What to Wear Wednesday: Comics

Season must haves! from up left: yellow Phillip Lim comic sweater - Markus Lupfer OMG sweater - ka-pow t-shirt - Phillip Lim comic purse bag - Ka-pow sweater

fab comics headband from Janine Basil

Batman logo shirt - ka-pow purse - batman cloth hanger by Veronika Paluchova via I love robots- comic words dress - comic purse - bam ring

Romance was born  s/s 2013 inspired by Marvel comics

Superheroes are here to rescue your fall wardrobe! Black and grey will be defeated with stokes of color.
High fashion loves comics. From time to time there are collections dedicated to the comic world. Designers evoke the values of a character or reproduce with irony its symbols like when Jeremy Scott transformed Superman logo into a question mark.

But when we talk about originality, well comic fanatics can beat designers.
The world of fashion inspired by comics is a crafter territory. Comics fans have customized clothes and accessories for years. Etsy is your destination to discover a world of unique accessories produced in a limited quantity.

If the most colored fall trend got your attention then visit Fashion tips from comic strips blog where Betty Felon will keep you updated on clothes and accessories inspired by comics.


I supereroi più famosi sono arrivati per salvare il guardaroba autunnale. Abiti grigi e neri siete avvertiti: sarete combattuti a colpi di colore!
La moda con la m maiuscola frequenta da anni il mondo dei comics proponendo ad intermittenza collezioni che ne rievocano le stampe. I designers fanno propri i valori degli eroi di carta o ne reinterpretano con ironia i simboli come ha fatto Jeremy Scott trasformando la S di superman in un punto interrogativo.

In quanto ad originalità a volte gli appassionati superano perfino i designers.
Quello della moda ispirata ai fumetti è un territorio ben noto ai crafters di tutto il mondo. Da moltissimo tempo i fanatici dei comics personalizzano abiti ed accessori. Etsy è la vostra destinazione obbligatoria per scovare oggetti originali e divertenti.

Se la tendenza più colorata dell'autunno ha conquistato e volete conoscere più a fondo la moda legata ai comics potete visitare il blog Fashion tips from comic strips in cui Betty Felon vi terrà aggiornati su abiti e accessori ispirati ai comics.

Last minute halloween costume ideas : free patterns 4 a costume on a stick

plastic costume on a stick via Mister Mustache

Halloween is just around the corner but it's not too late to make your costume.You can quickly  make a costume on a stick or prepare some for your friends if you've organized a party. You can go from a sophisticated Venice mask to a funny beard or create your masks around a theme like Alice in Wonderland.
I found some free patterns at fabrics.com so you can have your costume on a stick ready in a snap!
These masks can be made with a lighweighed cardboard or felt.
 I made cookie masks decorated with icing. Your friends can have fun playing with  masks and then eat them.
See more pics after the jump.

via photobooth props

Alice in wonderland costume on a stick at Etsy

via april foster events

Bottomless Vales and Boundless Floods – Re-imagining Poe

by Kate O'Connor

October 7th marked the 163rd anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe’s death. After almost two centuries, his work is still loved, taught, portrayed in films, and, in the case of Penumbra’s October edition, re-imagined. So what is it about his stories that still make him relevant today?

I first heard The Masque of the Red Death read aloud when I was in middle school. The image of Death passing slowly through six brightly colored rooms is still the first thing that comes to my mind when someone mentions Poe. It discussed death and disease and poverty in ways that made me think hard about how my world worked.

Why and how did he come up with that story in the first place? It has certain folkloric hallmarks – death in physical form, a prince, and a masquerade ball, rich vs. poor – but there is more to it than a fairytale re-write. Prince Prospero isn’t an evil villain and neither is Death. The lesson isn’t about living a better life. Instead, the tale is a simple and subtle hint that Death is already with us no matter how hard we fight against it and how slow we are to recognize it. Typical Poe. But where did that profound understanding of humanity’s desire to deny and run from inevitability come from?

