Halloween Favorites

Hello my fellow Trick-or-Treaters

Since I am a aspiring fashion/costume designer you should know what one of my favorite holidays is.  Halloween is less than a week away and even though I will be posting on the that about how my day went, I thought I should take the time to share some of my favorite things and this day.

CANDY:

You CANNOT have Halloween without candy! This time of year starts the beginning of where I cave in and give in to all the unhealthy yet satisfying sweets that are always around me (which later leads to Thanksgiving and Christmas, where even more unhealthy food is which leads to my New Year's Resolution to eat healthier.)  After I grew out of trick-or-treating and it was time to pass out the candy, we actually didn't have alot of children come to our neighborhood because it wasn't a very busy street.  But that never bothered me because that meant I got to keep all the candy. :) Anyways, here are some of my favorite candies and sweets.

  3 Musketeers are probably one of my favorite chocolate bars and it's pretty obvious that I LOVE chocolate.  I really like the mini candy bars because they taste cuter!  Another thing I love about them is it reminds me of when my dad and I would walk down the railroad tracks behind our house to the drugstore and buy a 3 Musketeers bar to eat, so yeah, good times.  The fluffy chocolate will always be on my list for Halloween Must-haves.



Right behind 3 Musketeers are KitKat Bars.  I have always loved these things especially when you put them in the freezer. One thing that always made me mad growing up was that some people didn't know how to eat it properly.  Some people just open the wrapper and take a bite out of it! So I would be sitting there like, "Have you not seen the commercial?! You'll suppose to break off a piece!"  But either way you eat your Kit Kat bar, I won't judge.  I even read that Green Tea KitKats are a actual thing and they are in America now.  I've never really had Green Tea before but I would be willing to try it if it came in chocolate form.


Last on my list is Twizzlers.  Admit it, you never had just one at a time!  As soon as you have one, you'll always going back to the bag and getting more.  I prefer the classic Strawberry flavor but I especially enjoy the sour ones too. Even though I am a big chocolate fan, I love gummy candy as well.  And this stuff takes the prize for favorite gummy candy.



FASHION AND COSTUMES:

October is the time of year when it starts to get a colder outside which means it's time to put away the cute summer dresses and break out the sweaters.  When it gets closer to Halloween time it's more then to rock borderline costumes.  I love borderline costumes because if you'll not that big into dressing up or if you'll invited to a last minute party you can still keep the Halloween spirit alive.   So now I'll be sharing my favorite borderline costumes...
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Animal headbands have been a huge thing for me.  I currently have cat ears, Cheshire Cat ears, and now bat ears if you saw them a few post ago. They're so easy to slip on and get into character.

MAKEUP:

Halloween is the perfect excuse to put on crazy colored eye shadow and overly full eye lashes.  During Halloween, I think it's the perfect reason to try black lipstick.  Just like red lipstick I think every girl should try black at least once in her life.  You automatically feel more wicked after putting it on.  Don't knock it until you try it.

So those are just some of my few favorite things about Halloween.  Make sure to comment what are some of your favorite things.  I'll be posting a lot more Halloween themed post next week and then I will be revealing my costume.  I'm trying to keep my costume under wraps (no pun-intended) until the 31st for you all to see.   Tomorrow I'm actually going to a Halloween festival back home so I'll also be showing that Thrusday.

Have a safe a memorable Halloween,

Love Rachel

Denim Love

I'm sure you all remember my very first blog spot about my Denim Angel jacket.  Ever since, I have been in love with the fabric.  So when my boyfriend text me one day last week and asked if I wanted two pairs of his old jeans I couldn't resist!  I was on fall break last week so I spent to try out some much needed DIY.

First thing I did with one pair of jeans was transform them into a vest.  I received the jeans in the mail around noon and I made this and finished it around 4 p.m.  I cut the pockets and used the back of leg fabric for the neck piece and the back piece that wraps around my waist.  I also added a bow in the back with the left over fabric.  

