MABON FASHION COLLECTION

  May I present to you, my whole artistic Mabon fashion collection!

"Oliver Twist".

"50´ Cheerleader" (the garments were pulled right out of storage for this picture, that´s why the creases.)

"Scottish Plaids".

"Romania".

"Turning Leaves".

 
 Cool, now I´ll always know what to wear, and I´m all set for the Mabons to come!

MABON FASHION: TURNING LEAVES

  The fifth outfit in my Mabon collection is inspired by the magnificent natural change of color in leaves in the fall. On a sunny day, when sunshine hits the beautiful yellow, orange, and red trees, it is probably the most gorgeous landscape over the course of a year.

This picture is from a couple of weeks back. By now nearly all leaves have fallen off, so it was about time got finished with this last outfit. =)

This color combo hits the nail to the head. Dark, murky green pants coupled with an earth-toned warm yellow shirt repeat the colors of nature around Mabon. I made the pants really wide (could I go any more against the grain of fashion? =) and the top snug to show off the female figure and balance each other.

 Considering that my Mabon begins in the first half of September and lasts through the later half of October, the 3/4 length sleeves are handy. In the beginning it can be still very warm, and in the end, like today, it can be below freezing and first snow flakes dance from the sky. The beads I´m excited about. I´m new to using wire in beading, and love to surprise myself on how each necklace turns out.

The trick of this outfit is actually the connection between the necklace and makeup. I used copper and green in both.

A snug top does not mean skin-tight to me. But it needs to sit well, while still leave some room to move in. This is my all time favorite basic shirt pattern, which I´ve used for nearly a decade (still in the same size too =).

Makeup: light shimmery green on the inner 2/3 of the eyelid, shimmery copper on the outer 1/3, and black mascara on curled lashes. On the cheeks I added medium beige blush (which in reality is actually a bronzer for darker skin tones) and on the lips coppery lipstick. The same colors as in the necklace. The leaf-shaped aromatherapy earrings are like cherry on the cake, unfolding the whole idea behind this outfit.

  

MABON FASHION: ROMANIA

  Once I was able to travel around Romania in fall, and it was breathtakingly beautiful! The tour took me through the capital Bucharest to the countryside, where I visited monasteries and local homes, and of course awed the gorgeous Carpathian Mountains. 
  What struck me the most was that most houses had numerous apple trees in their yards, and the size of the fruit was unbelievable. So large, great in number, and deliciously perfect-looking. They also commonly grew other foods too, like corn, and many houses had a cow and a horse. Horse carriages were a more common sight than cars in the countryside.
  And the people! So confidently stylish in their old-fashioned clothes. I watched them with admiration. The women wore floral dresses and a scarf around their hair, and the men had on straight pants, a collar shirt, and a type of hat, like a mini-stetson. It felt like I had rolled back in time about seventy years. Awesome!

  Romania left such an impression on me, that ever since I have longed for a similar dress to what the women there wore. And now the time has come. Here´s my tribute to Romania:

I made my dress way more streamlined than theirs, but we live in different cultures too. The fabric is rather busy with all the flowers around it, so I kept everything else to a minimum. No collars, buttons, or pockets. Nor big show-off pieces of jewelry.

The pattern is new, and this dress is the first one I´ve ever made with it. The style is more loose than in my earlier patterns, and that´s the reason I wanted to try this. For years now fashion has been exaggeratedly wide on tops, so I figured I´d give this a try for a change. Time will tell how it works, but so far it feels good, and is a nice change to my dresses.

Makeup is natural, only using different shades of brown. While the real Romanian belles might have chosen bright red for their lips, I opted for nude beige lipgloss. But I chose bright red for my earrings. Red roses with white pearls are such a classic over decades, that they complement this traditional look well.

  Thank you, Romania, for inspiration, showing me your beauty, and teaching me your way of life! What an awesome experience.

P.S. The pattern I used to make the dress is from here (number 14).

MABON FASHION: SCOTTISH PLAIDS

  Alike all of my outfits, this one also comes from my imagination. It is an image that has formed in my head over the years as a result of all the things I´ve seen so far.

