iStock
DCL
Fashion-forward DIY-ers take note: The accessories in Louis Vuitton's Spring 2009 Ready to Wear line have a distinct arts & crafts feel. Shoes and earrings are festooned with ribbons, feathers, wooden blocks and beads, and belts are patchworks of fabric, stitched together in a jagged way, tied with colored cords. The necklaces are chunky, block-y combinations of metal and wood.
For couture arts & crafts at home, save ribbons and interesting string from packages to use as Vuitton-esque belt ties or impromptu ankle straps to spruce up a pair of useful-but-boring sling-back heels. Rummage through old jewelry boxes to see if any baubles could gain new life in a new context. Look in the closet for old leather to turn into belt pieces or necklace parts. Save wine corks, either cut or whole, cover them with fabric or paint and skewer them on earrings.
As for feathers, we can't encourage picking them up off the street. But if your neighbor has a parakeet, well, that's another story.
