FashBlog.com

I had my illusions. Every young mother does. I imagined dressing my little girls in sweet pinafores and smocked dresses, or garbing them from head to toe in those adorable little OshKosh togs, or outfitting them in a cute little boy's look - in pink. She'd always be pretty as a picture - my own little doll to dress up however I wanted. And she was adorable - big blonde curls and eyes as blue as the sky, rosy cheeks and rosebud lips, the perfect little girl look for all those cute little-girl clothes.

All that lasted just about as long as it took her to learn to say 'No like it!' When Cara was two, she had her own very definite and defined sense of style. Forget the precious smocked bodices. The minute we walked into a store, she gravitated to the racks and racks of Madonna-style lace shirts and skirts. By the time she was five, she'd mastered the Punky Brewster school of dressing - and she hasn't looked back since.

At 21, she and a friend have just launched their own line of hand-made clothing that borrows heavily from her misspent youth. It's all NoSo - put together with snap tape, safety pins and ribbons. And it sells like hotcakes on her college campus. Their line includes 'redesigns' - jeans, t-shirts, blouses, skirts and dresses that they modify with ribbons, lace and press-on sequins to create one-of-a-kind fashions. Some of NoSo's hottest looks are incredibly easy to duplicate. The next time you're looking for something with a unique style, try one of these:

Bandanna Halter Top
Everything old is new again. I used to make these back in the 70s - but with the variety of prints available in bandannas these days the look is hotter than ever. All you need is two bandannas - matching or contrasting - two safety pins, and about a yard of ribbon. Fold each bandanna in half diagonally to form a triangles. Tie the two triangles together - the knot will go at your breast-bone, and the pair of triangles will be the cups of a 'bra'. Fold the top point of each triangle over about 3/4ths of an inch and pin on the inside. Cut the ribbon in half, and pass one ribbon through each of the 'pockets' created by the top point. Pull ends of ribbon even. Tie a slip-knot just above the bandanna top to secure the ribbon.
To wear: Tie the loose ends of the halter top in the back. Tie ribbons together at back of neck.

Tie-T
This one is one of my favorites - wear it over a bathing suit, or if you're really daring, over skin.
Materials: One t-shirt, pair of scissors
Fold the t-shirt in half, matching sleeves and sides carefully. Lay folded t-shirt on a flat surface. Slash t-shirt at outer edge every 2-3 inches. Slashes should be at least 3 inches deep. Snip every other flap, creating square openings up the sides of the t-shirt to the underarm. Snip the ends of the remaining flaps, unfold t-shirt and tie each pair of snipped flaps together. The look is completely dependent on the size of the t-shirt. Try it with a fitted baby tee (make slashes smaller in that case) or an oversize wife-beater to create a bathing suit coverup.

Lace Shoulder Tee
One more to make it a trio.
You'll need: One t-shirt. 18 inches of 2-inch wide lace ribbon in a contrasting color. Tiny gold safety pins. Scissors.
Using the scissors, carefully open one shoulder of the t-shirt from collar to end of sleeve. Fold back t-shirt material one inch on each edge. Fold lace trim over to double it. Starting at neck edge, pin lace to inside of folded shoulder edge, placing pins about half an inch apart on the OUTSIDE of the t-shirt. Pin back shoulder the same way. Trim edge of ribbon even with end of sleeve. Wear and collect compliments.

I've watched Cara through 21 years of fashion statements and experimentation. This too shall pass as she flits to another plan. In the meantime, she gets the joy of watching half her class walk around campus wearing her 'creations'. And that, she says, is totally hot.