ONLY THE LONELY

I stumbled across Only the Lonely on Facebook and had a quick chat to designer Angela Sterchele. I was not only taken back by the gorgeous, feminine designs but the 

photography was also beautiful, and recently a few pieces from the latest collection were featured in Oyster Magazine.

From Oyster Magazine

Can you give us all a little bit of your background?

My background is based strongly on following my dad around to art galleries and antique shops as a child. He is a freelance artist and that has been my biggest inspiration to follow my passion. I have studied at melbourne school of fashion in design and also business and knew from childhood I wanted to be in fashion and designing was always my passion and now I share my passion between design and styling.

Tell all of us a little about Only the Lonely.

Only the Lonely is named after an amazing and meaningful song by Roy Orbison that I listened to as a child. I wanted to create accessories by hand as I love making things from scratch. I began with my floral pieces before moving onto feathers, crystals, studs etc, which are going to be out in my new High Summer look book soon. I just simply wanted to create beautiful pieces that I would love to wear.

What kind of woman wears Only the Lonely?

The only the lonely girl is feminine, daring and loves a bit of attention and taking fashion risks. She can be a chamelion and wear what ever she feels.

What inspires you when you’re designing?

When I'm designing I try to use beautiful materials in a slightly edgy way to create something fresh. I like to create something dreamy and almost wearable costume pieces.

How would you define your personal style?

My personal style is totally eclectic. I love the crazy pieces that not many people would actually wear but i style them in my own wearable way. I dress for my mood and have to feel right or I will be late due to wardrobe changes. My car is a wardrobe on wheels which is handy.

What is the next step for Only the Lonely?

Only the Lonely is about to shoot it's first campaign which will showcase the Festival Collection '12' and is the first time that all the various styles will be shot together as a collection. I hope to pick up some more stockists this year and continue to stock at one of my favorite stores Hutch. The label is available through it's facebook page and often appears at Melbourne markets also.

You can find more of Only the Lonely here.

 

 

 

DIY [SASS & BIDE] DRAPED FABRIC DRESS

New Years Eve is fast approaching and I have nothing to wear. Well, not nothing per se, but most girls know what I mean when I say that. I was wondering what I could do about my outfit since my plans are still not yet decided and Sydney isn't seeming so desirable this New Years with drinking bans in certain areas and loads of pubs closing early. I was browsing the internet when I came across a dress on the Sass and Bide website that I saw a few months ago that got my DIY juices pumping and decided that it would be my next project and my NYE outfit.

I love the simplicity of this dress from the Sass & Bide 'Seekerstate' collection. I love its sweeping, ethereal and modern look and the way the dress has been styled in the second picture with the fabric bunched closely together and I think that is how I will end up styling my piece.

At the fabric store I wanted to find a nice, sheer, sweeping neon material like the kind used on the dress. I couldn't find anything neon but would you believe what I found instead? A pink and purple ombre chiffon fabric on special for $11.50 per metre? In case you haven't been following my ombre endeavours of late I recently did a how-to on ombre denim here and a few days ago I did a balayage/ombre experiment on my hair, which you can find here. Clearly ombre is a theme for me at the moment, and I had a little chuckle when I saw the fabric at the store while thinking 'what are the odds?'. So in keeping with my ombre obsession I thought it might be a nice interpretation of the Sass and Bide dress, which any of you can easily throw together as well. Follow me...

You'll need:
- 2 metres sheer draping fabric - mine is polyester but silk would also be nice
- Pins
- Sewing machine/needle and thread
- Scissors
- A white dress with a higher neckline would work better than low-cuts

How to:
1. Hem both selvedges (edge of a fabric that is woven tightly so that it will not fray) of your fabric by folding it once, ironing and folding again, ironing and stitching with your needle and thread or sewing machine.

2. Pin both sewn selvedges to the top of the collar line and do your gathering from this section so you can see how much needs to be gathered as you're doing it.

Run a needle and knotted thread across from one side to the other, doing stitches about 2-3cm apart. When you reach the end rehang your dress on a hanger and gather by pulling the end of the thread through. When you think the fabric has been gathered enough tie a knot in the thread and then unpin fabric.

Needle and thread through from one side to the other; gather by pulling.

3. Lay the dress flat on a table (normal side out) and then lay your fabric with the wrong side facing up and place it upside down with the gathers at the bottom (like picture). Lay the corners of the gathered fabric around the neckline and pin it down. Make sure that if you have used a thread that is visible that you pin ABOVE it so that when you flip the fabric after stitching it down it won't be seen. Flip the fabric and check it to see how it looks (picture 3). Stitch as close to the hem of the collar so that the fabric looks like it is sewn from the very top.

Step 3

4. Flip your fabric over and make sure to sew up any loose little sections that may be hanging out and to also cut any visible extra fabric from the part underneath.
5. Finally hem the bottom of the fabric either by hand or sewing machine.

Done! You'll need to fiddle around with how it sits when you place a belt on. So that's my NYE outfit sorted now. Word for the wise: anyone who is wanting to try this I feel it's necessary to say that this project took a few hours as it was fiddly. But the end result was worth it. I'll be doing a proper outfit post of my look tomorrow.

