Yo Shank!

2011-06-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

Here's some new stuff I made, let me know what you guys think :)

Trashion

2011-06-03T17:19:00.000-07:00

Yo! I wanted to show you guys a few of the new designs I came up with known as "Trashion" fashion made from trash. Well not literally trash but other items of clothing I would have just thrown away. The first one is this sleeveless cardigan that I made from a scarve from a thrift store. It's beautiful but I never wore it because it was just too big to be a wearable scarf. And I also made this black & white skinny print belt that came from an old tote I had & never used. I'm really into the skinny waist belt trend right too. The third is a corset that I made from a too big skirt I got from Jcp's clearance rack for a great price. I matching earrings from this same skirt about a month ago and it looks great with the corset. Let me know what you guys think!

2011-06-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

One big trend this summer is color blocking. Yes its back. When I first read of color blocking reemerging back into the fashion scene the first thing that came to mind was cartoons. I always remember all the cartoon when I was younger and how the characters always wore each article of clothing in a different color, for example a green hat, red shirt, blue jeans, and purple shoes. I use to always think to myself too 'Why would you wear so many different colors together? It doesn't even match! Who dresses like that??' so I wasn't too excited when I first heard of it. But like the maxi skirt trend its starting to grow on me. So I got inspired by a lot of new color blocking that I'm seeing, especially in stripes ( I LOVE stripes) like these ones:

So inspired by them I decided to make this color block tank dress striped with highlighter yellow, pink, & blue since highlighter is also hot this summer. I also made this leather cuff bracelet. I saw a similar one in Express but for around $30 and being the crafter I am I said eff that and decided to make my own. Let me know what you guys think :)

New Stuff :)

2011-05-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

Let me know what you guys think!

2011-05-24T21:50:00.001-07:00

Yo! I can't believe its already May 24th! June is almost here & summer is fast approaching. And I know that you guys know what that means, summer bathing suits! I've made two new bathing suits for this summer with more to come. I've always wanted a really nice one piece so I decided to make one. Its a great alternative to the traditional bikini & looks just as sexy. The second is a tradition bikini with an ethnic print for the bottom. I've never really been a fan of bathing suits that exactly match on the top & bottom so be expecting the other ones to come from me mismatch too :) Bandeaus never fail for summer so I have a great cheetah print gray one too. And if you haven't already noticed denim anything (that's not jeans) is a must have for this season. I made this acid wash denim messenger bag with an 80's feel from a great pair of suuuuuper high waist jeans I got from a thrift store. Messenger bags have become my favorites in these last few months. They're way more carefree to me. I've been reading about a lot of independent designers based in New York who make everything from their line from already worn clothes. Which I thought was a great idea & my inspiration behind the messenger bag. Besides the fact that it makes every item you create with its own uniqueness (which is the main focus of the YO SHANK! line) Its also way better for the environment. So I decided to try & do that with the majority of the things from my line from now on. Let me know what you guys think!

2011-05-19T00:12:00.000-07:00

Yo! I'm back! And with some new stuff for Spring/Summer. Maxi skrits & dresses are forecasted to become really must have pieces for this year. Personally, I despised maxi dresses & skirts, I felt like the long length made them grandma style. But then I began to notice all the maxi skirts & dresses that I've been seeing in magazines & on the shelves of stores are all one color, usually black. And me being the print loving girl that I am I wondered if maybe I wasn't so fond of the new maxi trend is because it had such a blan one color scheme. I decided to whip up some maxi shirts with prints and styles I was fond of and ended up really loving them. So take a look & let me know what you guys think.I also made a male version of the Striped Distressed Tank I made for females a few weeks back and a ruffled beige tube dress since nuetrals are really in right now (thought I've always been a fan of a good nuetral piece). A tube dress like this is very versitile & thats exactly why I love it so much. It can be paired with a cardigan & boots with tights too or with sandals. There's endless possibilities. I'm sure you guys have been wondering what happened with the promo video I had shot & where its been. Well there's been a bit of delay in the editting of it but as soon as it all done I'll have it up here for you guys!

