a pair & a spare

DIY STUDDED FESTIVAL SHORTS

19th June 2013

No festival is complete without the right outfit – and naturally what you wear on your feet can make or break your experience. Regardless of whether it rains or not, you’ll be thanking your lucky stars when you have to traipse to the toilets at a quarter to midnight and pee in the dark – at that point rubber encased, welly (gumboot) clad feet are a godsend. Being a festival addict (glastonbury fest being one that everyone has to try in their lifetime) I’ve had a fair amount of experience in the welly department, and have to say out of all the different types I’ve worn (from fancy ones to ones bought at the farmers co-op in Mullumbimby) I keep on coming back to my trusty Hunters. Not only for the ‘fash-un’ value (the Kate Moss affiliation always helps) but also for sheer weight (or lack thereof). The last thing you want is to be dragging heavy boots (made all the worse by mud) around and for that reason I’m a big fan of the relative lightness Hunters – which however, sadly doesn’t correlate with the lightness of myself after gorging on a hundred felafel rolls and ten gallons of cider. In light of it being festival season and all, Hunter and I decided to put our heads together and create the perfect festival outfit. After loving this summer’s trend of Americana studded pieces I decided to try my hand at an updated staple – the embellished cut off shorts. Read on to see how.

Wearing: DIY Studded Shorts, Cotton On Number Tee, Hunter ‘Be A Headliner’ Wellington Boots, Coach watch, Karen Walker sunglasses

You need:

A pair of denim shorts (I made mine out of cut off mens jeans – nice and oversized for comfortably sitting on the grass etc).
Chalk/pencil
Dome studs with prong backs in gold and silver
beading plyers

How to:

1. Start by drawing the pattern you want to do on your jeans with the chalk. I chose an outline around the front of the shorts in a wave pattern.

2. Starting at the bottom of the shorts and following your pattern, press a stud into the fabric, allowing the prongs to come out the back.

3. Use the beading plyers to press the prongs down. This will make sure you don’t get the dreaded blood stained fingers that some DIYers suffer from (been there done that).

4. Make sure the prongs are pushed all the way down and flat so they don’t scratch your skin.

5. Continue with the rest of the studs, leaving roughly just less than one studs gap between them. Alternate between silver and gold for the certain Americana feel.

6. Do first one side the then the other. If you make a mistake simply open the prongs with your plyers and start again.

Voila! To me this is the perfect festival outfit – comfortable, chic and perfect for pairing with a cup of cider (or a glass of merlot if you’re at one of those fancy festivals)!

Now you’ve got the shorts sorted, why not add a Fringed Knit, Flower Headband, Bucket Bag and Chevron Rings to your festival kit?

Images: Lauren Engel

In My DIY Inspiration Festival, Studs, Techniques, Tools

PACKING FOR LONDON: THE TRENCH

17th June 2013

As I put together my suitcase for London it dawned on me that I’ve recently struggled to pack light – particularly when the weather is uncertain. I decided to go back to my agesss old packing guide to brush up on my skills – there’s nothing worst than packing too much (or conversely packing too little). However the camera/ipad/laptop situation is one I can’t seem to get around, a particular struggle when you have to take all that as carry on!

Regardless of what I um and ah about taking, my trusty trench is at the top of the pile – they don’t call the trench a classic for no reason. Head over to Harper’s Bazaar here to read my rundown on a few the best trenches available online right now – *hint* some of them are on sale too!

Click here for full outfit details. (Yup, I pretty much only wear my AP&AS for Tony Bianco shoes these days).

Images by Lauren Engel

In Inspiration, Outfits, Travel

DIY INSPO: STUDDED ISABEL MARANT SS13

16th June 2013

Although in many ways minimalism ruled on the runways this summer, there were hints of embellishment here and there that had my DIY loving heart a flutter. Isabel Marant was one designer that was able to (as usual) inspire more than a handful of summer projects. What particularly caught my eye was the cowboy/americana inspired jeans, dresses and shorts – with small dome shaped studs applied in wave like patterns. A far cry from the rows of pyramid studs we saw a few seasons ago, to me it was a reminder that just when you think a certain DIY trend is about to exit stage left, a designer comes along and tweaks it – to the resounding joy of DIYers everywhere. So what do you think of dome studded pieces - will you be making or buying (or neither) this summer?