Whatever else may be said about him, Poe did not exactly lead a quiet, simple life. His father left, his mother died, he was in and out of jobs, schools, and the military. He travelled in a time when one couldn’t simply just get on an airplane and go. He struggled (and occasionally failed) to support himself working as a clerk, a newspaper writer, an editor, and a literary critic. There were so many chances in his life for questions about the world to come up. His experiences, like those of many other great writers, allowed him to glimpse the foundation of storytelling: helping people to understand aspects that cannot fit neatly into our daily life.

My story Red started with that middle school memory, but it didn’t stay there. In a time where the role government should play in protecting people is being debated in the U.S., I felt the story could speak to not just the inevitability of death, but to what happens to the people who get left behind when our leaders have to make seemingly impossible choices. “Greater good” is a hard thing to talk about – ideal for Poe-inspired story.

Poe’s writing changed the face of speculative fiction because of its subtle ferocity. His themes still have that potential. The questions he asks in his stories have certainly opened up new perspectives for me as a writer and as a person. I’m sure I’m not alone in that.

Each month, Penumbra’s variations on a theme also provide new and interesting ways to look at the universe. For me, re-imagining Poe challenges us to not just look at new and interesting perspectives, but to explore how profound questions of humanity will shape those perspectives – the perfect choice for celebrating Penumbra’s first year.

Kate O'Connor is a sometime pilot, archaeology field technician on off days, and occasional dog groomer. Her short fiction has appeared in Daily Science Fiction and Pressure Suite: Digital Science Fiction Anthology 3 and is forthcoming in Penumbra and Plasma Frequency. She currently lives in the New York area.

Margiela for H&M inspired candy wrapper bag DIY tutorial

The 15h of September the Margiela for H&M collection will hit the stores. It's already been said a lot about this collaboration: we've seen the pics of the campaign, the complete lookbook and then media coverage reached the climax when H&M organized a big party in New York in which bloggers and celebrities could see and buy clothes in advance (and sell them on ebay the day after).
As strange as it may sound  the collection is already selling without even reaching the stores thanks to ebay.
All the clothes are a re-edition of iconic Margiela pieces and the most eyecatching and fun ones are the accessories.

Il 15 Novembre H&M lancerà la collezione creata in collaborazione con il marchio Margiela. H&M ci ha tenuto sulle spine a lungo diffondendo solo qualche immagine della campagna pubblicitaria. In questi ultimi giorni l'intera collezione è stata rivelata tramite la pubblicazione del lookbook e un grande evento newyorkese in cui blogger e celebrità sono state invitate a vedere ed acquistare gli abiti in anticipo (per poi rivenderli su ebay il giorno dopo). Proprio così, grazie alla magia di ebay la collezione è in vendita ancor prima di raggiungere i negozi. Tutti i capi sono riedizioni di capi iconici pescati nell'archivo Margiela e i più divertenti sono sicuramente gli accessori.

The pieces I liked the most are the candy wrapper purse and the perspex wedges.
A H&M designer collaboration is meant to offer clothes with an expensive design at H&M price points.
Apparently this is not the case of the perspex wedges offered at a price of $299!
Definitely not the H&M everage price.
I would rather invest this money on real designer shoes when they get discounted at the end of a season.
These perspex wedges were £224 (circa $360) on Farfetch in 2009. With the prices of the real thing and the H&M version being so close I wonder if the quality is also.

I miei preferiti sono la borsetta a forma di caramella e le zeppe trasparenti.

La ragion d'essere della patnership di H&M con i designer famosi è quella di offrire capi iconici a prezzi popolari  in linea con i listini  H&M e purtroppo non sembra essere il caso delle zeppe trasparenti offerte al prezzo di 199 euro, una cifra a mio modesto parere non molto lontana da quella delle scarpe originali in vendita a 278 euro circa su Farfetch nel 2009. Sarebbe interessante vedere se, oltre ai prezzi anche la qualità delle due scarpe è simile.


