Monday Musings: Clothes That Fit

Is it just me, or does everybody yearn for the days when people had a simple wardrobe of clothes that fit. These days it's all about quantity, but what's the use of a closet filled with bad quality, ill-fitting clothes? I'm feeling a shift in my consciousness about my closet and suddenly I feel the urge to get rid of so much. You know it's bad when you have no dirty clothes but you still can't find anything to wear! It doesn't help that I've recently become addicted to Gossip Girl. Those upper east siders really know how to dress themselves.

I'm not just talking about fitted clothes though. Even those baggy clothes should fit properly, you know what I mean? If it's supposed to sit 2 inches off the shoulder, it should sit 2 inches off the shoulder, not 5, not 1.

I'm pledging to rid myself of the excess and focus on the good quality, natural-fibre gems that I truly love to wear. And with all those cotton t-shirts and tank tops that are all stretched out that I never wear, I'm going to make some trapillo yarn. Pinterest has me hooked on trapillo yarn. 

To restock where I have a deficit, I plan to visit consignment shops, thrift stores and vintage boutiques. If we're being honest here, I just can't afford to buy high-quality clothes brand new, but these option make it possible to upgrade your wardrobe in a mature and responsible way without breaking the bank.

Here's to a more refined and elegant wardrobe!
XO_BITS

THE FIRST GIVEAWAY!!

Today (the first day of winter!!) is the day BITS hosts it's very first Giveaway!

A custom designed Bits circle scarf!

Made with Peruvian wool, acrylic, cotton and rayon, this hand crocheted scarf was made with you in mind. Most of the yarns I used are from knitpicks.com. It's one of the best websites for yarn- so many fibre and colour options, it's insane!

2013 has been an awesome year for the blog. I love reading comments and getting pictures on Instagram from you guys, it totally brightens my days. I think there is something magical starting here- and I like it! 

So thanks to anyone who's ever read this blog. Seriously, you're all the best! Thanks for inspiring me to think creatively and push the limits!

To show my appreciation, I crocheted this awesome circle scarf to ward off the cold weather and help you hibernate until summer!

All you have to do to win is:

• LIKE BITS on facebook 
• Comment on this post
• You can also share this post on facebook for a maximum of two entries

One random winner will be chosen on December 30th at 11:59 pm PST. Open to International readers.

Thanks again guys! Fo Reals!
Now have a good winter, ya hear! And tell all your friends so they can try to win too!

Merry Christmas!!!
XO_BITS

DIY No-Sew Fox Ears

If you've been wondering like I've been wondering, "how do I make fox ears", you've come to the right place. I'm going as Felicity Fox for Halloween and my man Joel is going as Foxy Fantastic (is that his name, or is it just Mr?, or Foxy Fox Fantastic? or is he just a Fantastic Mr. Fox? I dunno, the internet has failed me on that one).

Anywho, here is a simple No-Sew Fox Ears Tutorial for anyone who needs fox (or any animal with a swap of colour) ears.

SUPPLIES:

DIRECTIONS:

Decide what size and shape you want your ears to be in relation to your face/hair, etc. When you are satisfied with your shape, cut it out and call it orange. Trace this shape again and divide into a white inner ear and a black tip. I cut my white a slight bit smaller so that the orange could wrap around the front a bit. When you are ready, cut the fur out using the paper shapes as templates. Try to keep your scissors close to the fabric the fur is attached to. When you cut, use short snips to avoid cutting the hair on the fur. Ensure the fur is pointed "up" when you cut out the pieces, as shown below.

Assemble the ears on the headband as shown below:

 I finished by wrapping the orange around the front a bit to give them an orange border, but it isn't necessary. Trim up the edges to give the ears the shape you want I made Joels have shorter fur and mine more wispy and feminine. And VOILA! There you have some easy, no-sew, no-fuss, reusable fox ears!

 Feel free to swap the colours, shapes and fur-lengths to change your species! Happy crafting!
Next up: Tails!

If you're popping over from Pinterest, Welcome! My name is Bitty and this is where I share easy and cheap DIY posts, Recipes, my obsessive love of plants and random inspiration. I believe in stylish living for everyone despite how much money they have, so sit back, explore, leave some comments if you feel like it, and most importantly, Enjoy!

Are you getting excited for Halloween or what?! I sure am.
XO_BITS

ps: see the finished costume here

Testing Begins

Hey! Thought I'd update y'all on the lingerie line progress. I've begun testing floral designs on the silk and it's much more difficult than I imagined. I'm liking the challenge though, I'm just not used to either mediums (the acid dye or the silk).

Right now I have three colours to work with: fuscia, yellow and turquoise. I thought they would be really easy to mix like watercolour paints, but I've found that perhaps I made them too thick and it's been a little difficult to blend colours.. although I got a pretty good purple.

