Our Ann Demeulemeester epine leather thorn inspired hairband brought out for a spin! I love the way it looks and we’ve had compliments from store owners when we were out shopping that day.

These shoes were hidden too far back in the shoe closet for me to notice them, but I was suddenly reminded that I had them so I had to pull them out, perfect for the printed mesh socks that was all the rage when I visited Tokyo. Almost every single girl with open-toed sandals was spotted with fancy crew length socks as well.

This cape-like mini dress is ideal for our weather cause it’s light an airy. I love the way it swishes around when I turn.

New camera taken out, unfortunately, I didn’t charge the battery thinking that the battery life is that of a DSLR. It died on me before I could have any important pictures taken.

Black Outfit Breakdown:

• Mini dress: The Scarlet room
• Shoes: Sonia Rykiel for H&M
• Socks: Harajuku, Tokyo
• Rose thorn hairband: DIY (as shown here)
• Camera: Fujifilm X100

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This DIY is an user request, we thought we’d take up the challenge. It was a pain in the ass trying to source the proper leather in Singapore so we had to end up ordering online. I’m pretty sure our readers overseas have better leather sources than us.

You will need:

• Leather: preferably lambskin or kid leather cause it’s softer. You really need the malleability of the softer leathers in this DIY.
• Chalk: or something you can use to mark on the back of the leather.
• Scissors: something that you can use to cut leather properly.
• Black craft wire: which is used to finish off the edges of the bracelet and hold the leather together.
• Black jump rings: Also can be used to perform tasks as above.

Mark a length of “vine” on the leather. After trial and error, we found the ideal width to be about 0.3-0.4cm, the thicker the “vine” the more unrefined it looks. We had to end up trimming it down several times. If you can manage a longer length, you could make a necklace instead.

Start marking the thorns along the length of the vine. Again, we found the thorns to be more refined if it was thinner, the ones pictured were far too thick and close together to give an ideal look that is close to the Ann Demeulemeester ones.

Rinse, repeat. You will need 2 of these vines. Cut them out and prepare for the next step.

Use the black craft wire (or black jump rings) to attach the two vines together. Make sure that the “right” side are both facing out. Begin to twist them in opposite directions (one in clockwise and one in anti- clockwise) as you would with a rope braid.

You will end up with the leather pieces looking like this. Once you’ve reached the end, secure it with the craft wire as you would with the other end.

And there you have it!

We have also decided to take it a little further and did something a little more challenging because we are masochistic like that with the same method of wrapping and twisting.

If you would like to try this out, you will need extra materials like a thin metallic hairband and also a thinner and more malleable craft wire (possibly more leather as well). We’re so in love with ours we decided to wear it out the next day. Pictures of it coming up real soon!!

(All photos taken using my new Fujifilm X100)

Feel free to comment if you have any questions!

And as a last end note:

We would like to remind ALL readers that as much as we love bringing you DIY posts, it has been disturbing to see other people copying and pasting our DIY photos on their own blog with full instructions and everything. We know you’ve enjoyed the post and would like to feature it on your blog as well but we would appreciate if you just used the first photo and then post a link to us. We do know that there are some who have linked to us but with all the photos and instructions on your own blog, there really is no sense in clicking on the link to us anymore if you think about it. Thank you for reading and we hope that with the decrease in this matter, we would be spurred to make more DIY posts.

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Guess we haven’t been very productive, I remembered how some people told us they enjoyed reading it. Sorry. (._.)

This time we have a simple DIY to do, it’s a collar with chains that acts as a necklace. I honestly don’t know what else to call it but I guess you get the drift.

We’ve got the collared choker thingama from Miu Miu a few seasons back and that proved to be quite a hit and I guess giving our own twist on this thing might make it a little more interesting to wear.

For this we would need several items:

• Old shirt (or a new one which doesn’t fit your boyfriend’s ugly shirt. We used a cheap shirt we got from Primark London.)
• Chains
• Pliers
• Unpicker
• Needle and thread

First, use the unpicker to unpick the stitch line which holds the collar stand to the shirt.

Once it is completely detached, re-sew that line to keep the edges tucked in and neat.

Optional: Try it on your cat for size. but srsly no, or it will do this:

See what I mean?

We’ve attached the chains to a separate holder(?) instead of sewing it all directly onto the collar, it makes everything neater. You can make it as understated or as dramatic as you like. We’ve decided to go over the top and added waterfall chains to the collar.

