Dear Anthro: I'm still in love with you.

It's been a while since I made a serious visit to the Anthropologie site. I was a little burned out after the orgy of Anthro-induced spending I made last year, where I bought all kinds of things including a $200 trench coat (which I still like a lot, by the way). Looking back, that was entirely too much to spend on a trench of that sort. 

I'm not really sure what got me to go back this time. I think because someone at work sent around a link to the Free People "Vintage Loves" campaign (which, by the way, is totally absurd, especially the pricing!), and that got me thinking, and then I got an e-mail about Anthro's latest sale. So I made a beeline for the sale section, and picked out all the best of the best--and yes, I too noticed my penchant for whites, blues, and pale oranges.

DIY (or not): Obi-style corset belt

I don't remember the name of the etsy seller who first turned me on to obi-style wrap belts (unfortunately, she is now inactive), but I clearly remember the belts themselves: neat lines, intricately patterned Japanese fabrics printed in blacks, browns, reds and golds with sakura all over them.  They seem very forgiving of all body types, as the wrap style allows you to adjust them for a very snug fit (and will hide multiple pooches).

They made such a stunning, dramatic statement that I wanted to buy one really badly before I realized: this should be one of the easiest projects for the beginning seamstress, one who, say, had a reliable machine and yards of brightly colored fabrics at her disposal, and was ready to move on from cushions and curtains (like me!).  Since then it's been on that vague, someday-I'll-get-to-it list of things to do.

I recently had another nudge in this direction when I came across an even more inventive version by desirapesta, which looks a bit more like a corset.  But no more difficult to make, I think, if one measures and cuts carefully.  Then I totally fell in love with the ones made out of leather at LedThread...they are so sleek, so brightly colored, and so gorgeous!

I decided I really want to make myself an obi-style corset belt or three... first using the batik fabric I picked up in Kuala Lumpur, and then maybe if I can get my hands on some scrap leather and a tougher needle for my sewing machine!  I'll keep you guys posted on the results.

This entry needs a new Day of the Week: Fashion-Forward Fridays

I was trolling Urban Outfitters.com to look for other tasty sale items to add to my cart before I checked out (some of the things in there are more than a month old!) when I came across this thing called the "Pocket Bag Belt."  I thought, hey, that doesn't look half bad...and it's useful besides!

But after careful reflection, I realized that I'd been duped by a feat of well-positioned marketing, and that this item is nothing more than a glorified fanny pack.

Observe: the only real difference between the 'stylish' item in the first photo and the unattractive accessory in the second is who is wearing it: one is a thin young woman, the other, a rather heavy-set older man.  Ah, the power of context.

I threw in a third photo of a cute fanny pack that this woman made and blogged about.  At least she had no pretensions and called the thing what it is.