Slow Fashion October II: Quality vs Quantity

Buying and making things that are higher in quality, rather than having a lot of lower quality items is something that I've been thinking over a lot lately. And seeing as my recent thoughts on this tie in nicely with #slowfashionoctober I thought I would dedicate a post to my thoughts on this. I'm not promising any conclusions, because it's just a jumble in my head at the moment! Although usually getting things down on paper (or, er, the web) organises my thoughts a little better, so here goes!

Caring for a Vintage Wardrobe

It's no secret that I am a big fan of second hand shopping, particularly when it comes to buying vintage. However, to put things bluntly, 'vintage' clothes are basically old clothes, and no matter how well made they are or when they date from, it's important to remember that these are clothes that have been pre-loved. They have had a life of wear before finding their way to a new owner, and this can lead to them being more fragile and worn than brand new pieces. I like to look after my vintage pieces in different ways to my brand new items, and here's how I like to do it.

What I Have Sewn: The Mix and Match Sweatshirt

It feels like quite an accomplish to finally tick something off my winter projects list. I mentioned this jumper/sweatshirt briefly in my post on projects in planning, but if you've missed that, let me bring you up to speed...

Projects in Planning #1

The weather has dramatically changed, and all thoughts of whipping up a matching top and shorts set have been firmly replaced with an urgent need for knitwear and warmth. There are a few items I'd like to make in the coming months, and so let me introduce a new feature over here on Awake + Make where I talk about ideas and plans for upcoming projects. Because sometimes it's not all about the end result.

How to: Biscuit Motif Sweatshirt

I like biscuits and I cannot lie. Sorry if you now have that song in your head. If you're a long term reader, you'll probably know of my love of the tea break staple (you can even see my all time favourite, custard creams, in my blog background). It was only a matter of time before they made their way into my wardrobe, and now seems the perfect time to introduce a new jumper into my wardrobe, ready for the cooler weather.

Turning a Purse into a Handbag

It's been a while since I posted a good ol' DIY post here, and whilst this is hardly a full blown DIY post, I thought I'd share it here anyway, mainly because it's such a cute little project (which only takes 10 minutes!!!). Mini-bags were all over the catwalk in the past few months, and this is a great way of creating your own. All you need is a purse, and a spare belt that you no longer need...

Thrifty Finds - No. 3

This time of the year is the time when I'm most likely to make dubious buying decisions. I like to call it 'Summer Shopping Fever' - maybe the sun gets to me, or I get caught up in the holiday spirit, but I definitely buy things that I will not use (mainly crazy clothes). It has not happened yet this year, so hopefully I've learnt from my Summer shopping mistakes. So, this is what I've been buying, instead of buying a ridiculous pair of flatforms.

My Five Favourite Watches

As an avid watch wearer, you will hardly ever find me not wearing a time piece of some kind. Even when I forget to put a watch on in a morning (a rare occasion), I'll be glancing at my empty wrist throughout the day. To celebrate my love for watches, I thought I'd share my five favourite watches here.

Making a Dress or Skirt Longer

I'll just come out and say it. I am super fussy about the length of dresses or skirts. For me, the difference of a couple of centimetres is all it takes for a skirt to be too long or too short. Making a dress or skirt shorter is easy - all that is required is a simple re-hemming. But what about when you actually need to add fabric? Hmmm...

What I'm Wearing: Florals and a Dungaree Dress

I honestly have no idea how I coped before I bought a dungaree dress. It has opened up so many possibilities for the number of tops and blouses I have, and I can wear it both summer and winter. It's such a hardworking little number that you'll find me wearing it on a regular basis, without becoming bored of it.

What I'm Wearing: Posh Frocks in Day Time

I was rummaging through my wardrobe recently, during a "I have nothing to wear" crisis, when I rediscovered this dress. I can definitely see why I bought it: spots: check, peter pan collar: check, 60s vibe: check. I can also see why I don't really wear it often enough - namely that it is a rather fancy dress to be wearing to rather unfancy places e.g. Sainsbury's. I'm not quite brave enough to do a Holly Golightly and wear my glad rags wherever I please, so I tried to make this dress more casual, and I think I succeeded.

What I'm Wearing: Preppy Dots with a Touch of Red

I don't very often talk fashion on here, but the truth is I love clothes. I don't usually stray from my own personal style, but sometimes new trends I see will inspire a DIY or two. That said, most of my wardrobe isn't handmade (unfortunately, but maybe one day), and like everybody else I love a little retail therapy every now and again. This is the kind of outfit that I'm wearing at the moment.

