Pretty Bras That’ll Give Even The Most Petite-Sized Gals A Push
We all know about the plight of the buxom when it comes to finding a bra that fits correctly, but what about our smaller-chested sisters? Turns…Read More
Shop It Now3 Floral Dress DIYs That Anyone Can Master
We live in dresses all summer long. Repeat that three times. But, despite the abundance of sweet frocks hanging in our closets, we still search and search for something fresh to appear. You know, a new dress that fits effortlessly and doesn't leave us scrambling for rent money. So, we decided to take matters into our own hands and make that dream dress ourselves — yes, make one.
By picking up a seemingly ill-fitting, thrift-shop throwaway and crafting it just so, you can end up with your sartorial soul mate for a fraction of the price you'd pay at your favorite boutique, thanks to our amazing DIY team. To keep it simple, we eliminated the bells and whistles (and jump rings, and fancy clasps) and replaced them with just one necessary tool: your household scissors. The result? Three one-of-a-kind frocks and the bragging rights to say "I made it myself."
Click through for a trio of super-easy floral dress DIYs and expand your wardrobe 3-fold.
DIY These Cap-Toe Shoes: 4 Easy Steps, 2 Amazing Styles
Admit it, every time you see an amazing pair of cap-toe shoes, you get the urge to spring clean all of those boring black pumps right out of your closet. But hold up, you won’t want to ditch them just yet! As it turns out, it’s super easy to DIY the lackluster footwear in your current possession and upgrade each pair to its fullest, color-capped potential.
Trust, we did it ourselves — twice! — transforming a ho-hum pair of black heels into a steel-y toed wonder and turning an otherwise plain nude oxford into a neon-tinged piece that just begs for compliments and double takes. Wanna know how we did it? From intel on everything from spray-painting techniques to taping like a pro, keep reading for four simple steps that'll turn your drab shoes into cool, hue-tipped kicks — no fancy footwork (or big bucks) required.
Photographed by Natalie Goel
Trust, we did it ourselves — twice! — transforming a ho-hum pair of black heels into a steel-y toed wonder and turning an otherwise plain nude oxford into a neon-tinged piece that just begs for compliments and double takes. Wanna know how we did it? From intel on everything from spray-painting techniques to taping like a pro, keep reading for four simple steps that'll turn your drab shoes into cool, hue-tipped kicks — no fancy footwork (or big bucks) required.
Photographed by Natalie Goel
DIY Pinatas Just In Time For Cinco De Mayo
Commemorating the Battle of Puebla, an important David-versus-Goliath-type battle in Mexico's quest for independence from France, Cinco de Mayo is one of our favorite holidays, even if it doesn't come with an extra day off from work. In the US, it's a time to celebrate Mexican heritage and tradition with all our friends… beginning with a little history lesson and ending with a round (or five) or margaritas. One of our favorite ways to commemorate the day is by making — and then destroying — a homemade piñata. We've got some handy step-by-step guides to creating two gorgeous piñatas that are pretty enough to save from assault — trust, you'll want to display 'em in your casa all year round. Click through and check this DIY out! Olé!
Photographed by Erin Yamagata
Photographed by Erin Yamagata
Mom Jeans No More! Rock This New Miami Line Of Vintage Cut-Offs
Mom jeans. We all know the term well, and our derrières avoid this type of denim at all costs. While the infamous mom jeans had their hayday back in the ‘80’s, all the vintage hoo-rah has really brought them back on the scene. Some of us react in widespread panic, seeing a denim pair that falls under the unflattering category and turning away in disgust, and others, specifically Miami bloggers Eugenia Alliegro & Simonett Pereira of The Goodwill Project, see it as an opportunity.
