Tag Archives: Wardrobe Refashion

On growing old gracefully

26/07/2010 7:02 am \ 3 Comments \

Today met my girlfriends for a get-together and debrief after the school holidays…

{You know how when something is troubling you, a good bit of advice is to write a long letter to yourself where you can purge all the negativity out of your system?  Then you are supposed to rip up same letter and toss it out?  Well I just did that with this blog post.  I had written a long rambling lot of introspective balderdash…. I knew it was kinda silly when I wrote it, and even my husband came home and advised me it was not worthy…  the long and short of this is that the “blah blah blah” that was here before is gone from this blog.  If you have already read the first draft of weirdness and scratched your head wondering where was the expected sewing, knitting and fashion, well I apologise sincerely.  Sometimes one needs to vent.  And vent I did.  Sorry!}

Man…  as an afterthought; what on earth am I wearing? back to business… today wearing the khaki and air-force blue colour combo I predicted would be my staple for this winter.  Well, the denim is close enough to the “dirty” blue I’m loving; and the texture and colour of my scarf works just perfectly right for what I wanted, considering I dressed without much thought this morning.  Some of my favourite ensembles have been the result of a rushed thoughtless random grabbing of separates…

Details:
Dress; Cue, found secondhand and refashioned here.
Jacket; Ezibuy
Scarf; knitted by me from various wools
Leggings; Metalicus
Boots; Andrea and Joen; from Uggies

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Except the boots…

21/06/2010 5:27 am \ 5 Comments \

Today my outfit is completely handmade by me!!  Doesn’t happen with extreme frequency, especially during winter when jumpers and cardigans are in constant appearance, so feeling pretty pleased with this outfit!  And my socks are knitted by me too, although they’re clearly not visible here…!  I really like the mix of blues and khaki combination, muted but strong; a colour scheme I really wanted to wear this winter.
Sigh, one of the factors causing me angst at the moment is whether or not to join up to Wardrobe Refashion again.   I’ve noticed that it is not going to cost us to join up, which is a good thing.  But I keep coming across new Metalicus tops in yummy colours which when I spy them am immediately convinced will fill a gaping hole in my wardrobe…   But do I really need new tops?  No.  Want?  Er, well, yes…. (shamefaced)  Yesterday I got out a woolen Tshirt from winter last year and it had big holes in it, a victim of silverfish (sad face)…  so some new tops should be on my to-get list.  And I have a big craving for some Metalicus.  It’s like a drug.  I must resist.
As well, in the West last weekend Rob Broadfield in his restaurant review penned a particularly scathing (and kinda nasty) comment on a certain type of woman who hails from the western suburbs (which I don’t) and who wears Metalicus (er, guilty).  My friend D once described the type as a latte-drinking, western suburbs airhead.  I think I’m safe on the latte issue, the western suburbs issue, and the airhead issue.  But I am failing on the Metalicus front…  And I definitely do NOT want to be lumped into that, or any, category of women.  I like to think I have my own style and am different from the herd.  (As we all do!)  So teetering here, on the whole Wardrobe Refashion issue…  
I did some more sewing over the weekend and have some new things to show you, but much better suited to a chillier day than today!
Today’s random picture below; cute droplets of water on my benchtop, must be a “sign”, no?

Details:
Jeans; Burda 7863, khaki stretch gabardine
T-shirt; refashioned from husband’s old T-shirt here
Cardigan; refashioned from husband’s old jumper here
Scarf; refashioned from husband’s old tank here
Boots; Andrea and Joen, from Uggies in Dunsborough

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From sack to svelte

03/06/2010 2:17 am \ 11 Comments \

A wardrobe re-fashion:
I had been planning to make myself a useful LBD for winter this year but struck gold at the secondhand shop… I felt incredibly lucky when I found this at a price less than fabric would have cost me!  It’s a Cue dress, which is quite a good label in Australia.  It’s made of a good quality sturdy stretch fabric.  He he, I just checked the label which says viscose/polyester/nylon/elastane mix, which sounds Hideous with a capital H!, but is actually feels pretty good to wear.  It’s a still-fashionable sombre dark charcoal.  The only problem with it was it’s sack-like shape.  Unfitted tunics were the IN thing a few years ago in Australia and I am guilty of buying, or should I say sewing, into that trend myself too, see here… Yikes!
This year I prefer a more fitted look.  I have no wish to be asked when is the baby due, thanks… and yes, that has happened!!
Luckily the zip in this dress is in the centre back, making it an easy matter to bring in the side seams at the torso tapering down to the hips and sew in a couple of unobtrusive long darts on the front.
Voila!  New gothic chic!

