Classy Kentucky Derby dress, hat, and party ideas

5.02.2014

Classy Kentucky Derby dress, hat, and party ideas

The 140th Kentucky Derby is this weekend!
Now, it's a little strange that I'm mentioning this, because... I know very little about the Kentucky Derby and it's not something I've ever paid much attention to, but my office Fun Committee does an annual derby party complete with hat contest, fried chicken, mint juleps, and betting on the horses in the race (to benefit the local animal shelter).

I know so little about horses, or gambling, or Kentucky... but I do know how to get into a theme! I'm definitely excited for warmer weather and outdoor parties and chances to wear dresses, so you betcha I did my research this week and have been planning my ensemble (as you may have seen via Instagram last night).

I wasn't sure what color scheme to go with before I started researching. I thought maybe just red/white/blue? But turns out there is an official clothing brand of the Derby, Vineyard Vines, and their 2014 collection is all pink, navy, and white. Super preppy, playful, bright. I've done lots of red/white/blue holidays before, so this is something new! And hey, any holiday with pink in the official colors is fine by me!

Kentucky Derby dresses and hats

When I started my Pinterest research (the Fun Committee also sent out some suggestions for preppy wear), I saw lots and lots of BIG hats, little dresses, pastels, and heels. As you can probably imagine, these look very different on different people. Apparently the hats get pretty crazy at the Derby, and some people come with what look like pinata horse heads on their heads?? and the like... and some ladies look a little more Barbie and a little less classy American South. (The Kentucky Derby Museum has a nice piece about history of fashion at the Derby, here.)

I dug around, though, and found that you don't have to dress totally crazy to be on-theme. In fact, I'll probably pull out an old fave dress (I've made SO many preppy-colored dresses, lots of navy and pastels, that there are lots of options but it's hard to choose one for work. And one that will go with the big pink hat I borrowed from my mom's costume collection.). (I thought about dresses I have that would fit the mold, like this navy/white stripe dress (worn here) or my versatile white pique and eyelet dress (worn here), or my pale blue lace dress, or... hard to decide!)

In addition to the cheery, preppy dress, I'll need the following:

Kentucky Derby outfit essentials:

• Big hat or fascinator 
• Clutch 
• Pearls or beads
• Stripes or florals

Here are some lovely examples!

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Kentucky Derby drinks and party decor

Of course there are tons of party themes around the Derby, and some perfect food and drink. So, if you're looking to take on a party project this weekend, here are some ideas!!

I know the classic Kentucky Derby drink is a mint julep, but I'm not much of a drinker so I love the sound of this watermelon mint lemonade recipe, all from fresh ingredients.

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Hostess with the Mostest has a ton of Kentucky Derby party ideas and free printables for several themes - here.

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I even found some great DIY accessory ideas!

This DIY tissue paper fascinator is a great idea for a costume! Or, how about stripes + hat all in one? You could DIY this stripey bow hat with some very careful painting and a big ribbon.

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I totally would have made that fascinator had I had more time. I did this research at the 11th hour before the big party at work today!

Stay in touch on Instagram and Twitter - I hope to post updates!

Have you ever done anything special for the Kentucky Derby??

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How to Wear DIY: The gold flapper-inspired dress and the greatest photo booth!

3.14.2014

How to Wear DIY: The gold flapper-inspired dress and the greatest photo booth!

It was soooo fun making a 20's-inspired party dress for my company winter party last weekend. You may have been following along, I've mentioned it several times but now the party has finally happened!

I shared some glam decor and dress inspirations for a fancy 1920's/Great Gatbsy-themed party back in January; then the snow delayed us and the party was postponed (so I was able to procrastinate). Then I shared my modern, costume version of a flapper/20's party dress, and I dressed it up with accessories and more over the weekend!

We had a great photo booth setup at the party (yours truly was on the photo subcommitee of the winter party committee, thankyouverymuch ;) ), and we got some great shots there! (You may have seen my test shot on Instagram!)

Here we are in the "booth"! (I got husband's tux at the Mr. Formal Clearance Center in inner SE Portland, for a serious steal. They have a huge selection of nice quality formalwear rentals for sale, so perfect for this event!)

With our Probibition-era seriousness faces on...

And a little silly.

We had some great props! Oh, and it was SO cool how almost everyone, almost all of the 180 guests, got totally into the theme and dressed up.


