Have Wardrobe, Will Travel
In these budget-crunching troubled times, smart girls know that there’s a brave new world to be found within tired old wardrobes, if you just know how to get there. One such smart girl is fashion designer and Raw Vintage boutique owner, Lisa Carr. Armed only with her trusty Singer and a boatload of vision, Lisa has spent the last three years taking outdated, ill fitting, and uninspired garments to more fashionable places. Welcome to the up-cycling revolution: not re-using so much as upgrading, here’s how to settle your economic and ecological conscience by using what you’ve got, rather than staying on the ‘buy more’ treadmill. We asked Lisa to work her magic on a couple of outdated vintage items, taking us on a journey from fashion don’ts to two thumbs up. For those creative types amongst you, the following may inspire you to take your own wardrobe on a style trip; but for those less familiar with a needle and thread, nip in to Raw Vintage quick enough, and you might just be the one to snag these very garments off the rail. All aboard, doors to manual – let’s get going on our fashion jaunt.
FROM > TO
(look 1 - pink dress & pink cape shots)
Described by Lisa as an “early ‘80s, seriously dodgy mum-of-the-bride dress” picked up in America, this little pink number may have started out as a questionable choice, but a few crafty alterations were enough to convert it into a chic drop waist party dress and sweet frilled capelet. “I literally chopped off two layers of the frills and shortened it right down,” explains Lisa, “and then added a beaded trim from the neckline of another dodgy ‘80s top for the sleeves. I liked the colour, the fabric, and the shape of the drop waist to begin with, but it’s just a matter of making it more relevant and up-to-date. I also split the whole back of the dress to make it a bit sexier, and the cape is literally the two layers of frills, just whipped off and piped.” Wear belted with bare legs like our model, or pair with leggings or jeans as a cute tunic.
Pink dress with beaded sleeves - £65
Pink frilled cape - £20; worn here with black catsuit - £25
(look 2- green dress/jacket outfit, one shot seated, one shot standing)
Beginning its life as another American full-on ‘70s brocade and chiffon ensemble more befitting the realm of Abigail’s Party, after a nip and tuck or two, hey presto: a chic suit worn together, or cute separates to wear apart. “There’s so much happening in the dress that the bow neckline it used to have was way too fussy, so I took that off and shortened the dress to make it sweeter.” says Lisa, “Also, this shade of green drains some people’s colouring, so by adding the black piping, buttons, and sash, it dilutes it. The shape of the sleeves on the jacket is fantastic, so I just added a collar using the fabric from the bottom of the dress to make it a little bit more 'now'.” In the interests of the Vogue-sanctioned return of brocade for every day, we love this little jacket with jeans; but heartily recommend going with the full suit and pretending you’re Doris Day, with our compliments.
Green Brocade Jacket - £45
Matching Dress - £40
Suit (Both Dress & Jacket) - £80
Credits
Photographs: Jenny Anderson http://www.flickr.com/photos/fotojennyglasgow
Makeup: Rachel Imrie www.rachelthemakeupartist.com
Hair: Debbie ?
Styling : Lisa Carr
Model: Lucia Turriani
All shoes and accessories - stylist’s own
To have your own wardrobe vacation, take your problem garments for a consultation with Lisa at the Raw Vintage Southside store. Both major and minor style surgery performed…
Raw Vintage 3 Abbot Street Shawlands Glasgow G41 3XE 0141-649-2752
http://www.re-cycleandwear.co.uk