Hurache Watch

Happy Saturday!

I'm on an official spending freeze. Between my 'it's [almost] my birthday month' (ish) shopping rationalizations (note: my birthday is in june...) and Memorial Day sales, I spun a little out of control with the shopping. That being said, I of course, am still looking for the next 'it' item for my closet! So, lately I've been 'window' shopping for a pair of Hurache sandals.  I love the 60s hippie throw back appeal of this leather sandal and they remind me of my childhood.  I had several pairs of these sandals in white (as I grew, I got a new pair) and I remember my mom having rainbow colorful ones (hello 80s). I really think this will be the new trend coming up, and even if it doesn't go mainstream, at least you'll be the girl with the cool shoes.

So, to start off, my #1 all time fave style of these shoes is by Frye -- which means, of course, they will be an investment. The leather and style will be high quality and so chic. BUT, you do have to commit, and spend $180 at Zappos.

 Luckily, I found them at my favorite site, 6pm.com in a pretty blue color for $104.

Frye took the classic hurache sandal and added embellishment, to create the 'Heather' Sandal. These huraches evoke a menswear inspried feel with the tassels - and completely change the look and feel of this trend! I found these on 6pm.com for $127.00

While I adore the Frye sandals, I am always on the hunt for a more economical choice (sounds better than cheap, right?!)

I recently came across a company, Ix, that sells adorable handmade sandals and uses its proceeds to donate back to the founders' home country of Guatemala. I came across this company as it was featured by both Vogue Magazine and People Style watch.  These shoes are adorable, at a great price point, and your purchase provides clean water for children. Win, Win, Win.

Made by Guatemalan artisans, these cute sandals are bright and cheery with a very reasonable price point of $89.

Are you starting to feel it now?! 

My next favorite pair are, of course, by none other than DV by Dolce Vita. 

Theses little babies are priced at just $55.99 on 6pm.com, and incorporate some visual interest with contrasting colors! I love shoes with more than one color in them because I think it gives you versatility and some visual interest.  My favorites are the cognac/metallic and the cognac/teal. So cute!

So for those of you who aren't 100% sure that this look is for you, you can find lots of other great sandals that are inspired by the Hurache.

Vince Camuto Kensil - $64

Cole Haan Valencia - $149

To see more of this trend, head on over to The Budget Babe and see how Kristin Dunst wore hers! Or, even better, help provide clean water for children AND get some adorable shoes at IxStyle.com!

xx

M

Newsday Tuesday - #bringbackourgirls

“We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.” 

-Malala Yousafzai

(photo of Malala - source: Instagram)

#Bringbackourgirls

On April 15, an Islamic militant group kidnapped several hundred young girls (ages ranging from 15-18) from a school in northern Nigeria.  While approximately 50 girls have escaped, 276 are believed to still be in captivity.  In a video obtained by the Agence France-Presse, leaders from the group said the following: 

"I abducted your girls. I will sell them in the market, by Allah," a man claiming to be Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau. "There is a market for selling humans. Allah says I should sell. He commands me to sell. I will sell women. I sell women," he continued. 

(This is according to a CNN translation from the local Hausa language. To read more click here.)

Many of the girls have been sold for as little as $12 into marriages with militants. In the last year, militants have destroyed 50 schools, as educated women pose the greatest threat to their worldview. Parents of the girls have pleaded with the UN and the West to aid in the rescue and recovery of these girls, however it appears little has been done on the part of the Nigerian government to intervene. Thus enter the power of social media. Groups have started viral social media campaigns using the hashtag ‘Bringbackourgirls’ in hopes to bring this travesty to light on forums like Facebook, Change.org, and even Whitehouse.gov.

Girls’ Education and militant Islam

This extremist group, Boko Haram, (which means “Western Education is a sin”) is carrying out what is believed to be an extremist backlash throughout Africa and the Middle East against girls’ education – an issue brought to light most recently by a young Pakistani girl Malala Yousafzai.  Malala and her father, instrumental advocates for Pakistani girls’ rights to education, rose to national prominence despite growing opposition groups like the Taliban and the Pakistani’s unwillingness (or perhaps just sheer indifference) to protect those rights.  Their cause, however, broke national headlines and caught the attention of the entire world when Taliban leaders carried out a hit on Malala.  At age 15, she was shot in the head as a message to her family and supporters.  Her survival of the attack only further seems to exacerbate militant groups’ desire to squelch the movement. (For more information on Malala, I suggest you read her book, “I am Malala”. It’s phenomenal.)