2011-04-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

Soooooo excited from my promo video to be finished. It should be done by Sunday so I'll definitely have it up here for you guys to take a look :) in the mean time you guys can take a look at a few new designs I came up with. Two of which is men's apparel. I intend on expanding my designs with a lot more men's clothing. Let me know what you guy's think of the tie & vest. I was actually planning on making a guy's version of the stripped distressed tank that I made for woman. I think it would look really cool as a guys tank too. I also would love to hear some ideas from guys on things you would like to see me make. I love feed back :D

2011-04-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

Yo! Today with a help of a very good friend of mine, an up & coming photographer Tosh Jones, I shot a promo video for the YO SHANK! line. I looking to improve my clientele and introduce YO SHANK! to the world. I'm so excited to see how it comes out :D so be looking out for that video real soon within this week. It was super fun to shoot though. The only hard part is I have to pick out 5 songs for background music for the video. I have no idea what songs I want to use though! I was thinking 'Glam' by Christina A., 'Fashion' by Lady Gaga, 'Material Girl' by Madonna & 'Labels Or Love' by Fergie. But I still have no idea! Lol. Let me know what songs you guys think would be good for a YO SHANK! signature video.

Sprining Into Action

2011-04-14T03:12:00.000-07:00

Sup! Long time no blog. The weather has been so nice lately and it just the beginning of spring! Anyways, this wonderful weather has had me in the mood to make some wonderful new signature YO SHANK! apparel . My next batch of goodies for you guys to feast upon is mostly accessories (occasionally I go accessory crazy lol) and full of ethnic/tribal patterns which are becoming my favorite trend this spring. Take a look!

**ALSO**
I just wanted to let you, my readers know, that I am selling things from my brand YO SHANK! so hit me up anytime if you're intreseted in the YO SHANK! signature style. Hit me on Facebook: Yo Shank , Twitter: @YO_SHANK , Tumblr: yoshank.tumblr.com , Email: yoshank28@gmail.com

I'm currently in the process of making a short video promoting my line so look out for that! YO SHANK coming at you soon! :)

2011-03-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

I am soooooo ready for Spring! Only 3 more days :D I've made a few new things I cant wait to wear this Spring. Like I said in my last post I'm all about crop tops right now so I revamped a cool vintage men's T Shirt I got at a thrift store. By the way I encourage everyone to check out their local thrift stores. You can find some really cool & unique pieces that you could never find at Forever 21 and pay less than a third of the cost and its also really good for the environment. I also put together a Floral print skirt. And floral is a really big trend this Spring/Summer. I'm more of a fan big floral prints like this one I created vs smaller floral prints. Floral prints, checkered prints and actually just about in print is my favorite thing in my wardrobe right now. Thus, the tribal print bandeau I've also created. It was intended to be a head scarf but I've been really wanting a funky bandeau since I have so many solid colored one. Anyways here is some pics of my new stuff let me know what you think in the comment section below :)

2011-03-08T12:42:00.000-08:00

I've been totally into prints right now & I really love mixing prints. And even though the weather is still icky I've also been going threw a white tee phase. I'm in love with white tees and all the different variations of them, especially cropped. So even though I only have 2 colors of these cropped tops and tank I've actually made them in an array of colors. Of course including white. The off the should cropped shirt is one of my favorites right now. They're so comfy & simple yet can be dressed up or dressed down. So here's a few of my new things! I love comments & suggestions so feel free to leave any. Also, if you like anything you see here and would like to purchase any, I accept payment via paypal. My email address is sgshanklin328@gmail :)

My Personal Fashion Icons

2011-01-27T00:51:00.000-08:00

Here is the top 5 personal fashion icons. The people who, to me, have the best style and uniqueness, the two things that are most important to me when it comes to fashion.

1. M.I.A

A British singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer whose eclectic compositions combine elements of hip-hop, electronica, dance, avante-garde, alternative and world music. She also has some of the dopest style I have ever witness. Its very urban eccentric and colorful, my two favorite things. I absolutely love her swag. Not to mention her music is the shit! lol

2. La Roux (Elly Jackson)

Lead singer of the electro-pop English group La Roux. I love her style so much because it is mostly masculine themed.You usually find her in an array of mixed patterns, something studded, colorful, tons of accessories and oxfords (my fav!). When I was in high school I use to love wearing men's suit jackets and ties as well as bow ties. I still have a great attraction to men's clothing and I can't wait to start making some. Anyways La Roux's Elly Jackson makes my list for having breaking the rules of what men and women are "suppose" to wear and having a sick ass hair do!

3. Rupaul

Drag Queen super star is on this list because he is simply fabulous. In and out of Drag. His style is always animated and over the top. Rupaul also is not afraid to be who he really is and express his creativity threw fashion and I find that so inspiring. I've always loved drag shows and I can't wait til I finally go to one! It has to be a Rupaul one though..

