Wheeeee!

Had an amazing time today shopping at vintage shops! Found a Burberry trench for $75 but ended up not getting it since it would've needed about $40 in repairs and $50 in tailoring. Booo. Couldn't bring myself to spend $165 for a jacket I really don't NEED. Especially since I just spent $200 at the Macy's one day sale. :( Got some AMAZING pieces that I'll be posting soon! Sorry, not outfit photos today (bf worked all day) but I'll leave you with this gorgeous photo of Crystal Renn!

Happy Sunday! :)

Yours, Etc.
CurvyGirlChic

Faith21 Wishlist

Arghhh Forever21 has me hooked on their website! I check it practically every day since they update their offerings so often! I think they add 2 or 3 new items each day just to toy with me! Anyway, I've accumulated quite the wishlist/saved shopping bag since I only JUST received my last package from them 2 days ago. Ughhhh I need to stop this shopping frenzy.

Yes, that is an elephant necklace. And yes, those are pineapple earrings. I don't care what my boyfriend says--I absolutely WOULD wear those.

Yours, Etc.
CurvyGirlChic

Bag Lust

[ :: Kan Kan ruffled shoulder bag :: Miu Miu leather tote with bow detail :: Miu Miu tan glazed leather tote :: ]

[ :: Mar Y Sol gigi flower clutch :: Marc Jacobs quilted leather tote :: Chanel boucle bag :: ]

I keep telling myself one day I'll splurge on one of these...

Yours, Etc.
CurvyGirlChic

Old-fashioned boots

I've been planning on making some kind of old-fashioned boots for some doll. As Miss Piggy has so large feet, she was ideal for this.

First, here are the soles made of two layers of cardboard glued together to form the correct shape. The small pieces are made of air-drying modeling clay and are to be glued to the soles to get the correct form for the toe part.


I decided to use thick fabric for these boots. The edges of the fabric are again treated with Fray Stop. The part shown in the middle is actually same shape and size as I used for the red boots.


The heels are plaster castings. This is the shape of heel found in many old shoes. It probably has something to do with the structure of the heel as old shoes often have stacked heels and those tend to be quite thick. Of course in this case, the shape could be anything, although plaster isn't practical for very thin parts. As these heels will be covered in fabric, plaster is fine for them.


Here you can see one part of the upper glued in place and the back seam of the two other parts glued as well. The heel is covered using same fabric, glued in place using PVA glue.


Just testing how the heel will look once in place.


The hardest part is done now. When using the same fabric on the heels, make sure the parts of the upper turned under the sole cover the edges properly as the outer sole won't extend all the way back, but will stop in front of the heel.


This time I didn't use eyelets for the laces, but pieces of trimming that double as decorations.


Here are a couple of pictures of the finished boots.

i just wanna stay right here until never dawns

[ :: Michael Kors shiny coat :: Faith21 sheer white chiffon top :: iT! jeans black skinnies :: ]

[ :: Cynthia Rowley bag :: Seychelles booties :: triple star necklace :: unknown earrings :: bangle stolen from sis :: ]

I wanted to pair my new sheer chiffon frilly white top with tough accents--punky three star necklace, chunky bangle, black jeans, studded bag and booties. 

Rainy days make me want to sit around and do absolutely nothing. Practically what I did today, except for running errands and taking these photos. Rain also means ordering in (pizza) and watching a movie (Spirited Away--how Asian of me, I know.) I can't wait for the weather to turn around. Going to go curl up in bed now with the bf and my stack of unread magazines.

Yours, Etc.
CurvyGirlChic

Shoe Review: Torrid!

I bought these shoes from Torrid just over a week ago and they finally arrived! :)

Also, follow me on Twitter @CurvyGirlChic! :)

Torrid Madrid Heel: $39

The Madrids are amazzzzzing. As someone who has serious problems finding a shoes that fit well (my feet are flat and size 10 WIIIIDE), finding high strappy heels that fit and are comfortable is like winning the fashion jackpot! Pretty good, I've got to say. Plus, since the back has two adjustable buckles, you can adjust the fit so it's perfect.

The one drawback? I think they sent me a defective shoe. The part with the studs where the leather meets the wood sole was coming apart and had a mess of glue all over! There was even a red arrow sticker pointing it out! Called customer service and they're sending a new pair and emailing me a prepaid return label for the defective ones. Now that's good service!

Torrid Ruby Heel: $39

This is another great shoe--my only complaint is that it's a little too big around the ankle, and it isn't adjustable since the closure is a sipper, not buckles. Otherwise, the construction is good, it's relatively comfortable from what I can tell so far, and I really like the stud details!

