Second Hand Shopping

Tweed Blazer

Dad's finest? Now it's mine :-)

Hi guys.
Here another one of my second hand/vintage treasures.

I got this tweet, hounds-tooth sports jacket in brown/beige tones, of my Dad.
I think it is approx 30 years old and its still immaculate considering my Dad wore it and now I do.

great craftsmen ship, check out the lining and stitching

The blazer is 60% wool and 40% polyester, the lining is 100% viscose and needs to brought to a dry cleaner please.

Also because of the suede leather patches.

leather patches sooo in

Check out the detailing again suede leather patches and leather button at the front and the cuffs and the supporting fleece under the collar.

Not sure how much my Dad paid for it back then, but I guess it shows that quality is worth spending money on.
Surely one doesn't want every single item in ones wardrobe to last 30-40 years, but this one is and was definitely a keeper.

Of course it looks the best when worn,  thanks to my model  too ;-)

Because it's so easy to combine with shirts, fine knit jumpers, long sleeves, t's, in almost any color makes it so much fun to wear.

A little tip, go for a color that goes with your eye color because it'll help you to let your eye's stand out more since the jacket is quite plain color wise.

Pair it even with a dark brown, burgundy or mustard and for the spring time maybe a baby blue.

Ok enough for this time, thanks for stopping by.

Until next time.

Thanks,

        Carsten

Things that make us happy

Unreal, just found this wrapped new dress maker's dummy in the basement of my apartment block.

Is that a sign? lol

Anyway, I know I make good use of it.

Thanks to who ever left it there for me X

Love,

      Carsten

Things that make us happy 

Hi guys I am very excited to present the first post from YOU.

This one is from Marie who lives in London and was born in Austria.

It is so much fun receiving photos and the little stories behind your 'Things that make u happy'

laced, nude tone with a splash of pink 'very sexy' by Victoria's Secret
http://www.victoriassecret.com/

Here we have a photo of Marie's favorite bra.

She loves it for several reasons:
it is her favorite color;
it is sexy,
very comfortable,
gives a perfect shape and it adds a bit of glam.

Marie: "Usually I have problems finding the right bra. They are either too tight or too loose and most of them don't look sexy."

Marie got this 'Thing that makes her happy' as a present from a good friend in New York.

Thanks Marie x

Hope to here more from YOU guys. I am excited to see what's next.
Bye for now, until next time.

Love,
     Carsten

One of my latest purchases

Fleece 'infinity' scarf
(black and red)

Isn't he handsome ;-P

Super practical when cycling, on the motor bike or scooter.

Also great if you just want a little bit of warmth around the neck but don't want or need to bring a full length scarf.

It also can jazz up a t, long sleeve or jumper, lassies and lads ;-)

Thanks for posing Paul

If turning around and tying the one end, one can use it as a beany.

Since I love the idea, I decided to get two, one in each color, hehe
and gave one to each of my closest friends xxx

Thanks,
Carsten

Second hand shopping

Biker Leather Jacket

Original Motorcycle Jacket from Dainese

Hello again everyone ;-)

This time I show you one of my most favorite Jackets.

When I was in the second hand shop I thought, take something that is usually not to be seen on the streets in terms of a fashion item and just make it one.

I thought of 'Biker meets Rock'A'Billy meets Skater' 

I love the 3 'monochrome' color mix ....

It's a long time ago I bought this piece. I almost can't remember how much I paid for it, I think it was around 50 Euro. 

After a while the zipper broke and I never got around fixing it and left it home at my parents place in the storage.

... I think it has a figure flattering effect on me, eh the model, hehe

Well I got it back and finally got the zipper replaced at an in leather specialized alteration service.

I wore it a good few times and of course still love it.

Until next time ;-)

Thanks,

         Carsten

Thinks that make us happy

I know I am not a professional, but its fun ;-)

Hi guys, here another thing that makes me happy.

I like taking photos and touch them up for the better or worse, hehe.

I give them a frame, add a few extras, almost like dressing a person; I 'dress' the photos the way I think the it should look like.

I know family, friends, and going for a walk can make us happy too, no doubt.

BUT what I would love to know from you is, 

what makes you happy?

I'd love to interact a little more with YOU guys, if you don't mind ;-)

So, please please please send me some photos (of course only for use on this blog), when dressed up for going out clubbing, for a coffee, the movies, the theater ..., or just items of clothing, maybe your favorite piece of all that makes YOU happy, fashion tips that made you happy, anything in and around fashion, styling, dressing, tips and fun.

And maybe you can tell me/us the little story behind those photographs too.

What do YOU think?

The posts and pictures then can be found when searching my blog at the top right of this site and key in the label:

Things that make us happy

Oh, hehe, I am getting all excited.

Can't wait hearing from you. Loads of love and

Thanks,

      Carsten xxx

Ever tried baking soda for cleaning your clothes?

Baking soda is great for cleaning a lot of things the green way, teeth, removing of older stains and also for cleaning clothes.

As you all remember I posted a blog about some of second hand zip up tops so far (see below).

The blue one was immaculate but the beige had some old dirt stains (like a grey veil) on the cuffs and collar from wearing over the years.

I did of course wash all my second hand clothes before wearing them, but unfortunately not all stains vanished.

I took a bowl, big enough to allow the parts I want to soak to cover with water when dipping them in and poured a good bit of baking soda in to the water too.

Let it soak over a night and the stain should be gone.