The Margiela candy wrapper bag from 2010 collections is an eyecatching accessory and today I had some fun making a diy version of it. It only took half a hour to make it and some sewing. I found an aluminum sheet at a local store and I decided to try to use it in this project.
You'll need:

• aluminum sheet for the sink (but you can also use metallic leather or any other leather)
• a piece of eco-leather 
• sewing machine (or glue)
• adhesive velcro strap
• scissors

La borsa a caramella di Margiela, scelta tra le collezioni del 2010 è un accessorio che non passa inosservato. Oggi mi sono divertita a realizzarne una versione fai da te in circa mezz'ora. Il foglio di alluminio che ho utilizzato è preso in prestito dalla cucina, mi ha colpito per la sua lucentezza ed ho deciso di utilizzarlo per questo diy.

Vi serviranno

• foglio di alluminio (o anche ecopelle e pelle metallica)
• un ritaglio di ecopelle
• macchina da cucire o colla
• velcro adesivo
• forbici

aluminum sheet for the sink

This sheet caught my attention because it's shiny and reflective.
In order to harden it a bit I put a piece of eco-leather inside it that will also be our lining.

Ho sovrapposto al foglio di alluminio un ritaglio di ecopelle per dargli maggior consistenza e resistenza. Inoltre la pelle fungerà da fodera.

 Cut a 40X40 cm piece of aluminum sheet and a slightly tigher piece of eco-leather.
 Sew or glue the leather at the top and bottom.

Ho ritagliato un quadrato 40x40 cm di alluminio e un pezzo poco più corto di eco pelle.

Cucite o incollate il ritaglio di pelle al foglio di alluminio in alto e in basso.

 Fold the piece of material in three to get the clutch. I made three seams close to each other to imitate the pleated part along the clutch.

Piegate il foglio in 3 per ottenere la borsetta. Ho effettuato tre cuciture l'una vicino all'altra per simulare la chiusura orizzontale della caramella.

Put the self adhesive velcro onto the top and the bottom of your square piece of material.  Now if you close it with velcro you have a silver tube.

Incollate il velcro autoadesivo sopra e sotto al vostro quadrato. Se chiudete ora il velcro otterrete un tubo argentato.

In order to obtain a rectangular shaped bag make a seam across each side of the bag.

Per ottenere una borsa rettangolare eseguite una cucitura da un lato ed una dall'altro.

 Make a zig-zag stencil with a checked piece of paper. Put it onto the bag and cut the zig zag with scissors at the edges and you new candy wrapper bag is done.

Realizzate uno stencil zig-zag con un foglio a quadretti. Sovrapponetelo al bordo corto della borsa e ritagliatene il profilo con le forbici.

Do Simple Ideas Ever Get Published?

by Daniel Ausema

The first thought that comes to mind is that there are no simple ideas. Any idea, no matter how simple on the surface, has the potential to become much more once you start looking at it more closely. So a part of being a writer is training myself to see that, to discern the wrinkles and crevices in that simple surface.

Beyond that, there are two seemingly contradictory impulses that I try to cultivate in myself. The first is not to dismiss any idea right away. A story kernel--or for that matter, any idea for creating depth and detail within the story--might initially seem too ridiculous to take seriously. Often those ridiculous things turn out to be just what the story needs, if I just look at them sideways. Whether you want to think of it as a muse or something mystic or the role of the subconscious, the story often benefits from taking what seems silly or simple and just accepting that for the moment, filing it back into my mind, and then asking the question, "And then what?" It's like the classic improv comedy guideline: you never say "no," but always say "yes, and..." Take what you're given or what you come up with and then run from there.

