A's Fashion Files: July 2012

Monday, July 30, 2012

Olympic Gold

When my friend M suggested that I do an olympic-themed post, I knew I had the perfect outfit. I've had this red/white/blue peplum top hanging in my closet for awhile and have been wanting to pair it with this gold sequin skirt. I thought that if I wore it out now, people would wonder why I didn't wear it on the 4th of July, but my holiday was way too casual for this outfit. Enter M's idea, and my ensemble took on a new theme: Olympic Gold. I was quite busy this weekend and didn't get a lot of time to watch any of the olympics but I did record a lot of the games and really can't wait to catch up on the gymnastics events. Did you guys watch any of the olympics this weekend? What are your favorite games to watch?

P.S. Tomorrow is the last day you have to register for my $75 Shopbop giveaway! If you want a chance at winning, please make sure you sign up either today or tomorrow! The winner will be notified by the end of the week.

Top: H&M (Similar here & here)

Gold sequin skirt: Urban Outfitters (Similar)

Jewelry: Hair comb- Vintage; Earrings- Chanel Vintage (Similar);

Bracelets- Jewel-Forever 21 (Similar); Ring- Forever 21

Shoes: Christian Louboutin Rolando 120 (here)

Bag: Chanel Vintage Mini

Also, tomorrow is the last day to use the code for 10% off at eShakti. Readers of A's Fashion Files can save by entering the code AF23SXN at checkout. This can also be used on top of their sale! This offer is good through the end of the month and YES, they are the ones who sent me that gorgeous green dress.

Friday, July 27, 2012

DIY: Floral Crown- 2 versions

This summer I've been obsessing over the whimsical feel that floral crowns bring to a look. I love free-spirited, boho, one-with nature feeling that they encompass, and let's be honest, I'm not one with nature, so if wearing a floral crown is the closest I'll ever get as far as a "return to nature" in Nietzschean terms, then I'm all for it. And, I really just like they way that they look.

So, I went to the craft store, gathered an abundance of fake stemmed flowers and got to work. I wanted to not only create a full, colorful crown, but also a simpler version to be worn on more casual days.

Things you will need for this DIY: a long string of garland flowers- this will be used as the base of your crown (I chose ones that looked like they had baby's breath flowers strung all the way around), several stems of colorful flowers (around 6-8 large flowers to cover the front, 15-20 to go all the way around), green-colored twine & scissors.

Are you ready to begin?

1. Gather your materials. Note that you won't be using the E6000 glue- for some reason I always think I'm going to need this stuff so it makes it into my photos! :)

2. Start by cutting the strip of garland flowers to be a little longer than the circumference of your head- you'll want to make sure you have a little wiggle room once you put it together.

Here it is after it's been cut.

3. Overlap the ends, hiding one end into an area where it won't be noticeable when tied.

4. Tie the stems together, and cut the extra stem off so there isn't any overlap.

My simple version is done!!

To continue with the colorful version, keep going.

If you are making more than one, repeat steps 1-4 to set up the base for the colorful version.

5. Cut down the colorful flowers, leaving a couple inches of the stem exposed. Tie them into areas of the crown where they won't be noticeable using the green twine.

6. Keep adding more flowers & repeating this process. I'm choosing to only add flowers to the front, but you can go all the way around if you prefer.

Version #2 is complete!!

7. Wear & enjoy!

So what do you guys think? Which version do you like better?

REMEMBER that you have only a few days left to enter my $75 Shopbop giveaway! Head over to Shopbop now to dream about what you would get if you won!

Feel like doing a bit of shopping this weekend? eShakti has been kind enough to offer 10% off to readers of A's Fashion Files by entering the code AF23SXN at checkout. This can also be used on top of their sale! This offer is good through the end of the month and YES, they are the ones who sent me that gorgeous green dress.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

A Little Lime Sometimes

I picked up this frilly skirt around a year ago and was instantly drawn to it because of the bright lime band, and then this season, I found this lime-colored cardigan at a different store. The two colors are a perfect match and although I didn't buy the cardigan to match the skirt, I couldn't help but to pair them together. The large polka dots on my blouse add an extra touch of fun to my frilly-ruffly-flowery-girly look. What do you think of my pairing?

And please REMEMBER that you have less than a week left to enter my $75 Shopbop giveaway! Head over to Shopbop now to dream about what you would get if you won!

Lime Cardigan: Gap (Similar here & here)

Polka dot top: c/o DinoDirect

Skirt: J. Crew (cute ones here & here)

Jewelry: Earrings- Vintage (Similar); Spike Bracelets: Forever 21 (Similar here, here & here)

Bag: Louis Vuitton St. Cloud (see my DIY project here!)

Shoes: Loeffler Randall (here & here)

Thanks so much for reading and don't forget about the giveaway!!

