By Hand London Flora Dress

I have been waiting to write this blog post for about three months now - ever since I picked up the pattern for this dress on my last full day in London. So get ready for a long post, I've got a lot to talk about!

I first heard about ByHandLondon last fall from one of my professors at school who knew I was learning how to sew and that I was going to be going to London. She suggested that I check out their website and I fell in love. I've got a thing for small companies run by by smart, creative, and inspiring women and ByHandLondon is just that. It's a small, London based, pattern making company that was founded a few years ago by three friends. The patterns that they create are unique, universally flattering, customizable, and (most importantly) do-able by anyone! In addition to their patterns, that can be purchased online or in select stores, they run an amazing website and blog which features how-tos, sewing tips, brand updates/new product releases, and their amazing sew-alongs. Let me just put it out there that without the sew-along guide being around to answer every question I could have had this dress would not have turned out as well as it did.

As for the dress I made, I selected their most recent pattern release which is the Flora Dress. I was drawn to this dress because of the shape - I knew it would suit my figure and it looked like it would be perfect to wear to friend's summer wedding I knew I would be attending in August. Once I got home from my travels I was eager to finally get started. I picked up my fabric from Hancock Fabric and set to work. Unlike my previous sewing endeavors I constructed this dress completely on my own, that's how user friendly the pattern + sew-along made the whole experience! There were a few times that I had to ask for input from my mother and together we watched many video tutorials on how to put in an invisible zipper - but all the cutting, stitching, pressing, seam ripping, and re-stitching was done by me. (I'm very proud if you can't tell). Overall the process went very smoothly and was just so much fun - I am so happy with the product and can't wait to make another new ByHandLondon piece!

For reference size-wise I am 5'9" and wear a size 4 or 6 in store bought clothing. When following the measurements on the pattern size guide I made a US size 10 top and size 8 skirt - it fit perfectly! 

Here's How I Styled It:

What I Wore: [Shoes: Madden Girl (old) similar, Belt: BCBG, Bag: Coach Poppy (old) similar, Earrings: Betsey Johnson]

Via my Instagram

Thank you so much for stopping by - hope you're all having a wonderful Wednesday!

The Place Beyond The Pine(apple)s

What I Wore: [Top: Target, Skirt: Urban Outfitters (super old), Shoes: Bass via DSW, Bag: Kate Spade New York, similar]

Hello! Happy Wednesday! I am quickly typing this up before I have to run out the door for the opening night of the show I am in, but I dearly wanted to get this blog post up now because I don't know when I'll next get the chance to! Things have been insanely busy for me lately, with work, long rehearsals that go late in the evening, and trying to have some sort of a social life there hasn't been much time or energy left over for dressing well or blogging about it. Yesterday was an exception though. As I was getting ready for the things I had to do that day I, as usual, blindly grabbed a top and skirt and put them on as I ran out the door with my bed head and virtually makeup less face, but by the time I found myself in the scary aisle of mirrors in Target I was quite shocked at how well this unplanned outfit had turned out. I love this little button up so much, obviously, because of the fun pineapple print - clothes with details like that just make any day that I put them on so much more enjoyable. Pairing it with this subtly patterned skirt was also a really easy way to mix prints, something that I'm trying to dabble in a bit more. 

Anyway enough with my rambling, thank you all for stopping by, have a lovely day!

Eva

Work and Play: A Day to Night look

Day

Night

What I Wore: [Dress: Lucky Brand, Chambray Top: Gap - similar, Flats: Lucky Brand, Wedges: White Mountain (old), Earrings: Forever 21 (old), Bag: H&M (old)]

When I picked up this dress up a few weeks ago to wear to a family event I had no idea it was going to be such a versatile piece in my wardrobe - to be honest I thought it was going to be one of those "buy it for a specific occasion and then leave it at home while I am away at school" pieces. But now, after wearing it a few times and seeing the many ways it can be worn, that will definitely not be happening come September. The dress itself is ridiculously comfortable and easy to wear so pairing it with some of my favorite basics to create different looks didn't require much thought (but then again, what doesn't look better with a chambray shirt over it?). 

I wore the top look to work earlier this week - it's perfect for the warm weather, makes sitting at a desk all day comfortable, and it is still put together and modest enough for my work environment (this is going to be won a ton this fall once I go back to school, perfect for a long day of classes). By taking off my button up, throwing up my hair, and putting on some wedges, lipstick, and fun earrings I was quickly ready for an evening out after work. Unfortunately, I didn't actually end up wearing the evening look anywhere that night as my evening plans included 3.5 hours of rehearsal for the musical I am in which required a leotard and jazz shoes instead of a cute dress and heels. Alas, this outfit will have to be saved for a future occasion! 

Hope you all are having a wonderful Tuesday, or whatever day it is that you are reading this, thanks for stopping by!

Eva

Dresses in the Desert

What I Wore: [Wrap Dress: H&M, Shoes: Bass via DSW, Earrings: homemade]

This past Friday I dragged myself out of bed at 3:30 am and headed to the airport to go surprise my best friend, Ali, with a little weekend visit. Ali and I have been best friends since the first grade (that makes it 14 years!) but for the past 4 years she has been living in Arizona, which means we only get to see each other once a year, twice if we are lucky. About six months ago her boyfriend, Dominic, and I started hatching a plan for me to come down and surprise her and I'm proud to say it went off without a hitch! It was so lovely to get to spend a few days with Ali that were filled with catching up on everything, eating fantastic Mexican food, hanging out with her dog Tank (pictured below), doing a bit of shopping, and me sweating a lot. 