At the same time, the second impulse I try to develop is to reach for the second or third idea. Sometimes the obvious, first thought is a dead-end after all, one that will leave the idea as simple as it seemed at first. Always reaching, always asking one more question after I think that I've solved a plot tangle. This doesn't have to be an agonizing, second-guessing sort of slog. A writing group I'm part of will often have intense one-hour writing prompts, and often the stories that come from it that I'm most pleased with are the ones where I ignore the first thing that comes to mind and reach for that idea just beyond it, the one that pushes the story a little further and more unexpected than I'd first imagined.

And always beneath (or above?) it all is an open curiosity. It's where the ideas, simple or not, come from in the first place and where the development of those ideas finds its traction. I'm deliberately and insatiably curious about all manner of things--people and plants, social customs and geological structures--and that curiosity gives the raw material for all sorts of stories.

Daniel Ausema has a background in journalism and experiential education and is now a stay-at-home dad. His fiction and poetry have appeared in numerous publications, including two issues of Penumbra. He lives in Colorado, a land of micro-brews, river rafting, and mountain wildfires.

Learn more about Daniel Ausema on his blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.

5 Halloween costume ideas from the runway

 1. Black swan 

Giles Deacon spring 2012

Philipp Plein fall 2011

2. Star Wars - sci fi look 

Giles Deacon 2008

Balenciaga Darth Vader hat spring 2012

3. The Witch

Gucci fall 2012

4. The corpse bride 

Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture spring 2011

5. Alice in Wonderland

Oscar de la Renta fall 2012

Accessories are the key to make a look really pop on the runway and we've seen very eccentric ones during the years. They help to create a mood and they will make people talk for days after the show.  A over the top headpiece or an exaggerated make up can make a costume on their own. If you pick the right accessories then you can wear a dress from your closet.
Now get inspired by some of the biggest names in fashion for your halloween costume. These well tailored catwalk dresses will put us on the right track to create a terrific halloween look.

A volte gli accessori giusti sono fondamentali. La loro forza comunicativa ci aiuta a mettere a fuoco il mood di una sfilata e, quando sono esagerati, lo show farà parlare di sè a lungo. Un cappello eccentrico o un make up stravagante possono da soli creare un look di halloween e basterà indossare un abito che abbiamo già nell'armadio.  Prima di immaginare il vostro look prendete spunto dalle sfilate e sarete sulla strada giusta per creare un look spaventoso ma sempre chic.

MEDITATIONS ON THE DARK SIDE

by Larry Ivkovich

Edgar Allan Poe has always been one of my favorite authors so when Penumbra eMag announced their Poe-themed first anniversary issue, I jumped at the chance to submit a story.

As soon as I read the guidelines, The Cask of Amontillado came to mind. To me, it’s the ultimate revenge tale even though the perceived crimes by Fortunato against Montressor are never really described by Poe. I reread the story which, oddly enough, was first published in a magazine titled Godey’s Lady’s Book in 1846. It still holds up as starkly chilling. Can’t imagine what those first readers felt.

It got me to thinking about the victim and what would happen if he or she survived the immurement--entombed alive and left to die of hunger or thirst. Not feeling worthy enough to write an actual sequel to the original story, I came up with a female protagonist whose husband wanted her out of the way in order to get her estate.

I felt that no matter what higher or darker powers there were that allow a person to be kept alive with no food, water or light for twenty years, those same powers would be helpless to keep that person completely sane. The victim would change drastically.

Marian still lives in her bricked-in tomb but she’s really no longer human in mind, body or spirit. To her, the only thing that’s allowed her to survive is her hunger for revenge against her husband. Nothing else matters.

I was able to really dig into my dark side for this story. Somehow, Marian’s point-of-view was surprisingly easy to write from--I’m not sure what that says about my own personality although writing from the “bad guy” POV can sometimes be more interesting. I also tried to emulate, not so much Poe’s voice, but a similar style of that time period. It’s told in first-person by Marian and illustrates the monster she’s become.

Of course, the real question is--who’s the real monster, Marian or her husband who had committed the crime in the first place? Evil begets evil and, in the end, there are no good guys or winners.