Efforts to Rescue

Last week, America deployed 80 troops to Chad to assist in the international search for the missing school girls. Troops are expected to provide assistance in the usage of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft for missions. Great Britain, France, and Israel have all contributed toward the location and recovery of the captive girls. Yesterday, according to the Nigerian Defense Chief, the compound where the girls’ are being held captive has been located.  Negotiations were underway with the group to do a prisoner swap with nearly 100 Boko Haram prisoners, however those negotiations have fallen through in recent hours.   Demonstrators are demanding that the girls be rescued, but it is unclear if the girls can be recovered via force without a serious risk of death.

The handling of this situation has also brought to light many questions on the authority and the capability of the Nigerian government, and its military.  Reluctance to allow international forces in, suggests that perhaps Nigeria does not want to garner more attention to its inability to handle the situation properly.  Reports to the Associated Press have indicated that Boko Haram is better equipped and trained than Nigeria’s own military – compounding the difficulty of staging a rescue attempt.  Like we've seen in countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan, the influence of these militant groups increases as the national government flounders, and is unable to provide basic needs and services to the people.  Without adequate security, there is no way to fight these groups, and without adequate quality of life, there is no way to stop their recruiting.  It’s clear that this controversy highlights the two larger issues at play – government corruption and ineffectiveness, and the rise of militant Islam as a result thereof.  Unfortunately, 276 girls are real victims in this situation.

Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/04/opinion/sunday/kristof-bring-back-our-girls.html?_r=0

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/05/26/nigerian-defense-chief-says-abducted-schoolgirls-located/

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27577968

http://www.usatoday.com/story/nation/2014/05/21/us-troops-chad-schoolgirl-search/9383527/

Sew Cute, Sew Easy: Week 3 progress

Just a quick update on my sewing project(s) - don't worry, I haven't already fallen off the wagon. I ordered some fun Diane Von Furstenberg fabric from Mood Fabrics and I can't wait for it to come in! Now, I make no claims to be a master seamstress, so before I start hacking up Diane's gorgeous (and expensive) fabric, I'm going to do a few trial runs. I intended on running to Joann's Fabrics to pick up a few notions (zippers, interfacing, thread) but instead hit a HUGE 40% sale, and bought 4 gorgeous fabrics. (Perhaps these purchases will keep the momentum going??) I'll show you all of those lovelies in due time, but for now, I've got some muslin (cheap, basic tan cotton fabric) and another linen fabric to practice on before I delve into making a designer frock.

For those of you who are not experienced sewers, there are a few tricks that I think are not clearly stated in the instructions. Often, you come home from the fabric store just ready to dive in and start sewing, but if you do, that you'll likely make a mess of things. To start off, wash your fabric as directed, and dry it. (unless the fabric cannot be dried).  This will shrink the fabric prior to your sewing, and you won't end up with a misshapen garment. Secondly, (and this is my LEAST favorite) you MUST iron your fabric. You've got to get all the wrinkles out so that you can cut everything out without any creases and your fabric will lay better. Keep that iron out, because you will use it for pressing seams later on.

Tonight, I did those two steps, and then cut out my pattern on the fabric. Last night I cut out the paper pattern pieces, so tonight all I had to do was just lay them down, pin them, and cut everything out.

 I had a few other minor sewing repair jobs to do (hems, and sleeve removal. Yes, you read that right...) so while I worked on those, I washed my fabrics.  Here are some pictures of my progress (and of the project where I removed the sleeves from my dress...)

Reading the directions, and cutting out my pattern pieces.

Ironing my fabric.

Cutting everything out!

Side Note - I have this silk jersey horse print Lilly Pulitzer dress that has been a consistent favorite of mine for the better part of 6 years. Over time, the underarms got a little discolored - but I kept wearing it. Then, one day I found moths (or something) had eaten holes in the underarms. I finally came to grips with retiring the dress. (and when I say retire, I mean I just moved it into the pile of 'stuff I need to get rid of' in the guest room). So, 2 months later, I pulled it out and wondered if I could salvage the dress by removing the arms...and voila, here we are with a brand new dress! This was my first experience with sewing arm holes - and there was not a lot of salvage in the seams, so up close, the stitching is a little nightmare-ish. However, the average person would never notice, and I've vowed to go back and re-do it...once I'm better with arm holes. :) Until then, old faithful is back in the closet!

