Photography :: Bernadette at Dette Snaps {BernadettePollard.com}
Wedding/Event Styling + Floral :: The Bliss Life {TheBlissLife.com}
Models :: Taylor + Brianna at Ignite Models Inc {Ignite-Models.com}
Hair + Make Up :: Amber Rose Hair + Makeup {AmberRoseHairandMakeup.com}
Dresses :: Flutter Boutique {FlutterBoutique.com}
Custom Veils/Head Pieces :: Something Borrowed Bride {SomethingBorrowedBride.com}
Furniture Accessories :: A Vintage Touch, Wedding and Event Rentals {facebook.com/AVintageTouch}
Wardrobe/Accessory Stylist :: Emily Moore {EmilymMoore.com}
Photography Assistants :: Kimberly Niedenfuer + Anthony Acosta

I was the lucky winner last week for Mpls St. Paul Magazine's "Pin it to Win it" contest. The prize? 2 VIP tickets to the MN Red Dress Event at Hotel Graves 601, front row seats, a swag bag, and a glass of champagne. I grabbed my good friend and photog Bernadette Pollard of Dettesnaps Photography to join me. We had a so much fun, and when I mean fun we ended up with southern accents by the end of the night. 

Here are some of my favorite pictures (taken with my iphone) of my first fashion show. And I can't wait to go to the next one!

For months I had been drooling over those leather skinny jeans seen in every fashion magazine and on just about every celebrity Hollywood.  And like most of us I don't have the hundreds to  thousands of dollars to invest on the beauties.  

Then the idea hit me.  Why not just make my own pair using recycled leather? Sounds easy enough, Ya?

Well for one thing I have never sewn leather before. So this was a challange for me.  I do have sewing experience and am not afraid of making my own patterns since I rarely ever use them. I do like to simplify or make it easy, or as easy as allowed. And one of those is making a pattern from leggings rather than jeans. 

First find your leather material. This may take some time. It took me two months to find my leather coat at the thrift store. It's the best place I can think of to find inexpensive leather. Look for leather that is soft, durable, strong, and in good if not great condition.  I was very fortunate. The thrift store I went to was in an very small and friendly town. Plainview, Minnesota! So of course when I entered the store chatted with the owner and got to what I was looking for.  She brought me to the back room and showed me all of their leather pieces. We found a women's large leather coat in black and in great condition. Still unsure of what I really wanted I couldn't decide if it was it.  But with her offer at $10.00 I couldn't refuse. What a bargain! 

Tips Before starting!

*Leather is very unforgiving and will show mistakes if you do end up having to take the seams out to refit.  

*Make the pants larger. It helps in the long run.

*Use medium-small stitching. Too tight of stitching may cause a rip in the seam.

*Take your time. It will make for a better pair of pants.

Making your leather pants:

1. Use a retail pattern of skinny pants or leggings. You can find these at your local craft or fabric store.

2. Or do what I did and create a pattern using a pair of pleather/leather pants you already own that fit perfectly. Then  add to the pattern an extra 1/2 to 1 inch for the inseam, mistakes, and wiggle room. Trust me I needed it!

I used a pair of pleather leggings from Forever 21 (c) to create my pattern. 

1. Use the lining of the coat (or scrap fabric) to creat your pattern.  This is great for beginners to use as practice so you won't damage the leather.  I created 6 pieces to use for my pattern. 2 pieces for the legs, 2 for the top front, and 2 for the back top. You may have to play around a bit like a puzzle to get the most use out of your jacket. And I recommend using the sleeves for the lower half of the pants. From the knees to the ankles as the shoulders to the wrists. 

2. lay out the pattern pieces to your leather coat and mark them using a fabric pencil or bar of soap (marking on the inside). Pins are no good here as they will leave holes in your leather. Carefully take out the necessary seams of the leather coat using a seam ripper. I really took my time for this because leather is not forgiving. Before cutting make sure you have enough leather for each piece. I used the front of the coat for the back because I had a generous amount to work with. Be creative! I kept the jacket front pockets for a unique look. They ended up behind the thigh. I rarely use back pockets but these would be great to hold my I.D., cash, and cards when I go out. On the plus side I get to keep my girlish figure without adding bulk to my behind. 

