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Green Knitted Scarf

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Here is a simple example of how one dress can have more than one look. Most garments have more than one way they can be worn. This dress is very versatile. I can wear it as a dress for work or an outing.

A summer dress

I can wear it as a dress for church, with leggings.

Dress, more conservative

I can wear it as a skirt with a tank on a hot summer day.

Dress as a skirt

I can wear a sweater over it for work or church, to be more conservative. The sleeves become “hand pockets.” But you wouldn’t be able to put anything in them unless you sewed up the ends of the sleeves.

This effect comes from either climbing into the dress and tucking the neckline under the waistline, or putting on the dress and then taking out your arms and letting the top of the dress hang over your waist with the neckline tucked under.

Dress as a skirt

That’s four looks from one dress! Have fun with your wardrobe.

Here’s the dress I’ve been procrastinating putting on snaps for more than a month! It’s comfortable, but it wrinkles easily. I love it though, and it’s motivating me to want to sew more.

My first ready-to-wear dress!

Top of the dress

I’m so happy it doesn’t look like an arts and crafts project. What do you think? All advice and comments are welcome.

Here’s a simple way to change the look of a sweater: turn it upside down. If you’ve ever put on your coat upside down when you were four years old, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Take a long sweater, turn it around and put it on upside down. This will give the sweater a cropped look.

Sweater worn long

Sweater worn cropped - upside down

The bottom hem should be around your neck and shoulders and the tag should be on your lower back. It gives the sweater a different collar. I’m sure it won’t work with all sweaters, but it will with sweaters made like the one in the photos.

Feel free to share your fashion tips. Thanks for visiting Riquee.com.

This is Martina. I saw Martina downtown on the Yale campus, near Bulldog Burrito, and I had to stop and ask her if I could take her picture. I think she’s beautiful and bright. It takes lots of confidence and self-esteem to be as original as Martina. I love her style!

Martina is bright and beautiful!

This is a case of when different is actually cute. I don’t know if everyone could pull off this look, but Martina pulls it off with ease. She also didn’t mind me taking a picture of her for the Web site; she agreed immediately. I think she’s a cool young lady!

Although some people seem to believe that there are no fashion rules, there are. One of my main rules is in regards to white shoes and boots: No one who’s not a baby learning to walk, a bride on her big day or a nurse should be wearing white shoes.

I don’t care how nice they may be or what brand they are. The first scuff kills them. There’s no need for white shoes, with the exception of running shoes/sneakers, to be worn in every day life. Do I need to apologize to Gucci for saying these look like gauze?!

What do you think? Do you wear white shoes? Why or why not? When do you think it’s OK?

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Please visit my blog, “The Blog, by Riquee,” and see my latest work in progress.

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During my quest for finding reasonably priced, well-made shoes, I suddenly remembered a Web site I found years ago: YOOX.com. Anyone who likes quality merchandise for reasonable prices would love the variety YOOX.com offers.

There are more than 3000 designers featured on the site. Here are some examples of some of the shoes I like:

I’m excited that I’ve rediscovered YOOX.com. It will probably be my main source for shoes.

What are your favorite places to buy shoes?

I bought a pair of Madden Girl shoes. After promising myself I would never buy another pair of Madden shoes, after a wooden wedge heel cracked on a pair of Madden sandals I had. But I had to buy them. It was an emergency.

I needed gray shoes for the next day. Marshall’s seemed to have all the shoes in their so-called “shoe shop” priced too high. I bought these Madden Girl shoes for $19.99, and I guess I got what I paid for.

Notice the thread busting out of the inside of the shoe!

I don’t believe the commercials where they’re saying the buyer bought too many and they ended up getting some of the surplus – not all of the time. I think that most of the merchandise is irregular, and many times, it says it on the tags, or you can see the irregularities. Lately, I’ve even seen clothing with holes and rips in them at Marshall’s and T.J. Maxx. I’m done with them both.

Look at these shoes!

Look at how the spray paint is rubbing off!

They’re a facade:

Check out how uneven the sole lines are!

So, I tried DSW. I figured I would pay a little more and get decent shoes. I guess not. They definitely have brands I would wear and pay for, but I got beat for these shoes by Audrey Brooke. I don’t even know who that is, but I needed black leather shoes on a budget. They’re relatively comfortable and were on sale. Look at this shoe:

Not bad? Don't think too fast!

They were actually supposed to be in the $100 range. I got them for 60 percent off and paid $41.00 and change. I wore them one day and this is what happened to the front:

The sole is beginning to come apart after a few wears!

The front was starting to do that after the first day. Now the rest of the sole is coming off!

The sole is peeling on the sides.

Even the Charles David shoes I love were irregular; I got them at Marshall’s. You can see the glue along the front of the shoe. I like them so much, but they’re irregular. I’ve been a fan of Charles David for a long time, although this the first pair I’ve purchased. It won’t be the last, but it will be the last irregular Charles David shoe I buy.

Charles David shoes from Marshall's - notice the glue around the front edge.

A lot of the companies are paying less for the materials and the workers, and some are trying to charge as if they’re producing decent-quality goods. The Audrey Brooke shoe has such a nice leather upper, but the bottom is trash. I called DSW and they said I could return them. We’ll see.

Audrey Brooke shoe

I guess I’m going to have to do a little research and pay more for my shoes. There are still companies who pay people fair wages and use high-quality materials to make well-constructed shoes and boots, and I will find them. I will find bargains though! I will definitely find bargains, and I will share them with you when I find them.

Where do you shop for shoes? What are your favorite brands? Share your shoe nightmares or success stories. Check out some of the shoes in my Amazon store!

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First of all, I have been sewing a little, hemming pants here and there, but I haven’t been working on my own garments. I haven’t been sewing for many reasons:

1. My sewing room is a mess; it’s turned into a dressing room/closet for me.
2. I need fabric. I need lots of fabric.
3. I need a dress form, but that’s coming soon, although I’m not going to wait for one to sew.
4. I work full-time.

I took before and after pictures to show why I couldn’t sew in this room.

Here’s an “after” pic. The room also poses as a guest room, so I use the bed as a makeshift layout area.

It’s embarrassing, but i hope it will inspire me to get organized and start sewing consistently. Here are the before pics. Brace yourself, and don’t think less of me.

Here is part one of the after pics. I still need to get organization for my fabric and a new ironing board, a dress form, and a sewing table – and get that bed out of there!

There will be updates at least weekly.

If you have any affordable organizational suggestions for my fabric, or anything else, feel free to share. Thank you for visiting the Web site!

Riquee