Denim Bonanza! quick DIY tutorial on my Denim Crotch Clutch~

I've had quite a lot of people ask how I made my Denim Crotch clutch so since I had a day off work I thought I'd make another one but photograph my process this time so I could share.

I made the original crotch clutch a nearly a year ago now and it was just something I randomly thought of after noticing how many "fat jeans" I had nothing to do with. I love recycling so I decided to see if I could make a clutch out of it. The first one I made was hand stitched but since I recently aquired a sewing machine I wanted to try again and this time it was not only much faster but I feel it'll last better with wear.

Now for the tutorial 

Firstly you'll need a pair of jeans you don't care about (could easily pick some up at a thrift store for $2.5-$5
The clutch will be made up of one of the front pockets and the zipper/button opening.

Here I was Measuring the original clutch so that I had an idea of how big I wanted the new one  

Start cutting into the jeans, making sure to leave half an inch of extra fabric for sewing.  

 You will pretty much remove the back of the jeans only leaving about 3-4 inches to one side of the zipper so that the zipper can be centered on the clutch. Of course if you want the zipper anywhere else you can adjust however you see fit. Remember that it's best to leave extra material then to cut too much.

WARNING BE MINDFUL OF THE POCKET! 

You don't want to cut the pocket so make sure you move it out of the way if you need to cut near or around it.

 This is what it will look like before you start to sew. Don't worry about cutting the same perfectly at first, you can always go back and reshape it slowly to get your desired shape.

 Once you have the shape that you want turn it inside out and start to sew leaving a bit of room between the edge and where the stitching will be.

 Again, be mindful of the pocket and make sure you move it out of the way when you're sewing to make it functional. As you can see I had leftover material on the edges, you can cut it but I just leave it since it's going to be on the inside of the clutch anyway. I sewed the side opening first to make sure the clutch's shape stayed true to how I wanted it.

 Do the same for the bottom and like I said before it's best to have too much material than too little. Once you've done both open sides turn your clutch right-side out. The top of the jeans will still be open but you want that to lay flat so you don't want to sewing it from the inside or it'll take away from the blue jean look and feel.

 As you can see here I've stitched the top part but I did it in two parts. I wanted to be able to undo the button for easier access (something I didn't do the first time around) this way I can open it wider and can fit my bigger sunglass case if I wanted to.

 BAM! now you have a quirky, fun fashion accesory that certainly will start conversations. The denim is not an extremely thick fabric so it'll be a bit slouchy so a perfect square is not something that really matters. Personally I like a bit of that not so perfect look. Keep in mind that trial and error does happen so don't sure your favorite pair of jeans for this. You can also costomize these anyway you want to. Leaving the belt loops even allows for you to add a strap to make it a fun little satchel.

As you can see I can fit quite a lot in the little clutch. My wallet, pack of gum, keys, chapstick and even some sunglasses fit with no issues. The inside pocket for things you don't want falling out and the back pocket is for anything you need to grab quickly. 

I also want to thank these two fabulous blogs who featured my clutch a few weeks ago <3 it really does mean the world to me that other people even care what I'm doing. So thank you again ladies! 

http://www.recycled-fashion.com

http://www.greenissuessingapore.blogspot.com

I hope the tutorial made sense as I'm still new at explaining how I do things it's a bit hard to know if others will understand how I explain things. If you do need help with anything leave me a comment and I will reply as soon as I see it.

I would love to know if anyone does make one of these so tag me on instagram @iruisu or leave me a comment here! with much love, Luis. 

PS: stay fabulous <3 

Finding and Exploring Your Personal Style

Recently I've had a lot of different compliments on my image and style choices. Some ask for advice on building a similar style or make comments like "Oh I love your bowtie I just wish I could pull one off". Truth is, I was once one of them. Finding your personal style is not something that happens overnight. First you just have to be open to trying new things. Before I started wearing bowties on a regular basis I used to look at pictures of classic dapper fashion and think to myself "oh I could just never pull that off" thing is I was just scared of change. Like a new haircut changing the way your dress is a little more mental than you'd think. Being afraid of what people will think is normal and something you just have to get over at the end of the day you're the one wearing your clothes not them. People will always have something to say but as long as you're confident anything negative is dimmed down by how good you feel about yourself.