I must have got something right for Penumbra Magazine to accept The Face Behind the Wall. I’m very excited and proud to be a part of their first anniversary issue!

Larry Ivkovich is a genre writer who's had several short stories and novellas published in various online and print publications. He's been a finalist in the L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest and was the 2010 recepient of the CZP/Rannu Fund Award for Fiction. His debut novel, The Sixth Precept, was published last November by IFWG publishing.


Learn more about Larry and his work on his website.

DIY idea: the Peplum Belt

Asos peplum belt

H&M peplum belt

Peplum tops and skirts are here to stay. They've been very popular last spring and they're in fall collections as well maybe because that frill around the waist gives a feminine touch to any outfit.
How can we transform a skirt into a peplum skirt? It only takes a circle of fabric and you can do it in one hour.
Today I want to show you an even quicker way to trasform any outfit into a peplum outfit just with an accessory: the peplum belt.
The on/off peplum can temporary transform your clothes and you'll simply take it off when your relashionship with peplums will be over.
I bet it's not difficult to DIY,  we can just glue a circle of leather around the waist.
While you're thinking how to customize your belt have a look at the detachable peplum that Tasha made.


La baschina, una delle protagoniste della passata primavera continua a imperversare anche in l'autunno. Sarà forse perchè quel volant scampanato dà un tocco di femminilità in più al look. Come trasformare una gonna in una gonna peplum? Basta un cerchio di stoffa e potete farlo in circa un'ora. Oggi però voglio mostrarvi un accessorio che sicuramente piacerà ai fan della baschina: la cinta peplum che aggiungerà quel volant femminile ad ogni look che volete.  La baschina on/off è un'idea intelligente perchè la trasformazione del capo è solo temporanea e ci permette di tornare indietro quando di baschine ne avremo avuto abbastanza. Realizzarla non è difficile, basterà incollare un volant ad una cinta, mentre pensate a come personalizzare la vostra cinta guardate il peplum rimuovibile realizzato da Tasha..

Why We Love Dread

by Karen Heuler

Hitchcock knew that anticipation of a bomb’s explosion created more tension than the explosion itself. We are seduced by expectation; we are addicted to watching how inevitability plays out.


Poe knew it too. His characters await consequences; they need retribution. They long to be exposed, to be relieved of the weight of expectation. They will commit their crimes, but they will blurt out their crimes, too. And if there is no one to blurt it to, then the crimes themselves turn on them, compulsively coming for them.

Why is dread so powerful?

Our own dreads may be personal—that we will be exposed, that our actions will be viewed sternly—but the consequences are public. And we do want consequences. We want to think that the good are rewarded and the evil are punished—and for that to happen to everyone means it will happen to us.

Dread involves secret desire. Those who have no remorse have no dread. For the rest of us, the anticipation of retribution is irresistible. Why wouldn’t it be? If you do something that you believe deserves payment, then you have no alternative but to expect it. The longer it takes to arrive, the more you desire it, if only to have it over with. Dread indicates a need for moral rightness. You may believe you’ll get away with something, but if you get away with it, then the world is out of order.

Hence, our need for dread. We fear and long for justice. It indicates a rightness, a perfection in the world—and it indicates, too, that we are subject to it. We like to see murder, thoughtlessness, cruelty punished. And because we are capable of imagining justice, we both want it and hate it. No justice excludes us.

When do we first feel dread? Not until we can anticipate consequences, knowing that a broken vase means punishment, a glowing orange blueness means burns. Until then, life sails on with unpremeditated rules.

But once cause and effect makes it into our heads, then too does justice and injustice. We long for the good to come of our actions, and dread the bad.

Still, we can get away with things, but unless we’re psychopaths, our minds expect to pay some cost for our actions.

So what we do in secret is still subject to law. In order for our world to be orderly, we, too, must suffer consequences even when no one else knows but us.

