The Facts of Life: Okay, Natalie!

Alright, I think I tortured the spirit of Natalie long enough by ignoring her and making an extra Blair outfit.  I suppose fat girls need love, too.

What an awful thing to say!  I know.  But you know how much I love fat people, so it's okay for me to go there.

So this overcoat is completely irrational, with it being sleeveless and all.  Why would someone wear a heavy wool coat to keep them warm, but have their arms totally exposed?!  Because that's fashion, baby, and sometimes it just doesn't have to be practical as long as it looks good.

Yes, the concept is a little unusual, but why does it kinda not look so wrong?  I think has to be the accessories.  This outfit would not be the same without those gloves or the collegiate knee socks that match the sweater underneath.

I did make a little miniskirt to go under the coat, just because I felt she shouldn't go bottomless, even if it would not be seen.  Leonora took it off though.  That's why she has that, "I have a secret" look on her face in the last photo...

The Facts of Life: Blair stole Jo's Jacket!

Blair is back, but this time, she has a beautiful story behind the look!



                                                                                                       I very recently acquired a very large amount of fabric from the caretaker of a lady that just passed away.  I am so excited to use it all.  While I was organizing all the bags and bolts, I came across an unfinished project that I am guessing the lady had started sometime in the mid-to-late 80's, judging from the number printed on the tissue pattern that was pinned to fabric.

I thought, "How beautiful would it be to finish the project that she no longer can, but in my own style?"

So the result is this ultra-80's inspired unusual jacket dress that I can't tell if I like or not.  I like that I made ruffles out of plaid, you never really see that, but I think that the ruffles are a little bit of overkill considering that there is pleating involved as well.  But you must agree that the look is not something that you see every day!

TFoL- Jo's Biker Chic

I started with Jo because I thought it would be a challenge to dress someone who's character was so butch. I didn't expect to have as much fun with this one as I did!

The first time Jo's character came on the series, she was in a motorcylce helmet and all the Eastland girls thought she was a boy. I wanted to use the biker motif to create a party outfit that is hot in a just-short-of-masculine way, just like Jo likes it.



Leonora in her incarnation of Jo is dressed in a striped knit T-shirt with a drapy cowl neckline under a jacket that is a cross between a baseball and biker jacket (made out of... old curtains! Thanks, Kidney!) so when she's ready to go, all she has to do is button up and hop on her Harley!







The pants are Tight Tight Tight. Seriously, they may as well be leggings, but they're not. Nora would be suffering right now... if she had blood vessels.

FoL - Blair's Yacht Dress

It's a party, so of course Blair wants to put on something to show off her affluent status. So in order to brag from any angle, she's wearing a dress that she can wear for a nice day on Daddy's yacht.










First of all, this dress would probably be REALLY COMFORTABLE to wear. The fabric is extremely stretchy and can beautifully flow with the slightest movement.
That being said, I'm admitting right now that it's WAY too simple and I could have constructed something much more creative: playing with drapery and gathers, etc. Material of this stretchiness is alien to me right now, so I felt needed to make something on the more easy side. I think the result is really nice, but design-wise it is perhaps not necessarily one of my favorites.


Trina, as always, looks absolutely lovely, and she is very excited that she got to be the glamourous one this time around!

FoL - Pa'Tootie

So I'll say this up front, I don't have a black mannequin, but if I did, she would be fabulous. For now, Raine as Tootie will have to do. It may be a strange choice, seeing that Raine is my edgy girl, so she'll just be a Moody Tootie!

Here Raine is serving up fierce with the last of my stretchy striped material in a drapy top lightly inspired by Tootie's mushroom hair. I wanted to do a bollowy, baggy blouse/sweatshirt, for, as you know, the 80's were quite fond of many shapeless, figure-hiding garments, but not as fond as I was of using commas in this long, run-on sentence.









I am not used to clothing this loose, but I actually like the outcome, considering how surprisingly easy it was to make. Just four five-sided polygons and some elastic and *bam* - drapy diva top.

FoL - Tootie Extra

I was just playing around with different camera angles when I hit this artsy shot of Raine looking at herself in the mirror. I liked it, so I used it.

By the way, aren't you glad that I decided not to go with the demise-bringing Pippa as an inspiration? I sure am. It was like jumping off a cliff once that annoying Aussie wench arrived. Not that I have anything against Aussies, just annoying ones that kill shows that I like.

Oh, and there will also be no outfit for Natalie.

And she knows why...