Purple "Express" Vest

This is a post I've been sitting on for a while, and I decided (since I have to urge to post something) to share this one. Especially since I'm wearing it today :)

This is a project I worked on when I was in school. One of my classes gave us a team assignment to design a line of clothing for Express. In teams of 5, we had to create a cohesive collection of 10 articles of clothing (2 per person). It was a long project that we had to put a lot of work into, but it all turned out beautiful. We also had an end of the semester fashion show in which all of the teams, from each class, showcased their collections.

I created a pair of pants (that I wore for the show, we ended up rolling up the bottom) and a purple, button down vest. The pants are a gray linen with a zipper closure, belt loops, with pockets. The vest is a pretty simple design that hits just below the hips, with four buttons to close in the front.



Front View of Collection
All the ladies, besides the girl in the gray dress on the left, were part of the group
The last member found a model to wear one of her outfits



Side View of Collection

View of Vest with Complete Outfit

This vest is what I am wearing today. I love the color and simple design. I wear it quite often and love how many things I can pair it with

Front View- Open



Front View- Buttoned



Back View



It was such a fun project to work on. It was a little stressful at times (especially since I was the group leader), but the final look of the collection was something we were all happy with. It's definitely a memory I'll have forever.

~JV

For a Wolverine Wedding

This weekend my cousin got married in Ann Arbor. Her and her husband are both graduates from Michigan. The first night football game was even taking place that night. First and foremost I was excited to see her dress and the bridesmaids dresses. They were gorgeous!! They were perfect for what she put together for the whole wedding and everyone looked beautiful.

Well of course I had to make a dress to wear to it. The fabric was the first step in choosing what to make because I had a turquoise fabric that I wanted to use for a long time. I also had a floral print fabric left over from a shirt I made (see one of my previous posts) so I wanted to make a jacket to wear over the dress. So I looked through my patterns (didn't have enough time to design one). Simplicity 2250 by Cynthia Rowley was perfect. 

Front                               Back

The bodice hits at the waist and the skirt has a mix of pleats and gathering. The skirt even has pockets. So cute :)

The top has an asymmetrical design with a mix of pleats and darts and elastic in the back to make the fit better.

Front                               Back

I LOVE the jacket. It's a wrap with a tie around the waist. The front has a black lining but the back is kept sheer which I find so appealing. The tie and binding around the entire edge are a black satin. The shine of it is one more detail I love.

Simplicity 2250

I decided against the ties in the back of the dress because they were too bulky and a little awkward.

It was perfect for the event, dressy but still comfy. The jacket was perfect for the ceremony and then I could take it off for a fun reception to dance and party in.

One more perk about the jacket, I can wear it to work :)

~JV

Suits Me Well

Hello Everyone!!! Sorry it's been so long. I had a great vacation and since coming back I have been working a lot. Thus my neglecting my little blog here. Well now that I've had a nice long nap I'm ready to start posting again.

I'm returning to blogging by posting an ensemble. This suit was made for a job interview I had. I didn't end up wearing the jacket, but I've been waiting for colder weather to pair the it up with a cute pair of jeans and some boots.

Both fabrics were purchased from Jo Ann's from the red tag fabric so I got a lot for a little (which I love). So I do have both left over and will be making more stuff from them. Eventually. One is a grey metallic suiting that isn't very heavy, and the other is a sheer floral print with strips of bias tape, made from the same material, sewn in swirls around the entire fabric.

Front                                         Back

The front of the jacket has a 3/4 length sleeve, two welt pockets on either side, a notched collar, princess seams, and I added two silver buttons to bring some pop to it.

The back has princess seams as well and two tabs with the same silver buttons on them.

Front                                           Back

The shirt is a basic design with a short kimono style sleeve and shoulder seams that come towards the front with a gathered detail to them. I added a solid teal bias tape to the sleeves for a fun pop of color.

The skirt is a pretty simple too. It has a thick waistband with four pleats in the front. The zipper is at the side seam. The skirt fits at the waist and hits a little above the knee.

This ensemble is a perfect business suit but can also be broken up to wear as individual pieces so I will most definitely be making more pieces to wear with them.

I hope this was an enjoyable post considering there haven't been some in a few weeks :)

~JV
P.S. Sorry about the wrinkles

Dresses of Summer- Ensemble

Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday!  I did (maybe that's why I missed yesterdays post).

Well because I missed yesterday I wanted to post an ensemble consisting of  a skirt and top. It does look like a dress and  a lot of people thought that. 

I wore this to the grand opening of Unique Wedding and Events' shop opening where I designed a wedding dress they displayed during the event, which I will post later.

I wanted to design and make a basic black fitted skirt that I can pair with a lot of different tops.  The top is made of a reversible silk fabric with black and tan on one side, and purple/blue and black on the other. The event was a black and white affair so I went with the tan side. 

The neck is a cowl technique

 The exposed metal zipper is a technique I've been wanted to use for a while.

 The back has a tie so the straps don't fall, and it also looks pretty cute.

~JV

Please forgive the wrinkles, I was on a roll with taking pictures and didn't want to iron it.

Dresses of Summer #4

Happy 4th of July!!!

Just a quick post before I go off and be patriotic at a BBQ.

Now I know that these are not dresses but they go with the theme of today :)

This was a project in school where you had to create 3 or more articles of clothing. The concept I went with was inspired by my brother. He's a fighter pilot in the Air Force so I put those aspects into my clothes.

First is a green military jacket with 2 zipper pockets on the chest, 2 pockets at the waist, and a pocket on the right sleeve. Second is a gray tank top with a gathered bust and button closures in the middle. Finally I made some navy blue cargo shorts/capris with pockets on each leg. The tank can go with either the jacket or pants, but the pants don't really go with the jacket, but that's ok.

Enjoy the holiday and be safe!!!

~JV