3. Time to sew! Lay out the leather pieces inside out as your personal leggins do. If you purchased a pattern follow there instructions. Start with using 1/4 of an inch sewing seam. This allows  plenty of room for mistakes. Sew the upper inseams of the right front to the right back, same on the left side. Next you will sew all four top pieces together creating a U shaped inseam.  Next add the lower leg to the upper thigh. Still keeping the outside seams open. Since I did not cut the lower pieces into four parts I saved myself from one step of sewing them together. Now you can sew the outer seams together leaving the upper side for the zipper. After sewing this seam I was able to make my adustments. Put the pants on inside out and mark the places that need to be taken in. That way it wil fit like a glove. Still leaving the one side seam open for the zipper.

4. Sew the top waist band. Leather streaches easily so you may want to reinforce it by using a thick seam.

5. The Zipper. I used the original jacket zipper and by cutting it down half the size. Make sure that you stitch the bottom part of the zipper a lot. It will save you in the long run. Before you sew the zipper on first baste the side seam for easy removal. Place your zipper evenly on the seam and sew leaving enough room on the top for a clasp.  

And Voila! You have made your own leather skinny jeans!

I have two favorite shopping months to get those "to good to be true" deals on fashion prices, and they are cold January and hot July. One of them is gonna be here before you know it after the holidays with prices Black Friday would be ashamed of. Most stores start these sales the day after Christmas. Clearing out the winter merchandise to make room for the coming spring season. So those boots you've been pawning after, pinning on every Pinterest board may soon be yours. 

   Now I'm not the biggest fan of the freezing cold weather and long nights that comes with winter. But winter fashion, I love! Endless layering without worring of over heating. Tights and Spanxs(c) worn everyday to keep things...uh um...in all the right places. Accessorizing yor coat with vintage gloves, oversized hats, and woven scarves. Neccessary to stay warm but looking oh so fabulous at the same time. And don't forget your favorite boots; stylish, warm, and most importantly...comfortable.  A definate winter must have! 

   So this is your friendly reminder to save those holiday bucks. Your favorite winter fashion pieces are gonna drop in price significantly. Make a list of your must haves and you will be primed for fashion success on a dime!

   Below are just a few of my favorite winter fashion items on my list. They also happen to be great staples for your wardrobe and winter trends of 2012-13. 

I am so in love with the fall leather scene from burnt red to burgandy, and of course the all purpose black. The fall leather comes in skinny jeans, tank tops, dresses, shorts, and of course your fall staple the leather coat. 



Follow me on Pinterest to see more of my favorite fall fashions - 
Emily Moore

On a similar note with the leather tank this fall season also features itself on the leather dress. This dress I find is also another big trend for celebrities this fall season.  You can grab this sexy fitted glove of a dress at any department store. That is if it hasn't already flown off the racks. Missed the boat? There is a great alternative. Dresses embelished with a touch of leather. It comes in varieties such as leather tops, bottoms, patches, hems, belts or seams. These can also be found at a more modest budget for those looking to save a penny.  Looking to DIY? Check out your local thrift store. I used an old pair of leather jeans and added a leather hem to a dress I never wore, and now I can't wear it enough. 

Fall is finally here and it's time to show off the newest trends for this cooling season. These include Pattern/Color clashing, Structured bags, Leather, and Metalic shoes. These are just a few of my favorite fall fashions that you can easily work into your wardrobe and carry it into winter season. I will blog about one trend at a time starting with color/patter clashing. This one is I think is the most intimidating trend and most difficult to pull off.

