Upcycled Wedding Dresses

With a nuptial trends leaning toward destinations and themed events, brides are enjoying more than ever dresses that are  personalized and wildly creative. Creating a revisionist dress is a beautiful way to celebrate your wedding.

Back in your great grandmother's day weddings were not necessarily a big lavish affair.  Often the weddings were brunch time or mid-afternoon followed by cake, punch or champagne. Not a sit down dinner affair costing thousands and thousands. Rings were an uninterrupted band of gold.  A simple wedding that reflected an honest commitment of love.  

Two weddings I’ve attended recently were brilliant ways to celebrate. The first wedding was a Halloween party that at 10pm the hosts welcomed the surprised guests to their wedding. The bride and groom proceeded to marry in their beautifully created upcycled costumes.  The guests had an amazing time.  It was a fantastic event.  The second was a semi-destination wedding. The bride and groom had a late afternoon Malibu beach wedding followed by cupcakes and a champagne toast.  Afterwards, those who had chosen to go to the reception, would meet the bride and groom the next evening for dinner in Hawaii. A memorable, and fun event .

Frequently the cost of a bridal gowns will  devour  a huge part of the wedding budget.  Really quite a sad legacy for a dress worn just once, then stashed in a preservation box. Meanwhile grooms have been the ones to enjoy the saving and ease of renting a tuxedo.  Fortunately the trend for grooms has changed to more creative choices as well.

For the bride, I'm in love with dipped dyed wedding dresses. An idea that has been trending  for a few years. However,  instead of buying a new high priced dipped dyed dress, try sourcing dresses at resale shops and creating your own one of a kind. Dip dyeing bridesmaids  dresses is a way to individualize and coordinate as well.   A plain dress can become extraordinary fantasy dress.  I've linked below ways to dye at home. Just remember synthetic fabrics require different dyes than natural fiber fabrics. So look at  the dress label.

The lemons coupled with geranium stems simple and elegant. Perfect for an elegant countryside type wedding.

This vintage picnic wedding is simple but has great style. Whether sand or turf, own your wedding, don't let your wedding own you.    Have fun and enjoy your new life together.

Tub dying-

https://www.ritdye.com/instructions/how-to-dye-using-the-sink-or-bucket-method/

Past wedding posts-

http://morecomedythandrama.blogspot.com/2010/06/rethink-restore-and-restyle-wedding.html

#AlternativeWeddingDress #UpcycledWeddingDress  #OneOfAKindWeddingDress 

Upcycle Couture

For nearly twenty years style has flatlined in mediocrity.  The runway has floundered desperately seeking a new direction.  The catalyst in my opinion began with  9-11, followed by the war, and the great recession. Throughout this time  there has been a long standing elephant in the room people have been avoiding. Finally awareness and understanding has taken the reins of the garment industry.

Most people now are aware of  global warming, stripped resources, and an insurmountable amount of plastic trash polluting oceans and killing marine life. Contributing to this significant amount of waste, is a  first world indulgence statistic. The average person wears  a garment six times before dumping it.  Two thirds of all clothes eventually end up in a landfill.

As people are becoming more aware, regenerist street style has given  rise to couture looks. This change has come from better understanding, fast fashion rebellion, artistic expression, and a quest for individualism. From clean line simplicity, expressive statement wear, a daily uniform, or daily cosplay, there is no doubt the future of fashion is changing.

For those who have Kondo’d their closet, there is a solid understanding of how much individuals accumulate, and don’t need. Vapid consumerism harks back to peer pressure and a psychological need to fill a void not satiated by other elements. Now people are kissing their fashion indiscretions good bye.  Unfortunately letting go is further contribing to the already critical situation of waste.

Donating over trashing is good, however much of these donations are still destined for landfills.  Society must solve this overwhelming global problem.  New purchases should have meaning and social consciousness. To  upcycle, recycle, and repurpose is significant for solving both our global wastefulness and truly expressing a great sense of style.

