Two Tops Reborn

When we were assigned to our second customization projects, after getting feedback from our first projects, I was a little disheartened that some people had more positive feedback after all the attention I gave my Painting the Roses Red top. Some people produced the most simplistic changes, yet had amazing results!

So I self-imposed restrictions. I found two button up long sleeves shirts that I hadn’t worn for ages. Both had their sleeves cut off. The red top was turned into one of those crop tops with extra fabric to tie in a knot in the front. With the fabric of the sleeves, I added to the front panels and cropped the hem. Though the stitches were obvious, I appreciated the fact that I completely changed the shape of the top.

The lilac one, I loved its satin lilac material. I wanted a subtle chance, and hand-stitched black lace panels onto the shoulders.

Once receiving feedback that I actually could have put more creativity into the tops, to say I didn’t listen to my own integrity would be the understatement of the year! Go fig.

Brit Pop Photo shoot

Yesterday was our final photo shoot for class (insert SOB!!!) I can’t believe the term’s almost over! Best school term EVER!

Anyway, the brief for the shoot was Brit pop. Doing research, I found it described as a movement in the 90’s in music away from grunge. However, from a fashion point, it’s anything including vintage to futuristic! During development sessions in class, we were all thrown into the deep end and how to approach it-I tried approaching it as how I’d dress an artist for a concert. For our final session, they suggested to think contrasting fabrics-old and new, vintage and futuristic. 

What started off as a pile of garments from my old dress up drawer-stuff that hasn’t been worn since I was, oh...six, turned out to be key pieces. I have some metallic leggings, shimmery reflective fabric left over from my sister’s costume as an electric eel, and a sparkly gold vest.

I bought one of those dominatrixey-vests (total torture device, fyi) as a starting point, since I loved the futuristic look. Large billowy bishop sleeves with two different kinds of fabrics (I couldn’t decide which one to go with) were added to the vest, making it a jacket. I hit a bit of a plateau for a day or two, trying to think where to go from there. This was only the last chance we would ever have at doing our very own editorial fashion shoot, so there was no pressure.

But after a clearing afternoon at the Gym, the muse was upon me at last! Inspired by costumes from the movie Fifth Element, I added bonding straps along the bodice. I had one strap added to go between the legs. Taking some of the ‘eel’ fabric, I cut strips and shredded the sides, adding to the edge. This used to be  signature technique of mine, making some part of the garment ripped and frayed at the end-a technique I named ‘my dog ate my dress’ method.

As for the vest, rummaging through my box-o-fabrics, I found a cream colored satin piece with silvery embroidery. I cut the embroidery pieces out, and added them on as shoulder panels to the jacket. I then did another speciality of mine-cutting out tons of pieces of the eel and cream satin material, making ‘leaves’ that were then hand stitched onto the sleeves. One embroidery panel had more details on it, so I had the idea of making the details in the sleeves uneven-one had less beading, more cream leaves than metallic, while the other had more leaves, with emphasis on the metallic fabric. 

I got accessories in a mixture of metals, from tainted silvers to antique golds, two days before, including a pocket watch. But my final idea was make up-I loved the look seen on a lot of ads at Britain’s Top Model for make up companies, where the models had pieces of gems on their dark-lined lips. I thought this look would really give my model an ‘alien’ look! In the end, when people asked me what my outfit was like, I answered that my model would look like ‘a big metallic bird’.

On the day, when Zoe-one of the best models from our show at Excel-showed up, I was on cloud nine! She is gorgeous, and though she didn’t have the long hair I wanted to be straightened underneath the baker’s hat I had brought it, I threw she’d make the outfit work brilliant! And she was a real trouper the whole session-those jewel stickers didn’t look comfortable (she kept telling me not to make her laugh). I had to guide her a lot, but then I’m sure half those poses weren’t easy to hold for long periods of time, let alone in stilettos! I told her to pretend she was the love child of Queen Amidala and Gollum-very gaunt, awkward, pointy, alien-like.

It was amazing-honestly, I had more fun on this shoot than I did the 40’s! My outfit looked fabulous. Can’t wait to see the shoots from the photographer.

'Frankenstein' Jewellery

While cleaning my room, I came across some flyers I’d picked up at London Fashion Week this spring. Amongst them I found the postcard from a jewelry stall entitled Little Class Clementine. 

Clementine James is unlike most jewelers today. Her approach; she takes on commissions from clients who bring in a collection of items they consider precious (lockets, antiques, stones, chains etc.) and creates amazing necklaces from them! Looking through her website I loved her work-how each piece is so unique, and almost nostalgic that a necklace can hold so many precious memories for a wearer. It reflects my own personal styling, how I choose a certain piece then base the rest of the outfit to support and highlight it.

I’m really intrigued by this ‘Frankenstein’ approach, taking bits and pieces from different things and making something new out of them. So I thought I’d take a stab at it. Yes, I know, I have zero experience at any jewelry behind my elastic bands with beads on them from when I was five.

I scoured my boxes of jewelry-any pendants, beads, chains, anything I genuinely have always like-a locket from my best friend growing up, some interesting pendants from Portobello Market, stuff I’ve always said I’d wear, but haven’t.

I took the thick gold chain from my ‘Alice’ necklace, that I love but honestly always been annoyed at how much it jangles, and used it as a basis. There’s a cool charm bracelet that my sister handed down to me, that again, whenever I wear it becomes so distracting! Not very daring, attaching the bracelet at the centre on the chain, but it sure made a great jump start into the project. From then, I began binding the two chains together with framing wire. Once the charm bracelet was attached, I added the rest-lockets, a plastic crystal my grandmother used to wrap a gift once, anything that went with the color scheme. I tried using Clementine’s technique of winding wire around little shells and stones, but they didn’t hold.

