ON ME || Blouse: aka, THIS POST; Pattern: McCalls M6436; Fabric: ;
Skirt: Shoes: Michael Kors; Clutch: ;
Lipstick: (come visit my page)
Maybe the fashion gods have heard my cries the last 2 winters here in Seattle because seeing floral looks continuing in the fall are a dream come true! Needless to say, I’m super crazy about this runway trend. Flowers bring life and color to a season that has been dormant all winter long.
So when Christopher Thompson from contacts yours truly to collaborate AND play with florals, I was allll over it. Also, totally flattered – the man is amazing. But picking my favorite prints from his line of fabrics with my friends over at was mucho hard. But oh so much fun because I’m crazy for color and prints and mixing the two! Additionally, it was tricky because I was trying to figure out who was using what, what I wanted to use that was different from everyone else. That’s right, there’s a whole slew of amazing bloggers on this Blue Carolina Blue Shirt Blog Tour and I get to be one of them. Look at me, playing with other blogger friends, ha!
Line uplooks like this,
9/7 –
9/8 –
9/11 –
9/12 –
9/13 – Riva La Diva, c’est moi
9/14-
So quick question, have you ever started out with a project KNOWING what you want to make and then find yourself scrapping the idea after it was completed? I had that issue for today’s project. I planned and sketched out my look; the print mixing was good and the color blocking was on point. Check out my selection below,
(top), (middle), (bottom)
The alterations to the McCall’s pattern I used was effortless but the completed garment left me feeling a liiiiiittle safe. I like to be safe during natural disasters, public places and when I travel, but safe in fashion? Gasp, the horror of such a thought! Here’s the sketch I had below,
I used and cut the front bodice in two; giving it a front yoke where I can insert a single row of ruffles. Great idea, right? Sewing it was easy and I really enjoyed working with that McCall’s blouse. But something was off and I quickly worried about that I had gone too far in my print selections (ha, never!). However, I wasn’t crazy about the ruffles, which meant I had to re-cut the blouse. Quickly, I started to panic because I didn’t have enough fabric. It was THEN that I remembered the “make it work” mantra we hear so often from Tim Gunn on Project Runway.
(Are you watching this season? Loooooooving it!)
So I looked at my finished garment and restyled it. I did this by playing with what I didn’t like; I was not a fan of those ruffles. don’t get me wrong, I LOVE them but it was a little too House on the Prairie for moi this time. So I moved it around and as I was lifting it up to imagine what it would look like if it was gone (also boring), I noticed the way the ruffles fell gently across the top. This mistake helped created a look I would have never made up on my own! One could recreate this with a flounce which is generally not gathered but I loved the volume the gathering gave to this cascading ruffle. It’s the drama I needed to get me excited about what I was making. My dear friends, fashion is the ONLY place I like to see drama! You can go two routes when recreating these ruffles: (1) tack the ruffles into place – which seems so permanent to me because I have four kids and washing is ALWAYS in my future, or (2) using tiny sew on snaps to keep them in place. Snaps, obviously, made the best option because then I could wash and iron my blouse with no problems.
But did I stop there? Heck no! I was still high on the make it work theme! The McCall’s top has some extra room in the bodice so I ditched the buttons. YUP, I ditched them completely and wrapped the bodice around my waist, secured it with a few sew-on snaps and walked out the door – button less. We see it in the fashion magazines but do we ever give it a try in real life? Dang it, we should! I loved the way the neckline naturally draped around my bust-line and even though, I had a whole slew of buttons lined up for this look; I wanted the drama a button less top would bring. Again, sew on snaps are a dream and can secure everything you want to keep hidden while staying hidden.
I hope this post got you excited for playful florals this fall and snaps – thank you, fashion gods! Also, MUCHO thanks to Christopher and Riley Blake for letting me play with their beautiful Blue Carolina fabric collection and allowing me the opportunity to create with such qualityl textiles! I’m so impressed with the soft hand and bold color!
Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a glamorous day!
xo/Riva
RivaLaDiva.com occasionally receives vendor/ brand sponsorships for mentioning their products and services, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
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