Haute Economics

So, i was flipping through the New York Times magazine and stumbled across this:

backstage after their spring show the designers Victor & Rolf explained that because of the credit crunch, they had decided to crunch their couture- literally, burrowing tunnels and cutting away slices in their extravagant dresses.
In the spirit of fashion's new D.Y.I ethos, they offered this simple guide to reproducing the results. Have fun.
1. purchase 149 yards of fine tule for the skirt, 44 yards of stiffer tule for the underskirt and 2.3 miles of very thin yarn, which you will use to sew the garment by hand.
2. Dye the tule pale green
3. create a stiff back inner crinoline - like structure measured to your body, using camel's hair and boning, in the shape of the final skirt with a cutout strip below the hips.
4. Build up the skirt, gathering the tule layer by layer, lightly hand stitching the layers together. Work towards a solid shape that is airy and light, fine tune the volume. Use sharp, slim scissors to cut a perfectly straight and uniform horizontal swath in the tule to match the cutout in the structure underneath.
5.Move onto the bodice, which you should fashion to your body using metal boning and chiffon. Hand embroider 547 white sequins onto the front panel
6. attatch the skirt to the bodice.
You're done! and it only took 163 hours.

Until next time.....xoxoxoxo Jenna

O, Murfee where have you been all my life?

We're snowed in here on Long Island, NY and its getting depressing frankly on how cold and yucky its been outside. Snow is pretty, but its just too cold for my taste. I'm getting sick i wearing the same juicy couture sweats and boots over and over again. I want to wear my Lilly dammit!I'm not even sure i can wear my Lilly to Paris , as it may be too cold there when i go, i'm just so upset over this! For now though my mufee scarf has been holding me over, it gives a pop of color to my black outfits, and keeps me warm at the same time. Who doesn't love cashmere? The Murfee scarf is a lifesaver in the winter, and the perfect season transition accessory. I love my shorley blue she's a piston murfee & will be wearing it as a pashmina on my flight to Paris next month. until next time.....xoxoxo Jenna

Today was my Parson's interview!I wore Skinny jeans from forever21, black vera vera wang boots, my "Gabby with a twist" Jacket, vertigo trench, wool houndstooth scarf , my vintage creation headband & my vintage chanel bag.I'm kind of obsessed with this outfit i felt like such a city girl today. i was extremley tense this morning but, it went extremley well so now that its over, 'exhale'! I ended up being interviewed by the same lady i met with on my portfolio day review, so i was super relaxed and comfortable. i also had a little bit of time to go to some of the fabric & trim stores too. I picked up some pink organza & browsed through all the trims.Until next time......xoxoxo Jenna

Julianna Update

Julianna Is in Sloan-Kettering recieving radiation treatment for 4 days, followed by 4 more days of chemotherapy& then a day of rest before the bone marrow transplant, which will be on march 4th. I am so proud of my baby cousins, they are such brave little girls. Thank you for your love and support.xoxoxo Jenna

xoxoxo

My sweet baby cousin is battling leukemia for the second time. After months of chemotherapy, today is D-day. Today Julianna is being admitted in to Sloan-Kettering Memorial hospital to start the process for her bone marrow transplant which will be on Friday. She is receiving a bone marrow transplant from her identical twin sister, Jessica. We need to start so we can finish! Please keep Julianna & Jessica in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you for your love & Support during this difficult time.xoxoxo Jenna

What I've Been Working On

Ready-To-Wear/ Pret-A-Porter- gotta start practicing my french!



Burgundy Organza Roses W/ Ruby Swarovski Crystals on a plain black tank

Embellished Jacket- "Gabby with a Twist"- Tweed Ruffled Collar&Sleeves Four Ribbon Closures
This beauty is coming with me to Paris!