Thrifty Find: Vintage Tweed Dress

I had a wardrobe clearance recently, in an attempt to simplify my wardrobe and get rid of things I haven't worn in a good while. I have good intentions, but what happens is that after a clearance, I think I have an excuse to pick up more clothes. Even so, I think I would have picked up this dress regardless of whether I had any space in my wardrobe or not.

This dress features my new obsession - check print - as well as an old obsession - pockets. I'm not sure exactly how old it is, but I think it could be handmade, only a lot better than I could ever sew anything. These photos don't do justice to the lovely fabric, which has a lovely mixture of rich colours, and has a cozy fleecy feeling. It cost me £1.99 from a local second hand shop and is possibly one of the best bargains I might have ever found.

It has one large pleat down the front, and gorgeous pockets that give the skirt a kind of tulip shape. It needs a couple of tiny repairs - a bit of darning, re-hemming and a new zip put in. Not that I mind, as I could do with the sewing practice, and at £1.99 I don't mind giving this dress a bit of TLC. In fact, I think that practicing techniques that you're not too sure about on an already existing garment can be really helpful. Not to mention a lot less daunting than sewing something from scratch. I've never inserted a zip before, but I'll let you know how it goes.

I think the man from the Salvation Army shop described it best when he said that this dress would be perfect for a Burn's Night Celebration. I've never been to a Burn's Night, but I'd love to. I wouldn't be too keen on eating haggis, but I think I could just pile my plate high with tatties.

How do you practice sewing techniques? Any tips you have on inserting zips?

Wrap up in Wolves with Antonio Marras

It's no secret that I love a good animal motif, so it's no surprise that the Antonio Marras show at Milan Fashion Week caught my eye. Actually, I don't usually keep up to date with many fashion shows that happen outside of LFW, but when I saw a couple of pictures from the show, I knew I had to investigate further. Pretty much everything from the show is right up my street; a dark colour palette, lace, embroidered flowers, bulky knitwear, but most important were the wolf motifs that ran throughout the entire collection.

All photos from Vogue.co.uk

I love how oversized this jumper is - perfect for midwinter, si? I also really like the Navajo feel to this jumper, but I doubt it would be something I could carry off on a trip to buy some milk. Want to make one yourself? This is knitted, but if, like me, you're not a fan of crazy amounts of intarsia, I would simply intarsia in the main sections, like the wolf, and embroider in the rest. I'd pick a fairly standard roll neck knitting jumper pattern to begin with, and then chart out my design on graph paper. Not a project for the weak of heart. 

In contrast to the above jumper, I think this jacket has a more Oriental feel. Loving the symmetry too. You could take this idea and translate it easily to a dress, a top or a t-shirt. There are a few ways you could recreate this look. Are you fairly artistic? How about using some fabric paint to paint some wolves onto the top or dress of your choice. I think it would look particularly nice on silk. An easier and lazier way to get the same look would be to use photo transfer paper. Simply find a photo of wolves you like, print onto your paper and then iron over the paper to transfer your image. Simples!

This is my favourite look from the whole show. This jumper is a statement piece without being too much, and I can imagine this working great off the catwalk too. I've never knitted a jumper before, but desperately want to do so, and this might be the photo that gets me started. Who knows - if I start now, maybe it will be finished in time for next winter? The jumper itself is a fairly standard shaped jumper, so the hardest part would be designing the intarsia motif on graph paper. Wish me luck! 

Have you ever designed your own intarsia motifs for knitting? Any advice?

London Fashion Week AW 2014 - DIY the Looks

Although I believe in style over fashion, and try to avoid throw away trends, I always love looking at some of the shows from London Fashion Week, even the all out crazy ones. It's great to get a heads up on the fashion trends to come, as well as giving my craft inspiration a big boost. Even though the shows were forecasting the trends for Autumn Winter 2014, it's still so cold at the moment that most of the clothes were perfect for now. Here are my picks from my favourite shows this season (in illustration form), as well as how you could DIY the looks.

Orla Kiely

Orla Kiely is amazing at the best of times, but this time I think she outdid herself. I loved the Mary Jane chunky heels (a collaboration with Clarks - hooray!), the kooky patterns and pastel shades. There were also a lot of cat motifs, which were right up my street, as a crazy cat lady. You could embroider, applique or paint a cat silhouette or face onto a jumper or sweatshirt, to recreate the look.Just remember to wear your adorable new jumper with a peter pan collar sticking out from underneath.

Giles

Getting eyebrows like Cara Delevigne is hard work - just ask pretty much anybody who's tried. Getting your hands on the beanie hat she wore in the Giles show is a damn side easier. In a world first, the knitting pattern was released on the same day as the show, so even if you're a really slow knitter, you should be able to get one finished in time for next winter. You can get the kit from Wool & The Gang, who got the fash pack knitting away in London. If you're feeling lazy, you can buy one already made from them too. If you don't knit, but want a piece of the DIY action, you could buy yourself a plain beanie hat and sew on some felt eyes. Check out the turquoise version - I need it!

