15 years in my closet: Agatha Ruiz de la Prada

When it comes to choosing at-home clothing, I always go for a t-shirt and a pair of leggings or lycra pants. These provide me with maximum comfort, freshness and freedom of movement to go around completing chores. However, as a lady who cannot skip any occasion to wear a dress, I've found that there are certain type of dresses that suit this need, such as beach dresses and t-shirt-like dresses. These garments keep you freshly covered up while allowing you to move around without feeling too overdressed.

Being able to go up and downstairs, kneel down, bend forward, reach out and perform any other task at home is priceless, especially when you can do so as comfortably and fashionably wearing a dress like this one. Believe it or not, my parents got it for me at El Corte Inglés in Spain... fifteen years ago. In that time, designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada was a full hit in Europe, even having her own spotlight with custom products at shops like El Corte Inglés. You could pretty much find anything designed by her: clothing, stationery, stickers, books, dolls, bedsheets; you name it. I adore her style, and that's exactly where I got my dress from.

This is a lightweight dress made of soft cotton jersey, printed with a grasslike pattern and featuring a sewn-on pink flower, one of the main icons repeatedly used by the fashion designer. The dress also has four functional yellow buttons on the back. One of the things I like the most about it is its composition, which makes you feel like you're wearing a long t-shirt. This comfort is achievable thanks to its loose high waist, its short sleeves and the t-shirt like fabric it's made of. Though the piece is a kids' size, I normally tend to buy clothing from the children's section at different stores because they fit me well enough. This explains that I can still get away with wearing this dress after fifteen years of closet existence. 

By the way, since the dress follows a clear inspiration from nature, I paired it with a green headband and a "Best friends" frog necklace from Claire's. The fact that I've been able to wear this piece for such a long time and keep it in an excellent shape makes it a big treasure in my closet. That is why one of my most recent goals is to switch more of my old t-shirts for dresses like this one, so I might be tracing some new patterns to get me going in this new project. I've also decided that when I have a daughter I'll follow Agatha's inspiration and design a whole rack of similar dresses just for her, hoping that she'll also love them as much as I do.

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Hogwarts houses twin skirts

The first time my mom took me in a serious visit to our go-to fabric store, my target was finding one or two fabrics to rehearse my sewing skills. Back then I had started sewing using old pieces of fabric stashed in my mother's trunk, essentially making gathered skirts with a simple elastic waistband... probably one of the easiest clothing pieces to create. However, I was feeling like it was time to try out something more challenging.

Once in the store, we walked through every isle on each floor: on one hand she told me about different fabric names and uses, and on the other I inspected their colors, patterns and overall feel. Deep inside the third floor I spotted three colorful striped fabrics; a green/white, a burgundy/gold and a teal/gold. If you've been reading this blog lately, you probably already know that I am crazy about stripes. Many things went through my head in that moment. My first reaction was feeling the urge to purchase some of these fabrics and use them in my next project. Being a Potterhead, I also thought about the great resemblance between the first two with the house colors of Slytherin and Griffindor. Lastly, I imagined gathered skirts confectioned with these fabrics. 

Of course, I bought a meter and a half of the burgundy/gold and green/white and proudly took them home as my first two self-chosen and self-bought project fabrics. I opted out of getting some of the teal/gold because the color combination wasn't too convincing. In fact, on my next visit to the store the first two fabrics were completely gone, but there was plenty left of the teal/gold... even for the next two or three visits. I guess it wasn't so popular.

These two fit perfectly with my idea of trying out a different sewing method for gathered skirts, so I made a pattern to make two identical skirts with a wide waistband and a side opening. Both were made cutting the fabric length-wise, not from selvage to selvage. This guaranteed that the stripes were positioned vertically. I had zero experience sewing zippers into garments, so my method of choice to open and close the the skirt was a combination of three pairs of velcro pieces sewn along the left side and two pairs of hooks and eyes on the waistband to secure the fit. The waistband has a wide elastic underneath used as a base.

These twin skirts are super comfortable and have a lot of movement, and they're also wide enough to accommodate a petticoat underneath. The fabrics are glossy, a little stretchy and have quite a silky feel. Being shiny and smooth transforms them into garments that can be used formally combined with a nice top, or more casually with a fitted tee. In these pictures I paired them up with a black bowtie blouse (by Xiomi), a black cardigan (by Doll Me Up) and black lace wedges (by American Eagle) and a pair of small golden earrings. You might also notice my nails are painted to match the Slytherin skirt.

