The Best Photos of November

None of these photos in the first section I took, but they are defiantly inspiration for my outfit.

I still can't get over my love for this photo. By Michal Pudelka

This was taken by heykidbiteme on Flickr, and I love these dresses. They are all Valentino (one of my favorite designers),and this is one of those pictures I would forever want to frame and add to my fashion wall.

 From Urban Outfitters Print Shop.

I got this from Kiel James Patrick's Tumblr. All of these shirts look amazing and so worn in!

This is from live-love-lacrosse's tumblr.

This is a FABULOUS picture. I found it on Tavi's blog: thestylerookie.com, which is one of, if not my favorite blogs.

This is from hautinglylovely's Tumblr.

Here are a few pictures I've taken recently that haven't really fit into a category but that I still love!

 

(I would like to point out that the model is 12 years old.)

Well, that's it! Thanks so much for viewing! I'd love to hear your comments- it's the best hearing everyone's perspective on my photos! Feel free to comment below and/or follow my blog on the sidebar to the right.

Equestrian Vibes

Today- well this week, I have been feeling major equestrian vibes in the air.

Barn Jacket from Land's End Canvas, $180

I really like this coat. It is a nice alternative to the widely popular, but ridiculously expensive Barbour waxed jacket. Waxed jackets are so adorable, and have the cutest laid-back feel in any coat that I have seen.

Frye Boots, $500

I am in love with Frye Boots. They are adorable, perfect, and last forever. The one problem I have with these is the price. I personally would buy a new camera instead of $500 boots. If they were $100, I would totally have them. Riding boots are a total staple to all equestrian-styled wardrobes.

I love Molly's outfit in this picture. She has a great equestrian feel and tops it off with silliness using some bright red costume glasses. This look is very wearable and looks amazing on almost anyone. I suggest exactly what Molly wore: an oxford shirt, khakis, jeans, or riding pants/leggings, and leather equestrian boots. I love the preppy, polished off look of an oxford!

I also recommend wearing a blazer with a plain top underneath for an equestrian appeal.

This photo is a perfect example of how to dress up equestrian. I have already ranted about how much I love this outfit here. But I will rave again. This outfit is just so adorable and polished! The skirt has a great preppy feel, and a re-appearance of the riding boots!

Here is a great tutorial on an equestrian feel for makeup! 

Until next time, See you soon hauties! -Abby

Ask The Tailor

I interviewed the owners at Seymore's Fashions and Iparali Tailors about fixing damaged clothing. Sorry I didn't have too many pictures, but enjoy!

- How long have you been interested in altering outfits?

   Ravi: My father who started the business has been in garments since before I was born.  During my childhood on days we were not in school he would bring me and my brother to work with him.  As I got older I pursued my own interested.  But twists in life brought me back into the family business 6 years ago

 Matt:  This is a family owned business which my dad started about 40 years back.

- What do you specialize in?

Ravi: Custom made garments is our specialty.

Matt: We mainly specialize in men's suits, however 2 of our tailors have over 30 years of experience working with womens' dresses.

- What are some things that would be easy to fix at home?

Ravi: missing button, loose hem on the bottoms very little skill is required for these, just needles and thread.  If you have some basic sewing skills you can even take in pants or short bottoms.  Jackets need more attention and should be taken to someone who know the best way to fix them.

Matt: probably hemming pants is the easiest which doesn't require any equipment.

- What do you advise someone ignore because of broken features of the garment? (i.e. rips, broken zipper, ect.)

Ravi: Holes!  Moth holes, tears in the garments.  Those are difficult to repair, you would to bring it to a reweaving expert. 

Matt: Generally we can replace zippers and fix rips on the seams, if a moth gets to the garment and their is a visible hole, some re-weavers can mend it to where it's not noticeable but this is a very expensive process and may not always be 100%.

- What kinds of damages do you recommend bringing to your local altercation specialist?

  Ravi:  (not sure how to answer this question)  To many variable to mention

 Matt: Not really sure how to answer this because it depends on the garment, the damage, if it's a sentimental item, the cost of the alterations, etc

- What is one thing you wish you knew about fixing garments before you learned how to?

Ravi: How complicated it can get doing alterations.  Often by fixing one problem you can create another.

