DIY DYLANLEX STACKED NECKPIECE

2nd May 2013

Many of you will think a stacked neck is merely about putting loads of jewelry on and leaving the house, but that’s only about a tenth of it – Drew (aka Dylanlex)  has taken it to another level (read:artform) and I couldn’t be happier to share her secrets with you today. In the last year or so Drew and her sister have built a loyal following, inspiring stacked necks and perfect minimalist/logo tee/sport luxe outfits all over the world.  Drew and I recently got chatting about our love of craftiness and neck jewels in particular, and it wasn’t long before we were feverishly planning her cameo here on A Pair & A Spare. Read on for a pro’s guide to the stacked neck.

You’ll Need:

• 5 or 6 necklaces that you are willing to break up, hit your local flea market to find bulk deals
• Pliers
• Scissors
• Jump Rings
• Stringing Wire (Metal or Rope)
• Extra Chain (in case length alteration is needed)

How to:

1. Pick the base necklace. The base necklace needs to hold the weight of the rest of the pieces, so make sure it is sturdy, the clasp is strong, and it has loops or holes where knots can be tied.

2. Take the second piece and center it on the base necklace. You will have to cut the excess on either sides of the necklace and attach Jump Rings. Cut 4” of stringing wire and tie the second piece to the base. The jump rings will help keep the conjoining parts secure, yet flexible so they don’t snap while wearing.

3. Select the third necklace and do the same as the second – center it. Cut the excess on either side if there is any and attach jump rings.

4. Attach on the other side with jump rings.

5. Work your way down the necklace, using jewelry wire to secure and making sure to use various types of necklace to create interesting textures.

6. Some necklaces you will have to cut to size and others, like chokers and other short necklaces, won’t need to be cut. Keep the leftovers for your next project!

7. Finally, attach large and eye catching pieces necklace to the bottom of the necklace to finish it off.

Voilà  – a unique statement dylanlexneck is made!

To stay up to date with what Drew is wearing/making follow her on instagram @dylanlex, you can also tag your own stacked neck with #dylanlexneck to share your own creation with her!

DIY SHEER HEM PENCIL SKIRT

30th April 2013

With sheer layers being such a major trend for the coming summer, a couple of months ago I asked you how you would inject a bit of DIYed white freshness into your own wardrobe. I got so many great answers and ideas, and in the end decided to go with the most straight forward and minimalist concept – an elongated sheer hem on a thrifted white skirt (thanks Lauren!). In my mind the sheer elongated hem is a more fun version of the pencil skirt that says ‘I’m business, but not alllll business’, if you get what I mean.  This is such a simple project that I probably don’t need to post the actual steps, but for those of you who like to be walked through the process, I’ve given you the run-down below!

You need:

• A white skirt  (linen or cotton works well). I got mine from a local secondhand store for a few dollars.
• Some sheer white non-stretch fabric
• Scissors
• Thread
• Pins
• A sewing machine
• Measuring tape

1. First, measure the the length all the way around the hem of your skirt. Then work out how wide you want your sheer panel, and then cut the sheer fabric at that width (plus two inches for the hem allowance at each side) to the length you measured (ie the length around the hem).

2. You may have to cut two panels to sew together. If this is the case make sure the seams are cut and attached in line with the seams of the skirt.

3. Turn the hem of the sheer fabric twice and then iron and sew down. If you have two separate pieces, join them together.

4. Sew the hem on both long edges of the fabric so that it looks like the piece below.

5. Pin the piece of sheer fabric to the hem of the base skirt, matching up the seam join to either the back (if there is only one seam) or the sides (if there are two seams).

6. Sew the sheer piece down onto the skirt, sewing the seam together on the underside and ironing down flat. Finally, iron the whole skirt well.

And there you have it! I said it was simple didn’t I?

Wearing: DIY sheer hem white skirt, self designed pink silk singlet, Zara Heels, Mischa Bucket bag, Coach Watch

Thanks Andy for taking the pictures!

DIY MESSY CURLS + GIVEAWAY!

24th April 2013

There are often days when I really want to style my hair in messy curls but don’t have time to fire up the curling tongs (read: every day… I’m lazy), and so a few years ago I devised a method of curling my hair without using a curling wand at all – admittedly a throw back to when I was 12 and we crimped our hair this way but hey, it works. What I love about creating these messy curls is that it’s a hair style that you can do on the go – perfect for those of us who never leave enough time to do their hair in the morning! Oh and if you would love to create some messy curls for yourself but don’t have the right products, read on for how to enter my Vidal Sassoon Pro Series Giveaway!

You need:
Combing Creme or Leave in conditioner
Foaming air mousse or hairspray
A bunch of bobby pins
A hair dryer
Optional – straightening irons

How to:
1. Have a shower and wash your hair. Towel dry afterwards so it is only slightly damp.

2. Squeeze a dollop of conditioner/combing creme into your hand. I’ve been using the new combing creme by Vidal Sassoon Pro Series because keeps frizz at bay – essential if you have super frizzy hair like me!

3. Distribute the creme evenly on your fingertips.

4. Work the creme through the mids and ends of your hair, staying away from the roots.

5. Starting at the front and working your way around the head, roll your hair back into rolls. A few tips here: the thicker the roll the larger the curl, and the tighter the roll the tighter and more ringlet-y the curl. Go for large loose rolls around your head if you want a relaxed, beachy style curl.

6. Using bobby pins, loosely secure the rolls at the back of your head. Repeat until all your hair is rolled up – I only need to do two or three rolls because I like my curls large and bouncy and my hair isn’t too thick, but match the number of rolls to the size of the curl you want, and also the thickness of your hair.

7. Give your head a blast with the hair dryer to start the drying process, focusing around the part and sides of the head to reduce frizziness. Leave your hair to dry for at least a few hours. I often leave mine in all day so while I am working and let it out in the afternoon in preparation for an evening out. This works perfectly because the rolled hair looks a lot like a simple up do so you don’t feel too silly. For a more relaxed style, and to stop any crimping effects, I usually let my hair out of the rolls a few times during the day, loosening them to get the right casual looking curl, and even put it in a bun for an hour at the very end so it relaxes even more. Might sound like hard work but it only takes a few minutes!

8. Once your hair is completely dry, you can take all the pins out and loosen the curls with your fingers. To create extra body, put your hair upside down and shake.

9.  This final step is optional, but if you find your hair is a little frizzy on the ends (this will depend on your hair type), you can straighten the ends with a few licks of straightening irons. This helps give that ‘straight wavy’ look I love so much.

10. You can also do this for the hair around your part if required and also the sides of the head (you know, that area above your ears where you get ‘whispeys’ that stick out if you’re not careful, or is that just me?).

11. Finally, finish off with some foaming mousse or hairspray.

WIN THE PRODUCTS I’M USING!

Because getting the right messy curl is as much about the products you use as it is about the process, I’m excited to have partnered with Vidal Sassoon to offer 10 readers super fun prize packs including Vidal Sassoon Pro Series shampoos, conditioners and styling products so you can create some messy curls for yourself! All you have to do to enter is tweet a picture of your DIY hairstyle (or your favorite hairstyle if you don’t have one of yourself), making sure to tag it with @VidalSassoon and @apairandaspare and the hashtag #YouKnowYouLookGood – it couldn’t be easier. I can’t wait to see your pretty do’s!