I think I liked the super vague abstract flowers the most image 4 and 5, so I think I will go into more testing with that type of look, perhaps with layers of silk applied on top to create some texture. Dunno yet. Getting really excited though! I'm gonna have a fashion shoot at the end of this. With a bed in the forest. Stoked.

Do you have a favorite? Don't you just love the lustre of the silk.. the iPhone photos don't even do it justice!

Hope you're all having a lovely Tuesday evening
XO_BITS

Marc Jacobs Resigns From Louis Vuitton!

Sure, some of us might have known it was coming, but there were also others who refused to believe it (namely, me).

Marc Jacobs did so much for Vuitton and it's hard to imagine the famed fashion house without him behind it anymore. Jacobs brought the house out of a century of luggage-only and introduced LV ready-to-wear. He gave us a French-chic wardrobe that we shared with our rebellious New Yorker boyfriend and ultimately changed the face of Louis Vuitton.  He collaborated with other artists such as Stephen Sprouse and Takashi Murakami and brought colour to LV and high-fashion graffiti to the world.

Louis Vuitton is now one of those brands that can be passed down from grandmother's estate to granddaughters closet with giddy anticipation. He's managed to make LV one of those brands that everyone wants. So now, in the wake of one of the craziest resignations to rock my fashion world, I give you my favorite highlights of LV with Marc Jacobs in the drivers seat:

S/S2001 // F/W2000

S/S2008 // F/W2002

F/W2006

Coating, Specifically

 1, Theory 695 CAD /  2, Mango 105 CAD /  3, Zara 165 CAD /  4,  Kenzo 860 CAD / 5, Matthew Williamson 1,990 CAD/ Pasotti Ombrelli umbrella, 260 CAD

Brrr! I don't know about you guys, but it's getting seriously freezing outside here in BC. Kay, maybe not actually freezing per se, but definitely chilly. I find myself drinking 5 hot drinks a day. Not that I'm complaining. I love me a good hot drink. However, I doooo find myself dreaming about amazing coats and cozy scaves and a good pair of Hunters. Thought I would share some of my favorites coats on Polyvore with you :) I love unfitted coats that you know are just gonna keep you toasty and I also love a good bright coat, so you don't have to feel like you're covering up all your sass. Which one's your favorite? Mine's a tie between 1 and 5 (I think).

Hope you're enjoying the first day of OCTOBER!!

XO_BITS

Floral Inspiration

Even though it's definitly autumn now, I still find myself being inspired by florals. The line I am currently designing is going to revolve around these beautiful miracles of nature and so I have been extra intrigued lately. My patternz pinboard has been blowing up with these wonderful motifs and I'm having a hard time deciding what kind of look to focus on.

 The line is for Spring/Summer.. which some might think means that I should use bright or maybe even pastel colours with obvious spring florals, maybe daffodils or daisies, but I don't know if I agree with that.

 I've been following the S/S 2014 fashion weeks around the world and some designers have even been coming out with all black spring lines. People are breaking the rules and I think I like it!

That being said, my line is definitely going to be floral inspired and not at all black.. but I do like the rebelliousness. But what do you think? Any floral motifs you love or hate? Do you prefer super realistic? or are you more into the abtract styles?

I haven't decided yet, but I made my first batch of turquoise acid dye and am going to start fooling around with it today, I'll keep you posted ;)

XO_BITS

(photo credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

Some Rough Designs

I thought I'd share some of my newest designs for my lingerie line that I've been designing for my independant surface design class. So far I've bought plain silk and have begun pinning some of my favorite lingerie and patterns and plan to start painting the silk with thickened acid dyes today! 

I've found inspiration in many things for this line. Including (but not limited to) Japanese traditional kimono and shibori techniques for design and motif inspiration, the 1950's and the 1920's for styling and sillhouette inspiration and (of course) the female form.

1,2

 I plan to use a variety of silk weights, including a light, gauzy chiffon for the kimonos and a slighty denser but still lightweight silk crepe for the items which I don't want as see-through: underwear, pj sets, etc.

I also plan to use a little bit of sythetic elastane fabrics to give certain garments the stretch-factor they need. These I hope to screen print with a lace motif to give them a bit of romance and help them fit in the fabric story.

I'm sure the designs will change with time a bit, but I'm feeling pretty inspired and intrigued so far! I will probably only end up making one or two complete outfits as the focus of the class is more intended to increase my knowledge of dyes and how they react to the fabrics, but I'm immensly excited none the less.

Thanks for taking the time to check out my designs :) If there's anything you love or hate about them, feel free to share in the comments, or send me an email.

XO_BITS

Boudoir, Lingerie, Pyjamas and Undies

This semester I am in Independant Study Surface Design, which means that I already took the class, and now I am just going further into particulars and experimenting more with the processes that I really loved (mostly dyeing, screen printing and other designs on the fabrics surface), at a time schedule that I choose. It's the best of all worlds. I get to use the dye studio and some of the supplies and I don't have to hard-schedule it into my week- If I don't feel like going in today, I can go in tomorrow, if I can do it at home, no need to go into school- you get it.

