnamon powder and 3 tsp. corn starch.

STEP THREE:  Use a large makeup brush and put it on!  VOILA!

It's seriously that simple.  If you don't believe me, splurge that whole $4.00 and try it out for yourself.  Even I can afford that.  If you're worrying that your face will smell like cinnamon, who the fuck cares?  Everyone likes cinnamon, and as soon as the weather starts getting colder, cinnamon will be like a fashion statement.

For those of you with darker skin, try adding half a tablespoon of cinnamon, or add however much you may think you need.

What do you think about this homemade concoction?  Think you'll try it out for yourself?  Comment away!