This is part 1 of the
Made By XDF Spring Summer 2021 Capsule Project.
The Made By XDF Spring Summer 2021 Capsule Project consists of 4 different looks I have designed and sewn in order to bring you fresh style inspiration for this time of year…
Enjoy!Xx
Roughly 85% of my daily thoughts are about clothes. I am constantly thinking of new outfits and how I would style them. Most of the time, the clothes I am thinking of are difficult to find. I end up surfing the internet for similar styles or scrolling endlessly on Pinterest looking for a replica of what I am envisioning. As you can imagine, my success rates of this are quite low, so I came up with a new method to turn my fashion dreams into a reality. I’m just going to sew it! Making up the patterns as I go along.
A brief rundown of my current sewing skills; I got my first sewing machine at the age of 12, and I began to construct skirts and basic dresses with the use of patterns. I took GCSE Textiles, and did one month of A-Level Textiles, and since then, my sewing machine has been neatly tucked away in the corner of my bedroom. Now I blow the dust off and resume sewing, with the desire to develop my skills and create beautiful pieces again.
Inspired by the seasons changing, and the idea of having versatile staples in my wardrobe, I created this white satin crop top with a dramatic loose bow, leaving an airy open space on the back. The top is just over the ribcage, held by thin yet thick straps (quite like the tagliatelle pasta shape). I created a straight neckline that travels all the way around the front, descending into the bow at the back, and also complimenting the straight-lined straps.
I am pleased with the outcome of this top; it embodies my visions perfectly. It reminds me of early Summer evenings, feeling the warm breeze wrap around exposed shoulders, feeling free and open. Honestly, I get this feeling every time I am wearing satin or silk; I’ve always thought it to be the perfect material for the warm seasons.
As mentioned, I wanted to create ‘versatile wardrobe staples’. This top can easily be worn informally; here it pairs nicely with light blue jeans and trainers. As I did with both looks, I wore gold jewellery to compliment nicely with the white satin. White, gold, and the light shades of blue forms a lovely summery colour palette.
Jeans from Zara. Trainers from Reebok.
Although the jeans go well with the top, I personally prefer this top to be worn with a black midi pencil skirt. It exudes a lovely classy vibe, being ideal for formal summer events. Also, the fact that it is cropped and sitting delicately around the ribcage allows for an appropriate amount of skin to show. All whilst still being covered up properly by the midi skirt. When it is too hot to wrap yourself up in a fully enclosed dress, this style combination would be perfect.
Despite the outfit being very minimal and almost basic, the bow at the back serves as a statement piece, putting a twist on a co-ord classic.
Considering how my outfit was quite simplistic in its colour palette, I jumped at the chance to incorporate other colours through my makeup. I went for a reddish copper eyelid, using a metallic brown base and putting the copper tones in the center of my lid. I dragged it out over the rest of my eyelid slightly with my index finger, before using my Pat McGrath Perma Precision Eyeliner to create a bold clean wing.
As I get older, I am starting to appreciate the concept of clean and simple beauty. In my previous posts I point out that I do enjoy colourful makeup looks (as you would have seen with my first stacked liner look and my go-to makeup look), however, I also enjoy trying out new things. In this makeup look I decided to keep it more neutral and leave the colourful looks all to my eyelids. I kept my base more natural. Sun-kissed and bronzed. I wanted to appear as though I was glowing from within and that the glow was shining through my skin (I know, it is a weird way to put it, but if you’ve seen Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon movie I’m sure you’ll know exactly what I mean!).
Aligning with the simplistic theme of this look, I kept my jewellery choices light. Again, I chose gold to enhance the classy visuals that were being created, and also to contribute to the golden glow I was trying to achieve. I opted for elongated drop earrings and slim mini hoops – I find that when I am not wearing a necklace or a chunky necklace, long drop earrings suit better. This is because the whole chest/ neck area is opened up, enabling the earrings to dangle and occupy the area better. It is free to soak up the attention, not clashing with anything. In spite of this, I carried a long straight hairstyle, but I went for shorter drop earrings so they would not get tangled up and cause an eyesore.
Here I display my choice for a necklace if I had to wear one. A thin light and dainty gold choker necklace. To match with this I wore a simple gold bracelet and a complimentary ring all on one hand. My other hand being free meant that I was able to keep my jewellery to a minimum.
Considering the statement bow at the back of my satin top, and the elongated drop earrings over an open neck area, I decided to switch my hairstyle by clipping it up with a hair claw. Now we are able to see the clean-cut structure of the top better. This hairstyle can be considered more ideal considering the hot weather that is fast approaching us.
Despite being fully aware of how putting my hair up would make more sense, allowing the statement bow to be shown better, I decided to keep my hair down. With this outfit, I would most likely be attending socials and not business meetings. Summer is approaching June 21st is approaching, and after the never-ending lockdowns and rules regarding the pandemic, I think we all deserve to let our hair down, relax, enjoy the sun, and have a bit of fun.
Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed this little number I created! It has been a while since I have last sewn something and I hope I’m able to create more things to share!Xx
-XDESFAN
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