Casablanca: 75th anniversary and timeless fashion inspiration

Today, the three-quarter century anniversary of the film Casablanca is a cinematic celebration around the world, commemorating its world premiere that took place back in November 26, 1942. Becoming one of the most beloved Hollywood classics, this romantic melodrama has transcended generations with its incredible settings, complex characters and fascinating storyline. Personally, this film ranks in my all-time top 5 favorites in no other than place number one.

Casablanca wasn't actually released until January 23rd of the following year. The film was nominated for eight awards at the 1943 Academy Awards, out of which it won three: "Best picture", "Best director" (Michael Curtiz), and "Best adapted screenplay" (Howard Koch & the Epstein brothers). Moreover, in 1998 the American Film Institute selected Casablanca as one of the movies in their "100 years, 100 films" list, featuring 100 of the greatest films of all time, and setting Casablanca in the second spot.

This film's plot perfectly combines action, drama, history and romance, taking us on an exotic voyage to the bewildering city of Casablanca. The characters have amazing personalities that entwine throughout the story, and you have pretty much everything you could expect from a movie: Beautiful scenery and costume design, good guys and bad guys, thrills and excitement, love scenes, scapegoats, a great soundtrack... You name it! The melody of "As time goes by" has been playing in my head all month long just thinking about those 75 years of the world being blessed with this movie.

While Rick Blaine is mysterious and captivating, it's easy to develop a love-hate relationship with his counterpart Ilsa Lund, essentially because of a frustrating feeling for what she did to Rick, and for how she approaches him throughout the film. However, she's still quite a charming woman, with an impeccable taste for fashion. Ingrid Bergman, the Swedish actress who portrays this character, did a wonderful job bringing Ilsa to life, but she was also able to deliver her a sense of elegance and poise. Not only are her outfits delicately chosen; (I'm surprised the film wasn't nominated for "Best costume design"); they are exquisitely flaunted by Bergman's enchanting figure. Below you can find a selection of Ilsa's beautiful wardrobe from several scenes pictured in Casablanca.

Taking her outfits as inspiration, and honoring one of my all-time favorite films, I put together a couple of ensembles to recreate Ilsa's divine and adorable looks. I am wearing a vintage white button-up blouse paired with a dark gray skirt and a black belt. I also added a head scarf, a gray-ish hat and a black trench coat (by Exotik) to complete the look and encompass a broader glance at her style. Also, following the black and white pure aesthetic of Casablanca, the photos were taken with B&W selective color. I've wanted to do a Casablanca homage since a long time ago, so what better moment to do it than today?

If you want to join the celebration of Casablanca's 75th anniversary, remember to tune TCM during November for TV screenings of this timeless film. If you haven't watched Casablanca yet, today's the day! I promise you won't regret it.

Come back later for more posts about fashion, crafts, and other curiosities! 

Mer-made with love

There's something bedazzling about magical creatures that makes them the objects of our desire. Perhaps it's precisely due to the mystery behind their stories and whereabouts, or because of the legendary background and symbolisms that they carry, that dragons, unicorns, mermaids, monsters and other mythical beings are able to captivate us in such a romantic way. I think the fact that we're not able to see or interact with them is why we try to recreate these enchanted beasts through art, literature, music and even fashion.

In my case, I've always felt specially attracted to dragons and mermaids. Their mystique, beauty and delicacy blend almost perfectly with a strong presence, spirit of adventure and daring attitude. Particularly during these past years the "mermaid trend" has become evident in fashion through several different elements: pastel color combinations, the inclusion of seashells, corals and pearls in accessories and clothing, colorfully dyed hair, mixing and layering different shades of green and blue,  and the so-called mermaid-inspired makeup. We can also experience the love for mermaid styles of thousands of Instagram users through the popular hashtag #MermaidMonday.

And what better way to incarnate a walking-on-land-mermaid than wearing a mermaid-inspired dress? In these pictures I'm wearing a "Molly Mermaid Swing Dress" purchased from the fabulous online novelty clothing store The Oblong Box Shop. I was lucky enough to score this beauty before it vanished from their stock, even though I had to settle for a size M because they had run out of S. It was a tricky fix, so I ended up sharply taking it in on the sides. Still, just like a singing mermaid, the dress captivated my attention entirely and set me in a trance, magically ending up pressing the "buy" button.

This dress is made by Retrolicious, featuring a pleated halter top and a long circle skirt. The hem of the skirt hits quite modestly under the knees (frankly a little longer than I had expected), and the best part is that it has side pockets! The bodice is lined and has a circular neckline that holds it upright both in the back and front, without showing cleavage on the back despite the halter look. It has a long back zipper closure, allowing an easier fit. The garment doesn't have much stretch since it's made of 100% lightweight cotton, printed with the most fabulous mermaid-inspired pattern. This beautiful fabric is the main course of the dress itself. Designed to look like hundreds of small fish scales in about 10 different shades of blue and green, it becomes a perfect sea-worthy statement piece. Also, the alignment and combination of these scales create the effect of movement (especially on the skirt), resembling the waves of the ocean rippling above a playful mermaid's tail.