Matt: We usually taper in clothing to get it more fitted,not necessary fix damaged clothing 

-Matt Harpalani
Imparali Custom Tailors
608 Fifth Ave
Suite 310
New York, NY 10020
T:212.245.5555
1.888.880.SUIT
F:212.245.5505

-Ravi

Seymores Fashions

211 Sutter St # 700  

San Francisco, CA

 94108-4439

Thanks so much Matt and Ravi!

Designer Consignment: An Interview

Hey guys! Here's a quick post about my interview with Sui from Sui Generis Consignment in Los Angeles, CA. Their adorable shop is again, an insider's secret,

             Why shop designer consignment?

                 Designer consignment is the best! It helps the environment to recycle garments already produce and help very one to look great on a budget.

              What is the best thing you have found at a designer consignment store?

               The love and appreciation for quality and style from buyers as well of the consignors.               

              What is one mistake people typically make about shopping at your kind of stores?

                 Looking for something very specific; is better to come with the idea of what u like but open to different options (probably you want to have a “name Designer” purple sweater; may not be here but the other designer name has a very similar one…  ) the point is you never know what you will find a Consignment shop.

Oscar De La Renta Dress

              Do you have any advice about shopping in a designer consignment store?

                Be open to possibilities, is a consignment shop it means most likely one of the kind pieces; is not a Department store.

         How do you personally tell if an item is worth selling or buying at your store?

                Has to be brand name, with style and Seasonal and of course in well conditions.

What is one thing which you have top quality and highest expectations for?  The presentation of the garment when Consignors come over for their appointments at the end they also are selling their beautiful clothes to us. (they need to be ready, dry clean or wash and nice folded or on hangers…

             

             What is the best deal at a Designer Consignment store (i.e. Jeans, Bags, Dresses, ect.)

               I think all is a great deal… where else you can find a high end quality product at 1/3 of the original value….

        

  Since most of the things at a Designer Consignment store aren’t in season, what things are not measured by trends- or what advice do you have about these out of season items?

             In our case we only select the consignment base in the season, that’s why we only take appointments for buying in order to know and tell them what  r we looking for.. however we always have a back stock ready in case that you are going to beacj in the mid of the winter… our Cruise Collection.

Thanks for reading, guys! Check out Sui Generis at:

2231 Market St.
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 437-2231

All photos credit to Sui Generis.

DIY: Unique Jewelry Hanger

Are you sick of the usual, cheap, tacky plastic jewel figurines?

I know I am. I recently made this jewelry hanger which doubles a unique accent to my wall!

To tell you the absolute truth, this is a long-term project. Well, not really long term, but defiantly put aside at least an afternoon aside for the project. Here is what you will need:

• Mirror Frame. The frame I used is from Ikea. You can probably use a picture frame too, though.
• Foam Board. I got this at the craft store, but I know they sell it at Target and office supply stores as well.
• 1-2 Square Yards of a stretchy fabric of your choice. I got the green because it would match one of the minor colors in my room. Feel free to get any other color or design.
• Duct tape and and wall hook. You can hang it up however you please, but I found this method the easiest, having the brick wall which is incredibly hard to hang things on. I hung (again, this may not work with your frame, mine is an iron twist around the edges so it hung up without any trouble.) I liked hanging it up this way because the duct tape, which I used to stableman the back after hanging, kept a very small, but still evident space in between the wall and the display, which in the long run helped the pins stay mounted on the foam board because of their length.

Unfortunately, I didn't photograph the process in which I made the actual hanger, so bear with me.

First, measure the inside of the frame, and cut out the foam board to fit. 

If you would like to know where I got any of the displayed jewelry, comment below and I'll reply!
Anyways, basically what I did to attach the fabric to the board was buy some heavy-duty spray glue,  and firmly pressed it down. I glued the excess to the back of the foam board. I put something heavy on top of it for an hour so it would dry flat. Next, I pushed the foam board into the frame and used duct tape on the back to help it stay firm.

Pins:

There are two kinds of pins I use on my jewelry board. I have seen this kind of board at boutiques and they have used more decorative things, but this is what has worked the best for mine.

Juicy Charm Bracelet, $150 (front). The middle bracelet  was a gift, and the back bracelet is Brighton,  $40.

I bought a jumbo pack of these pins at Target. I think they were $3.50 for a pack of 12 in multi-shaded blue. This worked out great because blue is a main color in my room's theme!

