Red Carpet Copycat: Anna Wintour (et al) in Dior

Today, I’m taking a closer look at this look from Dior Spring 2013. This ankle-length dress has a black knit top half and a flowery bottom half with an overlay of shiny organza. I love the way the organza catches the light. This look has been modelled by (amongst others) Elizabeth Debicki. Debicki plays Jordan in ‘Gatsby’; she is seen here at the film’s Sydney premiere.

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Very similar looks from the same collection have also been worn by Anna Wintour and Natalia Vodianova. My favourite I think here is Wintour’s – I love her necklace – though I must say I prefer Debicki’s black shoes.

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To make my own version of this look I’m using… a pair of curtains (to be accurate, I’m only going to use one, actually). I got these flowery numbers from the Mind shop in Whitby and I paid £4.50.

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I will also need a black t-shirt. This basic men’s shirt is size medium and cost £3.50 from the British Red Cross shop in Lewisham.

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Outfit: Knitted by Nanas

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This jumper may be lumpy and synthetic but I blinking love it.

In my mind it’s reminiscent of the checkerboard fabrics from Louis Vuitton’s Spring collection, which have been worn by everyone from Kirsten Dunst to Jessica Alba. I think the acidic-bright colours are just as important as the checks and this jumper ticks both boxes nicely.

I liked this so much I paid £6 for it in the Trinity Hospice Shop in Streatham.

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Fashion Maths

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Not sure if this equation balances exactly, but I think it’s pretty close.

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Kylie is wearing Stella McCartney and looking fabulous! Anne Hathaway has also worn a version of this look, but not as flattering. Kylie’s version has big and small, black and white squares and some see-through sections.

I’m going to be making a Kylie-inspired shirt, not an exact copycat this time. I’m starting with this shirt, which fits well enough but could do with livening up a bit.

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I paid £3 for this in the Trinity House Hospice Shop in Streatham (reduced from £4!).

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Outfit: Nautical Yellow

Today’s restyled refashion is the pale yellow men’s shirt I altered a while back. I took it in (a lot), cut off the sleeves, inserted bust darts and added patch pockets with pocket flaps.

Here’s a little refresher for you:

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This has been such a useful piece in my wardrobe! Like the dip dye shirt, it’s great for layering. In fact, I’d say it’s better than the dip dye one because it can be dressed up or down. Today’s outfit pairs it with my new nautical themed top. It’s intended to be a dress I think, but I haven’t worn it that way yet.

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Betty Draper

This project is my entry for Julia Bobbin’s popular Mad Men Challenge. I’m a huge Mad Men fan and love seeing the costumes every week, so entering this popular challenge was a bit of a no-brainer for me.

The dress I chose was Betty’s cream and green shirt dress. I couldn’t find any references to which episode this is from, but I’ve seen it so many times online that I think it must actually be a promo shot for the first series. It’s more late fifties than early sixties and embodies Betty’s conservative housewife look from the first half of that series. If you know which episode this is from, leave me a comment and let me know.

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I’m starting with a sheet that I got from Oxfam in Streatham. I paid £4.99 for the single sheet and two matching pillowcases, which have green ruffles all the way around!

It’s made of actual linen, the thin refined sort (none of your thick slubby stuff) and handles beautifully.

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Outfit: Dip Dye

One thing to remember about summer pieces is that they can be layered up in winter, adding to their versatility.

Remember this shirt? It’s from the not too distant past.  I started with a white shirt and dip-dyed it in flamingo pink. Here’s a quick before and after to refresh your memory.

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I thought it would be timely to feature this shirt again since Cloth magazine has a feature on an identical shirt in this month’s issue. I am not terribly keen on their styling, though.

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Red Carpet Copycat: Olivia Munn in Peter Pilotto

Greetings, refashioners! Another installment of the never-ending series ‘Red Carpet Copycat’ today.

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This is Olivia Munn wearing Peter Pilotto at the Courage in Journalism Awards 2012. The dress originally retailed for USD $1845.

I’m making my version out of… this:

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Yes, it’s horrible, isn’t it?

This is a kind of house-dress made out of teal/green velour. There are variations in the nap to give it a slight crushed velvet thing going on – not quite the same as Olivia’s textured velvet look, but it will do.

I bought it in the Shelter shop in Bolton and I paid £3.

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Outfit: African Skirt

From time to time, I’d like to show you new outfits based on pieces I’ve refashioned. This particular piece is a personal favourite – I started with a dress and made a skirt and a top.

Here’s the original ‘before’ picture; you can read more about what I did with this dress here. I originally styled this as part of an all black outfit like so:

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But here it is styled with an alternative neutral colour: Gold.

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Put on your red shoes (and dance the blues)

In case you hadn’t guessed, this is going to be about Bowie.

Specifically, it’s about this outfit, from 1973. It’s made of vinyl and was designed by Kansai Yamamoto for the Aladdin Sane tour. I chose this as my starting point for Tempest Devyne’s Bowie Sewalong! Also, it has red shoes (for dancing the blues).

David Bowie:Ziggy Stardust

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I’m making my version from… old T-shirts, what else?!

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These T-shirts came from (L-R below) Deptford Salvation Army shop, £2; PDSA Bolton, £3.99; Scope Barking, £2.

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