I was so glad I had my self-made dress and cobbled-together accessories! Piled on the (real and fake) pearls, and borrowed long gloves and a vintage 50's fur from my mom's costume collection. Unfortunately didn't get a chance to take any pictures at the event other than the photo booth ones, so here I am at midnight after a long, fun night of company party-ing!

That's a How to Wear DIY, for sure! So fun to have something I made myself!

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A 1920's, Great Gatsby-inspired modern party dress

3.04.2014

A 1920's, Great Gatsby-inspired modern party dress

I posted a while back about Great Gatsby party decor and dress inspiration for my company's winter party this year. All the shimmer, sparkle, rich dark colors, and art deco details are so fun to think about, when designing the dress I wanted to make for the event and when working on the committee to design table decor!

I never followed up with what I ended up making, but for good reason. The party was originally scheduled for February 8, which was the weekend of the crazy snow storm in Portland (right after we got back from our trip to Florida, and came home to 20 degrees, wind, and 6"+ of snow). The office was closed Friday and the party (Saturday) was canceled, which was good, because we were stuck in our house for 4 days.

So, the party was rescheduled, this time to March 8. That's this coming weekend. So, after procrastinating making the dress for more than a month... I finally made it this weekend!

Flapper/Great Gatsby-inspired modern party dress

So I was originally thinking about making an actually somewhat historic replica dress, although I can't do the beading or find similar fabric in my budget.

Part of the reason for my procrastination was that I really settled for this sequin-ey fabric at JoAnn (you may have seen on IG!)... it was not that impressive, and sold among the cheap costume stuff, but I liked the matte gold of the sequins and the pale, warm gold color. I thought about 5 or 6 different patterns, but none seemed right! I'm usually very good at picturing what patterns will look like in different fabrics, but with this one I was a little stumped. It's semi-sheer (I bought matching lining--#5 of my sewing resolutions this year!) and a little stiff, and I wasn't sure how well it would drape and how much would show through.

But I decided, after seeing some beautiful modern party dresses and bridal/evening dresses in the same color scheme, that I wanted to use this party as an occasion to dress up in something flattering and feminine, rather than to show off my historic clothing background (growing up around my mom's business) and be super historically accurate.

I wished I had super cool, beaded fabric to work with, or even glitter that looks like beads... wished I could find or afford some perfect sequin-ey, sparkly fabric to make something like one of these...

Sources: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

But, I couldn't. I sat with my cheap sequin-ey fabric and puzzled over the design of my party dress for a long while.

Real-life Gatsby parties!

But the snow storm gave me an extra month to think about it.

Over the course of the time I was procrastinating, I happened on and was inspired by these absolutely gorgeous contemporary images...

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Including these of my lovely friend Sam and her sister!

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And I thought, yes, I think I want something prettier. Something more my style, almost like something I would wear to any party. (Because how gorgeous are those Adrianna Papell beaded bridesmaid dresses?!?)

So I went back to the drawing board and finally made the plunge and cut something out this weekend.

DIY! Modified pattern, retro-inspired

I made over a pattern I've had for a long time, Simplicity 2584 (now out of print). I knew from experience that the slit in the front is too low-cut, so I used view D but without the slit, and without sleeves. I also wanted a more dramatic arm opening, so I cut away some of the width of the shoulders. It's almost a halter shape now!

This thing went together fast. Like, 3 hours on Sunday morning. I realized, as I sewed, even though I don't love the fabric and it feels kind of cheap and not as showy as I'd like, I'm not sure I could have found anything better in a store for a reasonable price, and it probably would have taken me at least 3 hours of driving and shopping--and would have been more frustrating. So, another DIY win!

I used a lining instead of neck and armhole facings, so I was able to create the casing with the two layers of fabric rather than by adding a separate piece (I assume that's what the pattern calls for--I don't know, I didn't read it). I do know that almost any dress that doesn't require zipper feels so fast compared to my usual.

You can see the inside, hot off the presses--you can even see the purple fabric pen if you look real close! (You don't have to. ;) )
(Oops, I didn't buy enough yardage of the lining! Shhh...)

I'm actually thinking about moving the elastic casing up an inch or two... it's lower than I was expecting and I'm not sure it's the most flattering. I added a belt of self-fabric (actually a couple inches of the selvage edge of each piece, since the sequins don’t reach all the way to the selvage so I had a little bit of unusable/unmatching fabric—it works great for a simple, short belt!).

