Dreaming in turquoise

Vintage polka dot dress (worn as vest) | Sportsgirl dress | DIY fringed chain necklace by Amanda | Belle by Sigerson Morrison sandals

If you've been following us recently, you'd be familiar with the online designer shoe outlet store The Piscean Shoes. Mei also sent me these lovely sandals from Sigerson Morrison's diffusion line - at $190, it's pretty much the cheapest you can get anywhere (they retail for US$295). I think that is otherwise known as Awesome. She'll be stocking labels such as Miu Miu and Salvatore Ferragamo in coming months, and you'll be sure to hear about it from us. We love supporting Adelaide's up-and-coming fashion retailers!

Gonna party like it's my birthday

Wittner 'Vermouth' heels | Lou Doillon for Lee Cooper 'Artfull' jacket | DIY studded shirt | Vintage skirt

It's my 19th birthday today and I fully intend to exert my birthday rights as much as I can! (It's my birthday and I'll dye my hair pink if I want to! And I'll eat soup with a fork if I want to! And I'll listen to 50 Cent's 'In Da Club' on repeat for hours on end if I want to!)

DIY or dye

Sportsgirl necklace | DIY vintage skirt (worn as dress) | Vintage hat | Vintage sunnies

I meant to post this DIY ages ago, but it's exceedingly simple. I freshened an old white skirt by dipping the bottom in leftover purple dye and letting it sit for a few minutes before rinsing. Dip dyeing is one of my favourite techniques because if you make a mistake, which I have yet to not do, it's extremely forgiving.

(Yes, my hair has highlights. I was going for a solid fade from dark at the top to light brown at the bottom and the girls at Clip Joint added highlights. Not happy Jan.)

xoxo,

Coco

Lttle Lights -Big Results-lighting seminar

Hi it’s maree,
I’m excited to announce that I am now taking bookings for

‘Little Lights, Big Results’ – a seminar based on off camera flash.
The seminar will take place in the Carrington studio on;
Thursday 19th November 2009 from 6.30 – 9.30pm
The seminar will cover;
• Light Shaping
• Light Modifiers
• Creating a pure white background
• Working with grided spots
• A Great Studio experience
The seminar will be structured as follows;
• Studio set up before students arrive
• One hour of the " Nuts & Bolts"
• Two hours of practical, participants shooting
• Two sets / lighting changes
• Model Supplied
• Students will be paired with a shooting partner to maximise time with the model. Shooting time will be structured to ensure everyone get equal opportunities to shoot.
• Certificate issued to all students who complete the seminar
• Special voucher to save money on future seminars
I have limited the group to 8 students to maximise learning and more importantly shooting time!!!
Plans are already in place for a dynamic set, theme and model for the shoot session.
The cost of the seminar will be $70 for pro-am students and $80 for others. This price includes your worksheets for the night, tea/coffee and the guarantee that your memory card will be loaded with outstanding and unique images.
Spaces will fill up fast so contact the studio asap to put your name down and bring your money/credit card along on Tuesday to pay your deposit and secure your spot.
maree nichols – production manager

contact :maree@ricwoods.com

DIY body chain harness

So I know this trend has been around for ages, but procrastination is my speciality. I thought I'd try a harness design that is a bit different from the typical Erin Wasson style that's all over the blogosphere. This one's inspired by the blow-your-mind-beautiful designs of Dion Lee.

Get:

About 2m of chain. (I bought 5m for $8 on eBay.)

Jump rings. ($2.50 at Spotlight.)

Clasp. (I used one from an old necklace.)

Pliers.

Chain cutters.

1. Drape the chain around your neck and determine the approximate length you want for the main chain. This will be SO much easier if you use a mannequin (dead or alive; I used my brother!). Cut it, and attach the clasp and jump ring at the bottom.

2. Cut the smaller pieces and attach them. Easy as.

I might attach more smaller bits later. We'll see.

xoxo,

Coco

DIY chain vest

I was inspired by the one and only Alexander Wang and talented model Zanita to dig out the old Supre vest (or singlet, to the victims of Americanisation) and grunge it up.

Get your hands on:

Loose top

Chain, eBay

Eyelets only slightly wider than the chain, about $4-10 at Spotlight including the tool/pliers

Eyelet pliers or tool

Jump rings slightly wider than the eyelets, $2.50 for 40 at Spotlight

1. Start by making nicks in the fabric with the tip of some scissors where you want the eyelets, and use the pliers to attach them.