DIY BALAYAGE OMBRE HAIR HIGHLIGHTS

Have you a few hours to spare? Like 2-3 hours, I mean? Low maintenance hair is what I'm all about, which may sound strange coming from someone who has bright red hair. This look has been around for ages but it's still really on trend. I have been trying to distinguish the difference between the terms balayage and ombre and I think I have it figured: balayage is a free form hand-painted highlighting technique for hair done with a brush (I suppose this is compared to using foils) and is used to achieve an ombre look, which is French for shaded/shading and is basically a gradual lightening of the hair from the roots. The Ombre is usually done from the chin downwards and can be done with dramatic or very natural effects.

There are a few blogs that have shown how to do it, so I thought I'd give it a go considering my hair is dyed bright red. Would it work? Would it fail? I wasn't sure, but I thought the ombre effect could be really cool and different with red.

If you're trying this and your hair has no dye on it then bleach should take quite well and developing times may differ to the ones I used, in which case there are other blog posts on this topic which you can find on google. I use red hair dye and if you do have any other colour on your hair then I would suggest doing some research before trying it to see how to get bleach to take to your hair and if any stripping is needed. It might be more hassle and may be best left to your hair dresser.

You'll need:
- A bleaching/highlighting kit. Using a blonde hair colour simply won't work, you need to buy bleach kits. I bought L'oreal Perfect Blonde highlighting kit for about $20
- Towel (optional)

How to:
1. Mix together the contents of the packet according to the instructions. Grab a small section of your hair (underneath section) and do a strand test. This is optional but recommended especially if you're dying over another hair colour. I did my first strand test for 15 minutes and when washed away there was no change at all. With the second strand test I grabbed a different section from underneath and left the dye on for 40-45 mins and this result was much better (pictured).

Results from second strand test

2. Split hair in two down the back and tie. Decide where you want the ombre colour to start fading in. I chose to have mine just below the chin. I then spread the the blonde dye over my hair from the chin down, as I needed to lighten/strip the hair before doing the ombre technique. I left it for 30-35 minutes, washed it off then blow dried it.

Lightening process for 30 mins - applied from chin to ends all at once

After the lightening process - the blonde streak is from the strand test. I was careful not to put too much bleach on it during the next steps for an even result

3. Now for the ombre effect. I applied colour in 3 sections starting from the bottom and working up. I applied dye to the bottom 7-10cm of my hair and left it for 20-25 minutes. Leaving that, I then applied another part of blonde to the next 5-10cm of the hair and left it for 15 minutes. I then added the final amounts of dye to the last 5ish cm of the hair closest to my chin and left it for 10 minutes. I also spread the dye a little unevenly around the top 'root' part to avoid a definitive line from appearing and to help the blonde blend subtly. So the bottom part of the hair had dye on for a total of around 40 minutes, the middle part for about 20-25 minutes and the top, lightest, part for 10-15 (max) minutes.

4. Wash your hair out completely and use any additional shampoo or conditioners that come with the hair dyes and blow dry.

Ombre. Say it with me now - ohm-bray. Pretty cool. I'm really happy with the result and it wasn't difficult at all, just took a fair amount of time. Not sure how long I'll keep it but it has definitely given my red look a breath of fresh air. Hope you all like it.

Note: If you can, maybe get someone to help you. If you're doing it by yourself it's hard to get the back properly when its parted to the sides. I missed a bit at the back so might get someone to help me when I do it again in a week or two.On the other hand, I guess it does look more naturally faded. I like it, either way.

If you have questions about how to do ombre please contact me and I can try to give as much information about it as I know.

DIY CHRISTMAS HAIR WREATH

This year, I have admittedly been a little disheartened by Christmas. I normally love buying presents for my family, friends and the boy but I'm on a budget and haven't been able to go all out. Having said this, it doesn't mean I still can't bring a bit of style and Christmas cheer this coming Sunday.

If you love hair wreaths like daisy headbands and such then you'll love this DIY tutorial. It ain't no Christmas without a tissue paper crown from a Christmas cracker, but I'm going to don a cute DIY Christmas hair wreath.

You'll need:
- Floral wire
- Green floral tape
- Wire cutters (or some SERIOUSLY heavy duty scissors)
- Fake leaves and berries

How to:
1. Grab 2 pieces of the wire and cut them to the same length and make a circle. The wire I bought was shorter than the size of my head so no cutting was needed. Try it on and make sure it is semi-loose because all the things you attach and the tape take up room.

2. Starting at the part where the wire joins wrap one layer of floral tape around the entire circumference of the wreath.

Wrap floral tape around wire

3. Grab two leaves and cut them each about 1 inch from the stem. Cut a fairly long piece of floral tape and attach each leaf onto the wire in different directions. Then cut a small section of berries and do the same again.

