Personal Style: Fall Shoes

Recently I had to go visit a podiatrist for a toe injury. There I was informed I had been wearing the wrong shoe size for quite some time! Its disheartening to know that not only were you wearing the wrong size but that you no longer can wear your shoes without causing further injury. Naturally I took the opportunity to invest in some new shoes. Since the weather is changing & soon it will be fall, I decided to focus on fall/winter shoes. The shoes pictured above are on of my favorite styles. They are a brogue shoe meets tuxedo style. I like that the shoes are simple in black and white. Shoes of that style typically have laces however these do not, they simply slip on. The lack of laces adds to the minimal style. Menswear inspired shoes with a pointed toe are a must have for me. Find these shoes here!

Another must have for me, ankle boots! I was looking for comfortable ankle boots with some edge. The ones pictured where found at Target by Stephanie & they are perfect. They are extremely comfortable with a small heel. Find these shoes here!

Stephanie's spiked sock D.I.Y.:

 A super simple D.I.Y. that goes well with your new fall ankle boots! This isn't an original idea, lately I've seen spikes on everything--socks being the latest clothing item to get the treatment. A quick search on Tumblr or Etsy and you'll see ton's of styles from tie-dyed, to knee-high. I like the look of classic white socks, especially with my thrifted Doc Marten look alike boots. 

D.I.Y. Crystal Hair Clip

       I have a thing for rocks, especially any mineral or polished stone. As a child when we vacationed in Florida, there was a souvenir shop we always frequented, and my parents would allot $20 per kid for trinkets. They had a case full of polished rocks & I would leave each time with a bag of $20 rocks.

As an adult I'm still attracted to them. I hate collecting things and not using them though. This gave me the idea to combine my love of stones and fashion and create some crystal hair clips.

The stones I used for this time actually aren't rocks at all, but a more affordable option of decorative glass rocks that can be found at any craft/home decor store. I feel they're a pretty close match to quartz though. 

This super simple d.i.y takes minutes to do and it looks especially great paired with minimalist fashions!

D.I.Y. Givenchy Nosering

       The nose rings from the S/S 12 Givenchy couture collection are now infamous. Every single magazine of note have had the rings grace their editorials. The nose rings create a certain mystique; marrying both tribal and punk influences, they make any look instantly strong and striking. We've been coveting these nose rings for a while, but the hefty price tag keeps it far out of reach for us. It took a little while, but we think we've fashioned an acceptable dupe to these sought after rings. You design how you want your rings to look, have fun crafting your own couture look! 

D.I.Y. Glass Spike Headband

Supplies:

Czech pressed glass spike beads (6)

thin plastic headband (Scünci Effortless Beauty 3 pack)

E6000 glue

It is obvious that the spiked headband has been done time and again, rehashed repackaged and published numerous times among fashion bloggers. I do have to say though, even after massive over exposure, I have yet to grow tired of this trend. I have been wanting to create my own version of this for a while--and my inspiration came when I came across a site that sold a spike different from the typical ones in metallic tones I am familiar with seeing. They are called 'Czech pressed glass' spikes; some are opaque and some are clear, but the main selling point for me is the wide range of colors and patterns that they can be found in (click here to see!). For this project I picked a semi-opaque spike in a tanzanite color sized at 6.5x15mm. I paired it with a clear plastic headband that feels more on-trend for the moment. 

There is no real guidelines to making this, simply glue! I will leave you with a tip on using E6000 glue: it helps it to adhere when the surface is rough so I ran the bottoms of the spikes across sand paper before applying. Have no idea about E600 glue? (Read this)

D.I.Y. Meadham Kirchoff's Opulence

photo via masha-mel.blogspot.com

rhinestone overlays via expointl @flickr.com

The spectacular display of ornamental excess presented at the Meadham Kirchoff S/S 13 show left a resounding impression upon us. It was the kind of show that you can revisit time again and discover new facets of detail: the glitter-encrusted manicures, the never-ending layers of bow, pearl, and stone; all crafted in the richest jewel tones.   

What we took away from this show was a new found compulsion to embellish -particularly in the fashion of Kirchoff's rhinestone necklaces and head bands.  

We created our own vision of Kirchoff using an old head band stripped bare, and a plain gold collar necklace, that we drenched in rhinestones purchased from a local craft store. We used a regular glue gun to apply, which has held the stones very well; but for a more permanent hold: jewel glue, or E6000 glue works best.