Needless to say, the dress fits nicely and gives you a pretty silhouette, while staying comfortable and fresh. It's also a perfect match for you if you love to go dancing, after all, it is a swing dress and it comes out magnificently as such. It would only be fair to show the dress' splendor by wearing it without accessorizing too much. That is why I only paired it with simple white peep-toe heels (by Qupid), six color-matching Chinese bead bracelets (which I was super joyful to find out that matched the shades perfectly), and small starfish-like silver earrings. I don't think a necklace is in order because of the delicate pleating on the top. It seems unnecessary to interrupt such a fine and symmetrical design just for the sake of including jewelry on the outfit.

I can't imagine not having this dress in my closet after wearing it and falling in love with it, in addition to getting lots of amazing compliments on it. I confess I'm completely entranced by the fabric, and feel very fortunate to have purchased this garment before it was discontinued by Retrolicious. If you like it, you might be able to find it at Amazon and Ebay from resellers.

It would be fairly interesting to see a similar dress with a dragon scales pattern, printed in a blend of fiery red, orange, yellow and gold shades.

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more posts! 

Tropical Hawai'ian sarong dress: A sewing challenge made from scratch

It's been several years since I've become a super Hawai'ian addict. I'm not certain about where my deep love for Hawai'i and everything related to it comes from, but it has shaped my taste and driven an important part of my style toward tropical themes. I even decorated my room, celebrated my last birthday, themed our wedding and planned on setting part of our new home with a Hawai'ian design.

Following this trend, it's natural that I feel quite attracted to tropical patterns (especially on fabrics because of my seamstress instincts). That is why as soon as I spotted this light blue and pink hibiscus fabric, I knew it would be perfect for a new sewing project. It wasn't that hard to imagine what kind of garment could work nicely with it: I pictured a classical sarong dress almost immediately.

Since I didn't own a sarong dress it would be a great addition to my closet. The problem was that I couldn't find any sarongs or similar dresses among my pattern stash. After taking an online tour through some of my favorite but few shops that sell sarong dresses, I realized that most frocks featured faux wrap-around skirts. I really wanted a real wrap-around model, so I finally decided to take a leap of faith and create my very own pattern from scratch.

Drafting a pattern off the top of one's head is quite a challenging task, especially if you have no guidelines to help you do it. With a little imagination, calculating, a somewhat bold combination of two different bodice patterns, and a blend of hope and luck, I traced out a complete sarong dress pattern tailored to my measurements. After analyzing it for a while checking for imperfections, I crossed myself, began cutting out the pieces from the fabric and hoped for the best. There could be no room for big mistakes, since I always tend to buy only the necessary amount of fabric in order to reduce costs.

When all the pieces were cut, I proceeded to do everything the way most of us sew our garments. First I matched the edges and pinned them down, and then I basted everything in place. This was a specially tense moment because it became the first time I tried on the dress. To my very good luck I only had to perform some alterations to size it down and make it fit more snug. Then I sewed all the way until the dress was finished.

In the pictures you can see me wearing the completed dress, paired with a pink flower hair comb,  a white puka shell necklace, a pink Chinese parasol (which I got from the China pavilion at Epcot), and black sandal wedges (I forgot to pack more theme-appropriate shoes). The dress is made from lightweight printed cotton, with a light blue background covered in pale pink hibiscus and palm leaves. As I mentioned before, the garment is fully wrap-around, featuring a small side buttonhole that allows the inner belt to tighten the fit, wrap the open dress, and come forward to make a nice frontal bow with the other end of the belt. The bodice is made with two overlapping panels connected by a halter strap, also forming a sweetheart neckline. You can appreciate some subtle pleats in top half of the skirt, neatly draped forming a curve over the other half.

I have to say that the most challenging part was creating the pleats of the skirt without making it look bulky, as well as making sure that the wrap-belt was tight and strong enough to hold the whole dress in place. It is definitely one of the most daring sewing projects I've ever pursued, but after taking the risks I was extremely happy with the final results. I think I'll be making a couple other sarong dresses when I find the right tropical fabrics, which of course I shall be sharing in a future blog post.

Thank you for reading and keep a look out for more articles in the near future! 

Bold colors and polka dots (or how Minnie Mouse would thrive with Ixia dresses)

Polka dots seem to be a timeless pattern for different kinds of garments; from casual frocks to formal attire. When paired with dark colors, polka dots look quite elegant and refined, especially when the dots are smaller in size and cover the piece like freckles. Just imagine a lady in a long navy wrap-up dress with white polka dots, wearing dark sunglasses and a straw sun hat with a matching navy scarf tied around it, sporting a big white handbag and peep toe heels of the same color... You just got yourself a true chic ensemble!

But today I want to focus on the other side of polka dots. The "fun side" of polka dots. Like when you see any kind of red clothing bathed in white polka dots and you immediately think about Minnie Mouse. In fact, Minnie's signature red polka dot dress could, in fact, be one of the most iconic polka dot gowns in history. We've seen her wear the same dress in pink less often, and more recently in blue during this year's "Minnie Rocks the Dots" event. Just in case you missed the cue, Uniqlo and Minnie have teamed up to launch a new clothing collection this year named "Minnie Mouse Loves Dots"; and guess which pattern will become the new trend? You got it!

