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!

My "Back To School" Stack

Since it is basically the middle of August and my countdown to my return to Portland has begun I have decided it is finally time to start talking about one of my favorite subjects.....back to school shopping. Unlike when I was 10 and would purchase the entirety of Limited Too in preparation to take on the new school year my current "back to school wardrobe" shopping strategy is usually just to get a few key pieces to refresh what I already have. Although it should probably be noted that I still do the whole "I'm not even going to touch this or take the tags off of it until school starts" thing to make things feel even more exciting and special. I don't know what it is, but even at 20 years old there is nothing that excites me quite the same way going back to school and the beginning of autumn does. 

Alright, let's talk about clothes. Like I said, my shopping strategy is to get things that will work well with the rest of my wardrobe so I gravitate towards classic styles and patterns that are still current and somewhat trendy. Let's take a peek and what I've collected.....

Tops: I snagged this striped top with fluttery sleeves from Anthropologie (currently on sale!), a light-weight striped popover from Old Navy, a chambray top with an embellished collar from LOFT, and a neutral crew neck sweater from The Gap outlet, similar. None of these tops were purchased for any particular reasons other than "this is cute and I want it", because sometimes you just have to live life that way. 

Dresses: The only dress I've picked up for the up-coming season is a chambray (I really can't get enough of chambray) shirt/shift dress from J. Crew Factory Store. I had been eyeing it online for quite some time and when it went on sale I thought it was as good as time as ever to replace the chambray dress I had been previously wearing to death. Said moment of weakness brought to you by trying to stretch out my lunch break at work. 

Bottoms:  I am not a big pants wearer in general but when I do they either have to be dark dark dark blue or black and I for some reason didn't have a pair of plain black skinny jeans, so to remedy that issue I picked up a pair of super comfortable ones from Old Navy. The one new skirt that I did get (my skirt collection is getting a little out of hand these days) is from J. Crew. I got it on sale for only $20 and I really cannot wait to wear it, it's probably one of the most flattering pieces of clothing I own - it's still available in a few colors and sizes! 

Outerwear: My two outerwear purchases are very "Portland Friendly" i.e. one has a hood and one is a fleece pull over. My reasons behind getting both of them were fairly practical - the fleece, from Mountain Hardware, is intended to be worn during runs/hikes when the weather gets cooler and pretty much any other day I want to wear bright turquoise fleece, and the sage colored utility jacket will be perfect for layering over everything I wear during the majority of those low 50's, dreary, overcast Portland days that I have become so fond of.

Shoes: I'm at a point in my life wear it is just not physically possible for me to house all of the shoes I want to own, so for back to school this year I just got one new pair of shoes because that was honestly all I knew I'd be able to fit in my suitcase/tiny apartment. They are part of black D'Orsay flats from Lucky Brand and they are perfect. Just trendy enough to make me feel cool but still very classic and I know I'll be getting my money's worth out of them. 

And that's about it! It's more than likely I'll be picking up a few new things here and there before I leave but I'm already worried about packing all of my stuff up to take back to Portland, it's always so overwhelming.

Let me know if you liked this style of post, it was a fun one for me to write (i.e. finding a way to justify all of my purchases). Until next time,

Eva

Bits & Bobs: 5 Things About Me

It's August and I'm already in 100% fall mode. All I do is think about planning my back to school wardrobe and subsequently have to sit on my hands so that I don't online shop. Thus, my outfit inspiration for this summer has fallen to the wayside and nobody wants to see photos of me wearing the same pair of jean shorts and different variations of white t-shirts everyday. So, today I write a non-style related post about me! Here are 5 little tid-bits that will help give you a more well rounded glimpse at who I am and what I like.

To begin, let me give you a more accurate representation of what I usually look like:
Anywhere near a pastry is what I call my natural habitat

1. I am slightly obsessed with Meyers-Briggs personality types/test. I completely identify with pretty much every attribute that is connected to being an INFJ (hate large groups, very independent, strong intuition, etc.) and now, somewhat blindly, have begun to believe that these personality types must be just as accurate for everyone who takes the test. So be forewarned that if we ever meet in person I will probably ask you what your Meyers-Briggs personality type is within my first time meeting you.

2. My celebrity "dobblegängers" I am most often associated with are Carrie Mulligan (specifically in "An Education") and Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary in Downton Abbey.

Can't say I see a whole lot of resemblance there.

3. The fictional character that I feel I most relate to is Amelie Poulain from Amelie (if you have not watched this, please do yourself a favor and do so now!!!!). From enjoying alone time a little too much to loving cracking the top of a creme brûlée we are almost exactly the same person.

Going to the "Amelie Cafe" in Paris and recreating this iconic picture was my top priority when there over spring break.