I originally named them "Slytherin Sweetheart Skirt" and "Griffindor Girly Skirt" respectively, but as a proud Slytherin myself, I have a slight weakness for the green/white. So all that is left is to wish one day I find similar fabric in blue/silver and yellow/black to complete my Hogwarts houses skirt collection.

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My lovely seamstress-inspired dress

Calling myself a professional seamstress is too much for me, but I do consider the experience I've harvested through these last years has developed my sewing skills, being able to handle more defying projects every day as a self-taught seamstress. I really can't put into words the way I feel when I walk into a fabric store and face shelf upon shelf stacked up with endless fabrics. The colors, the textures, the smells, the prints... everything revolves around me awaking my senses. Every visit to a fabric store is a unique experience for me.

There was one particular visit that made me thrive in enthusiasm. It happened about a year or so ago. I was rummaging through the cotton fabrics (as usual) and came across a new row of printed textiles. While idly choosing a couple of potential candidates, my jaw dropped as soon as I spotted it: a black fabric printed with colorful sewing-related items and words. It was inevitable, and I immediately fell in love with it. Naturally, I had to have it, especially because as soon as I saw it I visualized the garment that would come out of it.

The dress you see in these pictures was the fabulous outcome of that meant-to-be encounter. It has simple construction, featuring a bodice with a semi-gathered skirt attached just below the waist. The top is criss-crossed by four thin straps that form a double "X" on the back, adding in a nice detail. The black background of the cotton fabric makes a great contrast with each of the items presented: colorful thread spools and buttons, seam rippers, needles, pin holders, thimbles, scissors, measuring tapes, and four basic words for a seamstress: Sew, Baste, Stitch and Hem. You can also spot a pink stitched heart that conveniently reads "Love to sew".

The dress is very light, unrestrained and extremely comfortable, perfectly made to walk around in it. In fact, I took it for a stroll at Islands of Adventure and even got nice compliments from a super sweet clerk in one of Toon Lagoon's shops, who told me she came from a family of seamstresses and hat makers. By the way, did you know that the art of making hats is called "millinery"? In the photos I paired up the dress with my beloved black cardigan by Doll Me Up, and my new pair of uber comfortable gray and aqua slip-ons by Champion (from Payless Shoes Source). I also combined it with a pair of neon yellow D Heart heels.

It seems that every time I confect a new garment it becomes one of my favorites... But this dress really is one of my favorites, especially because it is directly related to my love for sewing.

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Happy Cinco de Mayo!

"We always need an excuse to celebrate" was the motto of an old video series that I began producing some years ago. Though I eventually dropped the episodes because of time issues, I still believe this phrase is valid... And today is Cinco de Mayo! This holiday commemorates the Battle of Puebla, where the Mexican army achieved an important victory over the French forces, who attempted to colonize Mexico through an invasion in the name of Napoleon III.

Cinco de Mayo should not be mistaken for the Independence of Mexico. The latter is celebrated every 16th of September in commemoration of the "Cry of Dolores", the first military movement that would gave way to the independence of Mexico. Some people also confuse Cinco de Mayo with the Day of the Dead, which takes place on November 2 as a religious festivity to remember and pray for those who have departed.

Every year, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in Puebla with military parades. In fact, it is a federal holiday and it's not commemorated in every part of Mexico. People around the world have popularized the festivity because it is seen as a celebration of Mexican cultural heritage and traditions. That is why some people choose to drink beer or tequila, eat Mexican food, listen to rancheras and corridos, and decorate with Mexican ornaments during this holiday.

Did you know tacos aren't exactly traditional Mexican food? Well, at least not the kind of tacos you can find at fast food restaurants like Taco Bell. The real Mexican taco is made with a soft corn tortilla, and it doesn't have cheese (it sounds like a blasphemy, doesn't it?). The main ingredient in a taco is meat, usually mixed with ingredients like onions and cilantro. Below you can appreciate a small gallery of one of my favorite dishes ever (tostadas!), which happens to be a typical Mexican platter. By the way, I recently had a discussion about this being fast food or not. What do you guys think?

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