50 DIY ideas from Fashion Month S14

So much inspiration, so little time to DIY. The runways alone yielded more than 50 ideas from spring fashion weeks in New York, Paris, London and Milan.  And we aren't even talking street fashion.

The advantage of getting your inspiration from the high-end world is that you can make something affordable, cool and trendy before it shows up at your mall costing even less and worn by everybody. 

This season, I am saving myself and you the trouble of me sticking all the ideas in a blog post so you can pin them. Instead, I will direct you to my handy dandy Pinterest board 50 DIY ideas from Fashion Month Spring 2015. There's everything from raffia to - no joke - Perler beads going on this year. 

DIY inspiration - perforated fashion

One of my favorite trends this summer is the whole perforated look - eyelet, mesh, laser cut, lattice look - whatever you call it. With the humidity the way it's been, everybody could use some ventilation.

Perforated and mesh outfit inspiration from  Arc Line, Atlantic-Pacific, A House in the Hills, Style Lovely and Tory Burch.

Inspiration perforated clutches by Stella McCartney, Alaia, Michael Kors and Topshop.

40 DIY ideas from Fashion Month F14

Here are 40 DIY fashion ideas inspired by Fashion Month street style and fashion shows. This should keep you busy until spring. Which will never really get here. 

Above, put a face on it like Prada.

Apply your rag rug making skills to a top or skirt like Altuzarra.

Make a layered collar necklace like Balmain or an oversized faux fur collar like 3.1 Phillip Lim.

Love this one: Draw on your white skirt with a sharpie (or embroider eye lashes on your sweater) like Band of Outsiders. Already done the pom-pom sweater? Do it again but make the pom-poms linear like Brandon Sun.

Wear your scarf asymmetrically and tucked into your belt and paint your bag or coat like Burberry Prorsum.

Make shiny arrows out of rhinestone trim and embellish your coat like Carven. Add HUGE faux gemstones to a little black dress like Celine.

More HUGE faux gems - as a bracelet or a necklace, both from Celine.

Brighten up your bike lock and turn it into a necklace like Chanel. Sew an extremely inventive sleeve like Christopher Kane.

Turn belts into bracelets or mix bits of several sweaters into one like Cynthia Rowley.

Embellish a dress with sequins and tassels like Delpozo. Or embellish a dress with the contents of your junk drawer like Cynthia Rowley.

Dig out some 1980s silk flowers and turn one into a brooch like Dries Van Noten. (Update: Honestly just did this one.) Excessively embellish your sunnies like Dsquared.

Make a collar necklace in an unusual shape or make a simple round shape and add a few HUGE gems like Emporio Armani.

Applique your dress with a glove like this fushia number seen via Harper's Bazaar street style or the pale pink one at Carven.

Make sequin flowers for your collar like Honor. Or tie a sash over your cardigan like Isa Arfen.

The wordy clutch was everywhere. Try something like this from Karen Walker. Or add floral contact paper to a kid's lunch box to make a bag like this one by Erin Fetherston.

Add layers of soft tassels to a dress like Maki Oh or add a million big sequins like Isa Arfen.

Cut a slice from your skirt and add a sheer fabric like NoNoo. Or mix two fabrics together like Oscar de la Renta.
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Another take on the wordy clutch from Red Valentino. Mix your faux furs into a geometric clutch as seen at J. Crew. (Update: Dare to DIY just posted a no-sew method using a thrift store purse to make your own fur clutch.)

Put lips on your shoes like Red Valentino. Add a bandana to your shirt like Karen Walker.

Add fringe to a clutch as seen by Tommy Ton.

Macrame or crochet a choker or unusual scarf/harness like Tse.

Make a wordy faux fur (with a more cheerful message) like Vfiles. Elevate the big bead with a necklace like this one from Josie Natori.

Did you see anything great and inspiring during fashion month?

Personally, I think something with HUGH faux gems is going on my to-do list.