4. If I could give my former self any piece of advice it would be DO NOT SHAVE OFF YOUR EYEBROWS THE DAY BEFORE 7TH GRADE YOU WILL REGRET IT FOREVER. 7th grade is a dark time for all of us, having no eyebrows just made it worse.

5. The three places at the top of my current "dream vacations" list are Iceland (Bjork, hot springs, and a language I have no hope of ever understanding), Morocco (food, architecture, and camels), and Thailand (just like the cultural treasure trove of the world).

And there you have it! Thank you all for stopping by,

Eva

My Jewelry Staple

For the past five years my most frequently worn jewelry item has been a small gold letter E necklace that I randomly picked up in London when I was there for the first time ever. At the time I didn't know that I would end up wearing it around my neck nearly everyday for the next five years until, out of the blue, I lost it. I believe it was somewhere in transit between visiting Ali in Arizona and coming home (I can't be sure) - but regardless, for the past month it has been no where to be found. So when I was pursuing the Nordstrom anniversary sale catalog and stumbled across this gold initial necklace from Kate Spade  it really only took me about 30 seconds to put it in my cart, enter my credit card information, and place my order.

The necklace came in the mail yesterday and I couldn't be more pleased with this purchase, especially because I was able to get during a sale. It's the perfect size, weight, length, color - everything, everything is perfect. And it feels very good to finally have a little gold E hanging around my neck again.

Happy Tuesday!

Eva

Blue Belle

What I Wore: [Dress: Francesca's, Belt: H&M - similar, Shoes: Kelly & Co. - similar, Bag: Vintage, Nails: OPI "Don't Be Such A Budapest, Lips: Bite Beauty "Quince"]

I love any excuse I can get to dressed up, I usually end up going overboard and looking overdressed compared to other people and last night was definitely one of those instances. I went to go see a local production of Les Miserable with my mom (it's one of my most favorite musicals ever) and jumped at the chance to put on one of my favorite dresses and pull this beautiful vintage handbag out of my closet for a classy evening out. In my eyes, the little bag is the star the show. I got this handbag a few months ago during a weekend trip to Scotland while I was abroad - Kaylie and I stumbled into a random vintage shop in Glasgow while trying to escape the rain and I just couldn't leave without it. Believe it or not this is only the second time I've ever taken the bag out! Hopefully I'll be able to find more occasions to use it in the near future because it really is beautiful. 

It was a wonderful evening out - full of good food, entertainment, and an outfit that even had strangers complimenting me (although that may have just been because I wasn't wearing the usual Minnesotan attire of t-shirts and jeans, we'll never know).

Hope you're all having a lovely Thursday, thanks for stopping by!

Eva

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

Take Me Home

Today, it is overcast and dreary outside, I've got nothing to do, and am suffering from some pretty bad homesickness - homesickness for London that is. It's been about 2 months now since I said goodbye to the most amazing, life-changing, challenging, and unbelievable 4 months of my life and I think today is as good a day as any to share some of my favorite photos/memories to help soothe my homesick heart. Let's hope I don't start crying as we take this little walk down memory lane.......

Left: Visiting Harrods for the first time meant buying my first Chanel lipstick and crying real tears while getting to touch actual Valentino and Elie Saab. Right: Spontaneous adventures with my roommates in the hopes of finding London's best Pho

Left: Running around Hampstead Heath and having to take pictures like the one above for a class assignment (what?). Right: Meeting and talking with Eric Whitacre, one of my all time favorite choral composers 

Left: Spring break in France with some of my favorite people (pictured on our first day in Paris). Right: Having an impromptu tea party in the original Chanel store in Paris.

Left: This daily scene in our horribly crowded kitchen. Right: Baking cupcakes on valentines day for our entire group while watching the winter Olympics together (which meant mainly just talking about the ice skaters butts). 

Left: Laughing with Emily during our first night out at a pub. Right: Experiencing, and loving, my first butter beer at Harry Potter World!

Left: A beautiful day in Cambridge with these babes. Right: The best night ever in the Glasgow with my best girl. Many cocktails were had, stupid games were played, and we laughed the entire time. 

Left: High Tea at Kensington Palace while my best friend from Germany visited - without a doubt one of the most wonderfully British things that everyone should experience at least once! Right: Being in awe of the perfection that is Liberty every.single.time I went there.

Left: Getting to go to real-life fashion PR party with Ted and Kaylie which meant dressing up, drinking mojitos, talking to  people I aspire to be, saying "wow" a lot, and overall leaving very inspired. Right: Our fancy dinner cruise on the Thames during one of group's last nights in London - utterly magical and ridiculous all in one evening. 

Left: Sipping on many many hot drinks at my favorite cafe, The Vintage Emporium, in east London just off Brick Lane. Right: Having regular 'dog time' in local parks (Kaylie and I really missed our dogs). This particular photo is from our weekend in Scotland and it warms my heart every time I see it. 

Someone, PLEASE, put me on a flight back across the ocean now!