Nothing can jazz up a simple outfit like the perfect scarf. And now we’re into the chilly season, the creatively flipped or knotted scarf is more than a mere fashion accessory.

Even a filmy little nothing of a 50s-style chiffon scarf can keep those unpleasant drafts off your neck, while it’s pulling your look together.

Ah, but how do you wear a scarf right — so the local fashionistas don’t point and laugh?

Solution: A quick instructional video that shows you how to wear a scarf 25 different ways…

Yes, twenty-five. Granted, an argument could be made that three or four of these “ways” are suspiciously similar, but that’s getting picky. Point is, there’s enough here to take you through a full month of work days, without ever once repeating exactly the same knot /flip /twist /loop / fling of your stylish-but-practical scarf.

See?

There’s no reason to look like a frump while you’re staying cosy; no need to resort to single-knotting your knock-off Hermes like a kindergarten kid’s knitted scarf, for lack of scarf-styling inspiration — not with the unfairly gorgeous Wendy to give expert guidance!

Next item on the agenda,
stock up on fabulous scarves!

Ideally, you will want to lay in a selection of scarves in different weights — Wendy recommends “light chiffon for Spring and Summer, cashmere for Fall, and wool for Winter.”

I’d add silk to that mix: a gossamer wisp of chiffon or light-weight silk satin, in trendy patterns like the leopard print that Wendy shows; and a slightly heavier raw silk scarf, all slubby-textured and rustic, in a solid colour: rich jewel tones seem to flatter most faces and are a real mood-lifter in mid-winter. Silk fabrics drape beautifully and a silk scarf adds warmth to the back of your neck without adding bulk to make you feel bundled up.

Satin charmeuse, in either silk or a synthetic is always a good choice for a dressier lightweight scarf. You’ll find quite reasonable prices on some fabulous prints in a satin charmeuse scarf too, from Old Masters artwork — think Monet, Degas, Van Gogh — to cool retro patterns, delicate Oriental-inspired prints, and tongue-in-cheek take-offs on the British horsey set.

If you want something of the heft of a featherweight wool but find your skin reacts to wool all up close and personal, a soft combed cotton or even a viscose scarf may fit the bill (though I find viscose gets limp after you have cleaned it a few times — your mileage may vary).

That said, one of my go-to favourite scarves is an ultra-fine wool Mexican rebozo in soft natural pastels I’m not normally drawn to, but couldn’t resist when I found it in a street market in Oaxaca.

Another scarf I wear often is a cobalt-blue length of heavy raw silk that I just cut to length and finished off with a hand-rolled hem (<-- instructions right there, if you'd like to try it yourself).

It would have been prohibitively expensive to buy a scarf like that in a boutique, but as a DIY craft job, it took less than 10 bucks and maybe an hour or so.

So here's a frugal little tip for ya — check the remnant bins at your local fabric shop. Especially just after prom and wedding dress season, you’ll often find all kinds of de luxe pieces on for a song, just waiting to be hemmed or fringed and made into a wonderful scarf… and you now know 25 ways to wear that scarf!

Rebozo photo: Textiles by angela7dreams on Flickr

In general, it’s women’s fashion that changes so dramatically from one year (or one season, even) to the next. Men’s clothing is much more difficult to pinpoint in time, for most of us, than women’s clothing.

One at-a-glance clue to nailing down the timeline on fashion is to look at the style of women’s hats, as well as the hemlines and the whole silhouette.

But the male of the species is not without the occasional mad phase of flaunting his plumage. Just think of the lace-ruffled Regency dandy, the well-fed Edwardian gent with his velvet lapels, the pin-striped mobster of the 1930s, the young slicked-back Elvis Presley, or those tight-trousered disco kings of Saturday Night fever…

100 years of East London style in 100 seconds

Quick — can you catch all the fashion trends of the century, as they dance by?

Nice touch, having the woman dance alone briefly in her Rosie-the-Riveter wartime gear, before her partner comes flying back into the scene in his spiffy, prosperous post-war civvies!

Don’t you find that the trends tend to blend together, and a look you might tend to associate with one decade turns out to be from a slightly earlier or slightly later period? Fascinating — both the costumes of the recent past, and our conceptions of them!

