Bootleg Corner v. 1: Anthropologie-Inspired Ribbon Necklace
Hello, and welcome to Bootleg Corner, a special feature on my blog where I show you how to recreate a high-fashion look for a fraction of the cost.
As a student, I understand the desire to keep up with the latest trends, and spice up your wardrobe every so often. But I also know that not all of us can afford to purchase those pieces we see as key to changing up our style.
Today I will be showing you how to create a necklace inspired by a few necklaces on Anthropologie (here, here, and here). While they are personally not my style, I saw the price on Anthro’s website and couldn’t resist. $200, really? Not many of us can afford to shell out that much for a single necklace, and we probably aren’t Anthro’s target market anyway.
Allow me to show you how to recreate the look at a fraction of the cost.
You will need:
ribbon (I’m using two colours, but this is a matter of preference)
a fish-hook earring
matches
scissors
chain (optional)
plastic gems and glue (optional)
necklace-clasping stuff (optional)
1. You’ll notice the anthropologie necklaces have accent jewels on the pendant. If, like mine, your earring is rather plain, you can purchase plastic jewels (try the dollar store) and glue them to your earring. You can also paint your pendant with nail polish. This is a great way to use up those colours that look gorgeous in the bottle but come out weak on your nails (I’m looking at you, Maybelline Color Show!). You might want to do a coat of white first, if the colour is very weak.
2. Once your earring is dry (clearly, I didn’t wait though), lift it up and look for the little ring connecting the pendant to the fish-hook. See if you can thread your ribbon and chain through this hole. If so, you’re almost done! Skip to step 4.
3. If the ring is not big enough for your ribbon and chain, you will need to make a loop using the fish-hook part of the earring. Don’t worry, this is super easy. Push the end of the hook through the jump ring directly attached to the pendant (or security, you can force the end of the hook upwards, back over the jump ring). Thread your ribbon and chain through this new loop.
4. If you did not need to make a loop with the fish hook, detach it from your pendant now (if you need help with this, leave a comment). Use the matches to melt the edges of the ribbon slightly to prevent fraying.
5. Tie the ends of the ribbon together, and you’re done! If you used chain, you may want to get some jump rings and a lobster claw clasp or something to make sure things are secure. I can’t find my jump rings to demonstrate, but I would attach each end of chain to a jump ring, sew the ends of he ribbon around these rings, and add a lobster clasp to one of the rings.
Et voila! I just used what I had on hand, but feel free to change it up by using different types of ribbon and chain, as long as they’re fairly thin. I also made mine too short to wear since I didn’t have enough chain. You want to make sure you have enough chain and ribbon that you can slip the necklace over your head if you aren’t using some sort of clasp.
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