Poe knew that the conscience was a torturous, tormented thing: it couldn’t be ignored; it demanded to be heard. A guilty conscience wants justice as much as a pure one does; unfortunately the justice it wants is meted out against itself. We expect justice to come; we want it to come. Its delay is awful.

Inside dread is desire. We need to have the world reset.

We dread things because we know the rest of the world evaluates our actions and tries to establish a measure for it. Punishment is supposed to suit the crime, to even out its effect. It’s what we used to call an objective correlative when I was in college—that external personification of an internal conflict. True punishment picks up on the original crime and evolves it.

Because dread is internal, it’s unbalanced; once you experience dread, it can only be resolved externally. Though of course you feel it, it has an extended life of its own. Your fear seems to separate and begin its own existence.

We dread it because we want it; we want it because it’s the only relief there is to dread—that horrible moment when what we did comes home and finds us.

Karen Heuler’s stories have appeared in over 60 literary and speculative magazines and anthologies. Her most recent novel, The Made-up Man, is about a woman who sells her soul to the devil to be a man for the rest of her life. ChiZine Publications will publish her short story collection, The Inner City, in Feb. 2013 and Permuted Press will publish her novel, Glorious Plague, in 2014.

Learn more about Karen on her website.

What to Wear Wednesday: Grid print

Topshop Unique spring 2013  via StyleScrapbook

Clockwise from left: Kenzo sweater - J.W. Anderson white and blue - Marni top (center) - Check shirt Forever 21 - Orange check sweater

Prada resort 2012 - Check mac and dress -  Unique Coat - House Of Frazer dress

Time to get tidy and serious (not too much don't worry). After being flashy and floral for spring, prints get clean and geometrical for fall. A simple check it the recurrent theme on jumpers, coats and dresses. The clean lines of the grid print evoke school memories of blackboards and math notebooks. The most coveted piece so far? The oversized sweater by J.W. Anderson worn by fashion editors during latest fashion weeks.

E' tempo di serietà! Le stampe colorate e chiassose della passata stagione diventano semplici e geometriche per l'autunno. Il quadretto, essenziale e rigoroso è il tema ricorrente di abiti, cappotti e top e maglioni. La pulizia di linee evoca scolastiche memorie di lavagne e quaderni di matematica. Il pezzo più fotografato? Il maglione di J.W. Anderson indossato dai fashion editors durante le recenti fashion weeks.

One Year of Penumbra

by Dianna L. Gunn

When I emailed Celina Summers to ask about an internship with Penumbra last September, I didn't expect a response. When she invited me to join the Musa team, I expected six months of reading submissions then be sent on my way.

My expectations couldn't have been more wrong. At the end of October I was assigned to work with a team of interns on creating the third issue of Penumbra. My duties included editing and interviewing Homer Eon Flint's granddaughter and Musa author Vella Munn. I had great fun working with the other interns—and I am not a fan of group projects—and was thrilled with our December issue.

Since then, I've worked on several issues of Penumbra and interviewed a number of authors—including William Horwood, a hero on my personal bookshelf. I've also managed the blog, corresponding with authors to round up posts. I've even helped update Penumbra's Facebook and Twitter.

When I signed up as an intern, I didn't expect any of these opportunities. Sure, it's ended up being more complicated than what I originally signed up for, but it's also been a great learning experience. I've learned so much about writing, publishing, and how much work really goes into your favourite magazines. Even better, I've had the opportunity to meet and interview dozens of authors—both Penumbra authors and authors from each of Musa's imprints.

But what really stands out about working with the Penumbra team and the Musa staff isn't the lessons I've learned or the opportunities I've been given. It's the feeling that I've been brought into a big, happy family. Big staff meetings don't stress me out—instead, I look forward talking to the team and working to create our next issue. We've all been brought together by a love of fiction and a belief in the things Musa and Penumbra stand for—turning writers into authors, providing readers with great fiction, and paying our authors professional rates while keeping our fiction affordable.