Big leather tote bag inspiration - and bargains

A big black rustic leather tote can transport your schlep from frumpy to fabulous. Imagine tucking your stuff into a supple $2,000 Celine lambskin tote. Transformative, no?

Fortunately you can DIY this. Or buy a very similar bag for about $150 or a faux leather version for less than $12.

Relish the tote of my dreams. Big, simple, spacious and on the arm of every fashion blogger. The Celine bag at Andy Heart and on Lily Aldridge at Refinery 29.

Above, the Celine tote at Damsel in Dior. Below, the Celine tote on Nikolina Fridman.

Now for some lovely bags that are not, in fact, the Celine tote. But look a lot like it.

Below is the Baggu tote in leather available at Urban Outfitters and elsewhere for $240 as seen at Kendi Everyday.  (Kendi also very often carries the Madewell Transport Tote, which is pretty similar at $268.)

And a real bargain in real leather is the Cuyana tote for $150. See it below on Krystal Schlegel.

For faux leather look alikes, consider the reversible faux leather tote for $59 at Urban Outfitters.

Mango has a similar faux leather tote for the amazingly low price of $12.

And, yes, there will be a DIY.

DIY macrame inspiration

Here are some modern twists on macrame that inspired this week's DIY project.

To keep your macrame from looking too hippy dippy, go with plain white white or add some crazy dye. Or, when all else fails, use black rope. Instantly cool.

Wall hanging and small white macrame with found branch from Sally England.

Blue macrame planter from Slow Down Productions. Dip dyed blue macrame from OuchFlower.

Multi-color macrame from Slow Down Productions.

Jean Gardy necklace via Refinery 29. Black macrame from OuchFlower.

Stacked macrame cuff and macrame fringe necklace from Eleanor Amoroso.

Pinned it/Wore it - How to wear a print full skirt

Let's grapple with two trends in one - print skirts and full skirts - with our latest edition of Pinned it/Wore it, my ongoing series about turning Pinterest fashion into a real outfit.

Here's my pin - a lovely full print skirt seen at Hallie Daily. Thanks to this pin, I picked up a peasant-y print skirt that I would normally pass by on my thrifting rounds, as seen below.

The thing with a full peasant-type skirt is to not pair it with a peasant blouse or a yoke of oxen. Play against type.

Hallie's tummy-baring crop top was not going to work for me. Below are a few more ways to wear a full print skirt.

With a tank and stappy sandals like Aimee Song via Elle.com. Or with a jacket and killer heels like Hallie at Hallie Daily.

Or a crisp blouse and jacket as seen at Refinery 29.

Here we have chambray shirt with a floral full skirt from Pink Peonies. Or a tank top as seen on Dianna Agron via WhoWhatWear. (This may actually be a dress, but you get the idea.)

Another chambray shirt paired with a crazy print full skirt via Purse Blog.

This skirt seemed to do best for me with a crisp blouse and relatively delicate shoes.

The killer heels and/or jacket thing was not so good. This violates the third rule of Pinterest fashion - trying too hard. You can do a full skirt or funky shoes or a moto jacket. You can't do all of them at the same time. Moto peasant has just not caught on yet where I live.

Tip for puffing out your full skirt - wear another full skirt underneath. I stole this idea from Hallie the queen of full skirts.

A tip from me: Look for puffy stuff in the fancy dress aisle of your local thrift store. There you will find taffeta and tulle in abundance. Hem the puffy skirt to be shorter than your print skirt.

So, where to find a print full skirt? It's not so easy unless you are willing to spend hundreds of dollars on high-end design. Apparently this trend has yet to trickle down to regular retail level. Below are a few options in the more affordable range.

Novella Ball Skirt at Anthropologie. Asos burnout floral skirt (this is the one seen at Hallie Daily. See what a difference a puffy slip skirt makes?)

Modcloth full green skirt. Modcloth Lakeside Manor skirt.

Since this is a retro look, your best bet may be the same place I found my skirt - a thrift store.

Would you attempt this trend?