Crop It Like It's Hot! 5 Ways to Wear a Crop Top

The crop top is a hit. You can find it anywhere, even if you don't want to. I love them of course, but not everyone wants all their goodies hanging out. Here's a few ways to wear the summer essential, and some of them are even for you modest ones!

1. Over a Dress:

Long dress or short dress, it's a great way to wear your cropped tee. If your crop top has sleeves, it's also a great way to make a sleeveless dress something you can wear to work!

(dress croptop and sandals from Ross, necklace from Wet Seal)

2.With Something High-Waisted:

(jeans clearance from Urban Outfitters, Converse sneakers from Ross, croptop from Rebel8, Obey hat from Karmaloop.com)

The high-waisted shorts and jeans are also trending right now, but if you aren't into that look, try a slim pencil skirt. Always sexy. This look works with a loose crop like the ones I am wearing here, or if you want to show a little skin, a bustier crop looks great with a high waist too.

(Jeffrey Campbell shoes from Karmaloop.com, leather skirt from Value Village, croptop from Ross)

3. Under Something Sheer: 

Without the sheer top, this look has very little to hide. But once you add a loose fitted sheer top it changes the whole look. And luckily, sheer shirts are easy to find too! 

(leggings from Ross, sequin bustier and Jeffrey Campbell shoes from Karmaloop.com, sheer top clearance from Urban Outfitters)

4. With Boyfriend Jeans:

If you're going to have skin showing, or wear something really tight on top it's usually a good rule to wear a loose fitting bottom. I had a little extra fun with this look by wearing a strappy lingerie piece underneath. 

(croptop and sandals from Ross, jeans from men's section at Target, lingerie from Karmaloop.com)

5. With a Jacket or Vest:

As you can see with this look you can leave the jacket open or cover that little bit of skin. This is a great way to wear a crop top when the weather is not being consistent. 

(sandals from Ross, shorts and croptop from Forever 21, sleeveless denim shirt from Nordstrom Rack) 

Hope this helps with your summer styling!

Thanks for reading.

XOXO

Masculine Femininity

The inspiration for this shoot was menswear.
Women have the ultimate power of fashion. We can wear anything we please, or nothing at all, and still find a way to be sexy.
For these looks I dressed in menswear, or masculine womenswear to show that confidence is the sexiest thing a woman can wear.
As with any artistic project, it took on a life of its own, and luckily I'm happy with what this shoot became.
Now I'll let you be the judge.

All photos courtesy of Shuttereye Images and Harold Mayo

DIY Studded/Spiked Armbrace Legbrace, or Garter

I have had a few inquiries about the leg garters I've created and I promised this post a while ago, so I'm sorry for the wait!

Anyway, as many of you are aware I am a huge fan of accessories. I love finding new ways to wear things, and I truly believe that accessories can make or break an outfit. Shoes, jewelry, clutches, hairbows and headbands, makeup, I go nuts for the stuff. Maybe because (with the exception of purses and shoes) accessories are usually cheaper than clothes-thus it's easier to justify the purchase. Or maybe because accessories are amazing.

Naturally when I discovered that girls were making decorative garters and "leg braces" I was excited to get on board. The first pieces I came across are selling on Etsy for about $40 each. If you want to buy one, go check out Fox and Owl. They probably didn't pioneer the idea, but they're doing the best at it that I know of. But I didn't want to pay $40 for mine. If I were making them, I would probably sell them for close to that because that's how business works, but to me making them looked like more fun.
I started by making a few studded garters. Then I decided to try making one for my arm.

This post will show you how to make an arm "brace." I'm putting brace in quotations because it doesn't actually function anything like a brace. Maybe I'll come up with a more creative name later, or you can feel free to leave suggestions for me! After you look through this tutorial you will be armed with all the information to make a garter for your leg, or a brace for your arm, or something even cooler!

What You'll Need:

• Black Elastic (or whatever color you like)
• Pyramid studs, or spikes, or both (I buy mine here. They ship from Seattle so it's really fast. You can buy cheaper from Amazon, if you have time to wait until they come from China.)
• A needle and thread, or a sewing machine.
• Scissors
• Pins (if you can't do it without them)

What to Do:

• Take a piece of elastic and measure around the area you want to decorate. Make it a little snug. 

• Sew the elastic into a nice circle. 

• Trim the elastic down so there is a minimal overlap. If you're only making a garter all you have to do now is decorate it!

• Repeat this process with another piece of elastic that is measured to fit the area nearby. 

• Measure the distance in between. Cut a third piece and pin the pieces together so they don't move while you're sewing.  Attach the connecting piece on the inside so you don't have edges showing.

• Add spikes and studs as you like them. I like to place them strategically to cover any visible stitches. 

Screw on spikes are very easy to add. Just pierce or cut a small hole, and slide the screw through. Then screw on the spike!

Pyramid studs stab right through the elastic. No need to make a hole first. 

I use pliers to bend the pyramid spikes nice and snug with the elastic. Make sure they are tight!

• That's it you're done! Wear it proudly! But be careful if you used spikes ;)

Double-wrapped version and single studded garter.

If you'd like to do something different, try substituting cute buttons or beads for spikes or studs. You could also use fabric and velcro or snaps instead of elastic. I just use elastic because it's the easiest to fit.

Thanks for reading! 

XoXO

How to Make Naturally Straight Hair Unnaturally Curly

I've said it before, I'll say it again. My hair is naturally straight. It's also thin. And it doesn't like to hold a curl very well.
But just to be difficult, I wanted to get as close as I could to an afro for a look at a recent shoot.
I modified the recipe for no-heat curls known as "cocoon curls" and this is what happened.

What You'll Need:

• Dirty, unwashed hair
• A spraybottle full of water
• Some spraygel (optional)
• A bandanna or headwrap

What to Do:

• Take a small section of hair and spray it lightly with water. It should be damp, not wet. You can also spray a small amount of spray gel. Twist it until it is tight.

• Place two fingers at the top of the twist and bring the hair up and behind, wrapping it around itself.

• Wrap the hair around itself, with your fingers in place as many times as you can, while keeping it twisted.  

• When you can't wrap the twisted hair around anymore, grab the tip with the two fingers inside the loop of hair, but don't pull it all the way through.

• Slide the top of the knot down so that the loop tightens and holds the hair in place. The little tail should hang out so you can easily untie it the next day.

After I did this to all the hair on my head, using small, 2-3" sections, I wrapped it up in a bandanna and went to sleep. Luckily when I took out all the knots, it was exactly how I wanted it. HUGE.

I think next time I'll combine the faux hawk and these crazy curls for a whole new look!

Here's a sneak peek from the shoot!

Thanks for reading!

XOXO