Here’s my final result-and I gotta say, for a first jewelry project, it’s not half bad! I was glad to stick with a gold tone, to give it a more antique looking, and the shades of the various pieces go great together! I think I may have some ideas for what I’m going to be giving my sisters for Christmas...

The Mad Hatter Top

Back in January, I was taking a course in Up cycling Fashion. I wanted to learn some tricks one could use in the industry to save money -pulling a Tim Gunn with what I have at hand to ‘make it work’. And of course, for the process itself of turning something into something else.

Drawing on my ever-hopeful dream project-to make costumes for an all-female cast of Alice in Wonderland, I decided to make one of these designs into reality. My Dad gave me an old Paul Smith shirts-one in the original multi-colored stripped pattern. It became the basis for the Mad Hatter.

The idea behind this production is the idea of Alice under going puberty. My Wonderland is a materialized adolescence, the characters all embodying challenges and aspects of being a teenager. I based my Mad Hatter onJoan Jett-feisty, edgy, and leaning towards an androgynous look. In the cast, she’s the tomboy, that punky chick who is so anti-girly, you can’t help being drawn to her.

Before cutting into the shirt, and to be sure the pattern worked, I used a plain white shirt. It took a couple of times to get the bodice pattern correct-especially hard since I was set on keeping the buttoned front as a remaining feature.

Once complete, I moved onto the main article, using the stripes as a grain line. The final product looks amazing. It’s great to use such a recognizable pattern in the industry, cut in a way that clashes so much with the designers’ aesthetic! I’m tempted to wear it with a chic scarlet tux jacket...but may be pushing it to look like a magician’s assistant. In the mean time, it looks perfect with a pair of flared trousers.

Painting the Roses Red

On the first day of my styling course, we were given the challenge to customize a simple white tank top. Our teachers produced a massive box containing materials from a stuffed toy dog to buttons to use. Digging through, I pulled out pieces with amazing color tones; olive green ribbons, gold, rusty pink, some burgundy netting, some gold tassels and a maroon scarf.

The tassels gave me the idea of changing the structure of the shirt, to flare it out to make a ‘genie’ effect with the tassels. 

Since taking my up-cycling course at Central St. Martin’s, I’ve been really into making pieces by cutting up a variety fabrics and adding them together, to make a ‘harlequin’ pattern. So I took half the white tank top away, and replaced that side of the shirt with the maroon scarf. The white side I covered with scrunched up pieces of netting in rose shapes (seriously, these took me AGES-I was making roses in my sleep). Because of these, I dubbed the project the ‘Painting the Roses Red’ top.

I stitched the ribbons in a vine-like pattern along the maroon side, intwining the pieces over the shoulder into a braid.

The effect was exactly what I was hoping for-the class was literally stunned when I showed it to them all!

Burton and Britain's Top Model

Last month I had the amazing opportunity to produce my own looks on an actual runway in front of a live audience. My class presented two styled looks on the catwalk at the live event of Britain and Ireland's Top Model at the Excel Centre.

My inspiration for the look, seeing how Halloween (best holiday ever!!) was approaching, I decided to go with a Tim burton tribute. I love how his movies are so dark, yet have a sweetness to them since the characters all have genuinely good intentions. I wanted my guy to have a wispy, thin look with long skinny black jeans and an oversized jacket.

For the girl, I went all out with what was dubbed 'the Helena Bonham Carter Dress'. I dyed a peach pink dress I've had for years navy blue, cut it up, flared it odd, added layers and layers of black netting. I was on cloud nine with the suggestion of added black butterflies into the netting-it reminded me of my favourite scene from Corpse Bride when she turns into a bunch of butterflies. My dress met with a couple of mishaps-the dye wouldn't take the thread, so you could see the bright white sticks in the panels, and when I sprayed painting the lining black, it seeped through to the bodice. But in the end, this were blessings in disguise! I added patches of extra fabric into the bodice to cover up the spots, and I went over the panels with shredded pieces of black lace, and finally silver beads that looked like worms from a distance-great to go with the butterflies

As the final touch, I made a massive butterfly headpiece by sewing strips of ribbon to make the 'veiny' texture in the wings, then stuffed the pieces to give them more of a 3D effect. It sat brilliantly on the model's head!

I heard amazing feedback to the reaction the dress made on the runway-I even got offers to buy it from a woman attending a black-tie event that night! I don't think I'll ever forget that moment backstage when the first show ended, thinking 'things are never going to be the same again'. If this is the so called hard life of fashion, BRING IT ON!

Blogger's First Day

I'm the second of four daughters-FOUR DAUGHTERS! You'd think 'great! You're set for hand-me-downs', and though it makes some amazing laughs, but it ain't easy. My biggest fear is being part some kinda matched set. My creativity has been my way of standing out. I've always been fascinated by clothes-by what you wear is a staple on your personality. And since studying at Central St. Martin's to improve my sewing skills, and now currently undergoing the course at the amazing London College of Style, I love how styling combines fashion and my love for costume design. I don't want to restrict myself to one or the other career wise-they mesh in so many ways! I want a way to show my work-my knitwear, my doll photography, my customisations, anything, and I think this blog may be the answer. So here goes-godspeed!