Attach the other side and voila! your very own waterfall chain collar necklace.

It’s certain to jazz up your outfit. It’s something that can definitely be done over the weekend.

Also, let us know if you have any DIY requests! We’re always looking for DIY ideas.

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We know how expensive these harnesses are online and somehow we think that with a little thought and creativity, you can create a beautiful, one-of-a-kind harness for yourself.

Here are the materials you need:

• A variety of chains, length is dependent on the design you have in mind. We like to choose heavier chains cause they weigh down on your body instead of shifting around. We like to mix chains too.
• Craft Pliers
• Jumps rings
• Lobster claw clasp
• Mannequin or someone to do this on

First we make 2 loops of chain, one around the neck and one around the arm.

After that we join the two loops using 2 lengths of chains; one at the shoulder and one would be at the center of your collarbone.

Continue adding in lengths of chain in-between the first 2 length of chains that you have added. To ensure that they look nice, ensure that the spacing in between the chains are even.

Just keep adding~!!

Et Voila~! Make sure you’ve added an opening at the back of the neck with a jump ring and lobster claw clasp.

Here’s the final product! Hope you’ve enjoyed this DIY.

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As promised, I have returned with pictures of 2 of our favorite shops we stumbled upon the other day while shopping in Haji Lane.

To the untrained eye, Haji Lane is this nondescript little street hidden from the hustle and bustle of the city. However, it is filled with much hidden treasures and interesting finds. Do not expect clothes for pretty princesses, we’re talking about clothes akin to a cat’s love for rolling on the pavement and taking in all the grime of the world (yes, I do reference that to Dawn’s cat in case you’re wondering).

First up is Wonderwool~!! Who could resist such a cute name?

Wonderwool offers both new and pre-loved clothes and offers the option for you to bring your lightly worn or new pieces to the store to exchange for store credits. A perfect way to recycle clothes (while getting new ones!!) without actually spending money.

Wonderwool is littered with pictures that makes the shop look like it just rolled out of Tumblr. I love how these little framed goodies just sets the mood for a beautiful store.

There’s no lack of black outfits here either. I bagged myself the harness that Dawn bought in Hong Kong which she wore in this post. I saw it lying there, promptly grabbed it and declared it mine. It was a lucky find!

Wonderwool is located at:

16a Haji Lane
Singapore 189209

Next up we have Threadbare & Squirrel~!!

I was speaking to the salesperson working at Threadbare & Squirrel and found out that they’ve just opened 2 weeks ago.

Predictable as I am, some of your might already know that I am a huge fan of clothes that can be worn multiple ways ( I might have also mentioned this 536247 times). To my surprise, Threadbare & Squirrel actually carries pieces that does just that. If I may add, the prices are also pretty reasonable and much lesser than what I would usually pay for.

Threadbare & Squirrel is located at:

43 Haji Lane, 2nd storey
Singapore 189236

Once again, we would like to remind everyone that we’ve added a link to our Formspring on the right sidebar~! Do leave us a question or two.

Do you have other shops that you would like to recommend to us or have us feature? Do let us know~!

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We’ll teach you how to make your own Ann Demeulemeester zipper headdress, and an accurate one at that down to the number of zippers and darts because we are -that- anal.

This DIY is a little more high-level than the rest that we have done so please read through every single line of instructions carefullly. I’m also assuming that people who attempt this have a basic knowledge of sewing (ie sewing darts and bias tape).

You will need:

1. Pleather or leather if you can afford it (or have access to it) approx half a meter would be more than sufficient.
2. 7 Open-end zippers with metal teeth. (We counted 13 zipper straps on the Ann Dem one so you do the math)
3. Bias tape. (we used the polyester ones cos the satin ones wouldn’t be accurate)

We drafted a pattern piece like so. This is only half of the actual headband section which means the fabric needs to be cut on-fold. (Simply meaning you place that pattern piece on a folded piece of leather, the folded part to be along the “CF” line)

The darts are there to contour the headband so it sits nicely on the head instead of sticking out awkwardly. We counted 5 on the Ann Demeulemeester one, so 5 it shall be.

The side is well, the side. Take note of it though, I will be mentioning this part later so make sure you know what I’m talking about.

Transfer the pattern onto the fabric. ONCE AGAIN, make sure the pattern piece is traced over the fabric when it is on-fold. You’ll end up with a long piece of symmetrical fabric after it’s being cut. Remember, on-fold !!!! Also, you’ll need to trace two pieces of this pattern.

