An illustrated guide to shining shoes, courtesy of the Art of Manliness. If you haven't seen this website, it's full of great, stylish tips for the men in your life (and, clearly, a few we women can use, too!).

We've got this article on "How to Remove Makeup Stains" bookmarked; it's a total life-saver in recovering garments from foundation and nail polish and even hair dye disasters! 

Image credit: Bellasugar

Members of Ballet Russe, 1945, mending tights and pointe shoes. Photo by Myron Davis.

Check out these great quick tips on how to repair tights with a hole or a run: http://ow.ly/hwIv3

One of the best parts of shopping? Wearing your new garment out immediately afterward, of course. But, too often, newly-purchased pants have to detour to the tailor before they're ready for their debut. Not so if you learn to hem at home. Trust us; you'll be so glad to have this tutorial on hand the next time a Sunday shopping trip leaves you unable to wait to wear your new trousers to work on Monday.

So, what's the right length? We recommend that the hem of your pants fall close to the middle of your heel, although this rule varies based upon the width of the pant leg. For example, a skinny-cut pant can expose more of your shoe, and a extreme flare will better elongate the leg if it leaves only the last half inch of your heel exposed. No matter the silhouette of your pants, the leg should hang straight, with a slight break where it meets the top of your foot should you desire, but never awkwardly bunching there. Most importantly, your hem should never touch the floor; pants that are too long will accumulate impossible-to-remove dirt stains and begin to fray from the friction of dragging across the ground.

What you'll need: a needle or a sewing machine, thread that matches the color of your pants, an iron, a seamripper, a ruler.

1. Remove the original hem using your seamripper.

2. Try on the pants with the shoes with which you're most likely to wear them to determine your desired length. Cuff the inside of one of the pant legs and pin at the side seams. You'll likely need another person's aid to do this, as bending will raise the hem significantly.

3. Now, take the pants off and turn them inside out. Lay them flat, matching the lengths of both pant legs. If you're concerned about precision, a ruler will be helpful here. Pin the second leg's hem as necessary, at both the side seams.

4. Iron the hem where it is pinned. Then, carefully fold your freshly-ironed, raw hem under half an inch, ironing it once again. Pin this double hem all around, inserting on pin every three inches or so.

5. Starting at a side seam, slipstitch the hem all the way around and tie off. 

Image credit: Creative Fashion Glee

Creating a slipcover for your pillows is a brilliant way to give your living room a quick mini-makeover, and the process is surprisingly simple. We’ve chosen to provide instructions for an envelope slipcover, which allows for easy removal for washing.

What you’ll need: a pillow, fabric, fabric chalk or disappearing-ink fabric pen, ruler, scissor, pins, needle and thread or sewing machine.

1. Pre-wash, dry, and iron your fabric.

2. Measure the dimensions of your pillow, to determine how much fabric you will need. Add one inch to the height, for top and bottom hem allowance. Then, multiple the length by two, and add six inches, to account for both the left and right hem and the envelope overlap. For example, for a 12” pillow, you’d need a 13”x30” rectangle of fabric.; for a 14” pillow, 15”x34”; for a 16”, 17”x 38”; for an 18” pillow, 19” x42”; and so on.

3. Using fabric chalk or a disappearing-ink fabric pen, cut out your fabric to the appropriate size. Place the fabric right-side down.

4. Now you’ll want to double hem the left and right edges. Do so by folding each edge in 1/2 an inch, and pressing down. Fold over again 1/2 an inch, and press once more. Now, pin the edge approximately 1/8th an inch from the inner fold, and stitch by hand or use your sewing machine.

5. Fold your newly-hemmed left and right edges in, overlapping them by two inches. This will serve as your envelope back.

6. Before you proceed, you might want to measure the square you’ve created to ensure that it matches the dimensions of your pillow. If your fabric is the correct size, pin the top and bottom edges and sew 1/2 an inch in to create a finished hem.

7. Finally, turn the pillowcase right-side out and carefully use closed scissors to push out the corners. Insert your pillow through the open envelope back. Gorgeous, isn’t it?!

Once you’ve mastered the method, try experimenting with different kinds of fabrics, like a vintage scarf in a bold, bright pattern. If you’re particularly adept at sewing, you might even add tassels to the four corners, or embellishments in the form embroidered design at the center, ribbon bows on each side, or beading at the hem.

Tutorial credit: Martha Stewart 
Image credit: West Elm

Love the look of the heidi braids featured in our Fall/Winter 2012 lookbook? This easy-to-follow tutorial will show you how to emulate the hairstyle in just a few simple steps.

Video credit: Erica Davidson at the Pretty Pleased blog

Now that you’ve learned to sew a flat button, we thought to teach you to tackle the shank button. Shank buttons are so named because they have a raised area at their underside, known as a shank. They’re also usually more decorative than their flat counterparts – you can buy them with delicate embossed designs or even encrusted with rhinestones – so these are the buttons to use when you’d like to add subtle interest to your apparel.