4. Santigold

Santigold cannot be classified. The exact reason why she is one of my icons. From her music jumping genres to her attire jumping styles. Her style really varies from day to day which I can relate to myself. One day you can catch me wearing a men's button up and tie, the next day I could be wearing a polka dot corset. Its all in the mood! And that's important in fashion to me, switching it up. I hate seeing people wear the same style of clothing every day. BORING! Santigold's music has sometimes been compared to M.I.A. so if you like her then you'll like Santigold. I love them both!

5. Last but not least PRINCE

Prince is not only a fashion icon of mine but he is also my idol. I am the biggest Prince fan ever. He made this list though because he, like Elly Jackson, have blurred the lines between what is acceptable for men and women to wear with his controversial feminine detailed style looks. Ruffles, high waisted tight pants, lace, heels, and in this case polka dots are exactly how he does so.

All of these people who are on my fashion icons list are not only here because they have unparalleled fashion sense but they're also people who blurr the lines between what is and is not acceptable to wear. Each and every one of them inspire me to own my creativity and express it threw the clothes I wear.

More! (cont)

2011-01-26T18:02:00.001-08:00

More!

2011-01-26T17:58:00.000-08:00

YO SHANK! : 2011

2011-01-26T16:56:00.000-08:00

Its been quite a while since I updated my clothing blog but it's a new year and sewing is all that's on my mind.

I recently just enrolled in school in San Francisco to take a few sewing classes. Of course I already know how to sew (I taught myself in high school and couldn't stop ever since) but I would really like to further my skills to open up new possibilities for my line. So far it has been great and I'm looking forward to learning more.

Anyways, lately I've really been into make accessories so hers a few new things I whipped up. Let me know what you guys think!

Stripes Are My New Black

2010-01-21T02:27:00.000-08:00

I'm going threw a phase right now were I am soooo into stripes. So I hope you can like them as much as I'm starting to. Lol. Take a look at some new things I put together and let me know what you think. I've been checking out a lot of runway shows lately and been getting really inspired. I also got my hands on some really nice fabrics the other day so I'm super juiced to make my ideas some real things. I think I'm going to get together and make a collage of all the things that I like and get my sewing juices flowing to help my ideas be a little more clear to me. I'm thinking about putting them into a blog for you guys to so you can get to know what Shank is really into. But anyways, thanks for stopping by to check me out and leave comments pleaseeeee.

My Little Pretties

2010-01-13T03:34:00.000-08:00

Sooooo I know it's been a minute since I put some stuff together I've just been a tinsy bit busy lately. But there is no way I could come back without a couple new little things I threw together on the good 'ol Shank machine. First I've got another one of my infamous vintage sweatershirts. Made from the finest Target Hanes (Lol) and a vintage Prince T shirt I kept around for just about forever. In case you don't already know, I'm just about the biggest Prince fan in this universe. Besides the fact that he is a musical genius his clothing is a great inspiration to me. I always listen to him when I'm sewing my days away. My favorite song of his, Erotic City, puts me in the Zone. So without further blah blah blah,

I also have a few flower hair clips I made a while back and matching earrings but never got around to showing you guys. I get tons of compliments on the earrings. What I love about them most is the all the different colors int the stripes, which I throw on with just about anything. They're made from a really cool cowl neck shirt I got a thrift store a couple years back. The shirt was too be but me being the pack-rat I am, I kept it forever. And it came to use! Now I have a million of these little flower clips and earrings.

Just about my favorite item I put together recently has to be these high waisted striped leggings. I got the idea from an absolutely beautiful pair of high waisted jeans I saw online at American Apparel for $80 but I would NEVER spend that much money on one piece of clothing so I made my own legging version, and Tad ah!

Last but not least, a highlighter yellow black waist band skirt. It has bunch of gathering in the very front to give it that peasant sort of look but all around the rest is sewn flat. I found this actually a part of a dress at a thrift store but didn't like the top part. I love the color and the fall of the bottom hem. So I simply cut off the top part of the dress that I didn't desire and sewed on to a black elastic waist band. Can't wait til It gets a little warmer so I can wear it. But then again, leggings can always be an option underneath, or the fishnet type stockings I have in the pic.

Oh a pleaseeeeeeeeee leave comments let me know what you guys think! And suggestions of things you think I should put together would be nice to. That's all folks!.................Well at least for now.

New Year And New Colours.

