24/04/2013

Outfit: Nautical Yellow

Today’s restyled refashion is the pale yellow men’s shirt I altered a while back. I took it in (a lot), cut off the sleeves, inserted bust darts and added patch pockets with pocket flaps.

Here’s a little refresher for you:

This has been such a useful piece in my wardrobe! Like the dip dye shirt, it’s great for layering. In fact, I’d say it’s better than the dip dye one because it can be dressed up or down. Today’s outfit pairs it with my new nautical themed top. It’s intended to be a dress I think, but I haven’t worn it that way yet.

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19/04/2013

Betty Draper

This project is my entry for Julia Bobbin’s popular Mad Men Challenge. I’m a huge Mad Men fan and love seeing the costumes every week, so entering this popular challenge was a bit of a no-brainer for me.

The dress I chose was Betty’s cream and green shirt dress. I couldn’t find any references to which episode this is from, but I’ve seen it so many times online that I think it must actually be a promo shot for the first series. It’s more late fifties than early sixties and embodies Betty’s conservative housewife look from the first half of that series. If you know which episode this is from, leave me a comment and let me know.

I’m starting with a sheet that I got from Oxfam in Streatham. I paid £4.99 for the single sheet and two matching pillowcases, which have green ruffles all the way around!

It’s made of actual linen, the thin refined sort (none of your thick slubby stuff) and handles beautifully.

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17/04/2013

Outfit: Dip Dye

One thing to remember about summer pieces is that they can be layered up in winter, adding to their versatility.

Remember this shirt? It’s from the not too distant past. I started with a white shirt and dip-dyed it in flamingo pink. Here’s a quick before and after to refresh your memory.

I thought it would be timely to feature this shirt again since Cloth magazine has a feature on an identical shirt in this month’s issue. I am not terribly keen on their styling, though.

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13/04/2013

Red Carpet Copycat: Olivia Munn in Peter Pilotto

Greetings, refashioners! Another installment of the never-ending series ‘Red Carpet Copycat’ today.

This is Olivia Munn wearing Peter Pilotto at the Courage in Journalism Awards 2012. The dress originally retailed for USD $1845.

I’m making my version out of… this:

Yes, it’s horrible, isn’t it?

This is a kind of house-dress made out of teal/green velour. There are variations in the nap to give it a slight crushed velvet thing going on – not quite the same as Olivia’s textured velvet look, but it will do.

I bought it in the Shelter shop in Bolton and I paid £3.

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10/04/2013

Outfit: African Skirt

From time to time, I’d like to show you new outfits based on pieces I’ve refashioned. This particular piece is a personal favourite – I started with a dress and made a skirt and a top.

Here’s the original ‘before’ picture; you can read more about what I did with this dress here. I originally styled this as part of an all black outfit like so:

But here it is styled with an alternative neutral colour: Gold.

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06/04/2013

Put on your red shoes (and dance the blues)

In case you hadn’t guessed, this is going to be about Bowie.

Specifically, it’s about this outfit, from 1973. It’s made of vinyl and was designed by Kansai Yamamoto for the Aladdin Sane tour. I chose this as my starting point for Tempest Devyne’s Bowie Sewalong! Also, it has red shoes (for dancing the blues).

I’m making my version from… old T-shirts, what else?!

These T-shirts came from (L-R below) Deptford Salvation Army shop, £2; PDSA Bolton, £3.99; Scope Barking, £2.

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03/04/2013

Outfit: Pringle of Scotland

Take a look at this gorgeous blue 100% Merino wool jumper I bought in the Trinity House Hospice shop in Streatham. It was £3.50 (reduced from £7!). I spotted the red ‘Pringle of Scotland’ label from far away and swooped in, magpie-like, to ‘rescue’ it.

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31/03/2013

By popular request: White shirt redux

Hi everyone, since so many people requested that I wear last week’s white shirt with skinny jeans or leggings, I thought I’d try out a couple of outfits so you can see how it looks.

Here it is with sequinned leggings.

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20/03/2013

The Classic White Shirt

This is quite simply, the biggest shirt I have ever seen. When I saw it, I bought it immediately. It’s got a massive 66″ chest and is described on the label as XXXL. I got this in the British Heart Foundation shop in Whitby and it cost £5.25.

Possibly the best feature of this is the collar – it’s huge! I wanted to turn this into my own version of the classic white blouse using the oversized collar as a bit of a design statement. It means I can wear it with all the buttons done up, but it’s not too uncomfortable. Brilliant!

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14/03/2013

Red Carpet Copycat: Gemma Arterton in Stella McCartney

Here’s the look I’m emulating this week:

This is Gemma Arterton wearing a Stella McCartney ‘Jodie’ jumpsuit and Stella McCartney shoes at the British fashion awards 2012.

This jumpsuit is from the Evening 2012 collection and retails for £2,095.

Obviously £2,095 is a little above budget, but not to worry. I do have this rather ‘special’ gents double breasted suit jacket which I picked up in the Sue Ryder shop in Upminster for £4 (on sale!).