Shoulder pad fashions

Shoulder pads are one of those little things in fashion that continue to devide peoples opinions. Some cannot stand them and some do. I´m one of those who love them. A lot of the clothes I buy from secondhand stores have shoulder pads. I usually cut them out but I have saved them all since I think they have exellent trashion potential.

Last month I blogged a lot about hats, millinery and fascinators. I cannot do any proper millinery myself, but I started to think about using my collection of shoulder pads (cut out of secondhand 80´s clothes) as fascinator-bases a few months ago.. Jennine from The Coveted blog has done just this. She has made some rad looking hats from shoulder pads. Red hot trashion! It´s funny how some people think about the same thing at the same time. I suppose it´s how trends are born. I´m hoping she will make a few for sale in The Coveted Shoppe in Etsy.

I have planned to make a Martin Margiela styled dress with the entire bodice or dress covered with shoulder pads. The other design would be a Grace Jones inspired mega-shoulder-pieces with at least 20 pads per side. You know the kind that would make a american football player in full gear look small.. Both of these projects would be a nightmare to those still refusing to think shoulder pads are anything more then a horrible fashion mistake from the 80´s. But not me. Maybe Roisin Murphy could appreciate them!




Images via The Coveted blog.

Stylish peplums and fashion terminology

Queen Michelle from Kindom Of Syle blog created this wonderful and very stylish peplum to complete her wardrobe. What is a peplum, you may ask? According to Encyclopedia.com "peplum is a a short flared, gathered, or pleated strip of fabric attached at the waist of a woman's jacket, dress, or blouse to create a hanging frill or flounce".

Prada had some lightly padded versions in their Fall 2008 collection. Sounds intresting, looks stylish and is easy to make for yourself! I have a stack of shoulder pads in my craft supplies closet (cut out from secondhand 80´s clothes) that would work great in this project. I´d cover the pads up with lace, trim the edges and sew together onto a elastic waistband. Or you could use some of those fabric scaps left over from your latest dress/skirt sewing project. I know you have them! :) Quick trashion and an instant facelift for any pencil skirt or straight cuctail dress you have in your closet.

Peplums at Prada Fall 2008 collection:




I have learned so many new fashion related words (in English) since I started this blog. I´ve studied fashion terminology in Finnish and felt really frustrated in the beginning of my writing when I could not express myself correctly. But as I have browsed through hundreds of fashion blog posts, I have picked a few words on the way. I´m still a looong way from being an A student so I thought getting some proper fashion dictionaries might help. I found two from Amazon: Fairchild Dictionary of Fashion and The Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Fashion and Fashion Designers (World of Art).

More fab bags from recycled leather

I adore worn down secondhand leather and bags made from recycled or repurposed leather clothes. You just can´t beat vintage leather. My all time favorite bags designer in the sustainable fashion scene is Ashley Watson but recently I have also found other great designers and bag makers!


BAGGAGE recycled leather bags from Canada.


Recycled leather bags available at Amoosi.


Matières à réflexion bags by French designers Laetitia Azpiroz and Cyrille Railliet. Also check out their blog. Found via TheCoveted fashion blog.


Red leather bag sewn from a thrifted leather jacket. Made by a fellow Finn Jaana-Mari.


Recycled leather goods from thecraftydevils.etsy.com.



Charlott Vasberg inspires me with her bag designs. The Twiste bag from 2005 still looks new and fresh (zippers yey!).

Back to the Future - Steampunk inspiration

It seems I have been a fan of Steampunk for years. I just never knew what this style/gendre was called until today. Steampunk is 19th century victorian fashions (tophats, taicoats, bustiers, corsets) and industrial styled design mixed with future-like gadgets. According to Wikipedia, the term steampunk denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often set in Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne. “What the past would have been like if the future hadn’t happened so quickly“.


Steampunk laptop by Datamancer


(photo by fatalattraction)

William Gibson's 1982 novel Neuromancer is generally considered to be the first example of a literary form called cyberpunk. This science fiction subgenre places computers, networks, and electronics (the cyber- part) inside a future that is anarchic and often dystopian (the punk part; from the anarchic, dystopian punk rock music of the mid- to late-70s). Move the setting to the past, especially the Victorian age, take out the electronics and replace them with mechanical devices, especially elaborate, steam-powered contraptions, and you have a new genre: steampunk. This gendre has been applied to films such as Wild, Wild West, Brazil, City of Lost Children, Timemachine, Golden Compass, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and even Edward Scissorhands.




(photo by teelakallisto


Necklaces by Professor Quentin Ziplash


(photo by a_clockwork_zero)


Ring by JewelsofLuxury.etsy.com

If this gendre intrests you, just search the word "steampunk" from Flickr, YouTube, Etsy or Google. Prepare for hours of surfing... Etsy alone carries almost 4000 steampunk related items. I found so much inspiring stuff that I decided to post only a few pictures and a looong list of links.