2010-01-05T22:07:00.000-08:00

Cinco days into this new adventure called 2010 and I already feel it will be a great one. I've been getting alot of business and hits thanks to Blogspot and Facebook. Its lovely. Sewing is such a great outlet for me. I love the fact that the things I make for me and other people are made by ME. A feeling of self accomplishment ya dig? Anways I decided to make my infamous hooded scarf into a few more colors and patterns. I'm going to be sending them to my sister Acacia who is a fab photographer. I'm soooo juiced to see what she does with them :) so here they are and also the "Tale Of Two Tities" T I said I was working on. Its absolutely the funniest thing to me. Well let me know what you guysssss think! I love feed back!

Got The New New

2010-01-04T01:48:00.000-08:00

This one is a hooded scarf I made a few weeks back put never put up for people to see. It also is pretty versatile. I love articles of clothing you can wear lots of ways and that are a big statement. Both these items are jersey and very breathable. For the hooded scarf I chose a blue-slate type color which I felt was suiting considering its for wearing during cold times. Its actually really warm too. I got the idea of it from American Apparel of something similar looking but their version was $30 and me being the cheap-o I am, I just made it myself for way cheaper. So take a look.

\Let me know what you guys think! If you got any suggestions for things you'd like to see me make hit me up. Oh and of course if you see something you like just let me know and I can make one for you. Prices vary but I promise I don't ask for a grip. Lol.

Business Card. Back and Front.

2009-12-31T14:26:00.000-08:00

What do you guys think?? Let me know!

Two To Tango

2009-12-31T02:03:00.000-08:00

So I am currently in the process of a new project. An extreme high waisted pleated skirt which I'm so excited to finish. I've been tied up lately with my assistant manager position at the Fairfield mall store Styles so I haven't had much time on my hands but I'm looking forward to finishing it. I found some really great fabric for the skirt that is white an navy vertically striped.

If you didn't know that about me I'm absolutely in love with stripes. I'm in the process of getting business cards made that will be black and white vertical stripes on one side with YO SHANK! name on it. And on the opposite will be my info. I'll have pics of the card and the skirt as soon as possible for you guys and just hit me up via email or ask for the digits if your looking for more info or apparel.

I've also made a desicion to have two separate parts to my brand, YO SHANK! I love creating custom urban wear for my friends and peeps around town but I'm also really interested in high fashion and Have many ideas floating around in this cluttered crazed brain of mine. So there is two sides to YO SHANK! More to choose from!

I came across an ad for a screen printing machine for about $300. I've got funky urban ideas for tees I'd really like to make. I'm still deciding between saving up the $300 or DIYing screen tees for now. I've got ideas for both girls and guys. One I'm really excited to make it for girls that will have yellow colored sleeves (I've already got the shirts) and in the middle say "A tale of two titties" which to me is humorous and definitely something I would wear. I'll be on the Tee hype as soon as I'm done with this skirt though and I'll post pics. Let me know if you have any custom ideas! And leave comments please!

And So It Begins.

2009-12-23T06:05:00.000-08:00

Just finished a sweatshirt for my friend Nancy today and a necklace too. I'm really excited to give it to her for Christmas. She absolutely loved my "What to wear?" sweat shirt I made for myself so I thought she would like something along the same line. I used an old T shirt from Target that was my favorite but It got all worn out and stretched over time so I just just cut out the graphic part, straight stitched it along the front and put in studs at each corner of it.

I made a cloth necklace as well from an old shirt that my sister had given me but it had shrunk and the wash, I loved the old bleached affect it had so I kept it. All I did to turn it into a necklace was shred it into 1 inch strips and connect them, tie and braid one half and layer the cloth on the opposite side and tie. Taduh! Cloth half braided necklace.

I'm seriously trying to get into expanding my clothing. I mostly do it for myself but I want to make a lot more for other people. One of a kind type items you know? With a lot of flair because that's my style. And even though I'm just starting to understand how my sewing machine works I've got TONS of ideas. I gathered some good stuff from this site Threadbangers. They have great DIY ideas for screen printing Ts and loads of other things.

My first step in getting all this started is hitting up Michael's toward the end of this week to get all the necessary supplies. I need to also get a small fold out table because sewing with The Shank Machine (my sewing machine) on the floor is killing my back. I also need to hit up the thrift store and missions here in Fairfield and I'd like to visit some vintage shops in Berkley and Sac if possible.

I'm thinking of starting an Etsy account when I get my selection up. It's a great sight to buy and sell customized things which is what I'm all about. I just have to get my hands on a photographer as well. My sister is a great one but she lives so far. Speaking of her, she's getting me some business cards made which is a good step to starting this all out too. Looking forward to this New Year. I've finally found my calling it seems and I'm juiced to spend 2010 all about my up and coming brand YO SHANK! so it begins...