DIY Pearl Drop Necklace

I've been a terrible blogger lately. Sorry. I've got a summer job at the Joffrey Ballet and I get to live in the Loop. Summertime Chi is amazing!

But anyway, here's one of the last DIYs I made in Syracuse with supplies I picked up from Toho Shoji in Manhattan. These little spherical caged pearl beads were an impulse buy because they're too cool looking not to buy... most of my necklaces are pendents so I stepped a little outside my box here to create something different.

Because I was running short on chain, I decided to use ribbon to secure the necklace in the back. I attached 2 large jump rings to the end of the chain I had left for the actual necklace chain. I used 9 dangling chains with a bead attached at each end and staggered the length of each by 2 or 3 links. The curve of the necklace will create a more noticeable difference when you're wearing it. Also make sure to attach each segment the same distance apart; I think I separated mine by 5 links.

Simply fold your ribbon over the ending jump rings and crazy glue the ends. Crazy glue is a crafter's staple, I use it for absolutely everything!

Here's what it looks like on. Fance, right!?

90s Inspo...TOO SOON

I haven't ranted about fashion things for a while now because nothing has completely blown me away or inspired a rant. Until now.

90s fashion.

I noticed this picture on A Beautiful Mess, which is one of my favorite blogs, and they described the photo shoot as 90s inspired? Uh... what?

I'm sure everyone in the fashion world has been noticing all the studs, purple dyed hair, and upside down crosses that are trending. That which people call “grunge” (I've ranted about it before: here). I'm all for it. It's modified grunge per say, “neo-grunge” as I've heard it called. But what has been irking me lately is that this return to grunge style has been beginning to return a lot of other fashion collections to the 90s. Or at least, they say that the 90s are their inspiration.

I need to drop a TOO SOON here. Yes, I am one of those kids who grew up in the 90s who misses the cartoons, the Disney channel original movies, and eating Flinstones Push-pops at the park. I am learning to accept that the 90s weren't actually ten years ago.  

The 90s I remember are Spice Girls and Clueless. These are the 90s clothes that we saw in mass media. They were loud and tacky and we loved them. There was also the opposite side of bubblegum pop-culture: Nirvana (if we're talking grunge).

And these styles are kind of coming back. Fashion looks back most of the time. Designers are inspired by Marie Antionette, Victorian architecture, their homelands, etc. Fashion is beginning to evolve by repeating itself. And that's okay... but looking back at the 90s seems TOO SOON to me. Honestly, if they keep looking back to an era that is within the last 20 years, what are they going to look back to next? Last year?  

Just imagine... a collection next year inspired by last year's take on 90s fashion. Not ok. We need more innovation. Remember Zenon: Girl of the 21^st Century? That was the future to 90s kids. (American Apparel has taken that route so far... tight spandex.) We should all be wearing our hair in pigtails on top of our heads, stretchy chrome boots, and fabrics should be entirely synthetic-based by now. 

Moral of the story is... let's look towards the future and not to the past.

Back to the Chi

I'm back! I have finished with Spoleto coverage in Charleston and can officially say that I have my Master's degree. Want to read a few articles I wrote for the paper? My costume feature is here and my story about the Young Artists series is here.

 

Press Party south of Broad St!

I got a week to "relax" and tomorrow I'm moving to downtown Chicago for 5 weeks. I'll be working as a chaperone for the summer intensive programs at the Joffrey Ballet. I get to live on State Street (but in a dorm, as I'll be supervising 15 year olds) and I'm really excited to experience downtown living while working for a major arts organization. I hope it leads to good things!

Walking around by the Battery, new silk Indian wrap dress!

Now that I'm not in school anymore (!), I hope to get back on track with blogging, stay tuned!