My new style description Generic Chic...WHAT????

I love exercises whereby I need to come up with descriptive words that describe my style. I always come up with words that I like but do they really describe ME. The answer is actually no they do not. Flamboyant Natural, Classic colorful glamorous, Textural whimsey, Modern girl next door, Equestrian Safari, Tribal meet suburban, Edgy classic, Cargo junkie, Pre-sixty sex goddess... and the descriptors go on and on. 
So I had this epiphany while at the grocery store. I was thinking about the classic Chanel purse 2.25 the one with the chain handle. Would I ever really feel comfortable about spending 2,000.00 to 3,000.00 dollars on this purse. Would I not feel guilty for such an indulgence. I admit it is a beautifully crafted accessory. I don't dispute it's value but would I really be that happy by owing one. I am not sure that the happiness factor would be that high. I probably would be happier to give the $2000.00 to $3000.00 to a worthy college student to help them off set some expenses. Now that would definitely give me a higher happiness factor. 
So why do I claim to be a fashionable person if I wouldn't really own a Chanel bag.
Back to the style statement. I have it Generic Chic. -Generic (Noun) meaning a product having no brand name or registered trademark

-Chic (Adjective) Elegantly and stylishly fashionable. Noun Stylishness and elegance, typically of a specified kind. Synonyms adjective.   stylish - elegant - smart - posh - fashionable - dressy noun.   style - elegance - smartness

I want to be stylish and elegant but with the non label stuff.  There I said it. I don't need the real expensive stuff. The copies are good enough for me.
So here it is guys Generic Chic. The styles that are current without the expense of the designer originals. I am happy with copies.
By the way this in no way is a judgement of those who want to spend the money on the originals. That is okay I am not judging it just isn't right for me.

Vogue1036 Jacket Project

Before I cut out my fashion fabric  I am making a muslin of the pattern. I have to say it fits amazingly well. I was prepared to have to make the shoulder adjustments for a square shoulder and a forward shoulder and I didn't have to. There is a whole bunch of room in the shoulders of this jacket. When I read through the directions this jacket has a shoulder header and a shoulder pad. Wow no wonder. I couldn't find any lambs wool for the header at my fabric store so I am going to use a synthetic fake fur that has the consistency of lambs wool. The sleeves have a pieced detail that is very unique. It calls for top-stitching. I wanted to make this special so I have practiced on the muslin trying out top-stitching thread and using a special top-stitching needle. Superior Threads produces such products and I highly recommend them.

Brown denim with metallic gold highlights

This is a photo of my fashion fabric, it is a brown denim with metallic gold highlights so my top-stitching thread is a gold color. I have tried out many of the decorative stitches on my sewing machine,what fun that is. I have a light weight Brother CS 6000i computer machine. I am going to use stitch #02 for my top-stitching. I could have gone crazy with the stitches but I didn't want to end up with a costume effect. Today I will take better pictures of my sloper and I am going to prepare my fabric for cutting out. I have to interface the body of the jacket and it will also have a lining. I might just make the sleeves first because they are the bulk of the work on this jacket. I looked on Pattern Review  and I found one review of the pattern. This person said the band on the bottom of the jacket didn't fit properly so I am going to check mine just to be sure. I have to say that knowing where to cut the notches on the multisize patterns is very difficult. They are stacked onto one another and I was guessing which one was the correct notch for my size. 

 

Project Runway Finale: Are you watching?

I love watching Project Runway. It is so inspiring. I couldn't do it. All that pressure to create something good.  Who do you think will win? I don't know but I am rooting for all of them. 
Well I am allotting this weekend to start a big sewing project that I have been mulling over in my head for a year. I belong to the American Sewing Guild and we were supposed to do a jacket. Well I hemmed and hawed, bought fabric and patterns and even cut out some slopers and attempted to fit myself. Something wasn't quite right. I had bought this Connie Crawford pattern Butterick 5574. I was going to make this 'Channelesque' jacket in a yellow/creme tweed. I just couldn't wrap my head around it. Where will I wear such a formal jacket. I know many style them with jeans but after all of the couture work it didn't seem logical to just wear it with jeans. 

I finally have decided on a jeans jacket made out of brown denim with a bit of gold sparkle in it. It will fit better with my self proclaimed style,'Flamboyant Natural'. I am going to use this Vogue 1036 pattern and I think it will look really more like 'me'. So this weekend I am going to take pictures of the fabric and make a sloper out of muslin and start the process. I am so stoked because I feel the design lines of this jacket will flatter my top heavy self. I also think that the princess lines will be easier to make the full bust adjustments. I love the pieced sleeves with top stitching I think they will be quite interesting. Pictures to follow wish me luck and hope you love my new DIY project

Finding the perfect summer dress that is the bare essential for a Flamboyant Natural.

I have many dresses but none are casual. Most of them are not even my style. I bought them for occasions that required I wear a dress. I have three little black dresses even though I have decided that I don't look good in black. So I am turning over a new leaf and editing out my dresses that don't reflect my true style. I needed a knit dress that has a simple line long enough to reach my knees and in a color that looks good on me. 
So this dress will be the first one that fits these requirements, and the best part is it only cost $12.99.
The hat adds the interest.

color pattern texture shine:What not to wear mantra!

On the show 'What Not to Wear'  Stacy and Clinton often make this statement: color, pattern, texture, and shine are the elements of an interesting outfit.  So I'm going to give it a try. Keeping with my style theme of Flamboyant Natural I am wearing my cargo shorts, sleeveless tank top with top stitching in a wine color, I am wearing wine colored sandals and a scarf with this color in the print. The ends of the scarf have metal 'coins' sewn on the bottom. The earring are a little group of nuggets in the wine family. My bracelets are tiger's eye and another thinner resin one that looks like wood. So I have color-top and shoes, pattern -scarf, texture-earrings and scarf, shine- coins on scarf and jewelery.  Do you consider these elements when you decide on the elements of your outfits??

Being true to my style:Flambouyant Natural

I love style archetypes. I think they are fun to read about and fun to try and analyze yourself with their parameters. I saw this book Metamorphosis: Discover Your Image Identity and Dazzle as Only you Can by David  Kibbee written in 1987 as one of the more thorough presentations on the subject. It talks about Yin/Yang physical properties and is quite heady. I decided from digesting his information that I was a 'Flamboyant Natural'.  There is a website that discusses his concepts in more detail at: http://seasonalcolor.yuku.com/forums/71/wardrobe-and-style

I also liked a group of clothing that I found over at the Vivienne Files that were a perfect collect of these types of looks. I love khaki green, I love cargo types of pants, I love the artsy vest, cardigan sweaters, knit jackets etc but very casual.

I also liked these summer looks that I found on 'Cabi Canary' on what to wear with cut off jeans or cargo shorts.
So I tried to recreate these looks for myself. I was trying to do the loose blouse look over cut off jeans but am disappointed by how BAD my jeans look because they are so rumpled...UGH.

In the next photo I was copying the cargo shorts with the drapey summer weight vest. The greens match fairly well and I think this is a better attempt at my new style. Do you have a style type that defines you? How did you figure yourself out?