Pop quiz on fashion history aside, however, it’s just a whole lot of fun to watch the styles boogie (jitterbug, foxtrot, tango, bugoloo, bop, bump…) on by!

This really is quite a clever bit of advertising, well sugar-coated as a blend of entertainment and education. Advertising? Why, yes, in fact:

Directed by Jake Lunt with The Viral Factory, the film was shot over 4 days in east London locations with hundreds of costume changes. The music was commissioned from Oscar nominated genius Tristin Norwell who took a simple tune and interpreted it for each decade over 100 years.
~ 100 YEARS / STYLE / EAST LONDON: Westfield Stratford City

This video was posted on YouTube by “Europe’s largest urban shopping centre, Westfield Stratford City” in advance of its official opening on 13 September 2011.

Which explains the date given in bold red letters at the end.
And why “East London” in particular.
And why the century of fashion runs from 1911 to 2011, instead of even numbers.

Neat-o!

I’ll spare you the rant about how cold it’s been this winter, and how the wind never stops blowing, and how my hands are now a permanent frost-bitten mottled white and purple (not attractive at the best of times), and just say this…

If this cold weather keeps up, I’m investing in a Lippi Selk Bag.

Dental appointment?
Client meeting?
Night out with friends?

Sure… but I’m coming dressed as the Abominable Michelin Snow Man, but in tasteful eco-khaki green instead of white. Because I’ve just about had enough of white for the moment, what with all the snow…

Picture it. I’ll make one last half-frozen parka-wrapped dash down to the post box to grab my package, scuttle back home and rip into the wrapper, clamber into the sleeping-bag-suit… and never come out until spring. (Except for the call of nature, of course: you gotta unzip and pull down for that — they even say so in the FAQ.)

Fashion, thy name is padded comfort!

Laugh if you will, but I’m declaring a whole new Nordic fashion trend… and I’ll be the only one who’s not standing about turning blue from the cold.

Originally uploaded by semarr

I can’t recall exactly how this idea of a virtual Bacon Collection got started, but it was definitely on Twitter, and probably sparked by @surfingtrucker:

“Anyone tried chocolate covered bacon yet?”

But the blame/credit for the collection getting to its current fat status can be laid squarely at the feet of my Lovely and Talented Research Assistant, Diane.

“Saw this on boingboing and thought of you,” she tweeted one day, linking to a bacon bikini top. The fashion statement was in response to Al Can’t Hang‘s Bacon of the Month Competition — honestly, who could make these things up? — and you can enjoy the whole cooked-in-the-sun bacon bikini story at Loona.net.

But let’s back up a bit.

First came that chocolate-covered bacon. (Yeah, okay, guys — here’s a recipe: melted chocolate chips and a pound of bacon are the star ingredients; sprinkles are optional. Good now? Right, moving on!)

Then @LaptopForHire chipped in with chocolate chip pancakes and sausage on a stick. Not bacon, but it’s pork-related and disgusting — so kudos and 10 cholesterol points for playing!

Then @BlogWellDone claimed to have a friend who once made bacon-flavoured vodka. “The horror still makes me shudder,” he said. Um, yeah.

And @HeyDriver said something about a bacon cupcake (“well, it’s the frosting”) — and just check it out! Maple Bacon Cupcakes with Maple Frosting, by Garrett at VanillaGarlic:

After reading a bit about bacon baklava, bacon candy, and bacon ice cream, I knew a bacon cupcake was do-able, but still I was hesitant and approached this with some trepidation. It’s an outside-of-the-box cupcake, a breakfast cupcake, a cupcake for those who eat with no fear.

Which brings us back to the Lovely and Talented Research Assistant, Diane, who attempted to justify these excesses of Americian cuisine with RypTide’s Unified Theory of Bacon — scientific proof that concludes:

Therefore all food products’ deliciousness is increased by the addition of bacon, except for cheese which in turn increases the deliciousness of bacon.

“Want me to knit you a bacon scarf?” Diane asked.

Ooh, that’s tempting…

But maybe later, for Part 2 of this porcine parade, when we’ll exam the role of bacon in Arts and Crafts.

In today’s guest post, Pelf Nyok bring us another stand-out crafter from Malaysia with a look at Mabel’s gossamer-fine knit work… It’s inspiring to know that, less than a year ago, the creator of these delicate shawls was a total novice to knitting!
~ Jen

Mabel’s Pretty Shawls

Two weeks ago, we had a peep into April’s collection of hand-made jewellery, so this time around, we’re going to look into another Malaysian’s collection of knitted shawls.