Bring in individualism . The Phoenix has risen for this direction. Now purchasing of meaningless fast fashion  almost requires an apology of ignorance to a world problem. The resale market has grown larger than retail. Clearly consumers have changed about what is important. Zero waste is a growing  goal.

Now retailers like H&M have developed an upcycle / recycle textile program .  A couple of seasons back, Dolce&Gabbana presented a statement coat  created from workroom scraps .  Maharishi men’s wear has created a limited line of upcycled coats created from quilted jacket linings last season.

With more companies getting on board with the upcycled one of a kind fashion, the trend is clear and importantly, here to stay.  The time has ended for big box mediocrity and fashion obsolescence .  Whether purchasing resale, sourcing upcycle, or creating your own,  the revolution of individualism and zero waste has arrived. 

The upcycled fashion boards below are one of kind. So consumers will have to keep their eyes open to source or create their own one of kind.

If you happen to be in Brooklyn  check out Zero Waste Daniel -

http://zerowastedaniel.com

Luxury purses 

https://www.elvisandkresse.com

Billboards to bags-

https://www.rareform.com/?fbclid=IwAR1exx8WSNQoATiu5nRqwnajaEOIrWmJbwRs6K3TJfqrFS3flqfMCJ5MPdU

Upcycled purses

http://www.boomerangimpact.com/handmade-upcycled-fair-trade-eco-friendly-bags-handbags-purses

#Upcycle  #OneOfAKindFashion #ZeroWaste

 #ArtisticValue  #ArtsAndExpressionism #UpcycledFashion

House of Mouse: Disney Fashion

From playful to powerful, character identification can be potent. The desire to emulate a favorite character, and loyal fandom propel very lucrative merchandising.
The mouse ears has tapped that goldmine .

The latest collection from Kenzo highlights that House of Mouse is king. Kenzo's collaborative collection with Disney was shown in both Paris and on Main Street at Disneyland Anaheim. 

Kenzo mastered the mouse with a fun colorful collection that reaches far beyond theme park sweatshirts and t-shirts. Clearly the  statement of "Happiest place on Earth" resinates here.

But Mouse merchandising success doesn't end with Kenzo. In 2014 Disney reported sales for the girl's Elsa dress from its hit movie "Frozen" topped 3 million in just North America alone. The dress still continues to be a best seller. In case you are looking, Saks Fifth Ave sells the high end Elsa premiere dress for $79.99.

If the obsession with the Frozen fandom continues into adulthood, Alfred Angelo has collaborated with Disney for princess character inspired wedding dresses. Starting here with the Elsa wedding dress. 

No matter which Disney princess a  future bride wishes to be, a wedding dress has been created for that character.

In the haberdashery department, from bridal ears to studded and knitted ears the House of Mouse has looks for everyone.  

Not in the mood to wear Mouse ears? Pick a character to suit your mood. From the Mad Hatter to Goofy, Disney has your head covered.

Need a new handbag? Coach collaborated with Disney for this fun purse .

No outfit is complete without shoes, and Disney has every style you might need .

If you happen to be vacationing  at the Aulani Disney resort in Hawaii, you will can be dressed Disney smart when dipping your toes in the pool.

Still yearning for more Disney?  There are homes for sale in Florida at the Walt Disney Golden Oak Resort. But that's another blog. Back to fashion now....

 

Embroidery Trending

Embroidery is everywhere. It's  the most exciting trend I have seen on the runway and stores for quite some time. Wearable art is exciting, provocative, decadent, and beautiful. I especially love the indulgent statement pieces.  Are you ready to create your own statement piece?

Dolce and Gabbana is doing it.

Gucci is doing it. 

Dior is Doing It.

Yves Saint Laurent is doing it.

TV/ Game of Thrones is doing it .

Are you doing it ?

There are two types of embroidery here.  Classical embroidery which uses timeless designs, often sewn with silk, gold, and silver bouillon thread for the needle work.  The other is  Folk art style which comes from the "street".  Casual designs that capture the mood of the artist in daily life, politics, current events, nature,  and even emotional statements.