To avoid looking like a Christmas decoration keep the leaves and berries very minimal. If you use too many it will look crowded and silly. I left about 3 - 5 cm space in between each leaf and berry stem attachment.
4. Once you have attached all of the pieces cut more floral tape and wrap any sections that may be loose.

And there you have it. Who said Christmas spirit couldn't be cute and trendy?

DIY INSPIRATION [PROENZA SCHOULER] NEON STRIPE BAG

When I first sighted the Proenza Schouler neon stripe handbags a few months back in a magazine I was having one of those days where I'd left my phone at home and therefore felt naked. I felt a little shaken and unsure because if I found a picture of something I loved I'd quickly take a photo of it on my iPhone. At the time, all I had was my notebook and a pen so I quickly doodled a picture of it (and when I say quickly I mean in about 1 minute). I actually quite like the doodling of items I find inspiring. I guess it makes me feel a little less guilty about not drawing as often as I used to.

Being a photography graduate one of the big discussions among students and teachers was how with the changing technology of mobile photography that everybody is capable of being a 'photographer' and how we are all becoming a bit reliant on our mobiles when there is something we just HAVE to capture. There is this idea that we now take a photo so the mind can forget the memory. I made a pledge to myself that day when I forgot my phone to doodle down my inspirations, whatever they may be. I think it will get my creative juices flowing better, aid my memory and will help when I'm trying to plan out how to do a DIY.

With all that said I am planning on recreating this bag with some spray paint and some fabric. Stay tuned.

My drawing - with some Photoshop colouring in

Quite clearly the real deal

ANGLE DIAMOND DOT.

A friend of mine owns a shop in Sydney's awesome and quirky fashion suburb of Surry Hills, right on Crown St. Estate of Mind's concept is to launch and support underground Australian (and now international) designers trying to make a break into the competitive and difficult Australian fashion industry. My friend will often send me look book's of new brands she has found and this one in particular caught my eye.

Angle Diamond Dot. The current collection Follow the Sun is a beautiful array of jewellery pieces designed by Courtney Harris. Each piece is an eye-popping feast featuring semi-precious stones in their raw form, meaning that each item is slightly different and unique from the other and set in sterling silver or plated gold. Another thing I love about this brand? Everything is hand-crafted.

Prepare to be delighted. A warning to jewellery lovers: sunglasses may be needed, as you could very well be blinded by their sheer beauty. I placed my order for the earrings in the first picture a few weeks ago as I've been looking for a pair of drop earrings and fell head over heels instantly. Other personal favourites are the sexy 'Linked In' chunky gold necklace and pretty much all of the massive show-stopping rings. The photo shoot alone is enough to fall in love with this beautiful brand.

For more information go to the Angle Diamond Dot website. Enjoy!

Four Corners of the World earrings, RRP $360 - mine in a few days!

'Linked In' chunky necklace

So bright!

Perfect jewels for summer

DIY NEON NECKLACE

I've noticed neon and bright colours popping up everywhere recently, as I'm sure you all have. With all of this 'colour-blocking' rage your wardrobe will look pretty bare without some form of colour this summer. If you're not brave enough to try the colour-blocking trend, or don't really have a clue how to make it work, re-vamping some of your jewellery might just be the key. I first saw this idea over at the lovely a pair and a spare blog, so thought that I'd give it a try on a metal necklace to see if it works (which it does).

The amazing thing about this idea is not only is it really easy and cheap, but it can breathe new life into cheap jewellery that you may have had sitting in your drawer for a while. It will brighten up any outfit and, let's face it, we can all find a way to incorporate bright jewellery into a winter outfit.

You'll need:
- A necklace, beaded or metal. A patterned necklace like the one I chose creates a lot of interest
- Neon spray paint. I bought yellow White Knight from Bunnings for about $18. (If you're spraying an item that is dark you'll need to do an undercoat of white spray paint)

How you do it:
1. Make sure your jewellery item is nice and clean from grease or anything else yucky, that may not hold the paint.
2. Shake your can of paint for about a minute to really get the paint to mix properly within the can.
3. In a well ventilated area, on newspaper, spray the item very well until it is completely covered. I found that on metal I had to really spray quite a lot of paint onto it.
4. Leave to dry for the amount of time recommended on the can.
5. My item looked a bit blotchy when it dried so I sprayed a second coat on.

After the second coat.

6. Leave it to dry again.

The final product.

And you're done! The only thing that I was worried about was that the spray might scratch off because the metal would have been finished with enamel and therefore wouldn't hold the paint well. I did a test up where the clasp is and tried scratching a little bit off with my nail and it seemed to stay quite well. I guess buying a spray enamel might be an idea but I'll just wait and see what happens as I wear it. After all, this is a seasonal trend item so isn't meant to be 'forever'. And I don't plan on wearing this everyday. On second thought, maybe I should buy another can of paint, just in case.

I SEE RED

Today I felt like having a little play around with black and white photography whilst modelling a nice bright lip colour and a bracelet that I made the other day for under $10. Enjoy!

Wearing: Napoleon Lipstick; Shakuhachi Bead Singlet Top

Bracelet cost under $10 to make!