DIY: Tribal Poncho Hoodie Shawl... Thing

I really can't figure out what to call this recent mini-trend. Is it a shawl? No, it's got a hood. It's certainly not a hoodie, but it's not exactly a poncho either. Eh, you get the idea. 

Best part of this DIY? No sewing machine required!!

What you need:

Woven tribal print fabric (or an old blanket)

Scissors

Large-ish needles

A variety of embroidery floss

A couple toggle buttons (not pictured)

What you do:
1) Cut two shapes like this. Make sure they're big enough to fit over your head into a hood.

 2) With wrong sides together (the "pretty sides" facing out), overlock stitch the curved sides of the hood pieces together so that the stitches show on the outside of your hood. Reminds me of a dinosaur :)

Switch embroidery floss colors at random, tying the strands together on the underside of the hood.

3a) Cut a large rectangle of the fabric. I have NO idea how I didn't get a photo of this step so here's a crude mock-up...)

3b) Sew the hood onto the middle of the long edge however you like. I was going for a freeform look so I just used a variety of running stitches and "x" pattern stitches. (Note the stitching on the outside of the hood!)

4) Take that top edge and fold it down so the edges meet in the center; position your toggle buttons (make sure the hooks are both on one side and the buttons on the other!)

5) Glue and/or sew your toggle buttons down. Since they won't be taking much stress, I just used a couple stitches.

6) Done!

Summer Shorts

As I sadly transition into the stifling heat of a Southern summer, I've come to the shocking revelation that I only own one pair of shorts. And they're great, but not so great as to totally dominate my summer shorts category.

So while shopping around for shorts, I've found that it seems as if anything goes for shorts this summer. Anything that is, except boring. Distressed denim, yes. Studded and/or lace pockets, doubly yes. Printed, super yes. Leather, yes but only when the humidity is under 60%. Tribal, hell yeah all the time yes. High-waisted and teal, yes but only with faux hipster glasses. Plain denim shorts, NO WAY JOSE.

My goal for the summer is to acquire and/or DIY each and every one of these shorts. Ready, set?

via: A Pair and a Spare, Classy Girls Wear Pearls (x2), Because Im Addicted (x2), Christeric, Could I Have That, DesignLoveFest, Fashion Toast, HonestlyWTF (x2), lefashionimage, Sincerely Kinsey, and Vanilla Scented

DIY Inspiration: David Koma Spring 2012

Cut-outs and tribal and neon colors and leather AND amazing hair??? David Koma, you are my idol. I mean, seriously, this is amazing. Take a sharpie or fabric paint to some sheer cloth or neons maybe? Adding mesh inserts, leather pleats, or leather fringe to a plain skirt or dress (and don't forget on those shoes!)? Yes, please. My favorites are the sheer-front pants, and the full-skirted dresses, just beautiful.

Huge kudos to 5 Inch and Up who brought this beautiful designer to my attention!

Backstage photos via 5 Inch and Up, runway photos via Style.com

DIY: Tribal Mixed Metals Necklace

Free People gets me and my hippie alter ego. If I had enough money, I would buy almost everything they make. They've even gotten me obsessed with fringe (along with LoveMaegan and TMR). Exhibit A through infinity:

I have a DIY planned literally for each one of these photos. And here's the first, inspired by that last photo.

What you need:
A variety of chains (different colors, thicknesses, patterns, etc)
Jump rings
Pliers
A clasp (optional)
Leather scraps
Sharpies
Thick needle or safety pin (or a leather punch if you're a pro)


What you do:
1) Make your fringe by mixing various chain colors and types, or creating some sort of pattern like this one.

2) Measure how long you want your necklace to be and cut a piece of chain this long. Attach to either side of the fringe.

3) Cut a piece of leather into your desired shape and decorate with a tribal pattern (you could also glue on fake flowers, leave it plain, add feathers, etc). Make a hole in each corner of the leather with your needle/punch and attach to the chain above the fringe using jump rings.

4) If you need a clasp to get the necklace on, cut the chain in the middle of the "back" and attach one. I wanted mine to be long, so I didn't have to do this as I can easily slide the whole thing over my head.

5) Take selfie photos.