New Year Party Dresses and Gifts

Hello dear all!!!

I hope you had as much fun this past New Year's Eve as I have. How did you celebrate? Me and my fiance hosted a big party which lasted until about 6 a.m. It was fantastic to see our friends some of whom we have not seen in months! It was especially magical because my sister came to visit me and celebrate with us! It goes without saying that I prepared something special to wear for the New Year's party!

My sister chose to wear the dress I made from Butterick pattern 5324. She makes it shine! And it perfectly compliments her sky blue eyes! As for myself, I wore this yellow my number. Yellow is my favourite colour. I wore the dress with the red coral necklace I bought in the Dominican Republic during our friends wedding trip and the peach pumps, a present from Shannon the designer. I like how these colours contrast with each other.

And then of course there is this glorious moment of opening New Year presents.

Excited about my gift!

I lucked out this year because my fiance gave me something that will allow me to diversify my designing and making techniques. It is a hand press machine that can do grommets and all kinds of snaps! My fiance knew exactly what I wanted! Here is the beauty:

My New Year gift!

So my New Year resolution this year is to make more pretty clothes!... with grommets... and snaps!...Don't be surprised if you notice a surplus of these design details on my future creations...  (Blame the man!)

How did you celebrate? What gifts did you get or give? What did you choose to wear?  Do you like to wear something special to mark the beginning of the New Year? What are your resolutions? 

Happy New Year Everyone!!! 

Hot Salsa in Cold December

Hello darlings!

You may not know this but I dance. I love dancing! And I try to come out and dance as often as possible. Unfortunately, that "often" happens very seldom. But last Saturday I attended the 3d Annual Winter Ball hosted by Steps Dance Studio where I take my Latin dance classes. It was a joyous event in a gorgeous venue spiced up by a delicious food menu and hot Latin vibes. On top of that, me and my fiance, along with our group mates, performed our salsa routine at this ball. We performed the same routine as we did at the Canada Salsa and Bachata Congress 2013 earlier in October. Canada Salsa and Bachata Congress 2013 is the biggest festival of Latin dance in Canada so it felt very special to be able to perform on that stage. Here is the video of our dance routine from the Congress: 

I enjoy performing a lot! So I was only happy to perform our salsa dance at the last weekend's Winter Ball. After long months of tedious practice it feels very gratifying to showcase what you have learned. Here are some photos from the Ball's performance:

 

 

Besides my performance costume (which is quite revealing to say the least), I wore this champagne lacy dress I made for the past New Year's Party. 

Me and my fiance social dancing

Its shiny material and lacy outer shell are still more than relevant. Besides, its flare and cut out back are very appropriate for social dancing. And believe me I did plenty of the latter! So it worked out that I greeted 2013 and bid my farewell to 2013 in the same dress. It served me well! 

To new dresses in 2014!

Lilac Peplum Petal Dress + Keeping Cool in +40 C

Hello fashionistas!

I have recently gone on an amazing vacation which was paired with a magical event - our friends' wedding! Other than the happiness surrounding this beautiful couple I was overjoyed by the prospect of making a new dress. What else is new? Just give me a reason! 

I made the dress from Simplicity Pattern 1876. But, as I so often do, I made my own modifications to it. I decided to make the bodice out of a contrasting fabric - lilac satin - and the bottom petals - out of a darker purple one. I had a scrap of lace which I had bought as a sample a while ago. I thought it fit in beautifully as a belt to the dress. I also sewed a lilac flower to it to make the dress look even more festive and summery.

The wedding took place on the hottest day of our vacation. (That is why you see me drenched in the picture!) But that is why I was happy with my choice of dressing: strapless and short! I wore the dress with a nude envelope clutch and my nude heels.

Since the resort life for me is a non-stop party I had to think how to look party-like and not drop from the heat while at it. So here are a couple of solutions I came up with. 

Apparently, white shorts go with everything(left)! And a top can function as a dress if it is +40C outside (right). Just because I am melting does not mean that my accessories should dissolve too. My favourite peep-toe lace up shoes went great with an asymmetrically draped yellow top! And my new BCBG flat sandals perfectly completed my aqua dress.

Here is a close-up of these gorgeous creations! 

Can't. Get. Enough!

Lesson of the week: don't let the heat melt down your fashion sense!

Redefining Design 2013

It is a funny paradox: the busier you are the more you have to share, yet the less time you have to do so. But this boring silence has to be broken and I just have to share the highlights of the Annual Seneca Fashion Gala with you.