Definitely Minnie's signature red polka dot dress cannot be overrun by any other gown, but one of my personal favorite brands might just be the thing you're looking for if you want to look as chic as Minnie Mouse. These yellow and pink polka dot dresses that I'm wearing in the pictures above and below are manufactured by the incredible clothing brand Ixia. They are comfortable, well made, light but sturdy, and they fit like a glove. Both models are swing dresses, with very nice movement in the skirt when you, well, swing and dance. Each one features a different bodice: the pink one has a simple fold over top, with straight shoulder straps and a built-in belt attached at the waistband for you to tie it back in a pretty bow. The yellow one came with an adjustable and removable halter strap and a pleated top. Nevertheless, both follow the same sizing chart.

The dresses are somewhat stretchy, since they are made with 97% cotton and 5% spandex, and they also have an elastic backing to help accommodate a perfect fit. You can wear them with or without a bra since the bodice is padded. Both the pink and the yellow models feature a zipper on the back and a circle skirt, though the description might deceive you because they usually tag them as A-line dresses. Dare to wear the dress with a petticoat and you'll get yourself a very nice volume in the skirt. Don't worry, if you don't exactly dream about full dresses, you can simply sport them as they are. But coming back to the main idea behind them, these bold colors turn polka dots into a really fun and fresh way to wear them. The combination is perfect for young and young-at-heart ladies who are into the 50s era fashion with a modern twist. You can find these dresses and other models in a wide array of colors, including jade, black, lavender, white, coral, fuchsia, navy... and red too! I'm sure Minnie Mouse would approve these dress collections, and perhaps even get a few for herself.

It's not very common to know Ixia unless you've casually stumbled upon it. The reason behind it is that Ixia has neither a physical store nor an online shop, webpage, or social media channels. However, you can find Ixia dresses at Amazon or Ebay, or even through retailers like Modcloth, LA Showroom, RetroGlam and others. I was lucky enough to come across this exquisite clothing brand while rummaging through a random clothing store in my neighborhood, which sells garments from random wholesalers. The first dress I spotted was the pink one, and I just had to have it. It was like love at first sight. The store only had medium and large, but I couldn't care less and decided to purchase it anyway. The next time I went by the store the yellow one caught my attention through the window.

I love these Ixia dresses and am proud to have them as part of my wardrobe. Every time I wear them I feel like channeling Minnie Mouse and I pair them with classic heels, just like Minnie! So if you feel like these are the right choice for you, go ahead and get a couple of them. I currently own four Ixias and I'm planning to get my hand on a few more. *evil laughter*

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PS: Please note that both garments are "dry clean only", but soon I'll be uploading a tutorial on how I take good care of them at home. 

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.

Thanks for reading! Follow me at @edu_and_joy on Instagram and Joy Casas on YouTube for more updates and posts about fashion. 

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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Easter is the season of pastels

Every time that Easter comes near, it seems as every store fills its shelves and shopfront with colorful pastel tones. Chocolates and candies, balloons, flowers, Easter egg baskets and candles are only some of the products offered in these hues. However, we can also easily find season-appropriate kinds of clothes, shoes and accessories tinted in powder blue, baby pink, light yellow, aqua, lavender, lilac, pale orange, mint, or other pastel colors.

For example, I recently came across these beautiful wedges at Payless Shoe Source, especially designed for this brand by Christian Siriano. They are everything you could wish for when searching for an ideal Easter outfit: the braided wicker platforms that remind you of woven baskets, the exquisite floral pattern reminiscent of Spring, the use of pastel tones like cream, lavender, light blue and lilac, and lastly the evidently fresh and delicate strap design, again resembling a slight weave.

I chose these shoes as the base for my Easter ensemble. The next item I selected was my "A hint of Spring" skirt, which I confectioned out of an old fabric rectangle that my aunt gave to me. Naturally I chose the skirt because of its nice volume, colors and flower pattern. The difference between this skirt and the other gathered skirts I've sewn is that this one has no zipper. Instead, it has a completely elastic waistband which provides it with a better fit and comfort (plus, it can size up or down on its own).

To complete the look I went with a 3/4 length sleeve unicolor shirt made of lavender tinted cotton. The piece has a small pocket on the left, and decorative button straps on the edge of each sleeve. This shirt is perfect to balance out the floral patterns and match one of the most prominent colors of the wedges.

I also accessorized the outfit with a heart-and-pompom pendant hanging from a golden chain, a floral-printed ball bracelet in pastel hues, and a second bracelet with real tiny flowers covered in resin (a perfect finishing touch for Spring!). Finally, I used some cool pastel-colored hair twists (by Avon) to weave my wavy hair into a fun and easy hairdo.

Spring has always been one of my favorite seasons because it's the time when flowers bloom with beautiful colors and textures. For some reason I feel a deep admiration for flowers and can't hold myself from contemplating these beautiful beings. So, seeing as it's a perfect occasion, I want to wish you all a happy Earth Day!

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