d.i.myself: multi-color denim shorts.

if you've been keeping up with the blog - or society for that matter - you know that ombré, watercolors and neon are all pretty hot and popping up everywhere for spring and summer. i've personally had my eye on levi's vintage sherbet shorts for more than a month, which combine all three. they've been stalking me at some of my favorite places like brandy meville and urban outfitters, but as much as they always catch my eye, i just couldn't bring myself to spend $52 on a pair of multi-colored jean shorts i can only wear on weekends, plus i'm not a big fan of high-waisted denim.

it was on a lunch break shopping trip to michael's craft store that i realized i could make them myself for a lot cheaper. michael's had a section in the back meant for kids with all sorts of tie dye materials for t-shirts, including a spray-on kit of neon fabric colors by s.e.i. tumble dye that would look perfectly when merged with an old pair of abercrombie & fitch cutoffs i've hung on to since college. i instantly added the kit to my shopping basket.

shorts shown here with a white forever 21 zipper tank and feather earring, 

pink crochet vest from the h&m conscious collection, bauble bar tweetplate necklace, 

bcbg max azria lace-cut cuff, and sandals from target.

dying the shorts only took me 10 minutes and about a half-day's worth of waiting time, and the final product was well worth the time and approximately $9 it cost me. want to do it yourself too? here's my simple step by step tutorial:

- a clean pair of light blue or white denim cutoffs 

(or pick up a cheap pair of jeans from goodwill and cut them to the ideal length yourself)

- s.e.i. tie dye kit from michael's: i used neon, but any colors you want will work

- rubber gloves to keep that manicure clean

- newspaper to keep your workspace clean

lay out your shorts face down on the newsprint. to get the same bold, saturated look i have - which works best for darker denim - make sure they're dry. for a lighter, watercolor look that will bleed a little, perform step 1-3 on wet shorts. 

first, with the gloves on, grab the color you want most of (i chose pink) and start spraying either the left or right leg of the shorts from the bottom up. cover the whole leg from top to bottom, spraying more pumps on the bottom, where the ombre look will be the darkest. then flip them over and do the same to the front side. it's ok for the side that is already dyed to touch the paper.

next, grab the second color, in this case blue, and start spraying again from the bottom, but this time, stop when you're halfway up; about an inch or two below the pocket. it's ok if the blue and pink to overlap a little, and in fact, it's encouraged because it adds a tinge of a whole new color in the middle...purple. flip them over and repeat on the back.

you're onto the last color now - green for mine - so start spraying it on the space that is left over. it doesn't have to be perfect. it's good if some spaces look a little washed out, or even if a little drips onto the wrong space. it all gives the design more character.

voila! the "hard" part is over. now just wait until the dye completely dries. i let mine dry over night because the florida summer heat and afternoon rain made it so humid outside on my patio.

once the shorts are dry, throw them into an empty dryer on high heat for at least 15 minutes so the dye can officially set and become permanent (*note: i haven't actually washed mine yet to confirm this, and plan on doing so with beach towels or on their own...just in case some of the dye bleeds).


and that's it! so easy. here's the final product:

< if you try it out on your own, please share with us! post a photo of your creation to our facebook page, or use the tag, #ppb_diy to instagram, pin or tweet the pic.

watercolor is the new ombré.

ombré? that is so last month.

now it's all about watercolor prints, as shown by alice + olivia, oscar de la renta in the 2013 resort line, and even by my friend and co-worker, cassady, at sunfest recently.

i'm hearting watercolor-inspired designs lately too. today i pulled one of last year's anthropologie dresses out from the back of the closet to showcase the trend. the artistic colors are great, as is the sexy yet classy open back, but i always have to suck it up about the crazy cowl-neck it has going on. 

what are some of your favorite watercolor-inspired products? there are a few fun iphone and macbook skins i've been swooning over, but we certainly welcome more ideas. post links to your picks in the comments below.

sunfest street style.

i was bummed that i couldn't attend coachella this past month, and my husband and i weren't able to make tickets to outside lands music festival work either. the worst part about it? i'm missing out on all that bohemian style.

think crop tops, colored denim, lots of lace, high-waisted shorts, neon belts, vintage tees, braided hair, head wraps, fringed purses and military boots. mini skirts, high-low skirts, sheer skirts. hippie chic mixed with 10 percent 80s wear and 10 percent 90s.

 
luckily, here in downtown west palm beach we have sunfest. the intracoastal-lined arts and music festival spans five days and has really proven itself over the years with top national acts...now let's see if it can hold up to the fashion.

i've got my outfit planned for the joan jett concert and all the 90s bands i'll be seeing tomorrow...what are you wearing? i'll be snapping a few pics to capture some of the best street style, but want you to send me shots of your looks too at pretaporterpb@gmail.com.