Second thing I made was a denim skirt from the other pair of jeans.  I basically cut off the bottom half and found lace from a pair of old curtains and sewed it all together.  You can also the bow I added in the back of the vest.  I'm also wearing a pearl headband I got from Dollar General for about $3 and my shirt is from Studio Y but I got it for a $1 while thrifting.

I had so much fun doing this projects and FINALLY getting to warm up my new sewing machine.  Hopefully in a few days I'll have even more DIY projects if I can get more fabric.  In a few days I will have some fall and Halloween blogs.  Fall is here and it's time for fall fashion!

Love,

Rachel

Batgirl!

Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na...... BATGIRL!!!

Hi everyone!  A couple of days ago was Superhero Day at my University's spirit week.  Of course I had to represent my favorite female superhero Batgirl.

I have been hooked on Batman: the animated series since last summer and I can't stop watching it.  This is the first time I've ever been introduced to the show (I know, terrible 90's kid).  Honestly, I didn't even know the Batgirl was a real character.  I thought she was a marketing camplain so girls could dress Batman related at Halloween.  But thankfully, Barbara Gordon exist and she is such a great character.

Thankfully I am blessed with long red hair to match Barbara's.  I wore a black dress with a black lace shirt.  For the belt, I used a sequins belt that I flipped over so the shiny side is hidden.  You can't have Batgirl sneaking around Gotham with her belt reflecting everything! For her ears, I used my cat ear clips and wrapped black index cards around them to make them more bat-like.  I wore my low-cut black boots and my fishnet black gloves.  For the arm spikes I used cardboard and index cards.  I used a tutorial on Youtube for the arm spikes.  The tutorial was by Wesley Chan from Wong Fu Productions (who is one of my inspirations).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1551kvybJs

I had so much fun dressing like Batgirl for a day. I truly felt powerful.  I think that's how we should dress everyday.  Dress like your wearing a superhero costume and you'll feel you can do anything.  Without their costumes Batman and Batgirl are still Bruse Wayne and Barbara Gordon, but its their costumes who tell the world who they are.

I hope you enjoyed seeing this experience. Until next time

Love Rachel

Arts Round the Square

Arts Round the Square

Hey everyone, so last weekend I went back to my hometown to take part in a our annually "Arts Round the Square festival." I was there passing out my business card to theater groups and support the arts.

Here is my morning vlog:

After I arrived to the square I started visiting all the exhibits and I received a lot of compliments on the outfit I was wearing.  Look familiar?

My university later performed that day with songs from popular Broadway shows like "Wicked", "Rent", and my favorite "Les Miserable." 

The beautiful clock tower in the center of the square.  Fun Fact:  My father use to work in the clock tower so I've always loved looking up at it in remembrance of him.  No matter where I go in life, West Tennessee will always be my home.  Until next time, keep calm and be creative.

Love,

Rachel 

10 facts about me!

Hi everyone.  This week I thought to myself that you guys don't really know me that well and I thought maybe I should connect with you on a more personal level.  So here are 10 facts about me!

1.) My name is Rachel Allison.
2.) I live in Tennessee.  Born and raised Southern Girl!
3.) I'm currently in my second year of college.
4.) My major is theater but I'm focusing more on costume design.
5.) I learned to sew when I was three and continue to learn today.
6.) I recently learned for to machine sew and I love it.
7.) I just came back for a 2 month costuming internship in New York (best two months of my life!)
8.) While I was in New York, I had my eyebrows professionally done by the same makeup artist who does         Lady Gaga's makeup!
9.) I currently have two costuming jobs as well as being a full-time student.  One is for a Children's Theater        group and the other is a adult theater group.  So, hopefully I can blog about those upcoming shows.
10.) I love shopping to do point where I treat it like a sport but I absolutely HATE shopping for jeans.  It's just so depressing to me

Okay there are my 10 facts.  Please follow me for more costuming/fashion blogs and vlogs!

Back to School!