Anywho, I was really enthralled with silk painting and the traditional Japanese method of Shibori, which is basically just complicated tie dye. I'm going for sillhouettes of the '20s and '50s west, mixed in with the beautiful ornate decorating of the east to create a line of bra's, underwear, kimonos and silk head wraps. I've been pinning and designing like mad and thought I would share some of my favorite pins with you here today.

1, 2, 3, 4

If you are interested in seeing the rest of the board, click here. I can't wait to share my designs with you and start painting some silk!!!

XO_BITS

Hats for Summer 2014!

Guys! It's actually, literally, for realz summer! How did that happen?! Not that I'm complaining, this is great news! Although I do find that I often forget the not-so-great things about summer because I'm blinded by love- like bugs and sunburns and, well that's all I can think of actually, because summer's AWESOME!

Well I can't do much about the bug problem, although I'm sure Pinterest can help you with that one, but I am feeling especially drawn to hats this year (check out the awesome hats Tamara and I found at the thrift store last weekend ^). Prevent a sunburn from ever touching your beautiful mug with one of these great hats- and look super cool while doing it! Also, to be honest with you guys, I actually kinda want a visor (gasp! I know right).. I dunno, #3 just seems kind of fresh and new in a back to the future meets Spice Force 5 kinda way (do you guys remember Spice Force Five?). And a wool floppy hat has always been on my wishlist. I found a picture of my mom in a poppy red one.. I wish she still had it, it was a true beaut'!

1. Leather Cap, 2. Monforte Hat, 3. Faux Leather Visor, 4. Wool Floppy Hat, 5. Turband, 6. Large-brimmed Fedora

Also, number 5, the Turband (clever) definitely will not keep you from getting a sunburn.. I just figured what's a 2013 hat list if we don't include the ever-popular urban turban?! Plus, I hear they are super easy to make. :)

Can you feel your inner hattitude screaming to get some lovin'? I sure can!

XO_BITS

The Greatest

We've all been waiting for what feels like forever for this movie to open. It's been pushed back and pushed back for months, but it's finally here! The Great Gatsby opened Cannes Film festival yesterday, and I couldn't help but drool over the beautiful ensembles the stars and other famous fans chose to wear.  
        

Carey Muligan wears Dior Haute Couture while Leo and Tobey rep Saint Laurent

The First Interview

Everyone knows, YouTube's the new TV

April showers bring

And so do fashion shows apparently...

Flowers are such a beautiful and inspiring thing, especially at the beginning of spring when everything is coming back to life and bursting forth with life. There's something about them that can transform a whole space, inside or out, bringing a sense a whole-ness or peacefullness with them.

I think everytime I get flowers I realise how transformative they are, and how I should always have them around. Maybe I should plant some that can always keep me company. I made a terrarium a couple weeks ago. It's Hobbit themed.

Inside and out, these season is filling my heart with endless inspiration. There's a huge world out there, just waiting for us to fill it with our ideas and creations.

So get out there, what are you waiting for? It's now or never. Also, IT'S MAY PEOPLE! Summer's just around the corner, that's the best thing ever!

Let me know if you make anything awesome, I love seeing people's creations :)

XO_BITS

Photographic Proof

I actually didn't bring a camera to the show last week, I just assumed other people would bring theirs. Luckily my good friend, and classmate, Kassandra, from kassinka.blogspot.ca took some awesome photos!

Swimsuit design- inspired by miami in the 50's

Soccer-inspired bustier complete with inverted box pleat peplums and exposed center back zip

Louis Vuitton/Chanel-inspired jacket with velvet oversized collar, lapel and pocket details

Military/Mod-inspired Parka with faux-fur lined hood and detachable fur vest lining

Japanese shibori, Greecian style gown. Fabric was pole wrapped and dispersed dyed to give it colour and texture.

Lovebirds jumpsuit. Print was screen-printed onto cloth and cuff and bandeau were custom MX-dyed to match.

And finally, the first BITS collection:

Last year I bought fabric in a tribal market deep in the city of Chiang Mai, Thailand where I work with displaced children from the hills. These children are considered migrants and most of them are denied identification, and in turn, a chance at any sort of free life. Many of them are sent into the cities at a young age to go to school where they are often both culture-shocked and ridiculed by the locals. I wanted to implement this into my line in a way that would both honour where these kids come from, and where they are going. The fabrics were used to be a badge of honour and allowed the garments to have an edgy, modern, urban feel with a traditional core.

Thanks for the pics, girl! Don't forget to check out Kassinka's blog for more beautiful pics and musings.

Thanks for checking out my first collection. What do you think?

XO_BITS