These adorable pins look better from the front! I bought rhinestone stickers at the craft store and used a hot glue gun to attach them to sewing pins. I used a few with a pearl top and a flat top, which looked great too!

The time I invested into this project was defiantly worth it. It saves floor space, is adorable decor, and I get compliments on it all the time. I wholeheartedly recommend this project and I am interested in checking out how yours' came out! Email them to me at fashionalexandria@yahoo.com and you (and your blog, twitter, or tumblr) could be featured on Fashion Hauties! 

Over and Out, Abby. See you soon Hauties!

P.S. I am planning on doing some kind of giveaway in the near future for my followers so make sure you subscribe to the right (you can use any email company) to get updates!

I also made a survey about my recent posts this month.

 Here is the link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/THY98XQ

The Last Nice Day in a Long Time

I'm not sure if Molly and I are the most normal-est of teenagers. Our texts basically talking about tentative photo shoots, finished photo shoots, pictures we found on the internet, new clothes we got for photo shoots, and photo editing. Anyway, this is probably the 5th photo shoot day in a row, not counting Thanksgiving.

Molly (you guys have heard all about her!) came over today. We quickly got bored of gawking at Youtube videos and decided on once again a photo shoot. The second we stepped outside we sprinted to the leaves. And there we stayed for at least another hour, when it got so dark that even my flash was making the photos look darker than it would on the average 6PM. I think a lot of them turned out great!

This one is defiantly my favorite. It totally embraces the happy freespirit of fall. I seriously can't get over how much this photo is perfect.. it show's a personal happiness like dance that is so hard to capture on camera.

I adore fall. I promise, I am falling for it (pun half intended).

Molly wears an Old Navy pinstriped oxford, $25. I absolutely love it. It looks great because it stands out next to the leaves. Her outfit has an adorable equestrian feel, kind of like she just got home from riding. This is one of my favorite weekend looks (It was still technically the weekend for Molly's school- her break lasted a day longer than ours.).

Wait.. the pun should have been used up there.

Anyway, today was quite a lazy day. I am wearing a grey pullover- I think it was $30. 

You probably can't see the ribbon in my hair, but it is my favorite ribbon I own that I probably bought for a few cents at the local Variety Store.

The thing I did differently with my outfit which I wanted to try out was layering my mid-calf socks over my jeans. I suggest only doing this if you are wearing boots, and just a few inches above the boots is the sweet spot. I love it because they give a little spin on the traditional Ugg boot that is so plain, but doesn't over do it. I chose to wear my Christmas-y socks with grey reindeer on the top to polish off the pullover.

Just like this fall, this picture is a blur. Over and out! -Abby

Railroad Tracks (I'm not talking about braces)

I always do two posts at once. I am sorry for not spacing them out better... anyways, I want to get away from my crazy family, who is at the moment fighting about a destructed old violin we found in the attic about how to play. They are notoriously failing.. it sounds like someone's dying. So I blog for long periods of time. 

Earlier today, Molly and I trekked town to the nearest body of water to our houses. It turns out it is a river. Next to this river were railroad tracks. I love railroad track pictures. They always turn out so adorable and hipster/hippie vib-ed, and I have been interested in having a train track shoot for a while!

I have an obsession with my tights. My family goes to see Santa at the mall each year as a tradition, and I wore those last year with a wool dress. They feel so crazy and child-like. Fabulous.

I love the lighting in this shot. It's so city-sleek.

I know, photo shoots always have hilariously mean/intense spirited facial expressions, but it's ok to smile every once in awhile. 

I wear a Lacoste polo, an Old Navy skirt, and Hue tights. I have no idea where my shoes came from.. I hadn't seen them before in my life before I took them out of my closet this morning...

Molly is wearing a striped H&M dress, which she scored the other day on black Friday for just five bucks! Funny story about that dress: We saw this article in Rookie (I swear, I am about half of their page views- I'm obsessed with a passion) about sibling matching and got inspired to get matching dresses. Although that didn't work out too well. Molly and I wear the same size, and they only had one. I tried on the smaller one, and it fit like a spandex suit.. definitely not attractive. It looks great on Molly though!

 

Railroad tracks are my absolute favorite thing. I already ranted about them though, so I guess it's time for goodbye... see you soon, Hauties!                  -Abby