I've Been Busy, Busy, Busy in the sewing room this week & gotta still complete the FIT home test & get prepared for my interview with Parsons on Wednesday! Have a great weekend & I will continue to post as much as i can! Until next time.....xoxoxo Jenna

Lunching As A Verb

Today, my favorite little cousins Jessica & Julianna came over and we had a tea party. We took all the fine china out, it was so much fun setting the table. We had mini sandwiches, cheese & crackers, mini muffins, cookies & fruit kabobs! we drank crystal light out of mini martini glasses with drink umbrellas & orange slices in the glass LOL and did a toast.I wore Lilly to pretend it is spring as i am sick of this cold weather! They are 6 years old- identical twins & are so much. They wore faux pearls " just like me" today they told me. They are just too cute for words.We are ladies who lunch. Do you have a little one you can lunch with? until next time....xoxoxo Jenna

This Fashionista Is Going Crazy

Hello, its wednesday yay almost friday! This week is my time off but as usual i don't get to relax i always have a million things to get done. Next, wednesday yes one week from today is my interview with Parsons Yikes! and at the same time i am trying to get done with the FIT home test since i have an interview with them soon after Parsons, and not done- working on the spring collection launching in may, all while trying to make some cash for Paris! I just wanted to update you all and appologize for the lack of posts- things will deffinitley get more interesting i promise. I have to go my to do list is calling me! until next time......xoxoxoxo Jenna

Angela E. Matthews Jewelry

Angela E. Matthews Jewelry


Meyas.etsy.com

Angelaethleen@gmail.com


( note: my Lilly Murfee scarf as backround)!

Over the weekend i went to a craft fair which i love,my favorite kind of mini mall because its all handmade, unique goods. Because i am an artist myself its hard to impress me.I'm kind of a shopping snob, i sew, paint, draw, sculpt, craft, bead- your stuff has to be great and different to catch my eye. Well, I was amazed when i stopped in front of The Angela E. Matthews jewelry booth, I mean i was speechless. My shopaholic alarm went off inside me and i knew i had to buy something, well two somethings. I got the pleasure of talking with the designer- Angela! and i loved how she reuses materials and re-vamps them- an aesthetic i use in a lot of my own work. I'm in love with the tape measure necklace a must for a sewer or anyone- the beads are painted! And the other necklace is trim! how clever. I already one of the necklaces & can't wait to wear the other one! Check out Angela's Etsy shop : meyas.etsy.com & tell her I sent you!

Angela inspired me to take some old jewelry and re-purpose it into something new, what will she inspire you to do? Happy creating & crafting! until next time.....xoxoxo Jenna

Hello, happy Friday! today, i came home energized & bursting with creativity and started crafting. I got much accomplished. I love nothing more than crossing something off my "list". But anyway, i wanted to share what I've been working on.


These are roses made out of organza fabric, a couture skill i was taught by my beloved sewing tutor. They look tricky to make but once you get the hang of them, you can make these with your eyes closed. I make these everywhere, school, waiting rooms, & my favorite drivers ed- what else was i supposed to do in that room for an hour and a half, HELLO! I love making these, there is just so much you can do with them. I sew the roses onto tanks, tees, skirts,- make them into ponytail holders, or pins. & in any color my heart desires, and sometimes i sew in pearls & crystals. I love these!

This craft project was really sentimental to me. I have an over flowing box of my late grammy's old costume jewelry, the junk not the good stuff- i got all that on my vanity , but this was the bits and pieces and odds & ends as you can call it. It really was garbage, or so i thought at the time but i couldn't bear to throw it out, just the thought broke my heart. Well, I had an idea, i got plain headbands a long time ago and never did what i planned to do with them so i got out my hot glue gun and started collaging. What i ended up with a unique, vintage accessory. I love working with vintage items, and i especially love how im recycling grammys things. I like to think shes looking down on me pleased, well i hope so, she never did like black though....

And lastly this was today's craft project. As you know i've kind of been shell obsessed latley, like borderline insane. I love working with shells since my parson's challenge project, i actually considered going to florida just to get more shells. must have more shells. I used up the sanibel island beautys and now i have to get by with the crappy shells we have here- in the craft store, too cold to get shells. But i've been making dew, and not all the shells are half bad, you just got to know how to use them. so i thought, and thought, and thought some more and it came to me a cute beach inspired accessory- ponytail holders! i love hair accessories, i love headbands, but i thought a little too avant gard a headband of seashells and what a hell of a headband headache that would give you! my head hurts enough everytime i wear my quilted burberry headband forget about a seashell headpiece forget it. Anyway i got off topic ... seashell ponytail holders! how cute to wear during the summer or to cheer up a blah day, it also will go great with your LILLY! For girls & ladies adorable! If anyone is interested im also selling these , gotta pay the shopping bills!

