This post is for a little self promotion AAAND some history + culture of the handfan. But I think you are going to like it.

I have always loved the look of handfans: either through history, when the court ladies used them to seduce men or conspire; or nowadays, when the summer gets too warm and we just need something to not die in the sun!

Of course, there are many kinds of handfans, but I really don't know what's it's origin, who invented it or in what country was introduced.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think nowadays the most famous different kinds of handfans are the japanese ones and the spanish ones.

In Spain, the handfan is a strong point of our culture. It is in our tradition, and most women have at least one, mostly used to fight the hot temperatures in summer, but also very famous in the popular dances of south Spain.

In the times when all the ladies used a handfan, it was used to send messages (usually secret love messages!). There were no cell phones! The position of the face, handfan, hand, etc would indicate the message.
Here are a few:

• Close the handfun under your right eye = "When may I see you?"

• Cover the left ear with the open handfan = "Don't tell our secret"

• Fully open the handfan = "Wait for me"

• Handfun on the back of the head = "Don't forget me"

• Turn the handfan with the left hand = "Somebody is watching us"

• Turn the handfan with the right hand = "I love somebody else"

• Move the handfan between the hands = "I hate you"

• Move the handfan around the cheek = "I love you"

• To fan (use the fan) very fast = "I'm madly in love with you"

• To fan very slowly or open and close very slowly = "I'm a married woman, don't try anything"

And the list goes on and on forever! I'll write some more next day =)

So a couple weeks ago I sent a couple of my silks to some people thatmake handfands with different fabrics. After seeing a few silk handfans in some high end fashion stores, I decided I could as well make them with my designs.

Today I got a package in the mail, the handfans are finished!! I got 6 as examples of different sizes, woods. Take a look at some of them:





Now you have an excuse to feel like a lady of the XVIII century! =) Seduce your man with one of this handfans. Soon I will have some in my etsy store. For now, just tell me if you like them or not, please. Is this your style? Would you use one in the hot summer? Handfans are very used as decoration too!

Please let me know your opinion, ideas, etc. And if you want to read more handfan secret messages!! :)

Oh, and seems Klimt liked handfans too! ;)

Wow! Almost completed the fashion series by now. But I have to say I am really liking this item hunting in etsy, so I will need an excuse to keep doing it! :)

Today: Puffy sleeves! Oh yeah baby. You never thought this would be back, did you? Well, we have for all tastes here, from super huge ones to regular ones. Seems big designers, as always, are for the extreme ones.



I like better the regular ones. In fact I think a little puffy sleeve looks really good. And you?

As the Fashion Tribes article says, a blouse or jacket with puff sleeves is very feminine, and will work well with a full skirt, high waisted trousers or a pencil skirt.
Because of the shape, making your shoulders look wider, it automatically makes your waist look thinner, so their advice is to use a belt to maximize that effect. They also tell us that earrings and necklaces don't mix very well with this, so if you really like wearing some jewelry, try some big bracelets or bangles. Oh and don't forget the heels! =)

For the handmade version, here is what I found in Etsy:

(click to view full size)

Sellers, from top to bottom, left to right, are (link to the item): zwzzy, JustVic, maybesomeday, VC2o, amoelbarroco, santokivintage, zwzzy, neneee, kahri, PrettyRaccoon, TresChicVintage, boioioing


So what do you think of this trend? For me it works, if the sleeve is not exagerated.

Read the full fashion tribes article here.

Stay tuned for next and last trend: Modern Gladiator - HUH???

Next fashion trend will be the last. So please, if you have any ideas or suggestions about what should I talk about in my next fashion post, please tell me!! =) Leave a comment!

Back with more fashion for you guys!
I should be working instead of doing this, but working is way too boring. So here it goes!

Today, high waisted trousers. Well. I'm not a fan of high waisted anything, but at least these pants have wide legs =) (I don't like cigarette trousers with high waist!)


The only thing you need for this: HEIGHT! You are the petite kind? Don't worry. Use heels! You'll need them even if you are tall, believe me ;)
High heels or sandals with platform can do the trick to make this trouser look nicer on you. From what I have read, the point is to wear shoes the same color of the trousers. But that's up to you ;)

The perfect top part is a puff sleeve blouse, or anything that tucks in. You don't want to hide that waist, do you??? Small waists will benefit from this trend, I'm sure!

For the handmade (or at least vintage) version, these are my picks from Etsy for this trend:

(click to view full size)


Sellers, from top to bottom, left to right (link to the item), are: NICFISH, urbneve, Neurasthenia, Brownies, missbrache, southofthemoon.

From those trousers you see there, I really like missbrache ones. Well, in fact, I think everything in her store is really cute!


Hoping you have liked this trend. Will you be wearing these kind of pants?

Read the full FashionTribes article here.

And next trend: Puffy Sleeves!!!!

Wow! You never thought this would be trendy, did you?
Right when we are waiting for warm temperatures, peeptoe shoes transform into booties! Why oh WHY?


I'm not a big peeptoe fan, but if I have to wear them, I rather have shoes than booties.
I made a small selection of what I could find in the net, because I could not find any in Etsy!