Steampunk inspiration and wearables:
Steampunk Gear Flickr group
Steampunk Flickr group
Steampunk Fashion Flickr group
Etsy Steampunk Flickr group
Steampunk style article in The Star
Steampunk Workshop blog
MadArtJewelry
SteampunkLab blog - Projects
Brassgoggles blog
katbret_photography steampunk picture set
A_Clockwork_Zero jewelry gallery
Steampunk SF Photoshoot 2008 by JLinto
Steampunk fashions by Dreadnought Designs
lilibat mistress of Antimony & Lace's photostream
Wyldfire Studios steampun apron

Steampunk interior & object design:
Steampunk lamps by Frank Buchwald
Customized steampunk keyboards by Datamancer
Steampunk watches by Haruo Suekichi
Steampunk Home interior blog
Steampunk weaponry by Wetanz
Steampunk clocks by Marcel Betricey
Steamunk computer mouse
Tom Sepe's Steampunk Motorbike
Atonefabrik goggles

Steampunk inspiration:


Steampunk iPhone case:

I made it to HEL LOOKS!

I´m officially stylish (at least according to some people). Or maybe just an intresting dresser. I was strolling down Mannerheimintie last Friday in Helsinki when a girl asked to take my photo... It was to be published in Hel Looks streetfashion blog. YEY! That so made my day. A silly grin, but what can you do. I was camera-surprised!

Outi (30)
"My look today is a kind of 80's–meets–an–art teacher–art critic. I love men's clothes like this jacket. I love shoulder paddings and clothes that are out of proportion, too small or too big. I make and customize clothes myself. I think people should make more things themselves. Agyness Deyn is my style role model. She has a cool style."

Jacket: UFF secondhand
Knit: UFF secondhand
Jeans: Diesel Matic
Sneakers: Diesel
Bowler hat: Diesel Black Gold
Bag: secondhand, bought from Stockholm

StyleBubble cut-out dress via Etsy Alchemy (made by Angie Montreal)

I rarely see an "fashionable" piece (that is propably designed only to be in magazine editorials), work in real life wardrobe. StyleBubble aka Susie Bubble seems to pull anything off! In March she was obsessed about these SS08 Acne and Comme Des Garcons "cage-dresses" and finally decided to go to Etsy Alchemy to get her own. I love the www for this sort of international connection! You´re able to send an open request on Etsy Alchemy on items that you´d like to have custom-made. Crafters look you up according to their field of expertice. The customer met her designer and Angie Montreal (IheartNorwegianWood.etsy.com) ended up making Susie her cage-dress. I think it turned out fantastic.



Read the full story from the dress inspiration to making-of and to pictures of the finished dress. And in case you have not read Susie´s blog, I recommend starting from the DIY expert section.

Design Sponge Interior blog

Wow... just...wow. I have found THE diy+design+thrift interior blog. Ladies and gentlemen, let me present Design Sponge. It´s all here. Thrift store finds and small label design pieces spiced with stylish interior DIY projects all wrapped up in impeccable taste of color and form. I ended up browsing through all April entries and it took me three hours. There´s just that many posts so reserve time and a cup of hot tee. I´m particulary fond of their inspiring Before and After posts and DIY projects. This is what I want my home to look like...

Fashion in a Style Bubble

This post is mayyybe a bit more on the fashion size than trashion but I just have to write about this girl, Style Bubble. She has the fashion blog I read most. Susie is a passionate blogger who has introduced me to several designers and who´s style I just adore. The thing is that when she sees something she likes, she makes it or re-styles it. And not always with a sewing machine.... Her blog is long but worth reading trough. She has given me so many ideas on how modifying my clothes, details and so on.



Like this ruffle outfit. "White felt ruffle attachment made for a jacket but worn as a scarf here, Collection Privee cream leather ruffled skirt, Topshop Boutique grey 'mille feuille' tutu, Topshop black PVC trousers, black patent ankle boots from Paris (forgotten the store!)". Magical. I especially love the color sceme from black to beige and white. The ability to style one garment to look so many different styles is just blows my mind.

Superuse.org and Haute*Nature

I hate it when people refer to DIY goods and using recycled materials to be less "design" and beautiful than new/factory/massmade goods. I think giving an existing material a new function takes a lot more imagination and product development/design. It is the new challenge in product design!

Superuse.org and Haute*Nature are some of my favorite blogs. They present a lot of superstylish products, art and other creations made from recycled materials and sustainable manufacturing techniques. These sites have lead me to a lot of new designers and brands that are hard to find from the www just by googling. These blogs have really shown that recycled and sustainable can look fabulous.

Using and buying ALWAYS NEW is so last season.

Clothes-hangers collar necklace by Frederike


Hockey stick chair