A DIY knockoff of a dress I can't afford

Etsy is a wonderful place, full of awesome designers whose work I just drool over. One such recent designer is Stephanie Bezaire. I am in absolute love with this summery confection:



And I will own it one day. But until that day, I hacked together a similar dress from a sales post (over at fatshionista.livejournal.com, every friday is sales post day and I've picked up some marvelous stuff there).

Total cost of this dress: $5

It came to me nearly ankle length, with in-seam pockets and fraying smocking at the top. It was also about 6 inches too big in the chest and waist. It is made of the softest old rayon blend that feels like cashmere, literally, I've never felt anything like it (that's what she said!). Anyways, here is my effort:



Closeup of bow:


From farther away:


Cardiganized:


I used the extra fabric from shortening the hem to make the bow. The bow is attached with safety pins so I can use it to accessorize other outfits.

All in all, I'm super pleased with it.

Emboldened by my success with this project, I decided to try to make a sundress from a vintage bed sheet this past weekend. It didn't go so well. More on that later.

So much for Frugal February.

I was really trying to not buy any clothes for the month of February. The fact that I failed at this only 8 days in may indicate that my shopping "habit" is worse that I thought.

Here's what I caved on:

This lace overlay shift dress is so precious, I hope it fits over my hips:


From my wishlist post earlier:

I mean, come on, chambray + ruffles + high waisted? How could I not buy this?

Trying out a different cardigan silhouette, inspired by the lovely Olive:


Be on the lookout for OOTDs and reviews of these items! Plus, my other eShakti dress came in the mail today, so I will be trying that on and reviewing it shortly!

Today's OOTD, brought to you by Polyvore

Today is national Wear Red day, the sign in our apartment elevator tells me.  So, I thought I'd wear red.  But then I didn't get a picture of it (yet), so I thought I'd play around with Polyvore to give you all an idea of what I have on today.  Other than my mantle of unbridled scorn, that is.

OOTD: 2/6/10 by neffbot featuring Old Navy dresses

The items in the set listed on polyvore are not indicative of the real items in the set.  Here are the real items:

Dress: Old Navy 1x
Boots: Target "kady" boots, sold out awhile back, size 11
Cardigan: Target merona xxl
Brooch (not shown):

The polyvore thing seems clunky.  I'll bring you a real OOTD really featuring me shortly!

ETA:

Here's what I actually looked like:




I think Polyvore makes outfits look a little more curated and interesting. When I see them on, they still look awesome and so do I :), but it just looks like a person wearing clothes rather than the tableau that polyvore creates. Hmmm. I will probably do more of these!

Go see me over at the January Fatshionista recap!

Christina included me in her January Fatshion Recap over at Musings of a Fatshionista! Clicky for not just my fatshuns, but other awesome fatshuns.

Menswear-inspired oxford heels, and outfits containing them.

I saw these delicious menswear-inspired oxford heels on the sale rack at my local shoestore, and had to possess them. I call them my victorian witch shoes.

Once I got them home, I was unsure how to wear them. Here are a few outfits that I paired them with:



Details:
Dress: Old Navy 1X
Cardigan: Kersh xl
Brooch: A gift (for myself)
Knee socks: EG Smith black "over the knee", bought from Monster on Ballard Ave in Seattle (she's great!)
Shoes: Pikolinos size 11 (or, umm, 42?)

Here are some detail shots of the shoes:




And now an outfit that does not include a dress! Prepare yourself for the shock.





Details:
White tank/shirt: Old Navy xxl, years ago
Unseen tank under: Old navy xl, years ago
Jeans: Torrid zcav skinny jeans, size 22
Cardigan: actually a dark green, Target xxl, recent
Necklace: a copper book, gift from Bob on our wedding day
Shoes: Pikolinos size 11(42)