What the what? o_O Those are trees in the step-by-step photos, bro! I know. Just gimme a second. Let me explain. So, what happened was...heh. I keep a sketch book (the sketches are terrible like woah) and it has outfit ideas, color ideas, etc. I sketched out the outfit above back in the Fall of 2014, but I knew that I wanted to wear it in the Winter. So, while I was taking photos for tutorials #2 and #3, I also went ahead and took photos for this anticipated tutorial. I knew that months down the road, I wouldn't want to go outside and suffer numb fingers and cold winds doing these photos. So, I thought ahead!
STEP 1: OK? Alright. We're OK? Hehe. So, the first step in creating this layered up look was to take a sheer lace floral maxi skirt and bring it up over my chest to reduce the length. Then I pinned it at the side to create asymmetric folds and to further reduce the length, so that my tights could be seen.
STEP 2: I layer a sleeveless blouse over both pieces, because I want to show off just the metal collar.
STEP 3: Now, a warm braid pattern sweater goes on over the top and skirt. Keep in mind that I also wore a thermal long sleeved top and a long sleeved cotton top as my base layer! So, I'm pretty warm at this point, though the layers continue! :D Also, I'm really digging the mix of patterns, textures and colors here. Using different shades of black helps to keep each piece contemporaneously unique and uniform.
STEP 4: The sweater is then tucked into a black pleated high low skirt and garnished with a gold studded belt. Look at those sweet, sweet textures. :D I love the ripples and folds in the fabric. <3
STEP 5: Then I add the final layer, a double breasted tweed coat. I liked the smoothness of the coat juxtaposed with the patterns of the sweater and skirts. I tried to mix a lot of textures for visual appeal.
STEP 6: A textured black infinity scarf goes on last and I make a cowl hood out of it for maximum scare factor. :D And voila! This garment configuration isn't for everyone, but I personally enjoy it. ^_^
I really believe that fashion is an art form. It is both practical and fanciful. So, I don't personally think that I'm weird for keeping a sketch book and drawing cool (I dunno, it's arguable) outfits in there. Heh. I'm not a fashion designer, as much as I would totally like to be. I can't sketch an outfit and then buy materials and make it. I'm just not that cool. Instead, I try to achieve the same creative aim through the clothing I already have, if that makes any sense? I try to use the garments in my closet in new and interesting ways, so that I can still have the satisfaction of creating something unique without actually building it from raw materials. Hence, the complete outfit above is something that you can't find on a rack at a store. Though, I think it would be cool to be able to buy a layered, ready-to-wear look. :D
I hope you guys find this tutorial useful! I'm happy to answer questions! Have a great weekend! <3