Of course I'll be adding plenty of glam 20's-ey accessories (long pearls! headband! fur shrug! fake bob!) and that should add to the effect. It's going to be quite an event, really!, 200 people, historic ballroom, casino night fake gambling, speakeasy/Prohibition theme, Charleston lessons, photo booth, fancy food... party!!

Hoping to dress husband up in a black bowtie and something else vintage-ey. And still accumulating accessories for me. Anyone have any great 20's-themed party costume/accessory ideas?!

Update: Here it is in the full costume!

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Great Gatsby party dress inspiration

1.10.2014

Great Gatsby party dress inspiration

Ready to get inspired?! I have had so much fun drooling over these pictures, and I hope you can help me get creative!

For my office's annual winter party (held after Christmas), I'm on the party planning committee and this year we've settled on a Great Gatsby/1920's/speakeasy/gambling theme. Fun, right!? We're having the party at one of the historic ballrooms in The Tiffany Center, which was built in 1929 and is perfect for the theme and party.

While I have never read or seen The Great Gatsby, I know historic clothing (background from growing up with my mom's business) and I love party planning glamour! (I probably should see the movie. Oops.)

Luckily there are a TON of great resources out there for planning a Great Gatsby/20's/speakeasy themed party (I love this one with food and drink recipes from the book and some great fonts!). There have been some seeeeeeeriously gorgeous Art Deco, 1920's-ey, Great Gatsby-inspired weddings and wedding inspirations--here are 30!! Apparently the dresses in the movie are actually Prada and Brooks Brothers but from the screenshots I've seen, looks like they captured the era pretty well. So does this inspiration board.

Source: Delphine-Ephemera

But since I'm on the planning committee, I get to think about all these ideas and hopefully bring some good ones to the group! Here are some of our inspirations for decor and graphics, and my dress dilemma... have fun and hope you can help!

INVITES/GRAPHICS

I had so much fun looking for invitation ideas, most of which were wedding invites/invitation suites, or just adorable art deco prints like these and these.

Source: 100LC

We ended up downloading some 20's fonts. and making a simple black and white postcard. We sent them out this week!

DECOR

Oh, decor. It's a beautiful ballroom and has a great entryway, but we want to create a theme/scene throughout. Luckily the caterer has a ton of perfect fancy finger foods that are very appropriate for the era. Which will go well with the fancy decor, if we can swing it! We're brainstorming on how to fill the big, beautiful ballroom with a tight budget and no confetti, glitter, or helium balloons allowed. We'd love to create height on the tables, with some centerpieces or something, and just set the scene with the decor we have some control over.

We obviously can't do this...

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Or this...

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Or this...

Source: Style Unveiled

Or this...

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But we will have white/black linens at the venue, and are bringing in black, white, and clear vases and candle holders. We (I) might get some gold sparkly fabric and make some table runners or squares or something, and we might spray paint some things gold (you know I love doing that). We ordered some costume jewelry pearl necklaces of different lengths, mostly long, and are thinking of draping those (and some ostrich feathers) on the tables for people to play around with and use as props for the photo booth, and dress up their costumes.

Any other easy table decor ideas?

DRESSES

Dresses, clothes... here's where I have the most control because I hope to make myself something inspired by the era! I love a reason to dress up, and it would be so cool if I could capture the look with something I made. Maybe I can even get my husband to shave one of those funny mustaches and slick his hair back. ;)

Pretty sure I need to make myself one capelets of these somehow... feathers, fur, beads...!

Daisy's early 20's robe de style dress (similar)...

Beads! Headbands! Bare arms and amazing bracelets!

Source: Warner Brothers

Unfortunately I'm not up for DIYing this much beading...

Source: Wedding Bells

Source: 100LC

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Or sequin-ing! Oh, if our bar would look this glamorous.. ;)

Source: SMP

But I do want to make myself something pretty! I can't decide between a short flapper dress (use a shift dress pattern?) or a longer robe de style--that might be easier, with a standard drop-waist pattern and a long skirt with flounces or made of ruffle fabric like my bachelorette party dress. My mom has reproduction and original 20's dress patterns, but I think I want to go with something that has a modern fit but just gets the vibe of the era. I have about a month! ;)

I obviously don't have too much time or money, so the perfect beading is probably out, but maybe there's some nice beaded trim and beaded fringe I could buy and add to a sparkly fabric? And the matching headband is a must!

Thoughts? Have you ever made anything like this?

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