Earthy

/ H&M T-shirt / Francesca's Collection Necklace / Skirt + Clutch by me / Zara Heels / Michael Kors Watch / David Yurman Ring /

 Happy Earth Day, everyone! I love the opportunity to dress for a specific theme or holiday, and Earth Day is no exception! When it comes to Earth Day and the environment in general, the first thing that comes to mind are trees and the color green. I made this pencil skirt last year and figured that the palm tree print was both on trend (so many tropic prints lately!) and suitable for the occasion. The combination of a t-shirt, pencil skirt, and heels is one that is hard to go wrong with, and by quickly tying the top into a simple knot keeps the prim pencil skirt and kitten heels a little less fussy.

How are you all celebrating Earth Day?

Dress Up

/  The 1960's Decade: Mine is the one in the center /

For today's Dress Up post, instead of a dress that I would love to own, we are featuring one that I actually made. The Junior fashion design class puts on a fashion show near the end of their fall semester and this year the theme was Fashion After Five: The Clothes and Culture of the Cocktail Hour. Each Junior was assigned a decade from 1920's-1990's and created a classic LBD inspired by that decade. As you can see in the caption above, my decade was the 1960's. The show was last Wednesday November 15th at the Onondaga Historical Association in Syracuse, NY. Most exciting news of all? Each decade had two winning pieces that will get to be displayed in the museum until June. One of the winners from the 1960's decade? Yours truly. The same people in our class always win, so it was exciting to see some other fellow classmates get the chance, as well.  The other winner from the 60's is the dress second from the right in the image above. 

/ Original 1960's Inspiration Board /

My initial inspiration started with the board above. I knew I wanted to use wool and a heavier fabric and knew I wanted a high collar, and after my two rounds of 25 rough sketches, I knew what I wanted to make. Oddly enough, it turned out almost exactly as I had planned. 

/ Close-up of the collar that I beaded and earrings I made /

/ L: My dress the night before the show putting finishing touches on / R: My beautiful model, sorority sister, and friend, Brittany looking perfectly mod /

/ Lining up for the show /

/ Post-show with Brittany and my mom who surprised me with her visit /

Thanks again to everyone who came to see the show! It was really great to be able to share our hard work with people other than classmates and professors for once. I hope everyone has a great weekend. I'm back home in Texas for the week for the holiday soaking up some warm weather and family.

Instagram Updates

Hi, everyone! I am so sorry for the lack of posts in the past week or so. While I am taking four classes this semester, it seems as if Draping and Magazine are controlling everything. Since sadly the blog has had to be on the back burner for the past week, I rounded up some of my Instagrams during that time that can help give a glimpse into what I've been working on. 

1. Rough sketches for my 1990's sketch project. Looking into lots of mesh and plaid and being inspired by Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain and androgyny. Does it show? I'd love to get feedback!

2. For a break after pulling a few all-nighters this week, which now resulted in a cold, I made a new set of sparkly earrings like the ones that I had made this past summer. I wanted to go for smaller pair that still packed lots of glitz. I think that the light green, pink, and crystals keep it fancy but still easily able to be paired with casual wear.

3. These were for my 1930's sketch project last week. Each week we have had to do 12 piece collections from certain decades (including technical flats). Here, I was inspired by Elsa Schiaparelli and more specifically her color, Shocking Pink. Can you tell?

4. These were the first sketch project that we did this year focusing on the 1970's. Not really a fan of 70's fashion, this was certainly the most difficult for me. Here I focused on Studio 54 and easy glamour.

5. Oddly, I had never been to Salvation Army. After my roommate raving about it each week, I decided to take a peek for myself and headed to the local Syracuse store for the first time. Happily, I found this fabulously quirky red, white, and blue dress that reminds me of an old cheerleading + flight attendant uniform combined. And, bonus points, it was only $5.00!

6. This is a bodice that I had been working on in my Draping class. While it looks simple, and I am slowly getting the hang of it, it's been a lot of struggles to get there. Also, if you know me at all, Starbucks always helps. 

To see more into my everyday projects, make sure to follow me on Instagram at @leshkoln.

Let me know if you like this post on updates. I'd love to hear.

Off the Vine

/ H&M Jacket / J.Crew Dress / DIY Necklace / Zara heels / 

As great as my love for colors is, lately when it comes to getting dressed, they have taken a back seat to make more room for neutrals in navy's, blacks, army green, and cream. With the slightly cooler air we've been having in New York the past few days, I realized summer really is coming to a close, and took full advantage of wearing summer brights for a few last times. This orchid colored dress was also a purchase from the J.Crew sample sale, and I love the way that it works surprisingly well with my kelly green suede moto jacket. With colors as bright as these, and a necklace that certainly adds to it, my favorite hologram heels pull the outfit today while still keeping the look interesting to the eye.

Home Improvement

Finding new ways to decorate and style spaces is always exciting to me. It's so easy to change the look and feel of a room with a simple DIY. While these purple chairs may or may not be a DIY project, it is a fun thought to realize that with a touch of spray paint and basically any piece of furniture, you can fairly quickly and inexpensively alter your home to match whatever is suiting your style at the moment. If you're anything like me, committing to something as seemingly permanent as home furnishings can be difficult. With a purple color as unique as the one featured in the image above, it would be interesting to test it out for a time period and when the color is no longer inspiring, change it up with a few sprays of a different shade and watch the space transform.