Back in the day, wealthy women would embroider lavish spectacular creations to be worn or displayed.  The needle art was handed down through the generations by mothers or tutors.  Today England has the Royal School of Needlework, training new needlework artists. 

Even youtube has embroidery directions for the novice. It is my belief that people  are searching for more individual and one of a kind looks. A backlash to the high volume boring looks that have saturated stores, the runway, and life in general for years now.

What better way to create a statement piece but with  art?

My introduction to embroidery comes from a more humble place than an academy.  It was the dining room of my friends home. Back in grade school days, my best friend Wendy and I  wanted to embroider some flowers on our  Fred Segal jeans.  Wendy's housekeeper Maria, generously introduced us both to the art of embroidery.  Maria was a master of the craft, and her talent sadly under-appreciated in a world of machine embroidery.  If only I  could thank her again for the introduction to hand embroidery she gave to us.  

As an adult,  my embroidery was mostly limited to making children quilts and pillows as gifts. For these, I created free-hand designs inspired by fairytales and nursery rhymes. But life with raising a family and work got in the way.  I barely had time to read the paper, so I simply stopped embroidering. 

A few years ago I was yearning for a creative relaxation  to watch TV with.  So I began to embroider once again. While sourcing for design inspiration, my enthusiasm was peaked by a book called American Denim-A New Folk Art  by Peter S. Beagle. 

Denim  lends itself to this art form, especially for daily wear pieces. So I pulled out my favorite denim shirt and began stitching away. It started with a few whimsical flowers.  However  I was throughly  inspired to keep going . With each new design I completed, a new idea popped in  my head. All of the designs had a personal meaning to me: There are references to the Fibonacci golden math rule,  saving/protecting water, as well as several spiritual and mystical symbols.

*The denim shirt that started out to just cover a few sharpie marks  above the right pocket.

When my denim shirt was  finished, I began with my next project : A  linen shirt-which  had a few tiny tears at stress points. What better way to save an old favorite?  I diligently covered each tear with a new design.  Sadly however  each time I wore the shirt,  more tears appeared.  

For this embroidery rescue  I quickly learned,  the linen shirt was passed saving . The fabric was just too fragile.  Lesson learned. 

Not one to toss out all the embroidery, I grabbed scissors and  cut all the stitch work off  before tossing out the remaining shirt.  Now I'm attaching the needle work to a new linen safari jacket. 

*My new linen safari jacket with transplants from my old linen shirt.

*I attached each embroidered piece to felt for extras support. Then attached the felt patch to the new linen shirt jacket.

Now my embroidery has gone beyond just a TV watching hobby. It's hard  for me to put down. I'm so glad to have this back in my life.  It soothes my inner soul, and has become my creative therapy. 

Currently I am embroidering tarot and playing cards.  These designs I discovered while searching  for  unusual and unexpected versions of the cards.  Eventually these will be attached to yet another

jacket in my closet.

A Royal Flush 

Tarot 

My goal is to be whimsical, fun, and embroider designs that are meaningful to me. 

True folk art pieces are meant to be one of a kind. They are statement heirloom treasures in their own right.   Machine work does not capture the depth, dimension, and irregular movement of hand embroidery.

Couture is not daily wear knock around  fashion. It's for special occasion.  These designer collections are spectacular because of all their hand work done by skilled artisans.  It takes hundreds of hours of work to create these hand embroidered collections.

  

The more casual  RTW designer looks are created with machine embroidery and will never be  the real deal of folk art .   So if you lack the funds to buy couture, or want real folk art in your life,  pick up an embroidery needle and start your own personal statement piece.

#GucciHoodie  #DiorTarot  #YSLJeanJacket  #DolceAndGabbana  #OneOfAKind  #GameofThronesEmbroidery  #AmericanDenim  #FolkArtEmbroidery  #HandEmbroideryArt