Idiosyncratic Style

Sometimes you just need a little break from the grown-up world, why not indulge in a little childhood fun with a few great clicks to help satiate your kid within.

Check out the newest fashion Barbies with Clutch 22
Prom Mafia finds fashion inspiration from favorite cartoon characters
Dress up in your own closet with inspiration from Eternal Masquerade
Play online with an anime virtual paper doll from Onigirl
Make DIY stylish ribbon awards for all your friends with Miss Omni Media
Get out a box of crayons, print and color your favorite characters

How do you let your inner child roam free?

No matter how many valentines you give or receive, none are as important as the one you give yourself. Here are some fun ways to treat yourself a little…

The Happy Baker - Bake “my mom didn’t like you anyways cupcakes”
Style List - Give yourself a glamorous Reverse French Manicure
Who What Wear - Make a shirt inspired by Proenza Schouler S/S 10
Burlesque Magazine - Get a free subscription to the online magazine
Love Maegan - Shake your tail feather with a DIY feather skirt

Lately, sequins are shining all over the place. If you’re not ready to unleash your inner showgirl, but want to play around with a little sparkle, try adding a dash of razzle-dazzle to your winter outerwear with this DIY project.

Supplies:
Winter hat
Pack of individual sequins
Thread that matches your sequins
Sewing needle

Instructions:
Place a sequin face up on the top side of the fabric.
Start with your needle on the back side of the fabric and come up through the hole in the center of the sequin.
Make sure to leave a tail on thread on the underside.
Put your needle back into the fabric just above the top of the sequin.
Double knot the two ends of fabric tightly at the back and cut off the excess thread.
Sew the sequins on uniformly or scattered randomly, it’s up to you.

If you plan to cover the entire hat, understand that it will take a while, so be patient and have fun with it or line up a great movie marathon to keep you entertained. If you don’t have the time or patience, be sure to choose only a small portion of the hat to cover, just focus on the trim or create an easy design to realize.

Wear your new sparkling topper with your regular winter coat to help you shine your brightest on even the gloomiest winter day.

Fashion does not have to fall on the cutting swords of minimal budgets and a lack seamstress’ skills. Check out these amazing and simple DIY projects from talented bloggers all over the web and let your Idiosyncratic Style shine.  

FOR THE LADIES

Outsapop Trashion - Cozy and Chic Felt Paillete Sweater

The Coveted - Vintage Inspired Hats from Shoulder Pads

Happy Together - Dainty Clutch Purse from a Placemat

FOR THE DREAMERS

Brick My Lane - Dreamy Ruffle Scarf from Fabric Scraps

Houndstooth and Tortoiseshell - Marching Band Inspired Vest

Cute Little Disaster - Rose Cocktail Ring from Paper Clips

FOR THE ROCKSTARS

…Love Maegan - Killer Leather Spats for your Boots

Carbon Couture - Thakoon Inspired Mirror Embellished Skirt

Park and Cube - Rodarte Inspired Rocker Tights

I love the joy that comes with wearing one of-a-kind pieces created by my own two hands, but the daily grind leaves little to no time for DIY fashion projects. Summer vacation means plenty of time for hand crafting, but who wants to lug sewing machines and piles of crafting supplies to the lake or beach? With a weeklong cottage vacation coming up, I hunted around some fantastic sites for head to toe fashion projects easy enough to do on the dock and that won’t require an extra suitcase full of materials.

1. Braided Headband from CraftStylish
Supplies: Fabric Scrap, Piece of Elastic, Scissors, Needle and Thread

2. Summer Scarf from Pickles
Supplies: T-shirts or Jersey Material and Scissors

3. Shredded Tee from Carbon Couture
Supplies: T-shirt, Scissors and Seam Ripper

4. Beaded Sweatshirt from CosmoGirl
Supplies: Sweatshirt, Colorful Wooden Beads, Scissors, Needle and Thread

5. Painted Sneakers from CraftStylish
Supplies: Sneakers, Waterproof Fabric Paint and Paitnbrush

Be sure to share pictures of your completed DIY fashion projects in the IdStyle Facebook group and show us how you put your individual mark on each of them.

1. PRETTY PETALS

Christian Louboutins at Neiman Marcus

These Christian Louboutin petal sandals will definitely inject the necessary spring into your step and your wardrobe. They are quite beautiful shoes, however with a $995.00 price tag they are more than slightly un-obtainable for most of us. So I was ecstatic to discover a chic DIY project on … love maegan. The only thing more covetable than pricey designer shoes are one-of-a-kind shoes that no one else will be wearing. I encourage you to infuse your own personal touch into the design and really make them your own. I can’t wait to make a custom pair for myself.

2. TOUGH FLORAL

Stylist: Kristen O'Reilly | Photographer: G. Tjepkema |Make-up: T. Byers

We are used to seeing florals all dolled up looking innocent, girlie and sweet, but I really like them with injections of bad ass and rock’n'roll. Taking a hint from  Tough is a lady at Cynthia Steffe, re-think your pretty patterns and match them up with a little leather and hardware. Perhaps a studded belt with your floral frock ala Carrie Bradshaw. These are not your grandmas florals, so don’t wear them the same way she does.  

3. FULL BLOOM

Breeyn McCarney 2009 Collection

At Toronto’s Alternative Fashion week earlier this year, I had the pleasure of checking out Breeyn McCarney’s collection and instantly developed a crush on this frilly, flirty dress. Forget floral patterns, this dress is a flower in full bloom! The wearer of this dress is sure to make a statement wherever she goes.

4. FLOWER POWER 

Diane Von Furstenberg S09

Boho styles may come and go, but anything that taps in to the free-spirit of the 60’s has a little piece of my heart. So obviously, I fell in love with the floral headpieces worn on the Diane Von Furstenberg  S09 runway. They are whimsically worthy of any neo-hippie fashionista. I found a really cute how-to video on Fashion Club.com Daily that walks you through a wearable DIY version of the headband.

5. PERENNIAL FAVORITE

Betsey Johnson Runway Montage

No one does flowers quite like Betsey Johnson can. Betsey’s flowers are the kind of perennials you look forward to showing up each season, whether it be vibrant floral prints, fabric rosettes or actual flowers styled on the models, she doesn’t dissapoint her flower loving fans.

Although buying a Betsey Johnson piece is a sure fire way to tap into the floral trend, it won’t be easy purchase for everyone’s budget. Just because you are cutting back your shopping list these days, doesn’t mean you have to skip on the floral frocks of our favorite cartwheeler. Be sure to click around for some great online deals. Yesterday, I found some amazing Betsey Johnson items on Etsy, like this floral stretch velvet mini for $39, this maven worthy floral romper for only $29.99, this eclectic floral hat from her 80’s punk line for $30 and this adorable retro style floral dress for $60. So even in a recession you can still get a little BJ, if you know where to look.