Hello everybody!  I hope you all I had a fantastic summer.  I know I did.  I spent the last two months in New York for a costuming internship but now I'm ready to begin my sophomore year of college.  I thought I would share with you what I wore to my first day of classes.  Growing up, my favorite part of back to school time was picking out my first day outfit. It's your chance to tell the world (or at least school world) who you are.  And college is no exception!  Above you can see I'm wearing a black dress that I layered with a ruffle purple shirt, a black waist belt, pearl earrings, a purple flower hair clip, and a sashay skirt made by my very talented mother.  

Also I thought I should give you all some Back to School fashion tips!

1.)  Make sure you understand your school's dress code.  When I was in high school our dress code was so strict, I couldn't wait to go to college so I could express myself more freely.

2.)  Make sure you have a comfortable pair of shoes.  I wore a pair of heels on my first day but kept a pair of flip flops in my backpack for when I was walking long distances on campus.  Also if you choose to wear heels, be wary going down hard floored hallways.  You don't want to make a lot of noise during class!

3.)  Try not to wear anything that will distract you in class.  I actually had to stop wearing bracelets to class because I would be distracted and would start playing with them when I should be listening.  (Curse you A.D.D.!)  Just remember that it is school and we actually have to pay attention.

4.)  Accessorize!  Any outfit can be jazzed up with a scarf, a headband, a necklace, etc.  Don't be afraid to try out different looks.  

5.)  Have fun!  It's a brand new year and a brand new start.  

Love,

Rachel

Black dress from Peebles

Ruffled purple shirt from Cato's

Sashay scarf by Mom!

June 2013 Haul

June 2013 Haul

Hey Everybody!  Sorry I've been gone for a while.  In the last month, I moved to New York for the summer for a internship in costume design.  I'm having so much fun and learning so much.  Anyways, I was able to go shopping a few weeks ago.  I actually went to Hudson on my day off and went to the Salvation Army there.   I spent hours there browsing and I happened to go on a Wednesday where the prices are all half price!  I bought 3 great items for a grand total of $6.  You cannot beat that for the quality!  

I think I was in the mood for a purple and silver theme when I went shopping as you will see.

This first item is a purple/silver top that is satin and so comfortable!  It has rope straps that connect in the back and it is too cute.  I actually wore this top when I went to visit Times Square and I think it really shows off my fashionista self.  I think this top was around $2 at the Salvation Army.  A great value.  The designer name is Charlotte Russe.

The next item is this purple dress.  This dress was around $2 and I bought because I'm always looking for solid colored dresses to hopefully build onto and design.  It's a little short for me for so I think I would like to wear some silver leggings with it.  I might end up replacing the straps but it was a great find and maybe I'll be able to add to the design if inspiration every hits me.  The designer is Rue 21 (one of my favorite stores!)

This item above is a silver studded purse I also found at Salvation army for a dollar!  It is so cute and stylish I had to get it.  I'm not a big purse collector but I knew there were certain outfits I would love to match this with.  It actually goes great with the purple top that I also purchased.  It does not have a tag so I do not know the brand or designer unfortunately but I'm still so happy I found it.

That's all I got at the Salvation Army.  For those of you who are a little uncomfortable about shopping at a second hand store or thrift store I encourage you to try to over come that because you can find some amazing items at great prices.  I also suggest that you look for Salvation Armys or GoodWills in more wealthier neighborhoods because you can find some brand named clothes at such a great discount

I also went to Fred's before I left for New York and found this amazing product:

This is now one of my favorite eye shadow pallets.  I love the purple and grey/silver combinations and the colors really stay put on your eyelid and last all day.  The best part..... it was a dollar!  That is such an amazing deal.  Another great thing is that the pallet has a built-in mirror! I'm so happy with this pallet and I hope to find more from the brand.  The brand is Profusion and the pallet name is Twinkle Twinkle so go check it out!

I hope you enjoyed my monthly haul.  I wish I had more to show you but I'm working so much I don't have a  lot of time to shop.  Make sure to follow my blog for more about New York, fashion, styles, makeup, and my own designs. My next blog is about the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York city which I was lucky enough to visit so catch you later!

Love,

Rachel