DIY: Bleached & Faded Free People Top

photo taken from here.

I found a cute Free People top... but it fits more like a short dress on me. I really liked the drape, but I couldn't stand the hot pink on it. Considered dyeing it, but looking at the fabric content, it was 60% cotton 40% rayon, I was unsure how that was going to take. Likely dull, with the colors mixing and muddy, stripes still obvious. So I thought back of the direction A&F gave their team one year, one semester, one project. Think sun bleached, wind softened fabrics. Looks and feels like you had been out and it's comfortable and natural wear. Yeah. So I bleached the thing the same night. :p It's not really anything elaborate or time consuming, just something easy and fun to do~

top/dress: Free People

Game of Thrones - Season 3, Episode 10

DIY: Thom Browne Inspired Spiked Shoulder

Met Gala 2013.... obsessed. Fell for this Thom Browne gown worn by Taylor Tomasi Hill. I just love it. I love the idea of feminine and soft mixed with spiky sharp metal. I was unsure of this top before, but now I absolutely love it.

Inspiration image: Thom Browne spiked shoulder gown.

Materials:
-a soft feminine top (or dress)
-1/2" wide strip of leather
-varying sizes of spikes in preferred color

Tools:
-sharpie
-measuring tape
-scissors
-leather hole punch
-seam ripper

First, measure out where the spikes will go through on the leather with sharpie. Cut excess. Then make sure you pick the proper size on the leather hole punch for the screws of the spikes to fit through. Punch the holes.

Decide where you want the spikes to go, pin the leather piece to the inside of the garment. The strip of leather is there to help keep the spikes together and also to have them lay flat on the garment. Line your spikes and screws up together.

Cut through the garment with a seam ripper. Keep the holes very small, just enough for the screw to push through. Screw the spike on. Start in the middle, work your way to the edges, making sure the leather is laying well on the inside. And the end :p Wooo, spikes!

 

Delerium - Self Saboteur

DIY: Jason Wu Inspired Leather Harness

 blouse: French Connection, harness: selfmade

When I borrowed the leather hole punch from Lita (our trim lady at work), I announced to the room: "I will make a leather harness!" It was purely innocent excitement, ofc, but my coworker friends were like :O!! "A WHAT?" Hah. Ok, ok, probably starting from my goth days, I have had a liking for S&M inspired pieces for a long time. Ofc, the complete fetish look isn't really appropriate or mainstream, but a hint of it, balanced with something normal or innocent appeals to me. This is a very basic harness, first try. I'll probably experiment with more complex designs later.

This is my inspiration image, leather harness by Jason Wu.

materials:

-1/2"w strip of leather, enough to go around the body

-metal o ring or something similar

-screw on spikes to screw the leather strips together

-nipple stud as closure

-leather hole punch

 Thread a strip of leather through the o ring, punch holes on each side, and screw a spike on to keep the loop together. Do this 3 times, 2 on top to go over the shoulders to the front, and one going down at center back.

Measure each leather strip to go over shoulder and front, and just enough going down the back. Loop each end through a piece of leather strap to measure a loop. Punch holes on each side and secure with a spike. Do this to each end of the strips of leather.

Now measure another piece of leather to go around torso where the straps end. Pull this piece through the loops.

Punch hole on one end of this leather strip and secure the nipple stud closure. Punch  a hole or several holes (to be able to adjust tightness) on the other side. This part should be able to be pulled open or secured like a belt with the nipple stud. Now, the harness is complete, and can be worn like a vest over t-shirts, pretty blouses, or billowy dresses.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Kiss Kiss

DIY: Gold Flower and Rhinestone Headband

While looking around one of my favourite bead stores, Bohemian Crystal, downtown, huge sew on rhinestones caught my eye. They are kinda hard to miss. I wanted golden crowns like whoa. So here they are... shiny, glittery, and unapologetically gaudy. The 8 year old in me is quite happy (:

-gold headband base
-gold flower beads, studs, rhinestones
-E6000 glue

Another easy DIY... the trick is to be patient and wait for the E6000 glue to dry a little/get tacky. Apply the glue on the backs of the beads/studs/rhinestones, and watch a tv show or movie while you wait a bit. Depending on how much glue you put on, the wait time will change. Once the glue is dry enough, when you press the beads onto the headband, it should stick well, let dry completely before wearing. If you try to stick them on too early, you'll have a mess. I kept doing that T-T

Stealers Wheel - Stuck in the Middle with You  (Reservoir Dogs)

DIY: Shredded Tee

Deconstructed things really attract me. There's something about the way clothing that looks like it's unravelling and falling apart that feels like soft and delicate poetry in motion. Yeah. I just said that. Don't judge me.

Here is my inspiration: Kate Lanphear, one of my style icons, wearing a Raquel Allegra shirt. One of my best friends, Grace, likes to go to Raquel Allegra's sample sales and that's how I remembered this photo, and immediately wanted to do this post. I just really like shredding things.

You only need a knit shirt or dress for this, and a seam ripper. It's incredibly easy, but utterly time consuming. Better do this type of thing while watching movies or a tv show marathon.

 Undo the stitches at the hem with the seam ripper, and start pulling at the threads, Be very gentle, it's easy to tear holes. Also, keep in mind to handwash the end result very carefully.

 Homeland - Season 1, Episode 1

DIY: Flowers in Ice Cubes

I've wanted to try this for some time, saw chamomile and sage flowers at the farmer's market, knew it was time. It's gonna be 90 degrees F tomorrow... :p Happy May Day!

Wash flowers, put in ice trays, fill with water, so easy and pretty (:

Dexter - Season 3 Episode 4

DIY: Metallic Tie Paint

I accidentally dripped metallic fabric paint on the crotch of a jegging I really liked. /me facepalms. There was no turning back, so here we are. I covered part of it in the same type of paint, and realized I was making a mess. Since I had been experimenting with tie dye bleaching recently, inspiration hit. Instead of rubber bands, I used artist tape, and started to bunch parts of the pants up and taping them. Painted the exposed parts, in massive coats and delicately over the edges of folds. Unsure about results, but fairly satisfied. It's decidedly better than the questionable metallic stain shape on the crotch from before, hah.

jegging: diy

Kaskade ft. Dragonette - Fire In Your New Shoes

DIY: Dolce & Gabbana Inspired Baroque Headband

I'm totally late on this, but the other night, while about to start the last episode of Lost with bf, I had the sudden urge to glue things. I went digging through my random assortment of junk, and found: a headband base, scrap of black fabric, and gold rose beads. What was I gonna do?! ZOMG, Dolce & Gabbana (Fall 2012) baroque headband DIY :D The next day, I had to go to a bead store to get some rhinestones and shiny things. E6000 glue and I are starting to get along (:

  One of the inspiration pics: this one has moar pearls on it, but I stuck to mostly rhinestones... because I like shinies. Though I suppose pearls are very baroque.

Just cut the scrap of black fabric into strips and wrap the headband base with it, gluing as you go. Then glue the beads and rhinestones on one by one. Such an easy DIY, IMHO, it works well with pretty party dresses, but I'll be using it to add shine and polish to easy summer outfits. I used a narrower base, so it's not as heavy.

headband: selfmade

Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (Jakwob Remix)