Students once again displayed a wide range of skills and talent. There were plenty of designs to drool over. I especially liked these gorgeous leather skirts and tops:

Tania DaSilva, who won the Media award with her unusual knitwear collection, stole the show:

Tania DaSilva's collection; Tania DaSilva - far right.

Yours truly modeled for Shannon Skura who created a collection based on the idea that the wearer can be a designer. Shannon strategically placed magnets in the garment so that the wearer can change the way the piece is worn, offering him or her infinite options.

Shannon Skura's collection; Shannon Skura - far right.

My look for Shannon Skura's collection

Backstage with model Dayna Stevens

You can check out more of Shannon's designs at her website

fashandesign.webs.com/

Another designer I modeled for was M.R. Leach, who had a completely different and somewhat historic point of view...

M.R. Leach's collection; M.R. Leach - right.

...and Carly Vimini, who created a sportswear collection with experimental shapes for the modern woman. (Love the chunky knits!)

My look for Carly Vimini's collection

And these shoes were an absolute highlight of the show for me!

Congratulations to all the graduated students on the job well done! It is always impressive and inspiring to see their creations come alive: from concept to catwalk! Those sleepless nights and endless fittings definitely paid off! Needless to say I cannot wait for the next year's Gala! 

Outfit Idea #14. What to wear on St. Valentine's Day?

Hi fashionistas!

Well, this post is not exactly about an outfit idea. It is actually a request for ideas. St. Valentine's Day is fast approaching and I am at a loss for any thoughts about what to wear on that day. This is what I wore last year:

I know you can't see it fully but this is the only picture I have wearing these guys. They are knee-long slouchy pants which I made from Burda Young Pattern 7463.

"Not very St. Valentine's Day-appropriate," you will say... But does it have to be all hearts and roses? Here is how I accessorized them.

Boots with handcuffs design, my favourite chain necklace and some gold-tone and gun-metal bangles.

In case you are wondering, yes, handcuffs is my idea of a romantic evening. I went to a club party after all. Besides, what does one wear to a St. Valentine's Day event? Does it have to be red? Interestingly, I own only one purely red shirt. I have a bunch of pinks, violets and purples (even one raspberry), but I just do not wear red. Do you? What are you planning to wear? Please help me out and throw some ideas my way!

Thank you guys!

Outfit Idea #11. A Happy Dress for a Happy New Year!

Hello fashionistas!

I think you will agree that New Year's Eve is the kind of an occasion which simply has to be celebrated in style. This magical night only happens once a year. So which girl would not want to feel like a Cinderella at a ball while the clock strikes 12! The only exception is that she can stay at the ball and continue partying until the first day light of the New Year! And if you choose the right attire you will definitely not want to leave early.

For this special night I wanted to come up with a special dress. I have kept this gorgeous brown-and-gold lace fabric in my stash for a while. This time I finally found a perfect design for it in combination with this beautiful champagne taffeta. These fabric choices reminded me of sparkling drinks and fireworks and seemed appropriate for such a big holiday as New Years! I made this dress from McCall's pattern 6647 with minor modifications. 

The front of the dress has a seemingly simple silhouette. However, it harbours a little flirty surprise in the back. 

I switched the lengths around from what the pattern suggested and made the bottom layer longer than the lace layer. This modification created a border at the hem and added an extra design interests.

I love how this dress goes nicely both with the heels (for indoor partying ) and with my new cognac boots (for outdoor fun). This dress-with-boots combination came in especially handy this New Year because I had to travel from one party to the other in the middle of this festive yet chilly night.

My favourite gold-tone jewelry and the sky-high nude heels perfectly complete the look and make me feel like a princess! Cinderella could only dream of the kind of a ball that I had this year!

Wishing You a Happy and Stylish New Year!!!

Outfit Idea #1. Grecian Inspired.

I am very excited to share with you my outfit idea #1 (#1 on this blog that is). Yesterday one of my best friends had a birthday party after which she is embarking on a long European trip. So since I will not be seeing her for a while I wanted this night to be a memorable one. And what makes a special occasion more special other than a special outfit? 

My choice fell on a white satin dress which I made from Cynthia Rowley pattern 2178. I love the asymmetric detail on the shoulder and the slightly loose fit.

It turned out to look very Roman-inspired so I decided to go along with that theme of ancient Rome and complete the look with appropriate accessories. The interwoven straps of my heeled sandals reminisce of Grecian sandals. 

As do my gold-tone cuffs with Roman design. Nothing makes a better statement than an over-sized piece of jewelry, hence, the ring and big gold-tone disc earrings. A matching clutch with gold-tone detailing completes the look.

 Voila!