I've had to take a step back from the actual Penumbra issues due to other commitments, but I'm still here working in the background. I've watched this magazine grow so much; I love each issue more than the last. I'm proud of what we do here at Penumbra and I hope to stay with this emagazine for years—both because I love the emagazine and because I love the people behind it.

Dianna L. Gunn is a young Canadian fiction writer who specializes in dark fantasy. She also writes poetry, generally dark, which is her way of dealing with life. This insightful author hosts a website covering every aspect of fiction writing and interviews with noted guest authors.

Learn more about Dianna L. Gunn on her website and follow her on Twitter.

How to make a leather cut out necklace + Download the FREE PATTERN

Laser cut necklace

Download the FREE PATTERN here

 Laser cut clothes invaded fall pret a porter. The new embroidery has been released from the richness of the decorations and became easier to wear. Leather makes it modern and fresh. The see through effect is chic because it shows the right amount of skin.
Even without an expensive laser cut machine we can obtain the same effect with a pair of classic scissors.
I made exclusively for you an original necklace and you can download the free pattern here.

See the complete tutorial on How to make the intaglio necklace on Style.it

Rome celebrates 60 years of Made in Italy

From the 10th to the 28th of October the Capitolini-Centrale Montemartini Museum in Rome hosts the exhibition "60 years of Made in Italy". The exhibition aims to show the story of the leading figures of "Made in Italy", presenting some of fashion's groundbreaking creations from the 1950s to nowadays.
The collection includes red carpet dresses worn to the Oscars by celebrities and top models and sophisticated creations made with experimental materials.

Alta Moda designers exposed include : Renato Balestra, Franco Ciambella, Raffaella Curiel, Marella Ferrera, Sorelle Fontana, Egon Furstenberg, Galitzine, Gattinoni, Lancetti, Antonio Marras, Gai Mattiolo, Lorenzo Riva, Sarli, Schuberth, Valentino.

Pret a porter creations are from: Emilio Pucci, Walter Albini, Giorgio Armani, Laura Biagiotti, Mariella Burani, Roberta di Camerino, Helietta Caracciolo, Roberto Cavalli, Enrico Coveri, Dolce & Gabbana, Etro, Fendi, Salvatore Ferragamo, Gianfranco Ferre’, Alberta Ferretti, Nazareno Gabrielli, Genny, Gherardini, Gucci, Krizia, La Perla, Max Mara, Missoni, Moschino, Prada, Ermanno Scervino, Luciano Soprani, Trussardi, Versace.

The exhibition is making a tour in various museums around the world. Next stop : Mexico City.



Dal 10 al 28 Ottobre i Musei Capitolini-Centrale Montemartini  di Roma ospiteranno la mostra "60 anni di Made in Italy".  L'esposizione intende celebrare la capacità sartoriale degli stilisti italiani che hanno saputo imporre il loro gusto creando quello che oggi viene riconosciuto nel mondo come "stile italiano". 
Tra i cento abiti esposti troverete abiti unici creati per i red carpet della notte degli Oscar e creazioni sofisticate realizzate con materiali sperimentali.
Terminata l'esposizione romana la collezione sarà esposta a Città del Messico.

L'Alta Moda è rappresentata dagli stilisti: Renato Balestra, Franco Ciambella, Raffaella Curiel, Marella Ferrera, Sorelle Fontana, Egon Furstenberg, Galitzine, Gattinoni, Lancetti, Antonio Marras, Gai Mattiolo, Lorenzo Riva, Sarli, Schuberth, Valentino.