Details:
Dress; Cue, found secondhand and altered by me
Petticoat; Metalicus
Tights, Kolotex, David Jones
Booties; Django and Juliette, Zomp

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Nice little stormcloud cardi

15/05/2010 4:39 am \ 12 Comments \
My husband has had this jumper for about ten years and hasn’t worn it at all for the last five years at least.  When I found it in our toss-out bag I knew straight away I couldn’t ever throw it out, because we bought it for him together when we were in Paris… ah, holiday memories.  I’m quite sentimental about stuff like that.  Admittedly it has expanded in size substantially over the years and flatters no one any more.  See the before photo below?  Hoo boy.  Enough said.  It’s also pilled and old, but the cloth is a fine woven cotton knit which is lovely and soft to wear and so worth keeping.  Time to get out the scissors…  Don’t worry, it’s not a designer item or anything…
I thought long and hard before embarking on this re-fashion.  I thought about re-sewing the seams so it would fit my husband again, but he was over it…   and I also fantasised about various exciting and asymmetrical avant-garde shapes before decided a nice ordinary little cardi in a classic shape would make me the happiest.  So.  I kept the sleeve and bottom rib edgings (although I’m already wondering whether it would be better with the sleeve ribs turned under and invisibly hemmed on the inside, what do you think?)
The shoulder seams were encased and reinforced with blue bias binding, and the neck edge with a small scrap of blue tape.  I knew those tiny scraps would come in handy some day…
I hand rolled and sewed the raw front edges and attached a medium sized hook and eye for closure.
What do you think?
Details:
Cardi; my own design, refashioned from my husband’s old cotton knit jumper
Jeans in both before and after photos; old corduroys from Just Jeans
Tops; both Metalicus
Scarf; Country Road 
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Knotty blue scarf

06/05/2010 6:56 am \ 8 Comments \

It’s been an embarrassingly long while since I did a re-fashion.  My big bag of toss-out garments is still sitting there, taunting me.  And this re-fashion is so … trite, it’s barely worth the label “re-fashion”.  Still, in my defence, there was not a lot of fabric to play with in this one, meaning, not a lot of re-fashion options.  But I like scarves.  And, bonus, I’m making a start on incorporating some air force blue into my wardrobe for winter.  Win!
So, starting with an old tank-top of my husband’s.  This is actually the top half of a pair of summer jammies, from a men’s sleepwear range brought out by Ian Thorpe the Aussie Olympic swimmer, that I’m chopping up here.  Sorry, Thorpie…

I simply cut off the top part of the tank-top at underarm level, and the bottom seam, for a raw edge.  The side seams were cut out also to get the raw edge, and the front and back remaining rectangles cut into three roughly equal width pieces.  (OK, very roughly…)

  
These were overlocked together, right sides facing.  When overlocking I also cut out the remains of that logo….  I didn’t use matching overlocker thread, but it doesn’t matter as these seams are to be hidden by knots.  

Where I’m knotting the sides are folded in slightly, just to hide the seam stitching, and simple knots positioned to hide the seams.