After the pattern has been traced, cut the fabric leaving a 1cm seam allowance for you to sew the 2 pieces of headband together.

With help of the markings that you have made on the fabric, sew the darts up.

Our pleather was slightly thick and we had to trim off the excess fabrics from the darts so that it won’t look wonky when 2 pieces of the headband piece are joined together.

Rinse and repeat for the other piece.

Now it’s time to stitch the 2 pieces together. Make sure the leather side is facing each other. Sew on the top and bottom of the headband leaving the “side” unsewn. This will ensure that the headband piece can be turned inside out to reveal the leather side.

When you have turned the headband inside out, you might find that it looks “bloated” and refuses to stay flat, it’s time to give a “top-stitch” to the edges. It simply means just running a stitch line along the top and bottom edge of the headband (approx 1-2mm from the edge).

Now we cut off the side of the zippers leaving only the teeth. We also need some allowance on the top and bottom of the zipper so you’ll need to yank off some zipper teeth with a pair of pliers. The length of the zipper is dependent on your head and also how you’d like the zippers to “fall” on your face and over your headband section. Remember you’ll need 13 of these cause Ann Dem says so.

We used a length of about 70cm of bias tape for each side of the headband.

Start sewing on the zippers on the bias tape (approx in the middle of the length of bias tape) I don’t think any neatness to the spacing of zippers should be involved. Just use your estimation and good judgement.

Wrap up the zipper ends with the bias tape so it looks nice and neat and then sew the zippers to the side of the headband piece.

And there we go~!!! The finished master piece~!! Hope you’ve enjoyed this DIY.

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Yes, they are all of the same pair of shoes. If you find yourself in possession of a pair of lucite heels (I won’t ask any questions nor judge), a simple DIY may just transform them from sleazy to stylish.

Above DIYs courtesy of (In)decorous Taste. That site is a goldmine of DIY ideas!

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Black Outfit Breakdown:

• Hairband: Forever21
• Jacket: Zara
• Dress: Mango
• Tights: Bugis Street
• Boots: Aldo

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It’s been long since we had a post on DIY Fashion. We apologise on that part, the past month has been pretty crazy with the holiday season and setting up resolutions and priorities as the year drew to an end. We have load of exciting things lined up for Monoxious this year. Do watch out for them.

Today we present something which we have been procrastinating for quite a while (which is not good since fashion waits for no one.) and raved about it back here. We finally got round to doing it after I managed to find some awesome trimmings which I though would be ideal for this little DIY project. We teach you how to make your own Elastic Harness which is inspired by Jean Pierre Braganza’s S/S 2009 (SO LAST YR OMG!!!!)

These are what you will need. We forced Dawn’s cat to be in this photo but umm… she doesn’t like being our model.

• Elastics (approx 5yards)
• Trimmings with hook and eye
• Pins
• Black thread
• Dress form (not pictured)
• Optional: Black Sock cat (for entertainment)

Start pinning your elastics to the dress form. There’s really no rules on how it should go on, we left the fastening in front so it’s easier to wear.

Just keep doing it until you’re satisfied or run out of elastics. Start marking them with white tailor chalk so you know which strap goes where. I find numbering them useful.

I marked the lines a little further as you can see as elastics are stretchable and you would want the harness to be slightly snug when wearing.

Sew all the straps together~!!!! It might be a bit of a trouble cause you might get confused so so many similar straps hanging around. Again, I numbered my pieces so I know which one goes where, but that’s the way I roll, you might find some other methods useful too.

And here’s the completed piece~!!!

We hope you’ve enjoyed this DIY Clothes tutorial and hopefully you find it useful~ We would love to see examples that you have made, just link back to this page on your blog when you are showcasing yours. Thank you~!!

Also, we welcome all comments, questions and suggestions for future DIYs. Please let us know what you would like to see.

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Mirror blazers from Anthony Vaccarello

Mirror boots and heels from Giuseppe Zanotti


Mirror wedges by Carin Wester

When I first saw those specially made for runway Carin Wester boots, my first instinct was to purchase the plain version (easy), and stick on the mirror pieces myself (hard). But it would also mean that I would have to stop procrastinating (impossible).

While I think the broken mirrors add a deconstructed edge to the Carin Westers, a friend however argued that they look as if they have cracked under the weight of the wearer. What are your thoughts?

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