Feel like doing a bit of shopping this week? eShakti has been kind enough to offer 10% off to readers of A's Fashion Files by entering the code AF23SXN at checkout. This can also be used on top of their sale! This offer is good through the end of the month and YES, they are the ones who sent me that gorgeous green dress.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Scarves & Bows

Well, it's Monday again- I hope you all had a great weekend! If you follow me on Instagram (a_fashion_files) then you saw that my husband and I went away to the beach town of Ventura for the weekend. I'd heard mixed reviews of Ventura, but after learning that it was a haven for antique & kitschy shops, I knew we had to go. We spent the days at the beach and walked around the small town going from one antique shop to the next during the evenings. The antique stores did not disappoint and our best purchase was a vintage gumball machine (OK, I know, I know, but I love old things, and my husband loved it just as much, so we had to have it!) Did you guys have a great weekend?

Speaking of antique things, one trend I've really been loving lately is scarf-print tops & dresses. However, I could never really find one that I was just in love with. I wanted a print that had super rich colors and reminded me of a something vintage. When I saw this one, I knew I had found the perfect style, and when I played around with it a bit, I found that it looked great over a bow-tie shirt. I paired it with jean shorts, heels & some vintage accessories. What do you think of my pairing?

Scarf print top: c/o DinoDirect

Long Sleeve: Gap (Similar)

Shorts: True Religion (Similar)

Jewelry: Earrings: Vintage; Charm Bracelet: Vintage (Similar); Ring: YSL Arty (here or here)

Sunglasses: Gap (Similar here and here)

Bag: Vintage Gucci

Shoes: Christian Louboutin New Simple 100 (Similar color HERE; same shoe style HERE)

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you have a wonderful Monday!

AND REMEMBER you only have a little over a week left to enter my $75 Shopbop giveaway! Head over to Shopbop now to dream about what you would get if you won! :)

Friday, July 20, 2012

DIY: Gold Glitter Clutch

Happy Friday! I don't know about you guys, but this week has been so slowwwww for me. I'm so excited for this weekend- my husband and I are going to get out of town and spend some time together. I think our weekend will consist of laying on the beach and relaxing and maybe doing a little exploring in the city that we are visiting. If you want to see what I'm doing over the weekend, be sure to follow me on Instagram @a_fashion_files :)

So last week as I was on the hunt for some vintage items, (you guys know how much I love vintage things) I came across an older kind-of-beat-up MbMJ envelope clutch for $4. I instantly grabbed it and thought of all the DIY possibilities I could do with this clutch! I've really been wanting a glitter clutch and thought this one would be the perfect one to makeover. So, I gathered my leftover materials from my Miu Miu-inspired glitter sneakers and got to work.

What you will need for this DIY: a clutch or some other kind of purse. A base paint is optional. I used one because I knew it would be easier to apply the mod podge mixture over a base paint then on top of patent, but depending on the type of bag you have, you may not need a base. You will also need Mod Podge (around $4 at craft stores), glitter (I chose gold- around $3-4 at craft stores), a thick & thin paintbrush (you can get a cheap set of 5 or so brushes for a few bucks at places like Michaels), and opaque craft paint if you want to paint the edges of your bag (like I did on mine).

OK, so let's begin!

1. Gather your materials. (I chose not to use the little mirrors that you see pictured- I originally thought I could make a cool pattern with them, but it just didn't happen!)

2. Paint on your base coat (if needed). You'll notice that this doesn't completely cover up the black of the bag- I've only done it to provide a base for the mod podge mixture.

3. Make your glitter-mod podge mix. I put equal parts mod podge and glitter together in a bowl.

4. Stir the glitter and mod podge to create the mixture. Even though it will look a white color, it will come out glittery.

5. Paint the mixture onto the bag using a large paintbrush. I painted 4 layers before the bag was completely covered. You should wait about 10 minutes in between each layer to allow time to dry.

6. For a cleaner look, I decided to outline the edges in black. You can also do this, or just leave it plain glitter.

It's complete!

7. Wear & enjoy!

Thank you so much for reading! Don't forget that there are only 11 days left to enter my $75 Shopbop giftcard giveaway!!! Head over to Shopbop now to dream about what you would get if you won! :)

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Whimsical Summertime

When I first saw these shorts last year at Anthro, I fell in love with them. I not only adored the fun print, but I also loved the shape of them. I was really certain at first that I wouldn't be able to wear shorts in this shape, as I have bigger hips and I certainly didn't want to make them look bigger, but they surprisingly worked well. And they have since become a favorite pair of shorts for summer. Yesterday, for the warm LA weather, I paired them with a sheer blouse layered with a crochet top to add to the whimsical feeling of the look. What do you guys think of my pairing?