Pattern/Color Clashing
 
This trend slowly creeped in mid summer and carried over to fall with a big bang.  Mixing patterns & contrasting colors will bring zestful life to anyones wardrobe.   Play with pops of color and daring patterns. The key to making this look sheek, not like you got dressed in the dark half asleep. Pairing two patterns can be tricky at first. You want to make sure that the patterns are different. Examples of this would be a floral piece paired with stripes, paisely with plaid, tye die with print, etc. The color combinations don't have to match but for beginners it's best to start that way.  By coordinating color tones with the patterns and adding one matching solid you will easily pull this off.  Your hosery/tights are also a great place to add that second clashing pattern.  Don't put away those summer florals or bright colors. You can easily utilize those pieces pairing it up with fall shades or simply black.  layering is great with this look but can be tricky. Make sure you are able to see all of your layers. This will help you avoid looking too bulky, orlook as if you are showing off your entire closet like a bag lady. Here are a few of my personal tips to help you pull this sassy combo look. 

Layering - I'm the biggest fan of this but it is very easy to get carried away and appear heavy. To be successful with this start with the fitted, lighter fabrics adding the bigger, thicker, or loose fitting pieces. Keeping in mind that all layers should be visible. Layering was the most flattering look for me when I was pregnant, so it works for all shaps and sizes.  

Jewelry - Adding jewelry will be the icing on the cake with this look, but overkill will be disatrious. If you decide to layer your jewelry simplicity is best. But if you so desperately want to wear a bold signature piece such as a necklace try skipping the earings. If you must keep it simple with small stud earings or delicate dangles.  Layering multiple rings, necklaces, bracelets can be done (a current 2012 trend). The easiest pieces to layer with are the thinner more delicate pieces of jewelry. Think Skinny.  With rings the best for layering on one finger are the thin ones. If you want to add more accessories do the same, fine bracelets, skinny necklaces, delicate earings...etc.  You can layer multiple peices with this strategy.  You may see others layering outside of this context. I'm not saying that it doesn't work This is just a tool for the newbies to use. Layering with big and bold pieces works buts it's best with using the motto less is more. Pairing big pieces with small ones is also doable when you keep the balance. For example wearing two big pieces with two thin pieces, three big pieces and three thin pieces, etc.   

     Recently I was in the tasking process of finding the perfect wedding reception venue for 125 guests with only 4 months! It had to be downtown Minneapolis near the Basillica of St. Mary for the convenience of my guests and myself. This was a major challenge for me because I was working on a tight budget with expensive taste.  I am definitely not into the square hotel ballroom heavily decorated for the (sometimes) dragged out traditional sit down dinner.  I wanted to find an intimate, modern, yet cozy atmosphere where my guests can mingle about and fill their bellies with substantial hor d'ovoures and cocktails.  I didn't want to waste any time trapped at a table for 2 hour dinner listening to the repetitious overplayed drunken speeches.  Keeping in mind that a later wedding ceremony doesn't leave much time to visit and celebrate with your closest friends and family. 

  Our biggest obstacle happened about two months ago. We found our ultimate reception venue, Chambers rooftop lounge called Sid and Nancy's. Rooftop lounge with an outdoor patio, private, and uber cool. We loved it and immediately put our date on hold. Shortly there after we confirmed to the planner we wanted to book the awesome location for the wedding. So we we set the menu, signed the contract, and gave them our credit card info to charge for the deposit. Here's the kicker...we lost it! A heartbreaking miscommunication between two event planners a corporate event that apparently had a hold on it before us. Isn't a hold meant to hold it from others booking it? Well this made the search of a new site very difficult and stressful with only two months left.  And all of the others locations compared may never be good enough to live up to the low minimum, excellent menu and simply love lost.   

   ...That is until we came upon Gather by D'amico located inside the Walker Arts Center.  Already have looking at the Arts Center I thought we had seen all of the venue options they had to offer. Apparently not! Some how this location was missed on be half of the events planner thinking that the restaurant would not be of my tastes. Boy was she wrong, It's perfect! It's just across the highway from our church and walking distance for my guests or a quick 2 minute drive. It has both indoor and outdoor seating with the swanky lounge type feel. Overlooking the gorgeous Minneapolis skyline including the Basillica through their artistic vaulted glass corner.  We were also able to keep the delicious menu items previously picked out for the Chambers.
  
  I am excited to share with you a slide show of our future celebration location. Below that are the locations lost and left behind. Ultimately they didn't make the cut because of the cost, menu, style, and/or location.