Aren't these purple chairs amazing? Not too pastel and not too deep of a purple, they provide a happy medium for a decorating color that is often not explored

Lasered

/ Forever 21 dress / DIY Sunnies / Ellen Tracy heels / Zara purse / Michael Kors watch / Brandy Melville ring / Necklace from Austin, TX 

I certainly have my fair share of black dresses in my closet. From short and sheer to long and formal, black dresses are such a wardrobe staple that really are perfect for nearly any occasion. However, even with my extensive array there was a certain style that still was lacking: laser cut and leather. I love wearing garments that have special detailing to them. Unfortunately, that detailing often comes with a special price, as well. When I saw this dress at Forever 21 last week for under thirty dollars, I knew it was the perfect piece to fill in the gap in my wardrobe in both its style and price.

Do you have a little black dress gap in your wardrobe? What style are you looking for?

DIY: Bedazzled Earrings

//Forever 21 Make-up bag//Rhinestones and earring backs from Toho Shoji and M&J Trimming//

If you're anything like me, you save endless how-to's on crafts and DIY projects in a folder on your desktop. Even though the whole concept of DIY is to show that seemingly difficult projects can actually be managed by ordinary people with an ordinary skill-set, I always was wary that my projects wouldn't turn out as stellar as the original. This past weekend, I came across this post on a favorite blog, and couldn't help but actually attempting to re-create these statement earrings like hers. And, lucky for me, these are clip-ons--yes, I still don't have my ears pierced. Below you can find the steps to make your own pair of dazzlers. Enjoy!

Step 1: Gather all of the materials that you need: Scissors, Rhinestones of your choice, Clip-on earring backs, Superglue (E6000), and some PVC sheets. I couldn't find any PVC sheets near me, but I found this cute make-up bag from Forever 21 and cut the plastic out from around it, and still can use the bag later.

Step 2: Once you have gathered all of your materials together, choose the size that you want your earrings to be (I went with about a 1" by 2" rectangle) and cut that size from the PVC sheet. Play with the rhinestones to see how you want them to lay out and how they fit best together before you glue them down.

Step 3: Once you have chosen the placement of your rhinestones, glue them down while making sure to press firmly so that they are secured into place.

Step 4: After your rhinestones have been glued down, flip the rectangle of PVC (now with the rhinestones on it) over and glue down the clip-on earring back. Again, remember to press it securely and make sure that it is the correct way so that you can clip it onto your ear. Place an object with a bit of weight to it, I used a book, on the top of your upside down finished pieces to help the rhinestones to hold in place while they dry overnight.

Voila! You've made your very own pair of bedazzled statement earrings! I've already experimented with pairing them with simple jeans and a tank to dress them down and swanky cocktail dresses for a special night out on the town.

I hope you enjoyed my first DIY post. I certainly had a lot of fun making these if you can't tell. If you attempt these, or any other DIY of your own, I'd love for you to share.

Style Smörgåsbord

{Forever 21 shirt, necklace, H &M fur sweater, HUE leggings, Target booties, and Urban Outfitters holographic nail polish}

I had been looking for a faux fur sweater or vest for a while, but didn't really want to settle with a simple brown or black style. This piece from H & M I fell in love with for it's, though bright teal in color, versatility. While definitely a recognizable and unique piece, there is much more that can be paired with a color faux fur like this than you would ordinarily expect. The oversized denim button-down and neon necklace work well with the bright of the sweater, while the black sleeves, leggings, and booties help to juxtapose the brightness with a sense of balance.

How would you style a bright colored faux fur?

Tuesday Shoesday

Although cap-toe shoes have been lust after since Chanel introduced her first pair of shoes in this style in 1957, today they can be see nearly anywhere and in varieties from over-the-knee to flats and everywhere in between. Today's shoe of the week is the J. Crew "Etta". Not only is this pump amazing in that it is covered in celebration-worthy gold with a ladylike camel cap, but, with a thicker heel, you'll be actually able to dance in them, as well. And, if you are in the mood to get really crafty, Refinery29 has a DIY on how to cap-toe any shoe to your desire. 

How would you wear this cap-toe look? I think "Etta" would look amazing toned down with a pair of relaxed jeans, basic t-shirt, and bold statement jewelry to top it off. What are your ideas?

Necklace DIY

{Original Necklace: Forever 21, T-shirt: Target}

Like most accessory fanatics, I have definitely purchased my fair share of neon and bright colored cocktail jewelry. Remembering this post from last year, I turned my slow day into one of a craft that to much surprise, turned out just as how I had hoped. I wanted to use a combination of pastels and brights to fit in with some of my favorite styles right now. Overall, it was easy, fun to do, and was a great way to add an accessory to my wardrobe.

{Colors used: ette's "Coral", Sinful Colors's "Forget Now", N.Y.C's "#110A", Essie's "Vermillionaire", and Revlon's "Minted"}

{I did two coats for each color so that I wouldn't see the original crystal underneath}

{Finished Product}

Do you ever attempt DIY projects? What are some of your favorites?