Hard to see in this picture, but there are holes.

Finished product!

Hautelook Haul

Hello Gals!

A few weeks ago, I gave in to temptation and splurged on some statement jewelry pieces! The best part about this purchase is the price point. Every item was under $25, and at least 70% off! Unfortunately, this sale is over on Hautelook, but several of these items are still available on Nordstrom Rack. I'm still waiting on the black and gold necklace, but so far I've worn all of the other pieces multiple times!

Hautelook Haul by mattisonave on Polyvore

One concern I tend to have with jewelry is the quality - and just how many wears I will get out of it before the fake gold chains turn black. Clearly, buying online makes this ALOT harder. I typically like to stick to pieces that are gold plated, but will forego that if the price is right.  The benefit of the rhinestone and blue/teal pieces is that they are both sort of an aged gold look - so as I wear them it probably won't show tarnish quite as well.  Here is a glimpse at what they looked like in person.

Newsday Tuesday

As indicated by my blog title, I'm enamored with Jackie Kennedy, and all that she embodied - beauty, style, elegance, and most of all, that one little thing that catapulted her from being just a mere socialite, politics. I believe in the power of women, and I believe that we can achieve greatness by breaking out of our proverbial societal shackles. We all love a great pair of shoes, or a handbag, but its not all that we are. We can have intelligent debates, we can run Fortune 500 companies, and we can still sing the itsy bitsy spider before bed. (which I think might actually make us MUCH cooler than men). All that being said, I want this blog to reflect the diversity of my personality, and I hope that it inspire you to grow, and explore things you've never considered (like learning how to sew your own clothes?) or watching MSNBC. (read on, you'll get it).

 Anyone who knows me even a little, knows I can't walk away from a debate of any kind, let alone a political one. And while I'm a seemingly partisan wanna-be pundit, I do encourage everyone to research all sides of an issue and know which direction they believe to be the correct way. For the most part I have my party leanings, but as I've grown and matured I've realized that sometimes different isn't always bad. And sometimes, it's really just not my place to tell you what your choice should be, even if I personally find it to be wrong.

If you are like me, and like to hear both sides of the argument I encourage you to check out what I believe to be the BEST debate program on television. Forget Meet the Press, 'fair and balanced' (unfortunately) died with Tim Russert on that one - and David Gregory just likes hearing himself speak. (#whydidntchucktoddgetit) No, no, instead head on over to MSNBC ( I know, I know, its ok, we're only watching ONE thing) and watch Morning Joe with Joe Scarborough. Now, on most days, I want to vomit at the things Mika has to say, but having a REAL Republican to balance her actually makes her tolerable. So the premise of the show is that these two hash out what's happening in the world, in the country, and in politics from two perspectives. They bring on guests, experts, and pundits from all fields and expertise. Even when I disagree, I at least have an understanding of where the opposition is coming from. You won't get that watching Fox News. And you won't get that watching MSNBC. You need to hear all sides of the story. Not one - but two, three, or twenty. That's what I hope to offer you here.

 I'm going to offer a snippet of a political/news issue or story each week with both sides - or just the facts. It will only happen on Tuesdays - so that if you aren't interested, you can skip it. (But come back on Wednesdays, please!)

I love a good fashion and style blog, and while those gals can help you pick out the perfect look to woo the masses, but hopefully my 'Newsday Tuesday' Posts can give you a little intellectual fodder to impress at your next cocktail function. :)

See you next Tuesday with the inaugural post of 'Newsday Tuesdays!' (Until then, watch Morning Joe!)

Sew Cute Sew Easy - Week 2

Happy Monday!

My patterns and fabric swatches have finally arrived from Mood Fabrics! For those of you who missed my first blog post, I have started a blog series featuring my progress as I attempt to sew (yes, you read that right) some of my favorite spring looks. I have always cringed when I buy items that I know are simple to make. My mother majored in Fashion Merchandising, and made a lot of her own clothing as well as my clothing growing up.  Unfortunately, I did not capitalize on my time to pick her brain while I was still living home. Now, I just get half way through a project, call her crying, attempt to describe the situation (and she invariably has NO idea what I'm trying to describe), hang up, and rip it apart again. For those of you who are not master seamstresses in training (like me) I have some encouragement. As long as you cut out the pattern correctly, you can literally do no wrong. So, you may rip it apart once. or twice. or 45 times (seriously, I'm pretty sure I've done this).Unless you're using a super fine material like a silk or chiffon, most of the time it is totally fine!

