Street Style : Military Inspired Coat

I feel the need to apologize because I haven't posted in 4 EVER...sorry. But what can I say ? Life has been crazy busy , between school and well.. school. Fashion Design is no joke.
I just finished tailoring, which is creating suits/ coats/ etc. What a lot of hand stitching and pressing, I thought maybe I would die. I also draft my own patterns, and there is a lot of pieces involved with a coat.

BUT it pays off.. sh*t looks professional
So for my final tailoring project I made this coat. I am obsessed with monochromatic colors  and military inspired clothes, and the easy going street style with a cool edge.

Deats 

 It's a olive coat, box silhoulette , with a edwardian collar (seen on trench coats). The sleeves are brown leather, 2pc#1 sleeve , with top stitching for a detail. Leather welt pockets , leather buttons, and exposed zippers for a design feature.
 I drafted all of these coat pieces, along with the interfacing and lining pieces.

Construction

I want to breakdown the construction, I'll try to generalize so it won't get confusing.

     I realized that I am more detail oriented then I thought. EVERYTHING is hand sewn in this coat.  All the outer edges of this coat had to be interfaced, which is hand sewn with several different types of stitches. The coat is also fully lined,  coat lining and sleeve linings, also hand stitched in the coat.And hand made shoulder pads. There is hand stitched interfacing in the hem and the lining is hand stitched to the hem also.

 The exposed zippers are functional, and adds a little something to the coat. Talk about nerve racking trying to get the zippers to appear even (which they are). This was challenging because I had to separate my lining and interfacing pieces, so when you unzipped the zippers they wouldn't show.

Leather touches, I chose double welt pockets for this coat. I beleieve working with real leather probably would have been easier. Leather does not want to press, and kinda does what it wants. So forcing the leather welts to be the same width was a challenge.

Topstitching for the leather sleeves. I used a denim needle and wax paper, and marked my rows and stitched using a smaller stitch length. It really gave the sleeves some texture and suddenly made them look cool and exspensive.

What really makes a home made tailoring project look professional is top stitching. I bet on all of your coats/ suits you can find topstitching. It helps gives a polished finished look, and helps everything lie flat. So around my collar, lapels, CF, and hem I have top stitching.

Number one key to tailoring is to PRESS as you go. If you are not pressing you are screwed.

Bottom line I love this coat,I love that it's edgy, and totally me. More projects are coming up , I promise to make more of an effort to post.
Here are some photos .
-xoxo JT

Sweater Must Haves

The sweater game is changing and I am in love... fashion is such a beautiful thing..No more boring grandma sweaters.. or plain cardigans.. sweaters can be fierce. Sweaters have always been my fav article of clothing because..

1.  It keeps you warm
2. You look cute without even trying
3. You can wear it to almost any occasion
4. And if you have a belly, it hides it perfectly (I'm not admitting I have one.. but the treadmill has been lonely lately.)

What to look out for :

• Two piece sweater outfits , like sweater dresses cut into two pieces.. this is HUGE
• Sweaters that have a masculine touch, varsity inspired or sporty
• Long cloak like cardigans ( nothing like Harry Potter)
• A lil twist like zippers, cut out backs or shoulders, sheer
• Sequins are always a yes
• Plaids and wooly like fabrics
• Pastel and light playful colors

I went some of my favorite fashion sites to scope out the sweater game.

Here are some of my favorites for the 'cool bi***', sweaters found on Nasty Gal :

missguideus.com

Next is for the 'playful flirty girl' : Kersh.ca

Cute Cardigan : F21

And last is for the girls just like me.. attention grabbers, just 'THAT' girl: 

P.S. I don't care if you disagree

-xoxo JT

missguideus.com

Fall Trends Worth Falling For

       Summer is coming to a close,  most of you guys are starting high school / college next week *laughs* I don't start school until October , and I am very excited. Going to college is ..different because you don't need to do back to school shopping. I can get away with wearing my last year clothes, because no one has seen them yet.. Doesn't mean that will stop me from shopping and making things, when you're a fashion design student you have to slay. And I plan to slay the VMCAD campus.

     I've been trying to keep up with fall fashion, and it's not much to speak about. Fall is taking a wild turn, instead of dark colors the trend is pastels and whites ? Not sure I'm on board. Let me just talk about my favorite fall trends.

• DIY Denim  

Now is the time to play with jeans ! Go ahead and sew or iron on patches on jeans, the patches can be denim or maybe a print you like. OR add tons of  vintage patches like logos ect. I saw Rita Ora wear jeans with words on it, I thought it was dope so I tried it too. It says Vouge jeans.

           

• Sporty Girly

Bold prints and statements,  boyish with a mix of girly. Things like jerseys tees , varsity jackets, jogger pants.

