Try Handmade

Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Knit 1, Purl 2, Fall Fashion Focus

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Please welcome new columnist Jamie Drumwright to Try Handmade! She’s going to be covering trends in fashion design as they float back and forth between indie handmade and the runway. Previously a corporate director of retail merchandising, she “sees handmade as the new haute couture.” Welcome her to this space, and check out her first contribution to Runway to Reality and Back.

:: Erika

Which came first the chicken or the egg? Fashion imitator or originator? Today’s fashion trends are much more complicated than a designer or celebrity dictating what is acceptable fashion and what isn’t. Social movements, hobbies, economic factors have all taken fashion out of Paris’s hands and put it in yours.

Even better the evolution of Etsy and other handcrafted shopping environments have made it easier than ever to get exactly what you want. Take knitting for example. Around Y2K the popularity of knitting as a hobby trend took off and thousands of entrepreneurs were born. Over the last two fall seasons the popularity of knit or crocheted scarves has surged with handmade offering the most variety, best quality and reasonable pricing. Department store fashion lines just can’t compete with resources like Etsy. This fall some of the yummiest ever are showing up on Etsy’s pages with established sellers like Beautiful Bridget and Cricket’s Knit Creations showing beautiful styles for men and women.

Uniscarf from Beautiful Bridget

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City of Love…

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Image above is from Simply Hue

One thing I really appreciate about blogging is that it has brought me more in touch with my own dreams. What do I mean by that? I think it’s because with blogging I’m almost forced to write on a daily basis, even if it’s just a sentence or two. It gives me a chance to reflect in a different way than I ever have before. It gives me a gauge of how I’m feeling about life and in the long run allows me to work through certain emotions in a different way.

Image above is from Magalerie

Wait a minute. It almost sounds like I’m calling blogging therapy? Hah. Well I’m not certain that’s where I intended to go with this post – but I will say that there is something very cathartic about blogging, no matter how little or how much I write on a daily basis, or even if what I have written is particularly personal. And with so many people blogging these days there is absolutely no shortage of community and inspiration to be found and I’m very thankful for that.

Image above is from 23rd and 1st

But before I take myself so far beyond the intention of this post I’ll bring it back on track. Dreams. I’m finding that as I get older my dreams are constantly changing. And not just changing, but coming into a sharper focus, and with a more long range perspective. To be honest, for a few years – when I was working a corporate job (which I did enjoy for the most part – don’t get me wrong), I didn’t dream too much. I found the day to day water cooler time at the office fun and enjoyed nurturing a team of employees, but a lot of the work was repetitive and overall it left me drained. No energy left to dream.

Image above is from Funkyshique

Sometimes now – I have to rein myself in as I’m prone to daydreaming about all sorts of things, related to work and life and the far off future. Today the dream I’m sharing – my hope to one day visit Europe, including Paris of course! Both Europe, and more specifically Paris – have been influencing design and many of the makers in the handmade sphere lately it seems. As a lover of art, design, and good food I know that I must go at some point. It may be in the next year or two – or maybe longer – until then I’ll continue dreaming about it!

Travel Inspired Spring Fashion

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I don’t know why, but I’ve got travel on my mind more than ever these days. Maybe it’s the temperatures increasing ever so slightly and the sun peeking out from behind the clouds. Or possibly, it’s also the not so distant memories of snow and that we’re still wearing coats and gloves most days. (Screenprinted T’s from New Duds.)

Whatever the reason – there’s probably nothing more fun to daydream about then time away in beautiful places. I have two trips on the horizon, that I am hoping will happen within the next year. One to Maui, and one to Paris. Neither are confirmed yet, but that hasn’t stopped me from doing a little bit of research to see where my top places to go in each city are. Maui would be all about hiking, eco-tourism and time at the beach for me!

In Paris – La Duree for some sensational macaroons, Versailles in all it’s splendour, and biking in the French countryside are all top of my list.

And being the fashion loving girl that I am, I started to think of what clothing I’d want for these trips! For Maui, brightly colored lightweight dresses, tank tops and bikinis. For Paris, breezy romantic dresses and clothing in sweet pastels….

I thought I’d take a peek around Supermarket at some great indie fashion – matching each outfit with a fun getaway destination.

First up, these cute screenprinted t-shirts at the top of this post from New Duds! Almost instantly, they had me thinking Road Trip. T’s are always comfy for long trips in the car, with a stop at a cozy roadside dinner or a fun pub for lunch or dinner.

The Pastorius Dress from Dressed in Yellow makes me think of New York!

Lekkerlife Clothing offers this oh so cute black and white pleated skirt that says vintage California to me – I can just see myself wearing this great ensemble, top down, driving around in a classic car.

Finally – this gorgeous organic cotton dress from Gina Michelle has me thinking of Paris. This dramatic little number looks perfect for a candlelit dinner at a raucous restaurant!

Have you started shopping for spring and summer clothes yet? Any fun finds?

Jennifer Loiselle

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Jennifer Loiselle: I’ve worked in magazines, newspapers and websites for ten years, but have finally found the time to focus on making my handmade headbands.

Having fulfilled my wanderlust, living in Sydney and Tokyo and traveling everywhere in between, I now call London home.

Things I love: mid-century furniture, taxidermy, polka dots, shoes, big accessories, Paris and most of all, dancing with my new baby.

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