To start off, I chose 4 patterns by Simplicity. Most patterns make it simple for a beginner sewer, however you can always look for patterns specific to beginners if you're nervous. Typically, its best to choose a pattern that makes a basic, simple shape that will not have a lot of pieces. Secondly, I like to choose patterns that offer me several designs within one pattern - like several different types of skirts, pants, shorts etc.

The first pattern I chose to use - a basic skirt pattern.  Here are the swatches of fabric that I think might work well for these style skirts. Each one has a great pattern and play on shapes - my favorite by far is the Marc Jacobs floral print. However, this fabric is quite fine, so I think I may just buy it, and sew it once I've got the hang of this pattern.  The Rebecca Minkoff Graphic print is light weight cotton - however it is very stretchy. This can be a challenge for a beginner seamstress - you have to make sure you cut correctly, so that it stretches the way you need it to. I'm thinking that I might start with the Diane Von Furstenberg cotton twill. It's a sturdier fabric, and with such a crazy pattern, I won't have to deal with matching my pattern on the seams.

So, now that I have my plans, its time to order my fabric, and start working on my 'rough draft'...I'll explain next week!
xoxo
m

Sew Cute...Sew Easy!

I was internet surfing today and filled my cart full of adorable items -- items that I probably can't really afford (I've expended my budget this month....) The one thing that I noticed about each of them is that the style of each of them was simple - and very easy to replicate. So, enough with spending $50 on a pencil skirt...I'm going to make one myself!

Almost 10 (yes, 10) years ago my mom bought me a sewing machine for my birthday. While I absolutely adore it, I have to admit, getting a sewing machine for a birthday gift is not nearly as exciting as getting say this or this. My husband's cousin makes fabulous toddler/child vintage clothing (if you're interested you can find some of her stuff here) and so I've been really motivated to start making clothing for myself! (Not to mention, I am getting to a point where I can't afford my clothing obsession).

So, In the last year, I finally pulled the machine out of the box and completed my first official sewing project this past winter! While it was rather simple - and perhaps highly flawed - but I made each of my pregnant sister-in-laws a baby wrap. The project helped me to get my feet wet, and ignited this desire to really get into sewing.  

Below I have chosen 3 patterns that I am going to attempt this spring and summer. I'm blogging about it, in the hopes that it will hold me accountable :) I chose each of these patterns because they are classic styles, not too complicated, but are fashion forward. I've ordered all 3, and next week I'll post the fabric that I've chosen for each one! Hopefully, this will inspire you to get in touch with your creative side!

Sew Easy by mattisonave on Polyvore

Simplicity Creative Group - Misses' Skirts in Three Lengths
simplicity.com

Simplicity Creative Group - Misses' Peplum Tops with Neckline...
simplicity.com

Simplicity Creative Group - Misses' Skirt, Pants & Shorts
simplicity.com

Consignment Queen

My friends and family know that I CANNOT resist a good bargain on a designer item -  it is almost a competition for me to find even better buys with each shopping trip. This past weekend I struck gold once again at a local consignment shop.  I found 3 items by my favorite designers - Milly, Nanette Lepore, and Rebecca Taylor. Each of these pieces can be worn year round down here in Florida, but even if I were still in SC, I think I would get a TON of use out of each of these!

Consignment Queen by mattisonave featuring long sleeve ruched tops

1.Milly Bow Back Blouse: My first find was this black and hot pink charmeuse blouse with an adorable bow detail on the back.   This blouse still had a tag on it - (the price ripped off) - and never worn. It was priced at $55 and 50% off - so I got it for less than $30. I can't wait to wear it!

2. Rebecca Taylor Lilly of the Valley Dress: This corset piped dress is in cool fall tones, and is perhaps a couple seasons old and showed ZERO wear. This little gem was priced on sale at $40 -- I mean seriously?!

3. Nanette Lepore Deep Sea Corset Top: This chiffon top might be a little old, but its classic lines and styling make it a timeless piece.  I paired it with a pair of gold shorts to wear out on the town with the  hubbie last weekend and it was perfect! This was my cheapest find of the day for only $15!

I hope this inspires you to find your local consignment store and make someone else's 'trash' your treasure!

xoxo
M

long sleeve ruched topMilly 
neimanmarcus.com

Rebecca Taylor Lily of the Valley Strapless Dress
bergdorfgoodman.com