As the year draws to a close, for many of us thoughts are turning to what to wear to our New Years Eve celebrations.  I’m such a sucker for dressing up, eating to excess and generally welcoming in the New Year with a sore head. What could be better than doing it all wearing something you made yourself? And when that something is a glittering, shimmering sequin maxi wrap skirt? It might just be the best night of the year. Definitely something you’ll remember long after the memories of that midnight kiss with a prince (fingers crossed) or a frog (more than likely) have faded.

 

3. Remove the plastic backing the whole way along.

4. Fold the edge over and press firmly onto the tape. For best results, fold over twice so no raw edge is showing.

6. Now you are going to attach the velvet ties which will make sure the skirt is nice and tight around the waistband. Cut the velvet in half (run a lighter/match along the cut edge to stop fraying).  Wrap the skirt around you and at the back pin the velvet ties in place, tying in a bow to check how it sits. Once you are sure they are sitting in the right place, use your needle and thread to sew the velvet ribbon on.

 

8.  Sew the snap buttons on using the needle and thread. The pattern at the top shows where I put the buttons, but it is indicative and the easiest way to check where the buttons should go is by putting the skirt on, tying the velvet ribbon and using pins to mark where the buttons should attach on both top ends of the fabric. Make sure to sew the buttons the right way up so they press together properly.

 

I hope you all have amazing holiday celebrations that sparkle as much as the sequins you’re wearing!

People sometimes ask me about what inspires my DIYs, and I think most expect that I get ideas from the runway, streetstyle, or designer collections, and naturally I find inspiration in all those places. But to be honest, more often than not I get ideas for projects from the materials I can get my hands on, regardless of how random they are (remember this? and this?). This skirt is the perfect example of that. My friend MISCHA recently held a party for the 4th anniversary of her brand, where I hosted the press preview with a super fun crafternoon. In the process of deciding the type of DIY we wanted to do during the press preview, she shared with me all these insanely intricate pieces of vintage Japanese obi fabric she had collected in japan when sourcing for her first series of handbags.  For those of you not familiar with obi, it’s traditionally used as the sash part of a kimono and is tied in a multitude of different knots at the back of the kimono. From what I understand many of which are used to indicate the availability or situation of the female wearer. I was immediately taken with the rich colours and hypnotic hexagons used in the patterns of the obi, and knew a few pieces would be the basis for a clothing DIY. The hard part was choosing the nicest piece of out so many including these! I decided to make a super simple obi panel skirt, by now you’ll know how much I love skirts and I think that when you have something as amazing as this piece of obi you don’t want to complicate its presentation.

Click below for the full tutorial

Instead of buying a ready made skirt I picked up a super cheap midi length skirt from my local secondhand store (ahem, $1.50) and turned that into a mini. I love to do this because it allows you to choose your perfect length, and in this way this project is also a before & after, because you all now how much I love a good before & after. You can also just buy one ready made too though.

1. To create the base skirt, I laid a skirt I own over the top of the midi skirt to check the right length, and then cut if off a few inches below to allow for the hem.

2. Iron and then sew the hem to create the perfect length for you.

3. Pin the obi fabric to the front of the skirt, making sure it sits symmetrically, and then sew all the way around the edge. I folded the top edge of the obi fabric over the top of the waistband of the skirt so it looked more complete.

Thank you Mischa for the lovely pieces of fabric!

I recently made this super cute black and gold lace mini skirt inspired by the Dolce & Gabbana AW12 collection as the second piece in my holiday season wardrobe. So incredibly simple to make and, if you happen to be in the norther hemisphere, perfect worn with tights with a wool coat over the top as you go between (a multitude of) party venues.

How to:
1. Cut the fabric to size, roughly maxi length. And then fold over the top edge to create the casing for the waistband.

2. Using your sewing machine or by hand, sew along the edge of the doubled over fabric to secure the waistband casing. Do this for the whole length of fabric.

3. It should look like this.

4. Thread your elastic through the casing. To do this I usually sticky tape one end of the elastic to a chop stick or knitting needle and push it through – not very chic but does the trick!

5. Sew the elastic together to create the waist, and then sew the long seam (the vertical one) together and the hole in the waistband shut.

Because this skirt can be a little sheer, it’s perfect for a holiday party with friends, as opposed to a corporate party with all your work colleagues and that sleazy dude from the marketing/IT/sales department. To make it a little more work appropriate you could also pop a short black slip underneath, or a bodysuit. I think I’ll wear this to a party next week and belt it with a wide leather belt – simple!