Temperley London

Alice Temperley is a woman after my own heart - I loved everything in the Temperley London show this year, especially the mix of eclectic patterns with gorgeous cabled knits. To achieve a floral pattern similar to some of the ones in the show, you could embroider onto an item of clothing of your choice. The ones in the show were probably machine embroidered - it would take forever otherwise - but you could hand embroider a smaller section of your clothing. I'm thinking onto a t-shirt pocket, the collar of a shirt, the yoke of a dress or the bottom of a skirt. This would look really unique and special if you found some vintage embroidery patterns for inspiration.

What were your favourite fashion moments from LFW? Did you see anything that you thought would be easy to customise or make yourself?

Vintage Clothes Haul

One thing that is good about where I live, is that there are not many people into vintage clothes. Sure, if I wear too many of my vintage items at once when popping down town, I stick out like a sore thumb. But what it does mean, is that I can sometimes find some vintage gems for a bargain. If I lived in a vintage hot-zone, I could almost guarantee that I would be paying more than double what I normally do.

One reason for this, is that I never buy clothes from "Vintage Stores". We only have one locally, and that only opens on Saturday (rather telling of the local style, no?). Whenever I do go in, I always find myself thinking "This is the exact same stuff I find in second hand shops, but far more expensive!" Putting in the (wo)man hours to trawl the local second hand shops is worth it, even if I do only find one amazing piece every so often. Today, the planets aligned and the Vintage Gods smiled down on me, as I found a couple of lovely pieces.

I love the Japanese vibe of this 70's midi dress. It's the kind of thing that I could imagine Florence Welch wearing on stage, no? It's made of 100% knitted polyester, so probably not actually. Not unless she felt like self-combusting from the heat. So, I probably won't be wearing it in the heat of summer. I think it actually has a more autumnal feel anyway, with the mushroom pattern on it. Oh, and it has pockets. That was what was actually the deal-maker. I love pockets. It cost me £2.99, a lot of dress for my money. I can see me wearing this with black Chelsea boots, long layered necklaces and with my hair down. And if I could carry it off (probably not), a black, wide brimmed, felt fedora.

I've been dreaming of pastel pink coats for a while now. This just proves that sometimes, it's worth holding out for that perfect item, at the perfect price. This one was a snip at £4.99. I love the pastel colour, the oversized cocoon shape, and the toggles (who doesn't?). Even though it's been raining pretty much every day for the last month, and this coat doesn't have a hood, I might have to wear it anyway. It's such a happy colour. Oh, and it has several pockets. Have I mentioned how much I love pockets?

Where are your favourite places to shop? Do you like vintage, or are you more of a modern dresser?

A Tartan Skirt Refashion

I don't know about you, but I think I would sew a lot more if it wasn't for the price of fabrics. This might just be one of my problems, with living in an area with limited fabric suppliers, but when I can buy a top or dress cheaper than when I can make one, it just doesn't make sense to me. Which is a shame, because sewing your own clothes means you can have unique items of clothing that you won't find anywhere else. And, of course, sewing is fun! My solution to this, is to keep an eye out for second hand fabrics that I can use - even when it is already a part of an existing garment. When I found this skirt I could see that it had potential to be bettered.

The main problem with this skirt was the length and shape - it just came across as rather baggy. The pattern didn't help either - the large tartan print would have been better when contained to a smaller area. But I liked the fabric, and decided to see past the current state of it. I simply adjusted the hemline of this dress (hardly much sewing, I know), making more of a mini-skirt. The original idea was to create a skort effect, but I didn't have enough excess fabric to experiment. I'm still thinking of making a skort though.

This is what it looks like now. The shorter length of the skirt means the bright tartan pattern is less overwhelming, and is a lot more flattering to wear. I'm going to be wearing this with simpler pieces of clothing, to let the tartan do the talking.

There are a lot of horrendous looking skirts out there, but if you can see past the current state of the skirt, you could easily adjust it. Here are my 5 top tips for adjusting a skirt:

• Always wash your skirt beforehand. Mine shrunk, a lot, leaving me with less material than I originally had. Better to shrink it before the alterations than to shrink it after and find it doesn't fit you after all that hard work.
• If your skirt has a lining, alter the outer fabric first. This is the easiest way to ensure that your lining will not be longer than the skirt fabric.
• Try it on after every stage of alteration, preferably before making permanent changes. What might look like the desired length of your skirt on the floor or table, can change completely when worn. Better to alter it a couple of centimetres either way, than to have to undo a heap of sewing (not fun).
• Do the Pin, Press & Tack. Yup, it might sound like an exercise technique, but for me, this is the best way to get a sharp, neat hem. First, fold your fabric, pinning it place. Press the fold with an iron, before tacking the hem in place with a loose running stitch. It might sound time consuming, but ideally you should spend longer preparing your fabric than you should sewing. It makes the sewing process a lot easier.
• Take your time when hemming. Yes, it's not the hardest of things, but as soon as you start to think "I could do this a bit faster" you start to make mistakes. Trust me.