As the brains behind The Goodwill Project, Eugy and Simonett are pros at turning the old into something renewed, fresh, and trendy. Their blog demonstrates this knack of DIY skill by showing off outfits created from pieces bought at Goodwill. Now they’ve decided to share their vision by creating a line of renewed cut-off shorts, amped up and revived from original denim bought second-hand, online vintage boutiques, and thrift stores (you know how we feel about DIY cut-offs!). The outcome? Fake Frivolity, one-of-a-kind cut, died, studded, and embellished high-waisted and undeniably awesome denim shorts. Miami girls, get ready to sport these babies with pride because they’re all locally made and sold through Fake Frivolity’s website. And this is just the first collection. Are you dying to know what’s next? Yeah, us too.
Click through our fave picks from Fake Frivolity’s current denim showdown, and let us know which pair you’re dying to have!
As the brains behind The Goodwill Project, Eugy and Simonett are pros at turning the old into something renewed, fresh, and trendy. Their blog demonstrates this knack of DIY skill by showing off outfits created from pieces bought at Goodwill. Now they’ve decided to share their vision by creating a line of renewed cut-off shorts, amped up and revived from original denim bought second-hand, online vintage boutiques, and thrift stores (you know how we feel about DIY cut-offs!). The outcome? Fake Frivolity, one-of-a-kind cut, died, studded, and embellished high-waisted and undeniably awesome denim shorts. Miami girls, get ready to sport these babies with pride because they’re all locally made and sold through Fake Frivolity’s website. And this is just the first collection. Are you dying to know what’s next? Yeah, us too.
Click through our fave picks from Fake Frivolity’s current denim showdown, and let us know which pair you’re dying to have!
How To DIY 3 Extra-Cute Pairs Of Cut-Off Shorts
Although it may seem super easy to craft a pair of effortless denim cut-offs, as anyone who's haphazardly tried (and inevitably failed) knows, there's more to the denim short than meets the eye. If you're looking to turn an old pair of jeans into your next pair of staple shorts, let us walk you through it, and save you from ruining a pair of jeans.
We'll start with the most basic cut-off (hint: cut at an angle for the most flattering hem) and work our way up to two unique (and ultra-chic) takes on the summertime classic. We promise, this guide won't come up short.
Photographed by Erin Yamagata
Photographed by Erin Yamagata
If Your Dream Wedding Dress Is Made Of Toilet Paper, You're In Luck
Look, we've heard of prom dresses being made out of recycled materials(Starbucks wrappers, tin foil, etc.), but we think we should probably avoid such childish materials when it comes to our wedding gowns. Or not. For aspiring but cash-strapped brides, Charmin and Cheap-Chic-Weddings, a Boca-based site, are giving some crafty gals a chance to score some cash with, wait for it, toilet paper. If a girl can wield some TP, glue, and a needle and thread (that's all you get) to create a "garment" that resembles a Special Day-ready dress, she can score some major money. (Fortunately for aisle-walkers, you don't actually have to wear the dress on the big day.) To enter, take some photos, and submit them to TPdresscontest@gmail.com for a chance to win $2012 (cute number, huh?). If the idea of a bunch of ladies creating Charmin couture seems strange to you, just remember: This is the eighth iteration of this event. Wonder what number one looked like?
Photo: Courtesy of Cheap-Chic-Weddings
We Hatch Up The Most Fashionable Easter Eggs
Whether you're spending the weekend at home with family or in the company with friends for the first rooftop brunch of the season, the Easter weekend offers a cozy, communal vibe we always look forward to.
While we might be too old to go on an egg roll, we do enjoy gathering all our fellow DIY-ers together and getting our Picasso on with a carton of eggs. This year, the R29 staff went to town on a basketful, and came up with a few fashion-inspired designs that rival omelets as our favorite use of the egg.
Photographed by Guang Xu
Photographed by Guang Xu
The Perfect Evening Outfit: The Peter Pan Collar DOES Grow Up
We saw this partygoer at the Fashion Bloggers Do It Better event last week and flipped over her simple — but so smart — ensemble. At first, we thought it was just a cute, well-assembled look, but upon second glance we realized this darling was impeccable. From a healthy, sun-kissed glow to an understated dress (with an adorable collar), plus a pop of citrus, she seemed to bring the cheer of the day to the drama of the night. Just take a look at the mix-and-match done right! Essential #1: Camera-Ready Legs — Perfecting the tan is a practice, nay, an art that only few can master. With some dermis-friendly self-tanner, you won't be blinding anyone with your pale skin science.