Torrid Precious Cutout Satin Heel: $42

This shoe is seriously pretty badass. It's got a super sexy cutout design, and a cute bow on the back of the heel. The fabric is also great--a sturdy satin fabric. 

There are two drawbacks from this shoe: 1) Again, since it zips up in the back, you can't adjust it if it's too big or to small (too big in my case, and my foot slips around) and 2) the bottom of the shoe has VERY LITTLE traction. I was walking around the apartment testing them out and almost slipped. I'm going to have rubber soles put on the bottoms.

The shoes my big big feet:

Madrid:

Defect!

Ruby:

Precious:

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my purchase. I can't wait to receive my non-defective Madrid heels though! I think they're my favorite :)

Yours, Etc.

CurvyGirlChic

one romper, two ways

::Beach Fun::

[ :: Faith21 romper :: DVF knots beach tote :: Old Navy gem cardigan :: AE sailor knot bracelet :: ]

[ :: AE anchor cord necklace :: Trotters genevieve sandals :: AE anchor ring :: ]

::Day Out with the Girls::

[ :: Lane Bryant jacket :: Faith21 romper :: Haute Hippie blue diamond necklace :: Gold Rome watch :: ]
[ :: Inge Christopher clutch :: MOGIL double buckle ankle boot :: ]

Tried to make some outfits that aren't strictly beach-bound and could cross from day to night. Granted, both outfits are definitely more appropriate for someone in a beachy area, like my lovely hometown in Southern California. Ugh. I can't believe we have at least a month more of winter weather.

Yours, Etc.

CurvyGirlChic

Red boots

These are soles for boots for a doll with flat feet. The soles are made of balsa wood, which is very easy to carve, and painted black on the sides, which will remain visible. You can paint them all black, but it isn't necessary.


Here are the upper parts for the boots. The edges of the fabric were treated with Fray Stop to keep them neat, although this fabric wasn't fraying much anyway (I guess that's because it seems to be in two layers, which are attached to each other probably with some sort of glue).


Here are the toe parts glued in place to cardboard and leather insoles.


The fabric felt a bit too thin for the eyelets, so I glued strips of leather on the reverse side for added strength before making the holes and attaching the eyelets.


Then it was just gluing these parts in place, gluing the balsa outer soles, and adding cotton yarn for laces.

put a little pep in your step

[Fortune from Panda Express fortune cookie!]

[Faith21 exposed zip peplum top :: NY&Co pencil skirt :: Epic by Lori Glazer coat]

[Cynthia Rowley studded bag :: Torrid mid-heel slouch boots :: heart earrings from Heartdance in Japan]

Dragged the boyfriend along to Saks to return the $260 Prada sunnies I splurged on the other day. I couldn't bring myself to pay that much for a pair of sunglasses I know I'll lose or break within a few months. (I'll stick to my $10 Aldo ones, thankyouverymuch.) Had deliciously unauthentic Chinese food at Panda Express. Ended up bargain hunting in Marshall's and Filene's Basement, followed by a quick look inside H&M that turned into a 1.5 hour, $162 shopping spree. 

Poor boyfriend. He had no idea what he was getting himself into today. I should go make him dinner or something. Maybe.

Yours, Etc.
CurvyGirlChic

Silver sandals for Sybarite

These sandals started with two small pieces of balsa wood cut into shape and painted black.


Then I made the insoles of cardboard and glued them into the balsa pieces. I took the picture before painting the other one, so you can see the shape of the cardboard and how it was glued in place.


Next, I glued silver colored leather to the insole. Usually it would have come later, but as I wasn't going to glue the edges of the uppers under the insole, this could be done at this point.


The next picture shows the rest of the leather parts in place.


Here is a closeup of the mechanism used for the ankle straps. The other end of the strap only needs a loop into which you insert the hook. The hook is bent slightly outwards to prevent it from scratching the doll's foot. This is a simple, but effective mechanism. The only difficulty is determining exactly the correct length for the strap, so that it will be possible to insert the hook, but the strap isn't left too loose.


Finally, here is a photo of the shoes on the doll's feet. The heels are made of balsa wood and covered with the same silver colored leather.

these city lights they shine as silver and gold

Day

[oversize drapey tank with attached chain detail: Pure Energy from Target]

[purple studded cardigan: Sweatherworks]

[cuffed denim shorts: AE]

[leather jacket: Michael by Michael Kors]

[booties: Seychelles]

Night

[same as above but with Steve Madden boots, Hinge jacket, and frame clutch]

(Sorry for the crap quality of photos.)

{sleeping in :: lounging around :: running errands :: napping :: cooking dinner :: walking the rose kennedy greenway :: night-time frolics & fun on the waterfront}

Days like this make me love this city.

Yours, Etc.

CurvyGirlChic