2. Cut appropriate lengths of chain. You'll want them to drape unevenly, so make sure they're not the same.

3. Thread the chains through and put jump rings on the inside of the top on each side.
Easy peasy pudding and pie floater.

Vintage acid wash leather jacket | Minkpink leggings | Betts wedges

Please excuse the whole leggings-as-trousers situation. I was lazing around at home most of the day and really couldn't be bothered putting some bloody pants on.

xoxo,

Coco

DIY bleaching and skinnifying!

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It started with Amanda at the Quaker Op shop last year when I bought a pair of $5 bootleg Levi's. Fast forward to this year when we discovered the almighty powers of bleach.

Tutorial one: Bleaching (easy)

You'll need:
Rubber bands
Bleach
Bucket
Gloves

1. Twist up the denim into small pointy bits and tie each with a rubber band. Once you've done a pair of jeans this way, it should look more like a big, pointy rubber band ball.
2. Moisten it and place it in a bucket, and pour bleach over it so that it sits in about an inch of bleach. It should take 5-10 minutes to lighten, so keep checking it.
3. Wearing gloves, remove the denim when it's bleached to your satisfaction. Rinse it and put it through a normal washing cycle. Don't worry, it'll still smell like bleach once it's come out.

Even though I was very pleased with the results, bootleg and tie-dye just make it look hippie. It had to lose some weight, so today I dusted off Mum's old overlocker for the first time. I don't have a sewing machine, so I had to use an overlocker instead, but if you have a sewing machine, go for it.

Tutorial two: Tapering (medium)

1. Hey, I don't think you're idiots, I'm not gonna teach you how to use your own machine. But here's a few tips:
- Always draw the proposed new line on the inside of the denim before cutting
- Cut first; don't trust the overlocker to cut it for you because that slows down the machine
- Measure it against your own skinny jeans (I compared it with my Sass & Bide Smokey Gitane jeans) for the perfect fit.

Easy as! Let me know how yours go.
xoxo,
Coco

DIY acid wash denim

Acid washing is literally the easiest DIY project I have ever done. I used a denim skirt that had already been stonewashed in parts, my 2 year old brother's jacket (aww), and a black Esprit coat. I wasn't surprised to see that the coat went red - in fact, I love it!

You'll need:
Bleach
A pumice stone
Thick denim (low elastane content)
Rubber gloves

1. Soak the pumice stone in a small container of bleach for a couple of minutes.
2. Using gloves, take the stone and rub it gently on the fabric, ensuring that the entire surface is rubbed evenly. You can mess up the fabric and crinkle it so that the bleach is uneven for a different effect - that's what I did.
3. When it seems done, rinse out the bleach with water and then put it through the washing machine on a normal cycle. Note that different fabrics take a different time for the bleach to take effect. The black jacket became red in less than 10 seconds, while the denim skirt had to be rubbed over and over again, dipping the pumice in extra bleach each time.
4. Rock the look like the freaking hipster you are.




xoxo,

Coco

My hands are small I know, but they're not yours

THE DIY STUDDED BOOTS

Wearing vintage leather jacket, random woolen mini dress, diy circular scarf, sheer tights from England, diy studded boots and vintage embroidery bag.

These boots took me 2 hours to finish and I ended up pricking two of my fingers. I also studded my $20 Rubi heels and this black suede boots Mum got from China ages ago.

My lecture starts in 40 minutes. Have a great day everyone!

DIY studs

I got my studs in the mail last week and finally gave it go! 

You'll need:

Studs: $10.49 (free postage) for 100 off eBay in all different sizes. Get them here. Adelaide girls, I scoured Spotlight and Lincraft for them; you can't get them here. Plus, they'd probably be more expensive in those places anyway.

Studee: i.e. an item to be studded of some sort. Be creative. I bought my purse for $4.95 on sale at Sportsgirl a few months ago.

The technique has to be self-developed, so the first few took a little while, but after that it's easy. Each stud has two prongs which pierce the material without hassle and bend easily, but they're still really firm in place. 

Difficulty level: 1. 

I can't wait to try more items - jeans, flannies, tees. Paint the town metallic!

xoxo,

Coco