Clarins Self Tanning Instant Gel, $34, available at Sephora. Essential #2: Power Lips — She adheres to the rule used by our mothers: Minimal makeup, maximum volume when it comes to your pucker.
Makeup Forever Rouge Artist Natural lipstick in Copper Pink, $19, available at Sephora. Essential #3: Sporty Minidress — With strong shoulders and a flouncy skirt, this dress gets a cheeky twist with a keyhole and a Peter Pan collar. J'adore!
Valentino R.E.D. Black and Ivory Knit Swing Dress, $700, available at STYLEBOP. Essential #4: Business-Meets-Pleasure Beige — If you are going to wear a totally altitudinous pair of heels, dress it down with some nudes. Or, vice versa, amp up your neutrals with a serious heel.
Vince Camuto Cannon Fawn pumps, $79.99, available at Vince Camuto. Essential #5: A Clutch Clutch — We might not be able to make "clutch" happen, but a bold citrus color can!
Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAC Chain-Strap Bag in Coral, $195, available at Neiman Marcus.
Photographed by Arlene Delgado
2 Easy Ways To Upgrade Your Old Sweaters
Even though most fashion is currently veering more minimalist, it seems like sweaters haven't gotten the memo. In fact, the pullover was one of this past Fashion Week's biggest trends — but we didn't see a plain wooly in the bunch.
Knit with various patterns and festooned with adornments, your average sweater went through a major makeover for fall '12. So, grab your sewing kit; We've got two DIYs to give your old, simple sweaters a modern treatment.
Photographed by Erin Yamagata
Photographed by Erin Yamagata
How To DIY A Brilliant Bangle, Courtesy Of A Fashion Week Star
Miami-born Lisu Vega not only is a righteous designer, but she creates her clothing and accessories with a serious mantra: No waste, ever. She develops her own fabrics and then uses the discarded bits for her own accessories, which means her designs live in between wearable art and experimental fashion. Both worlds love her, since she's been exhibited in places like the National Art Gallery in Venezuela and Salon Exxon Mobil, but has also shown her wares at locales like the Eco-Art Fashion Week and Miami Fashion Week (she was a totally sought-after ticket at the latter this weekend). The designer, who doesn't believe in "wasting material", has given us an exclusive DIY inspired by her trademarked patchworked bangles, employing her tenet of recycling fabric to recreate totally wearable goods. The result is easily done and completely personalized. Vega says she 'paints with fabric' and uses neon, bright bits of mesh or her own developed materials for head-turning accessories that have both the vibrance of Miami — and the environment — in mind.
Photographed by Lisu Vega
Photographed by Lisu Vega
Weekend DIY: Pretty Up Your Old Purse With This Rad Tutorial
Sure, there are plenty of ways to beautify a weary, worn in purse, but (call us picky if you must) we aren’t exactly sold on the add-a-scarf-and-it's-new-again spiel. However, when we saw this super-creative DIY (brought to us by the savvy gals over at HelloGiggles), we were ready to pull our old clutches out from hiding, and give them a makeover — pronto! We definitely dig a good DIY around here, so this has us pretty jazzed. And it’s beyond easy, too. All you need: some acrylic paints, acetone, and masking tape. Then prep and paint your purse, and voilà — a hand-painted, salvaged satchel à la Clare Vivier. Peep the video below and snag the must-read tips over at HelloGiggles. Weekend project, anyone? (HelloGiggles)
Rodarte Redux: Make Your Own Celestial Hair Clips
There was lots to feel inspired about at Rodarte's fall '12 show, but the piece that really got us reaching for our DIY kits was the star-studded golden hairpieces. Worn clipped on the sides of a messy up-do, the celestial clip peeked out like a cluster of the cosmos — a barrette only fit for fairy princesses, space-traveler heroines, and you, of course. We had our DIY team tackle the project to show you how to create your very own starry hairpiece—without the help of Tinkerbell.
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