  Why I associate green plaids with the Scots, I do not know, but this style suits Mabon so well, that I need the look in my collection:

A dark green kilt-like mini-skirt with a tweed top.

I was sooo tempted to make a miniature beret of the skirt fabric, and attach it to a headband or something, but it would have made the look too costume-like. So instead I opted for a regular woolen dark brown beret, which repeats the color of the pants nicely binding the whole together.

The outfit consists of several smallish pieces, the shirt, mini-skirt, and pants, so I added only earrings as accessory. And remotely imitating a kilt, it is also somewhat masculine, so loads of jewelry did not seem appropriate.

Makeup is surprisingly colorful (which once again does not show properly in the pic, but take my word for it =) to balance the muted brown in the tweed-like jersey top. I added bright light green on the inner 2/3 of the moving lid to repeat the green of the skirt. It is of different hue, but green nonetheless. Then the rest of the face is accentuated with different types of brown. Medium brown on the outer 1/3 of the moving lid, beige blush on the cheeks, and beige lipgloss. The earrings are, naturally, my own aromatherapy ones made of coppery metal and white wool.

  This outfit replaces the kilt one I made a couple of years ago. The skirt back then ended up twisting around me as I moved, being a drag to wear. What I´ve done different this time is sewn the skirt straight on to the waist of the pants, so it is impossible for it to twist and move around.

WILDERNESS FOOD

  It´s all out there, just go grab it - for free. Forests are full of wild, natural, food at this time of year.

Mushrooms for lunch.

And lingonberries for dessert.

  More specific how-to on my column Nelland Living. Check it out and get out there!

SUNDAY OUTFIT FOR A GIRL: A BIT BETTER

  Although we are not a religious family, it is a nice idea to wear something a bit better on Sundays. Therefore I made this outfit for my girl:

Brown is the key color in my Mabon palette, and it applies to kids´ clothes too, but in a lighter shade. I made the leggings in dark blue to give the outfit variety, although I was tempted to use dark brown at first. But this way the whole is a little brighter and makes the dress pop out even more.

I had these crochet flowers in my stash from an earlier project, and they suit this dress perfectly.

The original pattern had the sleeves in short (see here and here), but now the weather is cool already, so I lengthened them. Simply eyeballing did the trick, no measuring needed. =) I left them about 4/5 in length to keep them from getting dirty so easily. Very handy.

The leggings are made of soft and stretchy corduroy-like jersey. They keep my girl warm and cozy.

  Naturally this outfit can, and will, be worn on any day of the week, not only on Sundays. But Sundays were the inspiration, as I like to create variety in her wardrobe too. There is always a thought/idea behind each outfit. Mindfulness is the trend these days. =)

LAMMAS FASHION COLLECTION

  Yay, I have completed my Lammas garderobe!

#1: Linen & peach.

#2: Ragdoll.

This year I made a new necklace to the outfit. The wooden thread spools, of which I was looking for last year, finally reappeared in the craft store, and I was able to execute my initial plan.

#3: Mary had a little lamb.

The earrings are self-made aromatherapy ones.

#4: The nude hippie.

#5: Animal print dress.

Another pair of my aromatherapy earrings.

  Now seeing all the looks here one next to the other, I am pleased with the versatility. The overall feeling of the whole collection remains warm, natural, and calm. Just the way I like my Lammas to be. Happy!

LAMMAS FASHION: LINEN & PEACH

  This is an update to my already existing outfit. What´s new is the top, which is a bit warmer than the original one, and a bit more colorful. As my Lammas Collection has taken form, I noticed there is quite a lot of beige in it, so adding a touch of color was a good idea. The original top will still be stored and worn annually, but now I have a choice in case of a cool day.

Peach is a color only suitable for Lammas. It is so warm and delicate, and resembles the dry fading hays in nature.

The pants are made of linen-like fabric, but they do not wrinkle like real linen does. The fabric was a good find back then, years ago. And since I only wear each of my fashion collections for approx. six weeks a year, the garments stay well for ages. These pants are a living proof, and I´m still happy to wear them. Combining a peachy top with the brown bottom livens up the look, and adds variety to the nude-toned Lammas collection altogether. Big baggy pants combined with a snug top simply looks good as a silhouette, always.

