In that pseudo-cute/petulant way that I say to my boyf ‘What I want, I get!’, I really over-indulged myself with this teensy DIY project. Let’s see…
I REALLY wanted to be dipped in colour as DJM has toyed with it here. I mean, head to toe royal blue because this pleated skirt that I bought for £2 from a vintage store had been sitting there taunting me as I had bought it with the intention of doing something with it. Since I already had the shoes, the stirrup tights and the polo-shirt, I was NEARLY all set to be dipped in colour.
I REALLY wanted to play with the idea of having a hood/cloak attached to a dress because I tried on a black corset minidress in Tjallamalla in Stockholm, that had a glorious cream satin hood cloak that was attached to the back of the dress with poppers for you to drape over your head. I stupidly said I would come back and buy it after sleeping on it. Of course I just slept, ate some more cinnamon buns and forgot about the dress.
I REALLY wanted to do something to get rid of this metallic blue fabric that I bought in a fabric frenzy on Cheap Fabrics (useful for novice DIY’ers comme moi…).
So, I set about making a hood with the metallic fabric which was easier and harder than I thought all at the same time. It was easier because the actual pattern cutting was simple. I just cut out four pieces of the shape on the left from the fabric (two of the pieces need to be reversed) and sewed two together and turned it inside out (so that the metallic side is on the outside on both sides). You do the same with the other two pieces so that you have two double layered pieces and then sewed the curved edges of the two pieces together. It was also harder because I hadn’t anticipate the fabric being so damn slippy. Tough stuff when you’re using an erratic sewing machine.
Anyhow, with some poppers on the edge of the hood and on the inside of the waistband of the skirt, on the hood went (I’m keeping options open with the skirt in case I might want to do the office frump thing…). Then I started playing around with it…. and a whole lot of variations just started cropping up. I knew I wanted the the above but I didn’t bargain for all the rest of it….
Hood at the back…
Hood worn to the side. Hood pulled up from the front so you have sort of shoulder straps. Hood left down to allow other headgear (namely my A*N*D beret which I love…)
Hood left down and worn to the front making a drapey pouch. Hood left down and worn to the side making a Grecian-toga thing. Hood left down with the middle tucked into the waistband and belted.
Hood pulled up around the shoulders making a shawl and sleeves. Hood pulled up to the side, with the elbow tucked in making a sort of one-shouldered capelet.
The hood had unintentionally morphed into a dress attachment which in different fabrics and attached to different dresses could go places that you thought a cheap bit of ¬£2.50 per metre fabric would never take you. Well, what I wanted, I got…and a whole lot more…
(Background pics from Androgyny Magazine Issue 2, ‘Koniec Czasu’, shot by Michal Z. Martychowiec from here)
I love hoodies. I would attach one to every piece I own if I could… except maybe underwear. Out of your variations, however, I liked the silver attachment as a capelet’y thingie the best, I think.
I like your silver attachment in every picture except where it looks a touch like a baby sling, in the first two pictures in the third row down. Everything else is GREAT. You look like a textile-ishly defined raindrop, cartoonish and elegant at the same time.
Looks good except the last one. You look like you’re injured.
Love it as the hood and as a shawl and sleeves! Where do you get your stirrup leggings/tights???
Very creative….I especially liked it as a sort of belted vest with the beret–can I get it in a black and silver combination too? (some people are just never satisfied!)
the arm sling look seems to fit you. You always look like you have a broken arm or something when you’re posing…so awkward and stiff. metallic and electric blue tights…looks like an bad space movie.
the blue skirt and polo look like they were made for each other
It looks amazing, any way you wear it! Klein would have an orgasm if he’d see you all covered in his blue…
I never ended up trying this as I have no coloured shoes! I had red ones but ended up giving them to a charity shop. I could do grey I suppose as I have millions of grey everything, but like you I wanted to do electric blue.
haha i love it who would have thought it could be so many different things?
No, I’m sorry, this is just bonkers.
My favourite is the middle of the hood tucked in and belted, the all blue look is also really fab, me likey!
Ooops, forgot to say, the poloshirt is from Uniqlo and the tights are from American Apparel.
DJM: The advantage of going to HK all the time is picking up inexpensive coloured patent shoes…. HKD50 (about 3 quid) I tells ya for a pair of shoes…madness….
Anon commentors: I AM awkward though so thanks for pointing that out….
Love it! Susie you’re so creative! You should defenetly be a stylist!…I like especially the first look, it looks you are this sort of Futuristic Virgin Mary coming from the future..
keep up the good work!
I like some of it, not all of it. Though i think some of the variations just literally wouldn’t work if worn for about a block. Like your one elbow shrug thing. Surely about half a block down the street your elbow would pop out, you’d be faffing around trying to tuck it back while the hood then morphed and readjusted itself into a proper shrug and as you were trying to fix that it would morph into something else! Maybe thats just me though. I can’t wear terrible impractical things since they always fall apart of me. I really like the idea behind it and I do like some of the variations. Thanks for sharing susie!
Just keep being creative and eventually something will work out.
*gasp* blue overload!!
Meg: I guess the thing I REALLY wanted was the hood and the dress so if I got that, the other stuff is just me messing around. Though I suppose it makes for some good playful times if you’re out and bored with one look.
Val: Hehe…futuristic Virgin Mary…gosh, please don’t let anyone be offended by that…
I love your DIY projects!
I bought a great hoodie in HK from Mary Bible in Tsim Sha Tsui that has a similar effect! I can wear it to cover my arms if it’s cold or my head if it’s raining1
whoa, great DIY 🙂
sorry i didn’t mean to offeend anyone …
it was just the first picture that came to my mind after seeing the outfit, it was just the perfect way to explain it..
i totally apologize to anyone being offended by what i’ve said..
Cheers,
Val 😉