It also brilliantly works on stained and lime-scaled kettles, tea pots, etc.

Below you find a link with more tips to cleaning with baking powder.

Please click here to get to '7 uses for baking soda' by Sarah Aguirre.

Happy cleaning guys :-)

Thanks,

         Carsten

Things that make us happy

Don't you love them too?I love the warm, cosy and tranquil atmosphere they create.

Time to relax and edit the next blog ;-)

To let you more in and get to know you better, I appreciate any questions or suggestions regarding my old and future post's.

Just Twitter, Facebook me or leave a comment below my post's and I pick them up.

Looking forward hearing from YOU xxx

Enjoy!!!

Love,

      Carsten

Second Hand Shopping

Beige zipper top

Hi guys, as promised here another one of my favorite second hand pieces that I purchased over the years.

Another unique top

Second hand shopping is a great affordable way of jazzing up your wardrobe with unique pieces.

I think at the time I paid around 10/12 Euro for this beige Wool/Polyester mix top.

Bye for now until next time

Thanks,

          Carsten

Check this out Rock 'A' Bella's and Rock 'A' Billies!

More info under walldorf-weekender.de

Still enough time to plan a nice weekend trip to Germany ;-)

Thanks,

          Carsten

Second hand shopping

Blue zipper top

Fantastic Plastic Wool Mix Top, grrrr ,  but I love still love it

Hi guys today I want to show you one of my favorite pieces from my wardrobe. I absolutely love this top, color, fit and fabric.

very comfortable to wear though

What's so special about this relatively plain Jacket?
It is unique or at least I can say it is unlikely that I see a second person or more roaming the streets in the same Top!!!

I got this 60's Wool/Polyester mix zipper top years ago in a second hand store somewhere in Germany and there was not one stain or anything broken on this cardigan.
I think at the time I only paid around 9 Euro for the Jacket.

Second hand shopping is a great affordable way of jazzing up your wardrobe with unique pieces.

I want to introduce in my following blogs a few more pieces that I purchased over the years.

Thanks,
          Carsten

Pear shaped

This time I got my Mum to model for me.

She loves her TV home shopping shows at the moment and was asking me about my opinion to a few pieces.

"Nothing easier than that Mum " ;-)

My Mum is a typical pear shaped woman.

So what she wants to do is balance hips and torso, broaden her shoulders, cover up the widest part and because she is quite short too, elongate the legs.

Please click here Body Shapes Blog 02.09.12

Please click here Sizes Charts Blog 29.09.12

1.Blue long sleeve

No she is actually enjoying this :-)

Here my model is wearing a light blue 'sweater' long sleeve (size 46/18) with prints at the front.

This top has besides the length nothing to offer. The shoulders are too wide the sleeves are too long and the color is a tad too pale for her skin tone.

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2.Black/Gold long sleeve

Now she is getting into it

This black/gold print long sleeve (size 46/18) is actually nice on her.

The black parts are a in a light Polyester mix.

The printed front is from the same fabric but it is a slight bit heavier to hold the print.

It creates the illusion that my model is wearing a strap top over a black long sleeve.

The length is fine, nice how it hugs the hips and with that clever positioned black stripe it creates a visually smaller hip area.

The sleeve length is good and the neck line and the shoulder strap illusion are broadening her shoulders.

A lower v-neck or a lower u-neck would be much better on this top and for my Mum's body type. A lower neck would open up the front and neck area, would draw more attention to the bust area away from the tummy. It would give her more proportion in the upper half. Another problem is, it actually draws to much attention to her tummy area, as the printed fabric doesn't flow.
For her body shape and type it would be better to have a smaller print or no print around the tummy area.

A plain gold strap top illusion with a v neck would have been better.

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3.Blue and black long sleeve

Here my model is wearing two light Polyester/Lycra mix long sleeve tops in blue and black (size 46/18 ).

Both tops have little Viscose bows studded around the v-neck area. The sleeve length is fine and depending on the occasion and how comfortable you are in your skin you can pick between two lovely colors.

I have to say though the black top flatters the most.

The top is a bit too long. As you can see, it starts bulking up around the hip area, the v-neck is again a bit too high. A bit lower and it would draw more attention to the top instead to the hip area.

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4.Black with sequins

I think Mum starts to enjoy this

Here my model wears a black Polyester/Viscose mix longs sleeve (size 44/16)

The sequins flatter her whole front area elongates the torso and broadens her shoulders. The sequins reflect the light and add more dimension to the front of the top.

The sleeve length and the overall length are fine.

 I think this top is the best of all.

With a nice pair of heels and a dressy wide straight leg trousers with a crease and she is almost ready to go.

_____________

5.Plum color parka

Now the final piece is a plum colored parka (size 46/18).

It comes with a draw cord to tie in the waist, detachable hood, patched pockets bottom front.

The color is the only thing I would recommend

The over all length is either to short or too long. A shorter jacket or a longer coat would be better.

The sleeves are too long, the whole parka is too bulky for this model in this size but wouldn't fit her around the hip are in a smaller size.

__________

Well I hope you enjoyed this blog and I could contribute a few more tips, what to consider when going shopping next time. Don't forget, at the end its not only about trends and style you also have to feel comfortable in it too.

Thanks,
         Carsten

I treated myself to a pair of boots.

(Clarks, Ireland, 100 Euro)

Brown leather Brogues-style ankle boots, stitched sole, thick tread for a good grip.

Love them.

Thanks,

          Carsten