Et voila, a new air force blue scarf…

Details:
Skirt; Vogue 7303 lined, winter white wool crepe
Top; Metalicus
Cardi; Metalicus
Boots; Enrico Antinori
Scarf; refashioned from old tank-top
Bag; Gucci

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Grey and mustard

27/04/2010 6:15 am \ 8 Comments \

I attended a very pleasant birthday morning tea for a friend this morning, so dashed very quickly into the park to take this morning’s photo:  this top is my own design, refashioned from my old pair of pants, first posted about here.  I’m pretty thrilled with this because I always get compliments when I wear it, and to think grey is supposedly “not my colour”.
On my last visit to the op shop I picked up this skirt, in the $2 rack!!  I didn’t even try it on, just thought, hey great colour and grabbed it, thinking I could make something else out of it if it didn’t fit.  Well, the op shop fairy was smiling on me that afternoon, because not only did it fit perfectly, but that was also the day I picked up my lilac suede skirt, and a beige suede skirt, both of which also fit me.  I think this skirt and top look like they were made to go together!  
Now having worn this skirt for half a day I can see why it was so unloved by its previous owner; the lining is made out of that particularly horrible lining fabric that clings to your legs in a very annoying cloying hair-raising way.  I’m going to have to take it out and replace it, although this will be a refashion that will be invisible to the casual observer.  Well, hopefully an invisible refashion anyhow.  The skirt is perfect in every other way.
I have done a bit more work on my ballgown but will leave that for another day, for now here is an entry I submitted to the Polyvore eco-chic competition (all items recycled or fair-trade, and eco friendly), you can see the hold mustard and grey is having on me lately…  
For me now it’s back to the office…

Details:
Top; own design, grey linen mix, refashioned from old 3/4 pants
Skirt; Millers, from Salvos op shop
Sandals; Vicenza, from Soletta shoes
Bag; Gucci

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“Moody Milkmaid” … refashioned

31/03/2010 9:30 am \ 10 Comments \

Call me crazy.  I am crazy.  I’m insane.  Sometimes I swear I am a complete and utter lunatic.  I took my photos this morning and posted about my skirt (see below).  I even posted on Wardrobe Refashion.  I kept looking at the photos.  I wasn’t happy.  My skirt looked somehow unsatisfactory.  The original Celine skirt has a waistband.  I knew this.  I made a conscious decision when I made my skirt that I wouldn’t have a waistband.  I didn’t want to do a complete knock-off, for heaven’s sake.  But my skirt looked … wrong.
So I attacked it.  I know!  Crazy!  After finishing up in the office, I took up the unpicker and removed the facings from the skirt.  By some miracle there was just enough of the port wine linen left to make a waistband.  Ironed on the interfacing.  Took in the waist darts front and back to bring the top up to waist level.  Attached the waistband, sewed a buttonhole, and added an old button.  You know what?  It looks so much better now.  Celine’s Phoebe Philo was right.  The waistband was necessary.
(This photo was taken about seven hours after this morning’s photo.  Crazy woman!)

Details: same as this morning!!!

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Canal Rocks II

22/03/2010 2:13 pm \ 3 Comments \

These deceptively calm photos belie the fact that this afternoon we have endured the most massive storm, stronger and more ferocious than I’ve seen in years!!  Hard to believe a day ago we had balmy summer heat and relentless blue skies, the last ten hours has seen torrential rain (a welcome component, the first rain we’ve seen here in three months!) and hail (not so welcome, we’ve lost two windows…), thunder, lightning and flooded roads… my son’s car came to a slow standstill in the middle of a puddle, (I admit to a little giggle at that one!), luckily he was just metres from home and managed to glide to the side of the road and just had to make a soggy sprint the rest of the way home, in his words dodging flying tree branches and struggling against buffeting winds.  My other children sought refuge in a kebab shop to escape hailstones “the size of golfballs” and made me a panicked phone call to “please pick them up”, of course I was stuck in the most horrendous traffic jam and wondering if my car was going to come out of the storm pockmarked like a golfball itself from the fierce hail rat-a-tatting on my roof….
Finished mopping up and all safe and sound now and only just had power restored in the last few minutes so I’m sharing with you some more photos of a last few rays of sunshine over the ocean; the calm before the storm…
The above photo is my outfit for today; I know I wore these shorts only a few days ago, a wardrobe repeat that is the result of criminally bad packing for a weekend away, but these photos my husband took have such magnificent colours, no?

Details:
Shorts; Burda 7723 slightly modified, charcoal gabardine refashioned from old skirt
Camisole and cardigan; Country Road
Thongs (flipflops); Mountain Designs

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