This outfit comes with a long backstory. But it's necessary to share why I had to make this purchase.  Back in February 2012 I posted photos of Burberry's Autumn/Winter 2012 collection. In that post I said:

[...] ESPECIALLY the owl print t-shirts. I don't care how much they cost but I am going to get my hands on one of those! I'm an owl obsessed freak…maybe it comes from my Harry Potter obsession but I think they are SO cute!

Spoiler alert: I ended up not getting one of the owl tees. Instead I DIYed my own version because I couldn't justify the $300+ price tag. The sweater version with the beaded owl retailed for $3000.

Even though I had my DIY version I still searched for the real version. I had alerts for "Burberry owl" set up on eBay and a couple other sites. Owl sweaters & tees came and went with me resisting purchase. A few months ago I got an eBay alert that one had been posted. I watched it knowing I probably wouldn't buy it since it had been so long.

But then quarantine happened and I got an offer from the seller to purchase it for $75. How could I resist? Luckily I was able to make the splurge because my recent Disney trip was cancelled and I had a negative balance on my credit card from the refunds.  The rest of the refund money will go back into my vacation savings account.

This isn't the exact version I had posted 8 years ago, the sweater is a little lighter and the neck isn't as high, but it is pretty darn close! You can even tell that the owl I recreated was this owl - the colors I chose were very similar. I couldn't replicate the design exactly because I couldn't find small enough beads in colors/shapes I liked.

We're getting in to warmer weather now but I really wanted to post this before it goes away until Fall. Luckily last week we had some cold days so I wore it lounging around the house.

A few weeks ago Sunglasses Shop offered to send me a pair of designer sunglasses for review! After looking through their selection of sunglasses I let them know some pairs I was lusting after.  They kindly sent over a pair of Marc by Marc Jacobs sunglasses and I am pretty much obsessed. I'm sure most of you already know the reason I love them but, for those of you that are new to Megan-land, I'll say it: they're PURPLE!!! YES!  I also love the shape, they're wayfarers and a bit oversized which is my favorite style (followed closely by cat-eye.)

The sunglasses came all the way from the UK and shipping was surprisingly quick, so no complaints there!  They have such an amazing selection from Burberry and Marc Jacobs sunglasses to RayBan and even Chanel! It is definitely worth checking out their offerings, you won't be disappointed.

I started the outfit with the sunglasses, and then grabbed my DIY owl shirt because the beads matched. Then the rest of the outfit formed itself. My new ($10!) oversized blazer was a perfect match for the tee, and I decided to go with a 70s vibe for the bottom half with some wide leg jeans and riding booties!

Song of the Day: Doctor My Eyes by Jackson Browne
(hey, it has eyes in the title...and I've been listening to it non-stop lately, give me a break ;) )

Blazer: Vintage PBM Women's (Coco's), Tee: DIY (inspired by Burberry Prorsum), Jeans: Free People (Marshalls), Booties: no.704b. (DSW), Watch: Michael Kors (Lord & Taylor), Rings: Mom's when she was young, Sunglasses: Marc by Marc Jacobs c/o Sunglasses Shop

As you saw yesterday, I successfully finished my Burberry Prorsum inspired owl tee! Today I thought I would share a quick DIY with instructions on how to make one yourself!  First check out all the available options from Burberry, then decide on your favorite (or draw your own).  [I am not very good at instructing, so this is VERY basic]

You'll need:

• beads
• felt (optional)
• needle & thread
• tshirt or sweater

1. Choose your design, print it out and go to the craft store to buy beads.  
Tip: If you are in the US, AC Moore and Michael's tend to have 40% and 50% off coupons so try to find one online before you go, it will save you lots of money in the end.  I luckily went during a bead sale so they were all 50% off.
2. Optional: Buy some felt to put your beads on before attaching to your shirt. If you want to skip this step you can just sew the beads right on your shirt or sweater.  Make a pattern with the image you printed and cut out your felt, then sew together to make your owl.
3. Lay out your beads to see how you want to place them.  Take a picture so you don't forget.  You may change things as you progress (like I did), but it's good to have a basic idea.
4. Begin sewing. I suggest working from the outside in.  I started with the face,  then his stomach and finally moved on to his ,wings at which point I realized I wouldn't be able to bead around his ears because there wasn't enough space to sew it on the shirt after.
5. Sew your owl onto your shirt! (unless you sewed the beads directly on your shirt...) And then you're done!

As many of you know, either by following my Twitter or Instagram, I have been making my own version of the Burberry Prorsum owl tees/sweaters [link to my DIY] over the past couple weeks.  I finally finished last weekend and had to wear it right away!  Stay tuned tomorrow for a small instruction post.

I haven't done a video outfit since my first installment so I figured it was time to do another one! Enjoy! (The actual outfit part is under 2 minutes, but I let the whole song run in case you guys wanted to hear the whole thing)

(VIDEO HAS BEEN DELETED FROM WHERE I ORIGINALLY UPLOADED IT)

Tee: Made by Me (base from Target), Jeans: Rag & Bone (Shopbop), Booties: Alexander Wang (The Outnet), Watch: Michael Kors

It's about time I did a post on my Michael Kors inspired lace skirt.  When I saw the Michael Kors Fall 2012 collection I fell in love with the lace skirt and cream sweater combo [proof]. I had the sweater and similar shoes already, so all I needed was the skirt.  I waited impatiently for it to go on sale so I could learn more about the shape and materials.

Unfortunately the actual skirt retails for $6,995 (the sweater is $1295) so that was definitely not an option.  Thankfully my mom can sew so I asked if she would help me to recreate it! I found the fabric on etsy (buy here) and we used some old patterns to create our own.  It took a while to figure out how to get the high-low to work. In the end we had to get rid of the scalloped hem, I was a little disappointed, but the skirt still came out great.

We had some leftover fabric so my mom made another skirt, this time shorter and with the scalloped edge.  That version is going to be easier to wear but I am definitely going to get a few more wears out of the longer version, see the first time I wore it here. I'm thinking it's my Thanksgiving outfit!

Here are both complete looks, what do you think?!

Sweater: Inis Crafts (Marshalls) $30 gift, Skirt: Made by Mom $50 for fabric, Sandals: Guess (Marshalls) $40
vs.
Michael Kors Sweater: $1295, Michael Kors Skirt: $6995, Michael Kors Shoes: $995 (they were sandals on the runway)

$120 vs. $9285 = savings of $9165  OR 98.7%

Next up I'll show you the Burberry-inspired Owl Tee I'm working on!