I hope you get inspired by something in your life. Don't stress just craft! I'm super excited to work on more projects this week since im off of school for winter break so stay tunned i got a lot more in store! until next time......xoxoxo Jenna

Snow Day Part Deux

Second Snow day in a row! Yesterday i had my lazy day, slept late, ate cookies, & put some stuff on ebay & went to bed. Today I want to be productive and get somethings done. I'm currently working on my spring collection, for a fashion show benefiting childhood leukemia which is in may, so i gotta get sewing! I've been working on some really cool things . I just finished my shell tote, and i am also working on a LILLY tote, and that's all im telling you, so it will be a real surprise when its revealed! you are getting a sneak peak , the shell tote! I was inspired by the ocean & the beach the last couple of months and i just ran with it. Its funny since i grew up near the beach my whole life here on Long Island, but i never really appreciated it until now. go figure. I can't wait to sew the day away! as soon as the Lilly tote is done ill post! until next time....xoxoxo Jenna

OMG SNOW!

Today it's a snow day! yea! its almost record breaking, you see our school never gives snow days, ever. last year there was an ice storm/ monsoon as i called it and we all had to schleepp to school anyway. So what did i do to pass the time? well first, i caught up on some much needed beauty sleep, and slept in till noon. We are in the process of renovating out den, into a art studio so we have to get all the crap out of this small room and figure out where to stick it anywhere else in the house. I forgot how much art supplies we have wow, but its a tad overwhelming. Everytime i go into the room to clean up a little more i feel ill, its just too much. I swear this room is going to be the death of me.

all in all though, snow is beautiful. A snow day is the perfect excuse to sit around eat cookies, have hot coco, and recharge. Guilty! i hope you enjoy your snow day! until next time....xoxoxo Jenna

New York, New York

I love manhattan. I love the noise. I love how there are always people around. I love seeing every type of breed of dog on the streets. I love how there are shops everywhere. Can you tell that i just adore this city. Some may say that I am too ambitious but i plan to live in Manhattan. My dream is to have a georgous brownstone on the upper east side. The perfect mix of a house and apartment don't you think? I had a mini getaway to manhattan for the weekend, I stayed with my family friends. They have a georgous apartment on sutton place. I was in heaven. We shopped in Soho, i just love the cobblestone streets. I was wowed by the Prada store there- i spent most of the time drooling in there LOL. Funny how the dress i was coveting was on the cover of french vogue. Then we took a trip to Lilly Pulitzer on Madison, which is always a treat- a pink & green one that is. I love the lilly on madison- the rug is even in a lilly print! I left with a murfee scarf in one of the new spring prints, can't wait to wear tomorrow. Over leggings and sweater the murfee really brightens up a dreary winter day, and unlike a garment you can get away with wearing an accessory countless times. I'm a bit of a shoppaholic but I'm always a smart shopper- you can't rip me off i know my prices and always do my homework before buying something. Then we returned to the apartment and I used my crafting skills to help little Jesse make a valentine house. I watch the most touching movie on the hallmark channel last night, it was called front of the class- about a young man with tourettes syndrome that became a teacher despite all the obstacles he faces. It was so touching the movie brought tears to my eyes.

Anyway, after getting some beauty sleep much needed my getaway was nicely ended with brunch in the cuttest cafe. How i love manhattan! Can't wait to come back!

until next time...xoxoxoxo Jenna

New York, New York

So, I'm off to Manhattan for the weekend. I will be lunching, brunching, shopping, and enjoying myself in the city that never sleeps until sunday evening when i must return home and go back to school monday ugghh...but for now im enjoying the moment! Until next time...xoxoxoxo Jenna