here's one of my friend lilia from last year in cute but casual palm beach county fashion. she was on the ombre and maxi dress trends ahead of the game - before they blew up everywhere this year.

need more inspiration? check out the lookbook.nu post with bcbgeneration, urban outfitters' "behind the scenes" pinterest board, or a few of my top festival fashion picks here:

only thing to remember? it's florida. it's going to get to around 84 degrees tomorrow...you're going to want to lose that leather.

fade away.

dresses, nail polish, cakes, jeans, curtains, sweaters, and now even hair.

i've been rocking the look for as long as i can remember. the favorite faded orange tank from abercrombie & fitch in middle school. my first-ever prom dress from jessica mcclintock my sophomore year that went from hot orange at the top into watermelon at the bottom...and yes, i just dated myself by saying jessica mcclintock. my dip-dyed, lime green dress from bcbg maxazria that i bought to wear to rush at fsu, but never put it to use since i realized halfway through the week that i wasn't a sorority girl (hundreds of matching ralph lauren polo dresses over forced spanx and identical ribbed tank tops paired with seven jeans...does that sound like me??). my white wedding dress six months ago with a touch of pink lace at the bottom.

shaded. faded. dip-dyed. tie-dyed. multi-colored. graduated. light to dark. two-tone. it is all the same thing and it's nothing new...the ombre trend.

i, for one, have always loved the "ombre" effect, but am really getting sick of the word and don't like seeing it get so played out. that being said, i felt it was necessary to touch on a few of my favorites and some of the pieces that might still be a fun or different way to wear it.

1. tights.

i saw these on the bzrshop on etsy through pinterest a couple weeks ago and adore them. i haven't seen anyone wear them in person yet and want to go for it myself, but just can't fathom spending $50 on a single pair of tights.

2. faded colors over other patterns.
i've typically liked shading in a more formal sense, but the most recent use of ombre that is a little different is dip-dyed patterned apparel, like this shaded, striped shirt i found on cotton & curls. i think i'm going to try one of the blog tutorials like hers and make my own soon.

3. sophisticated tie dye.all of my favorite stores for weekend apparel - urban outfitters, brandy melville and free people - are now offering more sophisticated twists on the typical tie dye. here are some i might cash in on soon:

dress from urban outfitters' kaleidoscope collection

levi's vintage rainbow sherbet shorts from brandy melville

the one i can't wrap my head around? ombre hair. it's actually been around for months now and you could say i'm sporting it now too... it's called letting your highlights or faux hair color grow out. i just do not understand wanting to spend money to color your hair to look like someone whose roots are showing! the exception...

4. cotton candy hair.
if i didn't work in a professional office and fear the looks of my boss, co-workers and clients, i would surely do the dip-dyed, mermaid hair trend with no questions asked. instead, i'm trying out the look in a different way, so stay tuned to find out more about my weekend-only hair color party. in the meantime, get inspired by the capitol with my past hunger games post, or check out what it looks like to use kevin murphy's "color.bug" below.

i did.

i'm going to a wedding this weekend for a very stylish bride and groom, which brought my memory back to a few months ago. probably the most important getup a girl will wear in her life is the one she'll wear on her wedding day, and mine was no different. after searching long and hard, high and low, i found the one.

ok, so that wasn't really how it went down. in reality, for as much as i love a good dress, there's not much i can stand less than a boring or over-designed bridal gown. i've never liked a single design featured on "say yes to the dress," and knowing that, i vowed not to say yes to a bridal shop.

instead, i remembered a name i had come across before i was ever engaged: ktjean designs. and with that, i visited her etsy shop online and hit "add to cart" on one of katie walker's made-to-order designs (so not prêt-à-porter of me!).

katie worked with me to create a custom dress that was full of history, eco-friendly and unlike any other. we started with her romantic vintage slipdress design, in which she layers a skirt of recycled lace and other rustic fabrics from the top of an antique slip that i chose from options she provided.



then comes the best part...i've always adored gwen stefani's hot-pink dip-dyed dress and wanted a version of it for my own. in a much more subtle way, katie created an ombre effect with tiers of lace in shades of ivory to a pale ballet pink at the bottom to match my sparkly steven by steve madden flats.




i fell in love. once i incorporated some extra lace trim to the slip's straps, plus added a specially designed belt and flower embellishment, it was perfect. the "belt," by the way... ya, well we it lost on the way from my house to the wedding in a near disaster. luckily my unbelievably talented friend and makeup artist saved the day by refashioning one for me two hours before the wedding from my bridal robe and another random silk flower...and no one knew the difference!

it was a risky move ordering a dress online from phoenix after never even trying on another gown, but ktjean was a perfect choice for me and i wouldn't have done it any other way! the ktjean brand has so many other choices too, from playful party skirts to romantically chic bridal designs, so check out ktjean.com to see what she has in store.

can't wait to see what the bride has in store this weekend. more post-wedding posts to come soon.