If you do not know Mabel, you will not believe that she had only started knitting less than a year ago. In fact, she did not knit her first shawl until February 2007 and even then, she was still learning to read charts and knitting in new ways and using new stitches.

An unintentional trip to Lincraft (a craft store) drowned Mabel in the myriad of colours and textures. She picked up a set of knitting needles, a leaflet containing patterns for scarves and some balls of yarn and the rest, they say, is history. And since then, she has moved on from knitting scarves to hats, fingerless gloves, baby jackets, socks and now shawls.

All her raw materials are imported — needles come from a variety of places and the yarns, especially, come from the US, Latin America and UK — because it is very pricey to purchase them locally (in Malaysia). She sometimes ended up paying more than double of what she would pay if she were to buy it online (either via eBay or independent websites).

It takes Mabel about six to seven nights to knit, block out the pattern and then pack the product (despite holding a day job!) but usually, a shawl will take her about three weeks maximum.

Mabel’s favourites

Just like any other craftsperson, Mabel loves ALL her products, because to her, each shawl is unique — every stitch is never the same and different yarns have a different feel and texture. But these are some that she has been itching NOT to sell:

• Violetta

  

• White Flowers

  

• Moonlit Night

  

Shawls 4 Sale

Mabel started her online store, Shawls 4 Sale because she wanted to get rid of her ever-growing stash and kill some time. She doesn’t make a lot of money from this endeavor and in a way, she thinks it’s good. Despite that, all shawls that are showcased on the website are already sold!

I started this because I wanted to get rid of my ever-growing stash and kill some time (I have too much free time). Hence I charge only enough to cover my basic costs (yarn, mostly). Don’t really want to turn this into something that I make my living from!

Shawls will still be her main product but she’s hoping that with time, she will have the chance to explore some pattern designing and churn other items such as socks, scarves and baby clothing.

She manages the site, sales, knitting, packing, etc. on her own so it gets “crazy” sometimes, especially during peak months. Currently, she’s hoping to add in a shopping cart function and play around with the payment options.

How much is that again?

The price is often decided before she starts work via email because she needs to know specific details. But at the moment, prices range from RM60 to RM100* and it depends on the type of yarn (wool, cashmere, silk, etc) that will be used. Domestic shipping within Malaysia is part of the deal and if anyone needs some extra (but simple) bling bling effect, it’s an additional RM10 but she often waives the cost for this.

Mabel is also in the midst of re-adjusting her pricing tier for next year because by then, she’d be based in Switzerland and things will be a little bit more complicated. However, Mabel guarantees that prices will still remain below the RM150 mark.

In case you’re wondering, no, Shawls 4 Sale isn’t open for business at the moment. Mabel will probably have some time to concentrate on the online store next year from March 2008 onwards, after her wedding at the end of February — so do remember to check Shawls 4 Sale then!

Note: The current foreign exchange rate is 3.3 Malaysian Ringgit to 1 US Dollar.

Pelf Nyok, the author of The Giving Hands, is a grad-student who is trying to save the turtles, the environment and humankind. Charity, conservation and volunteerism are things that are very close to her heart.

pelf-ism is contagious!


Technorati Tags: Malaysia, knitting, guest post

If you have children — or even if you don’t have children, but you sense that something’s not quite right with the self-image and body-image messages the kids are being bombarded with these days — have a look at this powerful short video.

My web developer friend Guilherme (Zo’C) brought this video to our attention, and it’s really heartening to see the enlightened male viewpoint here and in his previous post, Dove Evolution, both about the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty.

Actually, you can be too thin

Meanwhile, in the news…

The Montreal Gazette just yesterday ran a story with that headline — Actually, you can be too thin — sparked by the organizers of this year’s Montreal Fashion Week who “have scored one small point for sanity in Canada’s fashion industry, by barring girls under 16 and overly skinny models from its catwalks.”

Organizers say knobby knees and protruding ribs and shoulder bones are out, which is sensible enough. The mystery is how they ever got to be in.

The title of the article comes from the famous Wallis Simpson quotation, words that women have (consciously or subconsciously) heard, absorbed, internalized, and abused themselves to live up to since the 1930s.

