The Refashioners 2018 – Inspired by….

Well here we are again people! This year’s instalment of The Refashioners is nearly upon us! We’re flipping things on their head this year. For the past few series we have focused on a specific garment and used that as the starting point. We think we’ve done enough now to loosen things up theme wise and REALLY allow the creativity to flow. So THIS year there are NO restrictions on the garments you can use. Yes you read that right! So if you are one of those people who has said to me we should do old prom dresses, t shirts, knitwear…..now’s your chance! What we want you to do this year is start with an image that inspires you. An outfit or garment that you covet. A style icon that you admire. A look that you want to recreate.  Find your inspiration….Then we want you to go ahead and recreate it!! The only caveat is…..you can ONLY use existing, unloved garments to do so. These can be from charity shops, from your own wardrobe, or even your old me mades that you don’t wear anymore. The key here, is to demonstrate, that whatever your heart desires, there is a way to achieve that by reusing unwanted garments IF you get creative

Here are a few examples of what I mean.

Take a favourite musical icon for instance. Madonna has reinvented herself so many times over the years you could pick any number of images as your inspiration. This classic from her early days could be recreated by  adapting a simple white tee and reshaping an oversized pair of suit trousers, using the excess fabric to create the “braces”. Paloma’s look again….simple white tee reshaped to fit. Various techniques could be used to recreate the image on her tee. (Think fabric pens, image transfer paper, etc). Her pencil skirt could be recreated using fabric harvested from curtains or an old prom dress then dyed. Love Florence Welch’s bohemian style? Find a velvet blazer and get creative with embellishments like embroidery and beading!

If you love a particular designer (and who could be more iconic than Vivienne Westwood!) you could take your inspiration image from their body of work.  Corsets use alot of panelling and are comprised of numerous smaller pattern pieces. As we’ve learnt from previous series, these kind of patterns are the holy grail for refashioning where large expanses of flat fabric are scarce.  You have to get clever with piecing and seaming. In the centre pic I can picture an old prom or bridesmaids dress. The shell fabric of the skirt removed and the netting underskirt dyed and the bodice reshaped. Tartan is another Westwood classic. Look for old kilts and matronly skirts and give them a twist with bustles and interesting draping details.

If vintage glam is your thing, you could pick any number of inspo images from Dita Von Teese!  In the first 2 images I’m seeing the skirt portions of old wedding/bridesmaid/prom dresses with waistbands added. Then embroidery, applique , organza, lace details added to achieve the look. And how about that last image? Another prom dress refashion methinks? Reshaped into a fitted bodice with pencil skirt and the excess fabric used to create the waist sash and fabric flowers.

I’m a big fan of mannish tailoring on women. I love this kind of look. The time spans of these images show it’s just as stylish and relevant today as it was in the 30s , 40’s, 70’s and 80’s. Katherine Hepburn, Diane Keaton and Elly Jackson all killing it in their own way. Hepburn’s look could be recreated by thrifting and reshaping (possibly dyeing) an old blouse and a pair of oversized mens slacks. Diane Keaton’s look is a charity shop dream! White shirt, tie, waistcoat, suit trousers, even down to the hat, the bag, the sunnies and the tennis racket! All of these are lurking in charity shops and with a few minor adjustment this image could be recreated entirely from charity shop finds. As for Elly Jackson’s suit, I’d love to have a go at dyeing a pure linen suit in an acid bright or pastel shade like this!

Take your inspiration image from the many streetstyle images that abound on pinterest! Image 1 a man’s oversized white shirt, an oversised sweater and a pair of simple black slacks all adjusted for shape. Image 2a thrifted coat with the collar removed and the length of the sleeves and hem adjusted with the addition of a belt. A pair of jeans cropped and reshaped.  For image 3, a jacket made from a a quilted throw. Men’s slacks reshaped and embellished with paint stamps!

These looks straight from the catwalk could be recreated. Convert a trench coat into a dress. Crop a suit jacket and dye it. Worn with a reshaped white tee and a skirt made from a man’s shirt. You could even dye a plain pair of white socks and a baseball cap to match. Even the gold accessories could be sourced in a charity shop. The denim dress could be recreated from old jeans in similar colours…

I hope that gives you an idea of where we’re coming from!  Suggest starting with a few different images. Thrift shopping to order can be tricky and alot will rely on the thrifting gods being on your side, lol! Don’t forget, you can shop the charity shops, your own wardrobes, and even the wardrobes of (willing!) loved ones.

We want to see the inspiration image, the before image(s) of your source garment(s), and the after images of course! Extra kudos given for how closely your “after” images resemble your inspiration images!

This years series, as ever, will begin with the blogger element. For the whole of September, a fabulous line up of talented stitchers will be providing you with loads of inspiration, tutorials  and tips to get you going! So mark these dates in your diary (and make sure you’re following me either here or on IG to stay updated):

• Blogger Element: Running from 3rd Sept to 28th Sept this year.  A month of inspiration posts to get your creative juices flowing. Line up announced shortly
• Community Challenge: This will run right from 1st Sept to 31st October. There will be the usual phenomenal prize package for our winner(s) at the end. You can share your creations any time between those dates to be entered into the competitionTo enter you’ll need to SHARE your refashions (including your original inspiration image) with us in one of the following ways:
  • On Instagram: Share a pic using the hashtags #therefashioners2018 #inspiredby (if you do not use these hashtags I will not be able to find your entry and it will not count)
  • On Facebook: There is a community board here where you can post your makes (You will need to request an invite to join)

  Only entries shared via the above 2 methods will be entered into the competition. Closing date for entries is 31st October 2018 Midnight GMT.

Stand by for details of the lineup and the AMAZING prizes on offer this year!

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