GoS: vintage fashion

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Choosing a great vintage item

When searching for vintage items there are many things to take into consideration. One of the key things for us when vintage shopping is finding something we fall in love with. In terms of fashion we are generally drawn to items that are tailor made or hand made as they are usually one offs. The downside to tailor made items, as is the case with most vintage finds is sizing. Even if there is a size label make sure you get actual measurements or try the item on. Tailor made clothing is made to a particular persons measurements and vintage sizing is quite different to standard sizing today.

Obviously with vintage items there can be wear and tear. For us if the fabric is particulary interesting and we can see the item being upcycled we can overlook some minor flaws. Sometimes it's important to see beyond the item itself to what it could be. Another key thing is don't make assumptions about stains! If you don't know what it is you won't know how to treat it. If an item has significant staining it may not be worth your time or effort.

Here is an example of a beautiful tailor made floral maxi dress. This dress was purchased for me to wear but it has always been too small across the bust. I've flirted with the idea of pulling it apart and turning it into a maxi skirt but the beautiful pattern and craftmanship in this item deserves to be worn in its full glory. This dress ticks a number of boxes for current trends - peter pan collar, large floral print, sheer and ladylike. This dress makes quite a statement on it's own or work it back with some beautiful modern accessories such as a bold tonal clutch or a pair of electric blue pumps.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/98737354/tailor-made-floral-peter-pan-collar

Enjoy...

R&M @ GoS
xox

Upcycling

Today I thought I'd talk a bit about upcycling as it's a term we use to describe some of the things we do. What exactly is upcyling? Well it's pretty much just taking an item that would otherwise be considered useless because it may be out of fashion or just not suited to your taste or needs anymore and giving it a new life.

My personal love affair with upcycling began many years ago before the word even existed (the term upcycling was first used in 1999!). As a young teen my mother brought me a bag of clothing a friend was getting rid of. Being on very limited pocket money the opportunity for some new clothes was like a gift from heaven. Unfortunately most of the clothing was either too big or too mature for my years.... and that's when I realised... "what if I???....". And so began my foray into upcycling.

The very first thing I did was to turn a maxi circle skirt into a pair of hammer pants. They turned out a treat and soon I had three pairs of hammer pants! YAY! I was the talk of the school! The next item was turning a button down, long sleeve over the knee dress into a vest, all the rage at the time.

Many upcycled items you see for sale are intricate and have been completely restructured but it does not have to be that complicated. Upcycling is something you can do at home! It could be as simple as having an old dress with a sleeve style that is no longer in fashion. Instead of throwing it out get some scissors and a needle and thread and copy a sleeve style you have in your wardrobe that you love! Even items that are too big or too small can be upcycled. It's really about wasting less and let's face it we could all use the extra dollars these days.

One of my favorite websites for upcycled ideas and D.I.Y is apairandaspare. Here is one great example of what you can do at home.

http://apair-andaspare.blogspot.com.au/2011/06/lbd-1-diy-cut-out-back-minidress.html