As for clothing I kept things simple and light, as my main focus of the weekend was spending time with my best friend. Since I am a true Minnesotan and my max tolerable temperature is about 85 degrees - the only time I am ever in temperatures higher than that are my weekly hour long hot yoga classes - wearing this super light wrap dress was a great choice for the 100+ degree Tucson days. These photos were taken during a fleeting moment of me not looking like a hot, sweaty, mess. 

Tank is the new love of my life, just look at that face!

Beautiful sunset on my last night in town.
Ali's dress is from Express and shoes are from American Eagle 

Making My Peace With Shorts

What I Wore [Top: Zara (old), Shorts: Lucky Brand via TJ Maxx, Shoes: Sam Edelman for Target, Bralette: Victoria's Secret (old, similar)]

I've never liked shorts. I find them to be just about the most uncomfortable article of clothing I can wear and they've never flattered my athletic build - but with summer comes summer heat and, sadly, I can't wear a dress or skirt everyday. I couldn't pass up this pair of denim shorts I found at TJ Maxx last week because they actually fit my criteria of being longer than 3 inches and not being skin tight, which is an issue I have with a lot of shorts in stores currently (I sound like such an old lady). To make myself feel more comfortable in this outfit I paired them with two of my favorite pieces of clothing - this beautiful printed lightweight top from Zara and an airy lace bralette underneath. Although I don't think I'll ever be one of those girls who wants to wear shorts every single day(yet another reason while I'll never live in a hot place), slowly but surely I think I'm becoming more at peace with them and the way they look on me.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Eva

Patterned Pants

What I Wore [Top: TJ Maxx, Pants: H&M, Shoes: Lucky Brand, Sunglasses: Cole Haan]

In the summer I am all about loose clothing that is easy to wear, so when I saw these pants in H&M a few weeks ago I knew that they would be a great addition to my summer wardrobe. I was a bit hesitant when trying them on because I'm generally not one who likes patterns on my legs but these were just so cute, comfortable,  and surprisingly flattering that I couldn't pass them up! I've already worn them a few other times since these photos were taken. 

The most important part of this post is not the outfit though, it's the fact that I am (finally) off of Tumblr and running on Blogger! This is very exciting to me because Tumblr was definitely not offering me everything I wanted in terms of running this blog, and with the help of my wonderful sister I was able to move things over here. I am quite pleased with the design and how everything has turned out and I am looking forward to using this platform from now on! I can't believe I've been blogging for a year and a half now!

Thanks for stopping by!

Eva

A Day In Brighton

What I Wore: [Sweater: Zara, Button-Up: Target, Pants: J. Crew, Shoes: Born, Earrings: Kate Spade New York]

Here are a few snaps of the outfit I wore on my little day trip down to Brighton today. Two of my friends and I took the train down and spent the day wandering Brighton’s many little streets, poking around in shops, and consuming a lot of really amazing food. Even though it was overcast all day the weather was warm enough where I didn’t have to wear a jacket and cover up my outfit all day (I’m really obsessed with the sparkles on this new sweater, so I wanted to show them off), which is always a good thing in my book! I can’t believe I’ve only got 16 days left in England before my time here is over, I’ll really miss being able to just hop on the train and take little day trips like this all of the time.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, thanks for stopping by!

-Eva

Cambridge and a Cardigan

What I Wore: [Dress: Topshop, Sweater: Urban Outfitters (super old), Belt: Forever 21, Shoes: Born, Earrings: Kate Spade]

On Sunday myself and 9 others on my study abroad program woke up early and hopped on the train to spend the day in Cambridge. It was a simply lovely day full of punting on the Cam, pub food, gawking at all the amazing architecture/wondering what it would be like to go to school in such a beautiful place, and lots and lots of wandering around the cobble stone streets. I’m hoping to make more of these type of day trips around England while I am here in London, my list of places I want to see and explore is never ending!

I picked up this beautiful emerald dress in during the Topshop sale within my first two weeks here and I am so glad I did! I’m really loving the higher neckline trend right now, hence why the combination of the mock turtle neck, ultra flattering cut, and beautiful color/texture made it impossible for me to pass up. Paired with it I’m wearing two of my most beloved pieces, my quilted Born flats and this mauve cardigan, to help tie the whole look together.

Thanks for stopping by!

-Eva

Jewel Tones

What I Wore: [Top: Zara, Skirt: T. J. Maxx (love this one), Necklace: ASOS, Bag: Kate Spade New York, Booties: Franco Sarto]

I spent pretty much the entire day on Friday getting lost in the amazing world of Harrods. Seriously, if you ever go to London you HAVE to dedicate a few hours to checking it out, it’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before! Anyway, seeing as Harrods is an exceptionally fancy department store I tried to look extra put together so I could be taken a bit more seriously as I drooled over the Valentino and Alexander McQueen.

I am so glad I found this little quilted mini skirt at T.J. Maxx before I came to London because they’ve totally become to huge trend recently (and can go for a whole lot more than I would pay) and it can be paired with so many things - automatically adding a really cool different texture to any outfit. I’m looking forward to finding more ways to style it in the future!

Happy Friday and hope you all have a wonderful weekend :)

Until next time,

-Eva