Il Pret a porter da : Emilio Pucci, Walter Albini, Giorgio Armani, Laura Biagiotti, Mariella Burani, Roberta di Camerino, Helietta Caracciolo, Roberto Cavalli, Enrico Coveri, Dolce & Gabbana, Etro, Fendi, Salvatore Ferragamo, Gianfranco Ferre’, Alberta Ferretti, Nazareno Gabrielli, Genny, Gherardini, Gucci, Krizia, La Perla, Max Mara, Missoni, Moschino, Prada, Ermanno Scervino, Luciano Soprani, Trussardi, Versace.  

fonte La stampa

How to make an embroidered top without embroider: A Tutorial

DIY embroidered top

Last friday we talked about  rich and sophisticated embroideries and how they are so popular for fall. We also saw a few tricks to obtain beautiful embroideries without actually embroider.
I couldn't wait to have my embroidered top so I made (another) peplum and  today I'll show you how to make this rich embroidery in less than an hour.

You'll need:

• a top
• a centerpiece
• iron on interfacing or bondaweb

La settimana scorsa abbiamo parlato di qualche trucco per realizzare un top ricamato senza saper ricamare. Non ho resistito a realizzare subito il mio ed oggi vi mostrerò come realizzare un ricamo elaborato in meno di un'ora.

Avrete bisogno di:

• un top
• un centrotavola ricamato
• telina termoadesiva o bondaweb 

Start with a top and an embroidered center piece.

Put the interfacing over the wrong side or the embroidery. The shiny side has glue on it.

Disponete la telina sul rovescio del ricamo. Quel luccichio che vedete non è altro che colla.

Iron the interfacing. The glue will melt and it will stick on the fabric.
Once the interfacing is on, the fabric won't unthread and you'll be able to cut the embroideries off without damaging them.

Stirate la telina. La colla sciogliendosi si attaccherà al ricamo. A questo punto potete tagliare via il ricamo dal centrotavola perchè non sfilerà più.

Place the embroideries wherever you want.
Differently from the classic interfacing, bondaweb is a double-sided adhesive that bond fabrics together simply by ironing. Once you place your embroideries you can iron them on and that's it,you've done!


If you haven't bondaweb you can just stich the embroideries onto the top (or use a fabric glue).

Since my embroidery is made by flowers and leaves I decided to connect them with branches so I drawn a line with a pencil and I made a basic embroidery Outline Stitch, here's how to do it:

You'll need embroidery thread. This is moulinè. 

Disponete i ricami a piacimento. Bondaweb, a differenza della telina classica ha la colla su due lati quindi basterà stirare i ricami sul top per incollarli. Se avete utilizzato invece la telina cuciteli sul top oppure fissateli con una colla per la stoffa.

Visto che il ricamo che ho scelto è composto da fiori e foglie ho voluto connetterli con dei rami realizzati a punto erba. Ecco come ho fatto:

Make the first stitch and come out with the needle at the middle and repeat.

Stitches are close to each other, slightly overlapped.

Eseguite un punto ed uscite con l'ago a metà. Ripetete. 

I punti sono vicini l'uno a l'altro e leggermente sovrapposti.

This is how it looks once done.

Ecco come appare il punto una volta finito.

When You Know It's Right

by Tom Brennan

I may be superstitious and/or suggestible but I believe in gut reactions, in the value of first impressions. So when, towards the middle of last year, a friend emailed to ask had I noticed a new listing on Ralan, I had a good feeling as soon as I saw Penumbra. I liked the layout, I liked the ethos, I liked the ‘feel’ of the site. I had a story which meant something to me and I thought would fit their outlook; I sent in my story with optimism…

The whole process worked so smoothly and professionally – and amazingly quickly. In the year since, I’ve concentrated on a fantasy novel called Doktor Glass, but I still think about seeing Butterfly out there so painlessly. I think writing over a long period of time requires no small measure of optimism, and it’s good to see optimism repaid. We need more publications like Penumbra and I hope to see them around for a long time.

Tom Brennan is a British writer living beside the Mersey River in Liverpool, UK. He works as an Emergency Medical Dispatcher and enjoys writing what he loves: Fantasy, SF, Crime, Literary, all with the invaluable help of an ethereal white cat called Delaney. He has a fantasy novel, Doktor Glass, out in January with Ace and is currently working on the sequel.

Stay connected with Tom Brennan on Facebook.