But, if you rather get some regular peeptoe shoes instead of booties, here is the handmade version, my Etsy picks:


(click ot view full size)

Sellers from top to bottom, left to right (link to the item): santokivintage, BulleMor, hippyofdoom, hippyofdoom, Nostalgia, bellemichou

Hope you like them! :)

What do you think of this trend? Will you evah wear something like this?

If this trend doesn't convince you, or want to try something different, I found in etsy a shop that sell handpainted shoes, and I just love them! Check them out: ndeurshoes


Read the full Fashiontribes article here.

Next spring trend: #8- High Waisted Trousers

This is all about skirts! Seems big designers decided to go back in time once more and show us that the new thing for this spring is an 'old' thing we all know: full skirts!


As the fashion tribe people say, the best you can do with a full skirt is wear a belt to minimize the waist. Also, print is fun, but black and navy skirts might be the best choice because you can combine them with anything =)

I think this trend I do really like! Full skirts have always been fun :)

About dressing with a full skirt. What else to add to the outfit? Well, the Fashion Tribe suggests this:

Now to the handmade version. What did I find in Etsy? Well, I was looking for full skirts (not the accessories, shoes or tops). And I was a little sad to find so few full skirts! Maybe I'm not too good searching but for sure I didn't have much luck with this style. Most skirts in Etsy are mini or pencil or regular skirts.
So yeah, it was hard to find these. Enjoy!


(click on the picture to view full size)
Sellers from top to bottom, left to right (link to the item): peoplescouture, twodustyboots, vintagestew, SkivvyLuLuVintage, zorya, fridaschoice

What do you think of this trend? Will you be wearing full skirts this spring? Or making some to sell in Etsy? (If so, let me know!)

Read the full Fashion Tribe article.

Next spring trend: Peeptoe booties!

I'm back with more trends! This time flowers are everywhere!!!
I'm the kind of girl that thought clothes with flowers were too girly for me. I was the kind of girl that thought flower accessories were 'kitsch'.
I was probably wrong. Or maybe not.
Or maybe I hate floral clothes because when I was a kid my mother would always make me wear clothes with flowers! I remember having a dress with green flowers, and saying all the time: "MOM! GREEN flowers don't exist!!!" I suppose I have a childhood trauma!


Looks pretty, right? This is a nice trend, but just not for me =) I'll stick to the bright colors and let other people wear this beautiful flowers. Let's be romantic this spring!

Big designers say flowers can be in any color, pattern, etc. Just look at the flowing look of those dresses, it really sends the romantic vibe.
Also, the FashionTribes article says: "To keep clear of grandma territory, an edgy shoe is mandatory .... look for crisp fabrics and more structured, figure-flattering silhouettes"
So there ya go ;)

However, what I am more used to find is the floral trend in pink colors:

So, once more, I tried my best to show you some of my favourite romantic floral Etsy picks. There are a lot of flower themed items in Etsy, however I was looking more for the 'romantic' look. This really made me embrace my floral side and stop hating flower clothes hehe: (click to see full size image)



Sellers, from top to bottom, right to left are (link to the item): owleyesvintage, EasterYu, nstylevintage, salvagelife, tulloolah, simonewalsh, sweetcharlotte, missbrache, BulleMor, MrsGibson, maybesomeday, mapetiteamy, fringe, artdi, JustVic, ndeurshoes, sweetcharlotte, tijusai, ladiesofleisure, ingermaaike

Hoping you have liked this trend review. Will you wear this spring some floral clothes? Will you be designing items with flowers? Let us know your opinions on this!! :)

And now, for a little promotion: I made a treasury in Etsy with some of the picks for the bright colors trend! See it here: Crayola Bright Colors at Etsy

Read the full FashionTribes article.

Stay tuned for spring trend #6: Full Skirts!

This one must be the most fun trend this spring!
So what is this about? Just find that HUGE piece of jewelry you bought years ago and start wearing it again. The bigger the better baby!


Of course, we need to be very careful with this trend. Too many of those and we will look like clowns!
There is only one rule: focus on one item. If you wear a huge necklace, please no earrings! Huge ring, no cuff. Huge earrings, no necklace. And so on.

It was a bit harder to find such huge jewelry in Etsy, but I tried my best. Here are my handmade picks for this trend. Enjoy! (click to view full size image)

Sellers from top to bottom, left to right (link to the item): topsyturvydesign, designsbyamber, stoopidgerl, rlee, lovinganvil, gingerlady, Madreterra, DesignedbyRJ, kankalinhats, melaniefavreau, thelovelyteaspoon, speechlessbubble

So, is this your trend? Do you love to wear something HUGE to grab people's attention?

Read the full fashiontribes article here

Stay tuned for next trend review - #5: Romantic Florals

This will lighten your spring for sure! After a dark fall, what we needed was some really bright colors in our wardrobe. So here they are! What do the designers say?:


This is a very fun trend! But what if this is too much color for us? What if we mix and match so many colors that it is definitely too much? What if we end up looking like a carrot from head to toe? Well, the tip is to wear one item (dress, top, skirt or trousers) in a fun bright color, and the rest of accessories (shoes, sandals, jewelry, bag) in brown colors (chocolate, cafe au lait, etc)

So, how to be colorful and still wear handmade? After searching through Etsy (this time it really took me a looong time, and most items are vintage!), this is what I found: (click on the image to see full size)