1 year ago…

A year ago today.. I started Aartifi-IT.

It’s extremely surreal, I can’t believe a year has gone by already! So many things have changed in my life, and so many things about me have changed too.. and yet still there is so much change yet to happen as well..

2012 is going to be a very exciting year for me :) I really can’t wait.

I picked out a couple of my favourite moments of the last year for this post, it was a lot of fun to go back and re-play some of the memories :)

Click on the pictures to see the originals posts :)

I hope you all have a great weekend.

brrr.. it’s cold outside!

It’s been so cold lately, that its had be dreaming about warm sunny days…  so to stop me from dwelling on the summer, I decided to find some inspiration to help me stay creative when deciding what to wear in the mornings..

(all images via pinterest)

P.S. Thanks to all of you for entering my Anjolee Giveaway – I will be announcing the winner tomorrow, so Good Luck! :)

something a little more traditional..

I love wearing saris, I always feel so feminine and elegant in them. I also feel a bit like my mum in them, she always looks so amazingly beautiful in a sari and it’s something I’ve always admired about her. In some weird way, putting a sari on makes me feel a little bit closer to her even though she is across the world and so far away…

Does anything you wear give you a similar feeling to that? I’d love to hear about it, leave me a comment and let me know.

(Outfit: Sari from India, Earrings from India, Clutch is vintage – belonged to my mum.)

P.S. Have you entered my Anjolee giveaway? If not, you still have a chance to here!

Christmas Cookie Swap

I recently attended my very first blogger’s get together, hosted by the amazing Cee.

It was a lovely afternoon, filled with conversation revolving blogging and fashion while we munched on a amazing varitey of Christmas cookies.

I can’t wait till the next one.

From left to right of pic #1: me; Lynn, Cee, Jen, Alex, Leonie, Pari, Veronika, and Cara.

(My outfit: Zara cardigan, Forever 21 dress worn as top; H&M skirt; Miss Selfridge belt; River-Island boots)

DIY: Cut-out checks {how to}

So as promised, here are the step-by-step instructions of how I transformed my plaid shirt. You can do this to any shirt/top – so use your imagination :)

So here’s what the top looked life before I did anything to it.

Step 1. Fold your shirt directly in half (symmetrically), making sure everything lines up perfectly and then iron along the seams to ensure they are flat and smooth.2. Cut along the shoulder seam of the top to create the cut-out. Cutting a small amount at a time works best, as you can always keep cutting if it’s not enough. Cut in a slight curved shape, so the fabric drapes around your shoulders nicely. Try the top on to see how the cut-outs are sitting, and if need be cut more – keep repeating this until you get the look you desire.3. This is what mine looked like once I finished cutting.5. I then decided that I wanted to curve the hem as well. To have the front hem shorter than the back. So if you would like to do this as well, fold the shirt in enough again (vertically), making sure everything lines up. Iron down to smooth it all out if neccessary. Then cut the hem to the shape you desire.

6. Here’s how  mine looked after cutting the hem. After I cut mine, i realised that the pockets stick out a bit under the hem – but I quite liked the rugged-ness of this, so decided to keep them :)

7. The final step is to hem all the cut edges of the top. Depending on the fabric of your shirt, you might need to iron down the hem folds first to make sure they stay in place. I hemmed mine by hand, as my sewing machine is still in London.. but either way works.

And here’s what it looks like finished.

Would love to know your thoughts – or even better pictures/links to your attempt at this DIY.

Have fun creating! :)

(Outfit: DIY top; Mango jeans; River-Island boots)

DIY: Cut-out checks

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I decided to change up my old plaid top from a couple of years ago.. It was a lot of fun and I am really happy with the results. DIY instructions to follow tomorrow..
Hope you’ve all had a good weekend.

(Outfit: DIY top; Mango jeans; River Island boots)

FORME: Exploring Fashion’s Borders

I had the fortunate opportunity to attend “FORME: Exploring Fashion’s Borders”, which was held at the Ayden Art Gallery on Thursday.

Vancouver based designer, Lotus Eye, teamed up with VisualNoiseType.com and South Asian Arts, to present a capsule collection of crossover Indian contemporary designs.

It was an extremely enjoyable evening and I thoroughly enjoyed the fashion show. It was very well executed and had a unique “something” that made it different from other fashion shows that I have attended.

Lotus Eye‘s use of saris was very interesting – wrapping a belt around a traditional sari to make it look more like a dress, is a unique way of making something so traditional into a wearable piece for the modern woman. The cuts and shapes of the dresses made from Indian fabrics, designed by herself, were stunning – it was really nice to see something different.

Check out what I wore to this event here

 

what I wore…

This is what I wore to the FORME: Exploring Fashion’s Borders show.

Photos of the show to come soon

(Outfit: Top from Dubai (gift); H&M trousers, Aldo shoes; Tag Heuer watch; Cuff picket up at a market; Ring – wedding present)