• Flannel 

It's the classic fall trend , but let's add a twist to it. Try mixing it with other prints, go for pastel plaids, or just add some details to the collar, pocket , and elbows,( elbow pads).  Go to goodwill and buy some old flannels and just experiment ! 

I just added a gold pocket

Those are just some of my favorite trends for fall ! Good luck with school !- xoxo JT

     

#DIY #DVDS

       I have to admit that summer does get boring...but I do not believe in wasting my days. If I'm not working or hanging out with my boyfriend, I am making things. Whoa do I sound like a loser or what. Anyways I was scrolling through pinterest and saw this cute diy project. All you had to do is use old Dvds or CDs and put them on collars of any shirt. Here are the steps.

You'll need :

• Some old Dvds or CDs
• Scissors
• super glue or fabric glue
• A shirt

1. Bring water to a boil and put the cds/ dvds in there, let boil for five minutes.
   

2.Remove the Dvd/CDs and let them dry

3.Cut the Dvd in half and carefully split it open ( it should break in two parts)

4.Cut the Dvds/CDs into triangle shapes or squares

5.Grab your glue and place them on your shirt !

Notes:

• When placing the pieces on your shirt be careful of your finger prints ! Since the Dvds were boiled it makes the shiny surface very sensitive. The fingerprints won't come off and if you try to wipe it off, it will scratch away the shiny surface.
• Be careful with the glue because if it touches the shiny surface it will wash off.
• Also make sure the glue does not get on the shirt in spots it doesn't need to be.
• Take your time ! It took me three hours, but that was because of trial and error. *pulls hair*

There are many ways to wear this shirt ! I played with different outfits ! Hashtag stop abusing the skater skirt, wear that s*** right. Happy blogging . 

xoxo -JT

P.S. this is my throwing shade face

Dressing it up !

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The casual look

Sorry I've Been Away !

     Hey there fashion lovers ! I admit I'm feeling really guilty about not making time to blog. But between two internships , prom and graduation , I've been a little busy. Finally it's summer and I have a chance to catch my breath. Of course college is coming up soon, ( I can't wait to start) , so the time to relax and just enjoy my free time isn't that long.... But even when I do get busy again I will stay to my blogging. I pinky swear ..sort of.
Anyways let me pick up from where I started , yikes it was spring trends ...
Well let's talk about summer trends.

The trend I want to discuss today is the kimono. If you don't know what that is by definition a kimono - is  a long, loose robe with wide sleeves and tied with a sash, originally worn as a formal garment in Japan and now also used elsewhere as a robe.

In the fashion dictionary it's a long sheer like robe with vibrant prints and maybe some fringe at the bottom, and you will appear to be a "bad bitch who can dress."

I love kimonos they are the perfect thing to just throw on with some shorts , any kind of shorts. I love to wear them with high waisted shorts with a crop top, but I also love them with some shredded shorts too.

Kimonos can also be long like down to you're feet, or short like to you're thigh.

Kimonos usually come in floral prints , Aztec, or just solid sheer colors. Please avoid tacky Aztec prints, such as ones found in Rue 21.

How to dress them up is easy, you can wear some boots for some edge, like little booties or even cowboy boots ( cute cowboy boots ) . You can wear a long necklace or layer lots of chains. Since the arms holes are big wear lots a bracelets to draw attention to your wrists. And if you are really feeling bold grab a hat , a wide brimmed one.

*all pictures from Nasty Gal*

There's a downside to this really cute kimono , they are expensive. Most of them range from 60-80$ . Since I refuse to pay Nasty Gal 88$ (why is Nasty Gal so expensive ?) , I made my own for only 20$. Don't you just love sewing ? I do. Here's some pictures of mine below ! If you want me to make you one just let me know ! Happy blogging !
-JT

Me flexin 

One Color Outfits

My grandma has always told me that if something does not have the same color in it, then it does not match. This is a completely false statement, different colors and patterns can mix beautifully together But this season her rule might come in handy, because to be 'matchy matchy' is the trend. Now is the time to wear an one color outfit and do it with class.
Some people are scared to wear all one color, because if it is done wrong it can look really.. wrong.Dressing in all one hue is a very chic look. For certain outfits you can have different shades of that color, but it's all about balancing the tones and textures. Also wearing a outfit in all one color can be a great time to show off a new bag or new shoes that is completely different from your outfit's color.Summertime calls for hot pinks, minty greens and primary blues, and never forget about white. Here's some examples below to get your fashion juices flowing. - xoxo JT

 Jennifer Lopez in all hot pink, and draws attention to her nude shoes.

 This outfit could use some accessories such as a gold or silver chain, and some heavy bracelets. But the whole outfit draws attention to the shoes.

 This outfit is all one pattern , in a cute trendy way.

Mixing of the textures, this look is my ultimate favorite.