For the last 20 years or so, however, fashionistas have seemed determined to prove the second part of her aphorism is false. Even Simpson herself, who was seductive enough to coax a king off his throne, might be horrified at some of the wraith-like figures who sashay up and down today’s catwalks.

Does anyone else find it incredibly ironic? — we have girls literally starving themselves to death, trying to live up to a most peculiar ideal. And at the same time, obesity is epidemic! Whatever happened to just trying to be fit and healthy? Whatever happened to “Beauty is just skin deep”?

Thankfully, there are these small hopeful signs of change… and we’ll take what we can get, from whatever source, when the onslaught of advertising is so powerful.

As Guilherme says,

In face of models dying of anorexia and on the other hand, almost every woman that is not a model finding herself ugly, the Dove campaign for real beauty is not only a beautiful and brave advertising campaign, but is also an inspired humane one.

My sister-in-law’s Chihuahua, the ultimate Diva Doggie, is most definitely getting one of these Diva Dog toys at the next obligatory gift-giving occasion!

Fancy designs combine silky soft plush fabric with hardy rope and the squeakers that dogs love — and shapes to amuse the human owners and friends!
Now I just have to decide between the Bikini Top, Chewy Vitton, or High Heel. That cute High Heel is almost irresistable — and what dog isn’t seriously tempted by shoes? — available in Paw Print, Leopard and Multi Color designs.

What the heck, even someone as frugal (cheap) as me has to grab a few, with Dog.com’s discount price — $2.99 when you buy 2 or more!

Three of the innovative PuppyPurse dog carriers will be on display at the Musée de Design et d’Arts Appliqués Contemporains (Museum of Design and Contemporary Applied Arts) in Lausanne, Switzerland. They’ll be part of an exhibit entitled “Bêtes de Style,” running October 2006 to February 2007, that explores the relationship between humans and their pets.

The exhibits at MUDAC focus on the area where design, applied arts, and contemporary art meet and influence each other — putting together both commercial objects and objets d’art “to astonish, challenge, intellectually stimulate, and amuse the viewers.” It’s all rather fascinating, and I can see how PuppyPurse fits right in.

PuppyPurse is a unique, innovative, open-air, hands-free pet carrier designed to be functional and practical as well as artistic and stylish. While reducing stress on a person’s arm, the PuppyPurse cocoons a small healthy pup or an arthritic one safely, comfortably, and elegantly by its person’s side heartbeat to heartbeat… PuppyPurse is available in more than fifty gorgeous fabrics and magnificent colors all of which can be seen at www.puppypurse.com.

PuppyPurse goes Macho!

This is one of the best-designed dog carriers we’ve ever seen. The adjustable strap, to begin with, makes it much more comfortable for the human. And the open design will make for a much happier pooch than being stuffed in a shoulder bag with the rest of your gear, especially in warm weather.

It means that even small, old, slow dogs with little short legs can go where its humans go — backwoods hiking, even!

But for sheer dog-delightful frivolity, I’m also coveting the Charmings accessories from PuppyPurse, because even a country dog likes to glam up to go to town — just a bit of bling for pampered pups of every size!

Paws N’ Go Galore, a new online pet boutique, offers fashionable feline and Fido-friendly ware for your adored furry friends. With each purchase, you get a 30-day money-back guarantee — and the pet boutique site donates 10% of its profits to animal rescue organizations!

The site boasts a wide selection of brand-name animal products, including Tail Waggers vegetarian gourmet dog treats, and Slumber Pet’s incredibly luxurious dog and cat beds.

We’re particularly taken with the East Side Collection apparel (like the little dog coats shown here), but the Casual Canine dog PJs are also appealing — both fun and practical. And if your dog is the outdoorsy type, don’t miss the Guardian Gear safety wear — including life jackets for the yacht club crowd!

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and The Humane Society of the United States are currently benefiting from monthly donations, with local rescue groups to be added as the business grows.

With millions of animals suffering from abuse, neglect and abandonment each year, it is crucial to support these organizations, and their much needed services. Last year’s devastating hurricanes, with their impact still evident, are yet another reminder as to why such groups continue to need our help.

What better way to support homeless dogs and cats than to spoil your own furry friend?