Remake: Valentine's Day Ensemble - Stella McCartney Copycat

I posted a little teaser of the dress that my Valentine's Day outfit is coming from.

Fab, yet falling apart, appliqué...

Big ole, wide skirt...

Shoulder pads and mixed skirt lengths...

I've been obsessed with this Stella McCartney dress for forevah or since seeing it as part of her Resort 2014 collection.

I ripped out the page from Marie Claire that featured it last month...

...and couldn't wait to craft my V-Day dress just like Stella's!

With the $1 dress in hand, I got a few supplies (blue and red lace with some interfacing) and got to work!

I removed the skirt portion from the dress with a seam ripper...

...and had this pile o'fabric leftover!!

With the skirt gone, it was time to tweak the ruching.  I thought that once I removed the stitches that made this part of the dress ruched, I would have extra fabric to work with in the tunic that I was hoping to make.

Unfortunately the ruched part was made with two different pieces of the top (big slit down the center)...

...so I made alternative plans and decided to create more of a cropped style in the front...

...and a little mermaid dip in the back.

I pinned down the front and back of the piece and stitched everything in place before getting to the lace portion.

I printed out two stencils of a heart and a pair of lips and trimmed the lace around both templates.  (I taped the lace to the paper stencil to make the trimming easier.)  I trimmed the wrong color at first - I wanted to match the McCartney piece perfectly and go with a blue heart and red lips - so now I have some extra lace bits :)

With the pieces ready to go...

I cut interfacing to match the shape of both pieces...

...ironed the interfacing to the lace pieces...

...removed the backing of the interfacing...

...and then ironed both pieces down directly to my new shirt.

Now how's that for a copycat??

I failed to mention that the Stella McCartney piece is $2180.  Yep, you heard me correctly.

My piece with the dress ($1), the lace ($2-ish for both), and the interfacing ($1) cost me $4 total.

Pretty rad, eh?

Now I can go take a vacation with the $2176 leftover!!

I paired my top with a red camisole underneath, a pair of red Guess heels, a vintage tapestry purse, and my pink Wayfarers.

I am SO rocking this again and again.  This piece is totally not going to be a Valentine's Day only garment.

Keep your eyes peeled Los Angeles...this is my new go-to top!!

PS - For more fun pics in this from the day, head on over to Instagram and Twitter!!

Remake: Valentine's Day Dress Teaser

So this is the blush dress that we're working with today!  Hey shoulders and big flowy skirt.  You want to see how flowy...

...I could cover a table with this skirt if I sat on it!  That's how flowy we're talking.

I mostly bought this dress because of the appliqué but it sat on my to-do rack for a while until I saw a piece that I was obsessed with.  This dress was the first thing that came to mind.  So happy to be crafting something fabulous with it for today!

I'm working with these guys...

...to put together a perfect Valentine's Day outfit.

The after look is coming this afternoon and I'll will be posting fun evening shots while wearing it on Instagram and Twitter later on tonight.

What are you wearing on Valentine's Day?

Copycat: Marc Jacobs Knit Shawl

This piece has been on my inspiration board for quite some time.  That big safety pin was always something that I was so attracted to, however the $1800 price tag was a bit too steep!! (Check out the credits from this Elle magazine issue from fall of 2013!)

The runway look was equally as chic, so the wheels began to turn.

I found the perfect chunky knit to use for this project that had been in my sweater collection for a bit.  It's Free People, looks super comfy...

...however it was a bit too tight at the neck.  That always makes me a little crazy because I end up trying to pull it to stretch it out, but it never actually stays.

Also it had this brownish mark at the shoulder seam, making it the perfect choice for this upcycle!

When I found these jumbo safety pins at M & J Trimming, I knew this project was on!

I began by removing the stitches on the right side of the body that were keeping the seam together.  I had to carefully snip away without cutting through the knit loops.

I trimmed the top of the sweater off right at the armpits...

...and grabbed some matching thread to stitch and finish the raw edge that I just created after trimming.

I started my journey across the top of the sweater...

...and finally made it to the other side.

With the sweater stitched, I grabbed my safety pin and got to pinning both ends together.

Post-pin, my new shawl/wrap was complete!!

I loved that I just created my own little version of Marc Jacobs piece!!

This is something that you can also use an old afghan blanket for as well.  The copycat image actually reminded me of an old afghan I have!

It isn't cold here, hence that big headpiece of furry hair was not remade, however it was chilly enough to warrant a little extra warmth up top.

And if you just want to get the same essence of this piece, grab a scarf/wrap in your collection already and just add that big safety pin!!