Jewelry pops right out, and brightens up the area around the face. True to my style, I kept the colors subtle and natural also in makeup.

The shirt fabric is synthetic something, but it breathes well and feels warm to the skin. Not all days of Lammas are exhaustingly hot, so I need to be prepared for slight chills too, especially towards the end of the season.

LAMMAS FASHION: ANIMAL PRINT DRESS

  Animal print is a newcomer in my interests. Never until now have I thought it was for me, or for everyday wear. But when I saw this fabric in the shop earlier this summer, I just knew I had to include it in my Lammas collection somehow. Here´s how:

Tiger print is more interesting, and less seen, as the usual leopard, and it is also lighter colored. Two reasons I fell for the fabric. Plus it drapes beautifully and is cool in hot weather. But making the look casual enough for everyday wear was tricky. I did it by choosing a loose and simple pattern for the silhouette, and kept accessories in control. At my work I may meet people from all social classes, from the homeless to the president, all in one day. That sets an impossible challenge for a girl to dress properly to the occasion. So I just go with whatever I like, since I´m dressed wrong no matter.  =)

Ahh, I love these late summer/early fall warm days! I felt like a cat on a hot tin roof (quite literally in fact =).

Golden accessories are a must. The belt is important for creating, or showing, the feminine waistline, which is the key to all of my looks. That´s what separates us women from men, regardless of weight. I mean, men can even have boobs, but not a waist like us women. Let´s celebrate our femininity by showing it off!

Another important key to keeping the look casual is wearing minimal makeup. This classy lady does not look like she´s off hunting for men, does she? (And I´m not yet in cougar age either, so no worries there  =). My aromatherapy earrings here add to the exotic and oriental feeling, and if ylang ylang essential oil was used, the outcome would be quite tempting...

  Animal print goes well during Lammas because now the weather is at it´s warmest, and closest to the natural habitat of tigers and leopards and the kind. At first I was tempted to add a touch of safari style too, but found it too masculine after all. I feel very feminine in this outfit, and in a different and new kind of way. I´m so glad life is for learning and evolving, at all ages!

BEAUTIFUL NEW FALL EARRINGS

 Feeling and looking awesome is easy this fall! Simply choose your favorite from my new selection of aromatherapy earrings on Nelland Boutique.

Finally I found a hoop earring that is suitable for aromatherapy use!

  Read more about the new fall earrings on my column on PaganPages.org, or dive straight in to shopping them! Either way, be your beautiful self, feel great, and enjoy the ride!

MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB- DRESS FOR LAMMAS

  "Mary had a little lamb"-song was the inspiration to this dress. For some odd reason it feels fitting for Lammas (which is a funny coincidence, since "Lammas" means "lamb" in my native language Finnish  =).

Partly see-through, romantic floral and lace fabric in very light yellowish beige. I fell in love with the fabric when I saw it last year, and bought it right away back then. But it took a full year to find the time to turn it into something wearable. It was challenging to find a way to keep it casual enough to still fit to work. I did that by keeping the shape simple and adding a slightly darker fabric underneath.

 

Wearing my hair up makes the wide lace collar show better. I definitely wanted to add some lace to the dress, while still keeping it casual. A wide band of it around the neck hole acts sort of like a necklace in itself.

I just love these clogs! I got them years back from Gudrun Sjodén, and the soles are really a single piece of wood. They feel so natural. It is getting cool already, so I needed to wear pantyhose today. But in warmer weather bare legs are the best option.

The color of the dress is so muted that I wanted to spark it up with yellow jewelry. The necklace is years old, and the earrings are of course my own design aromatherapy butterflies. Makeup is minimal and natural.

  Although this outfit is initially for me to wear at work, I also attended a birthday party in it. My goddaughter turned six, and I thought it would suit her fantasy world of princesses and princes perfectly. Yes, I guess I could say this outfit is a piece of my fantasy world. Turned into reality that is. Yay!