When I first began changing the way I dressed in order to turn into the polished dapper gentleman I wanted to become I had no idea where to begin. Fact is that only because things look good on models does not mean you'll have the same luck when putting on the exact same outfit. I look back at some of my outfits and trust me, I looked terrible but trial and error is the only way to learn fashion. As long as you feel comfortable in your own style screw what others say or those silly "fashion rules". Fashion is a way to express your own individuality and like music you shouldn't limit yourself to just one genre. I get most of my fashion inspiration from classic 20's, 30's and 40's mens fashion. That does not mean I'm not influenced by street fashion and trends. It's just about finding a balance that works for you. Personally I love mixing different styles, taking elements of punk and adding them to a bowtie and blazer look.

One thing that I noticed after a while of dressing a certain way is that I felt limited to only one style or a specific look. Earlier this year I really started to explore street style and less known types of fashion. Changing my look from season to season is something fun and I think more people should play around with their looks. It's kind of like a haircut, you want to try a new one but you're afraid it'll look terrible and then be stuck with it but instead you can easily just change your shirt and be back to your comfort zone.

I often hear people say they just don't have the funds to revamp their whole closet well truth is you don't have to spend tons of money to get a new you. A great way to start changing your style is to start thrifting. The reason I say this is because if you want to try out wearing blazers and ties why spend 50-150 dollars on a well fitting blazer and another 20-50 bucks on a good tie. Thrifting is a fantastic way to build your wardrobe slowly and at an affordable price. I've found plenty of great blazers and ties for under $5. Once you think you've found a style that suits you and your lifestyle you can begin investing in certain pieces for your wardrobe. I'll give you my list of things I choose to invest in and things that should be bought at cheaper flash fashion style stores.

My tips for a more fabulous you: 

~Find your fashion inspiration. 

~There is not real templet for how one should dress, it's up to you and how you want to be perceived.  

~It's okay to mix styles and to try out new trends. 

~Have fun, life is far too short to worry about what others think.

~Do take your environments into consideration while getting dressed (will you be standing a slot? perhaps the painful  vintage oxfords aren't the way to go)  

~Invest in certain pieces, things to invest in are items you can wear over and over in many different ways and you know will last. Things to get cheaply should be trend items and things that don't really matter too much. 

~ Find your signature scent
~Designer items are nice if you have the money but it's not something required to feel or look good.

Invest: 

-Shoes

-Bags 

-A good perfume/cologne 

-Classic winter Coat   

-Anything you'd find yourself wearing for years to come 

-One or two good pairs of sunglasses

-One of a kind pieces you know you can't find anywhere else 

Things to grab on the cheaper side:

-Trend items, fact is trends come and go so don't spend big bucks on something you won't wear next year. 

-If you're someone who likes having a bunch of different accessories theres tons of different accessory shops where you can find trendy pieces very cheaply. 

-Basic pieces like tshirts and other commonly found items

-Anything you know you won't be able to wear on a regular basis.

I hope that this gives you a bit of confidence in finding your new style and building your new wardrobe. Just remember that your style is how you want your reflection to look in the mirror. Fashion rules were made to be broken and if everyone dressed the same this world would be a dull basic place to live. Don't let negative comments affect you and don't ever feel like you can't explore other types of fashion simply because someone says so. If you feel confident people will notice, this may attract negative remarks but as long as you keep your chin up and don't let people's opinions mold you then you're already ahead of so many others who would rather be cookie cutter clones and fit in than be different and stand out. 

If there's anything else you'd like to know or anything you'd like me to explain I will gladly speak to you about it. Leave me a comment here, instagram or any other social media you may have me on.  

Stay Fabulous, - Luis.

 Classic Style                                                                               Street Style