1. Thread a needle with double thread, knotting the ends together.

2a. Insert your needle from the underside of the fabric, and sew a small x, using two stitches, where you intend to fasten your button. Repeat once or twice more.

2b. This step is optional. Place a smaller, flat button on the underside of the fabric, and sew. This will serve to support your shank button.

3. Now, place the shank button, and pass the needle from underneath the garment through the button’s shank. Don’t sew too tight; you’ll want to leave some space between the fabric and your button. Repeat this process about six times.

4. Wind your thread tightly around the thread column that you’ve created underneath the button’s shank.5. Pass your needle through the middle of the column, leaving a small loop, and thread back through that loop to secure. Repeat once more, and you’ve finished sewing your shank button. Bring your needle underneath the fabric, and, finally, snip the remaining thread. 

Image credit: The Peacock Box Blog

It might be a fashion rite-of-passage to reach for a favorite blouse, only to find that the threads of one of its buttons are seconds away from completely unraveling. And, really, who hasn’t had the unfortunate experience of losing a button to a coat at the most inopportune of moments? Read on to learn how to remedy it yourself, in five simple steps. You won’t believe how incredibly easy this is.

1. Thread a needle with double thread, knotting the ends together, and Insert your needle from the underside of the fabric, and sew a small x, using two stitches, where you intend to fasten your button.  

2. Now, place the button, and pass the needle from underneath the garment through one of the button holes. 

3a. Before you continue, position a spacer of some kind – a thick sewing needle or even a toothpick will work fine – to help anchor. For a two-hole button, stitch over your spacer and through the other button hole. Repeat this three or four times.

3b. If you’re using a four-hole button, you’re going to want to stitch diagonally (top right to bottom left, or top left to bottom right) over the spacer. Again, three or four stitches should suffice.

4. Remove your makeshift spacer. Push the button upwards to create distance between it and the fabric. Wind your thread tightly around to construct a thread column – this is called a shank.

5. Finally, pass your needle through the middle of the shank, leaving a small loop, and thread back through that loop to secure. Repeat this act once more, and you’ve finished sewing your flat button. Simply snip the remaining thread, and admire your handiwork.

Image credits: Park & Bond

Silk scarves are wonderfully timeless and incredibly versatile, the ultimate go-to accessory. We believe them to be such an important addition to every wardrobe, in fact, that we’ve decided to teach you how to sew your own.

1. Find a great silk fabric – we personally prefer light georgettes or crepes – and don’t be afraid to choose a bold, colorful print. Square scarves offer a few more styling options than do rectangular ones, so we suggest purchasing a 36”, 45”, or 60” square. 

2. Steam the silk. If you only have an iron, use the lowest setting possible, and place a towel over the fabric for extra protection. 

3. The mark of a high-quality scarf is a hand-rolled hem. This can be tricky, but we think it’s worth the extra effort. First, sew a quarter inch in from the raw edge all around the scarf. Now you’ll want trim as close to the stitch as you can; a centimeter is a good amount. If you place some kind of a paperweight on the soon-to-be scarf, so that you can pull your fabric taught, this will help during trimming and hand-sewing.

4. Backstitch the edge. Then, keeping the fabric taut, hold that edge between your thumb and forefinger. Roll toward you. You’ll want to roll so that the earlier stitching is hidden inside the roll. Now, slipstitch the hem. 

5. Voila! Your silk scarf is finished and ready for wear.

Once you’ve created your own beautiful, one-of-a-kind scarf, you’ll want to style it right. Below, we've provided some of our favorite ways to tie a silk scarf, courtesy of Hermes knotting cards.

Feature image credit: Greg Kadel for Vogue Germany (January 2012)

Here at Carrie Parry, we believe in investing in classic, well-made items to construct a wardrobe of timeless value. Of course, once you’ve amassed an enviable collection, it’s important to make sure that your apparel and accessories are organized properly. Below, we provide our best tips to keep your closet looking as beautiful as the items you store within it.

Keep your wardrobe perfectly paired down. Reverse all the hangers in your closet so that they face backward. Every time you wear an item, flip the hanger forward. At the end of six months, if you find an item hasn’t been worn, you might consider donating it.

Organize your jewelry. You can purchase a jewelry tree for your necklaces to place on a shelf, or simply use hooks mounted onto the back of your closet door. This will make it easier for you to choose how to accessorize after you dress, too. Rings and bracelets can be placed neatly in a drawer, stored in a jewelry box, or tucked into cloth jewelry pouches.

Handbags should never be hung. The weight of the purse will weaken its straps and may even distort its shape. Instead, stuff with tissue paper and designate separate shelf space.

Have a lot of scarves, gloves, and hats? Consider purchasing storage containers for each. Vintage-style hatboxes, especially in fun colors and patterns, are a super stylish way to stow these items.

Image credit: Design OCD Blog