Friday, October 12, 2012

TIme to Vote: Week 5 Fall-Inspired Holiday Wear

It's voting day again and the designers have once again tapped their creativity to bring us their "Fall-Inspired Holiday Wear."  Now, it is up to you and the judges to see who will become our top three and create signature looks for next week.  Good luck designers!  We will announce the final three on Monday.  Happy Weekend...

Welcome to the Mouse House--Haute Harvest

Over at the Mouse House, there is nothing more valuable than joining families together during the various holiday seasons and Thanksgiving is certainly no exception in our household.  We love to dress up, have a big {vegetarian} feast and enjoy the company of family members, especially the family we don't see often enough.   This year, I created new outfits for both Ethan and Ainsley.  Ainsley is going to wear her new cream satin dress with a chocolate brown lace overlay and coordinating chocolate brown satin sash that ties in a gorgeously large bow in the back.   Ainsley's dress was accented with translucent orange glass beading  around the neckline and flowers that I created from orange and tan satin circles (burned with a lighter… check out my blog for details).


Ethan's cowl neck sweatshirt is perfect for him:  easy to take on and off, lightweight, and loose fitting.  Did you realize that I actually hand painted the stripes on his sweatshirt?  Yep!  I spent quite a bit of time perfecting those stripes because I couldn't find the fabric I wanted at local stores :)   His pants are made from a faux linen (linen is terrible for crushing and you don't want that for kids' clothing!) and faux leather buttons.  There is a lot of orange topstitching that isn't showing up in the pictures, but you can see over at my blog.  Even though my kids will be dressed up, they will still able to play and be themselves, which is super important to us.  We are so incredibly excited for autumn, but even more excited to visit with friends and family.  Happy Autumn to everyone!  Please check out Welcome to the Mouse House for LOTS of other pictures and details.    




Elegance and Elephants--Apple of My Eye


Thanksgiving has always been a favourite holiday of mine, but when my baby girl was born that weekend, two years ago, it took the significance of it to a whole new level.  So, this week's ensemble is dedicated to precious Anja, my Thanksgiving baby, and the apple of my eye.  Butternut, apple, plum, chocolate, with a hint of raspberry - no, not describing food at the Thanksgiving feast, but the colours I chose for this outfit!  I love rich colours, and the palette this holiday has to offer does not disappoint, so I really wanted to take advantage of the beauty of it's tones.


I knew I wanted add something special and unique to the fully-lined wool coat, something that Anja loves.  My thought process turned to autumn harvest fruits and from there I knew I had to incorporate her all-time favourite: the apple.  So, I drew freehand, and then embroidered, the apple orchard scene on the coat.  To add to the uniqueness of the coat, I cut the front asymmetrically, and gathered the peter pan collar, allowing the striped seersucker lining to show on the outside.  The matching apple hat will keep her warm through winter...I always love some practicality, while keeping it age-appropriately cute!  And I love apple pie shape!  The dress is one that is perfect for a holiday special occasion.  The cotton velveteen fabric holds the shape of the inverted pleats nicely while giving the dress some structured fullness.  I embellished it with apple green and plum polka dots that I embroidered along the hemline. I made the piping around the waist from the same apple green linen, leaving some of it exposed at the neckline.  There is a tiny pleat on each sleeve to add some shape there as well.  The closure in the back is an invisible zipper.  For added shape and colour contrast, I made a raspberry coloured crinoline/tutu that peeks underneath.


All the pieces are self-drafted, original patterns.  There are many more photos and details at Elegance & Elephants, so come stop by!



Delia Creates--The Harvest Butterfly

This week's theme could have gone a lot of different directions, the main ones being Halloween or Thanksgiving/Fall. I decided to go for both. I made a dress that can be gussied up into a costume or kept simple, yet elegant for a Thanksgiving dinner. First, I made Natalie a dress from orange/red linen blend. I then turned her into my own species of butterfly from the butterfly genus Delias (yes that's a real genus!), Delias natalius. The common name being the Harvest Butterfly...excuse my nerdiness. I've always loved butterflies, and since Natalie is still at the age when I can choose what she is for Halloween, I of course chose a butterfly. :) By creating a felt and flexible wire framework with hand painted chiffon in between, I gave her wings that are beautiful, yet easy to wear. The wings are attached to straps of black elastic that are snug fitting but easy to remove. Instead of antennae, I created a crochet pattern for a cute little pointed hat. To finish off the look, I added store bought black tights and created a teal colored knit diaper cover. My favorite part of the whole look are her shoes, which I made from an old leather purse I picked up at the thrift store.

To transition the outfit to Thanksgiving or autumn wear, I simply removed the hat and wings, and added a pair of tights I created from some tan and cream striped knit fabric. Without the accessories, you can see the details I added to the dress. There is a peter pan collar, long gathered sleeves, and butterfly like details in the skirt. I pin-tucked veins in rows, and added cut out shapes that I felt were butterfly like. These cut outs are highlighted by the white cotton underskirt I created from the bottom of one of my old blouses. The back is kept simple with a line of buttons to close it up. 
I have A LOT more pictures and information about each piece. Please come to my blog: deliacreates.blogspot.com.



Lindsay, etc.--Gilded & Gathered

This little number represents exactly how I want to dress my girl for Thanksgiving. My vision of perfect Thanksgiving attire is sweet and classic without being too much of an overstatement. You don't want to make your relatives feel underdressed, and at some point you are expected to stuff yourself.


The dress is made out of a golden silk that has been gently pleated on the bodice and sleeves for a very delicate and unique texture. The bubble skirt of the dress is a brushed poplin with a golden sheen- it was given some substantial pleats to give it a lot of "umph". The little bolero is a deep golden knit with felt leaves.The dress was all about texture and tones- the pleats on the golden silk we subtle, but striking and the vibrant bolero just makes the whole ensemble pop. The colors really came together freely and the style is definitely more simple and chic with touches of whimsy. 

Check out more pictures over on my blog!

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15 comments :

  1. GREAT job girls! I love the variations we have this week!

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  2. Great job everyone! I feel lucky to be apart of this talented group of ladies!

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  3. This has been the hardest week to pick a favorite yet, they are all wonderful

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  4. Really tough call this week! Everyone worked so hard on these outfits - I can't bare to see anyone "voted off"! Good luck all!

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  5. My favorites are the butterfly from Delia Creates and the "apple of my eye" outfit - that jacket is oh so cute!

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  6. I absolutely love het butterfly from Delia Creates. So cute!

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  7. The craftsmanship on the Haute Harvest collection is amazing...looks like it came right off the racks.

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  8. Mouse house has done it again.. =)

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  9. Mouse house has done it again.. =)

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  10. Haute Harvest is AMAZING!!! The dress looks PERFECT for a fall wedding!

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  11. I love Apple of my Eye coat! Precious!

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  12. love the harvest butterfly!!! so stinkin cute!!!

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