Friday 3 October 2014

How to: Make a Fake Shirt Collar

Fake Shirt Collar DIY

When it comes to layering, I know absolutely nothing. Nothing that is, except that I like to wear a collar whenever possible (so 2012, I know). As much as I love a good shirt, there are some occasions when I don't really want to wear a whole shirt underneath a jumper/top/dress, especially when it's still a little too warm to go into full layering. Which is where this DIY comes in - the illusion of a collar without the sleeves, bulk, and extra warmth.

Fake Shirt Collar DIY

I bought this second-hand shirt recently because I loved the sweet crochet collar on it. However, I must have been blindsided by the collar when I bought it, because the rest of the shirt is not as good - it's baggy, shapeless, and just generally too old-fashioned (and not in a good way). I knew I had to use the collar in some way though, so just decided to separate the shirt from the collar.

Fake Shirt Collar DIY

Fake Shirt Collar DIY

I laid my shirt out flat, and cut through the front and back at the same time, so that when buttoned up and laid flat, it was a rectangular shape. As you can probably tell from these photos, I didn't do a particularly tidy job of cutting out, but this didn't matter as the edges would be hidden when worn.

I then hemmed all edges, using a double hem to prevent fraying. Make sure to hem all edges with the buttons undone, so that you can still undo the buttons.

To wear, all you have to do is put it on underneath the garment of your choice, and pull out the collar to be sitting on top. To the untrained eye, it looks just like a shirt.

Fake Shirt Collar DIY

I can think of multiple ways I'll be wearing this over the coming few months - under plain jumpers that need a little something extra, under high necked dresses to give them a preppy edge, or under striped t-shirts for a kooky look. Not bad for a shirt that I definitely wouldn't have worn before!

Let me know if you try this, or have any other ways of upcycling unwanted shirts!

2 comments:

  1. What an amazing idea! I would never have thought of that, I bought myself a whole sleeveless shirt for this purpose but this idea is way better!

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    1. Glad you like it Anna! I'm a big fan of sleeveless shirts too - they work well all year round!

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