Have you got any tips or stories of when you refashioned a piece of clothing?

Tartan and Plaid Scarves

Tartan still seems to be prominent as the pattern du jour, and it seems to be branching out into different colour ways. I'm always loathe to buy anything tartan brand new though - it is such a classic pattern that it is always easy to come across it in second hand shops, and at a fraction of the price. When I came across this beauty yesterday, I knew it was going to be heading home with me.

At £4.99, it was more than I would usually pay for a second hand scarf, but I think you'll all agree with me that, on this occasion, the price was worth it. It is a lovely, soft mohair weave, and I love the unconventional choice of colours. I've had some big scarves before, but this might actually be the biggest (trust me, it actually doubles as an emergency blanket).

It would be very easy to make your own tartan or plaid scarf. All you would need is a fleecy tartan throw or blanket, which can then be cut to size and then hemmed if necessary. Sounds too much effort? OK, here's my pick from the high street, but trust me anybody could make one.



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Found any bargains lately? Have a happy Saturday!

It's Sale Season!

I remember in school years ago, we had a debate about the "January Sales". It made me think about them in a new light - fighting your way through hoards of customers, seeing items that you bought for Christmas presents now reduced to a ludicrously low price, the low cost of items leading to you buying items you don't need... the list goes on. I know from past experience that I'm definitely partial to buying things I don't need just because of the low price. Even so, every time the sale season starts, I still get excited - the cheapskate in me just longs to find a genuine bargain. Here's my pick of the best:

River Island

Green Tapestry Shift Dress now £25

It might be a bit of a rummage and a bun fight, but I like the River Island sale - they have genuine stock that has recently been in store, and at rather tempting prices. If you're prepared to put in the time and effort sorting through it all, you're bound to come across something lovely.

Topshop

 

Silver Mary Janes now £15

Although I love Topshop, I'm actually not a very big fan of their sale. Is it just me, or does it seem that all the stuff in the sale is from so long ago that I don't actually remember it ever being in store? Having said that, you can sometimes find a gem amongst all the micro crop tops and patterned leggings, and the jewellery sale is always amazing.

Dorothy Perkins

Grey Cat Eyes Jumper now £15

Dorothy Perkins have a decent sale pretty much all year round, so be sure to keep an eye peeled for any discounts throughout the year. Theirs is also probably the most organised sale around, arranged in sizes, price and type of garment - when sale shopping is so easy, it's rude not to!

5 Top Sale Tips

• Don't ever buy anything on the premise that you are going to alter it. Chances are, you won't. I actually put off sewing a button back onto a shirt for months, so the odds of me actually doing any drastic alterations are slim to none.
• If in doubt, try it on. No, the changing rooms aren't going to be much fun, but it'll be far less effort than taking your "bargain" home, finding it doesn't fit and then returning it. Trust me.
• How many ways could you wear it? Does it fit in with the rest of your wardrobe? If you can't think of more than 5 ways to wear it, using items you already own, then it probably won't be a piece you'll hold onto for very long.
• Don't be dazzled by reductions. It sometimes helps to ignore the full price of the item, instead asking yourself if you would pay the sale price as if it were the full price. It doesn't matter how much the reduction is if the item is still more than you would like to pay.
• Not sure about something? Walk away. Give yourself time to consider the purchase. If you're still thinking about that item in a days time, then the chances are you'd regret not buying it.     

Do you have any tips for shopping in the sales?

Lets All Wear Novelty Jumpers!

Okay, I've given in. It's time to wear big, naff novelty Christmas jumpers. The problem is that when I wear them, I never look cool or ironic, just a bit sad and pathetic. So how SHOULD Christmas jumpers be worn?







This is my favourite Christmas song. Mainly because it's by The Killers (my favourite band) and also because it's pretty damn funny. But let's talk about those jumpers. I could talk here about ways to make Christmas jumpers look effortlessly cool, but I think they don't need to be. They are CHRISTMAS jumpers, so let's just embrace the silly festive feel in the air and not really care about how good we look. And let's not try to think about how much we'll cringe when we see the photos of us in crazy jumpers a few years on!

Are you wearing your Christmas jumpers yet?