// DIY body chain
Posted on | December 9, 2009 | No Comments
I’ve been thinking about purchasing a body chain for a while… …but then again those are quite simple pieces and by doing it by myself I could control the details. So I purchased few meters of oxidised brass chain, some jump rings and few clasps — and end up with this piece. The best part of it is that it can be worn in multitude of ways. The basic setting is on the first picture, where the piece is closed from back of the neck and waist. But on the low back I have two clasps, attached to each other in the basic arrangement — so the piece can be easily worn as a big chain waterfall lariat by attaching these locks to the upper middle front. I made also one extra piece to be attached to the main piece (for example center back) or worn over it, I’m actually searching a certain type of pendant to use with this occasionally.
Sorry, I was not able to make any effort with actual outfits. At this time of year I snuggle at home wearing a pair of H&M harem cut sweatpants, couple of tanks ot Ts, cashmere knit worn over, topped with a blanket wrapped around the shoulders (I like cool temperature at home, keeps my brain clear (if that is possible)). I just dropped the two top layers to get a pic from this piece…
I like it a lot worn underneath the clothes, especially with open neckhole.
Posted on | December 9, 2009 | No Comments
// Making the fabric
Posted on | November 15, 2009 | 15 Comments
One aspect I absolutely adore in knitting is that I can actually make my own fabric, thread by thread, hole by hole. And that fabric can be sculpted to various shapes while knitting — and while sewing the pieces together.
In this tunic/dress the emphasis is fully on fabric — it is shaped only very lightly. I used beautiful industrial quality silk-cashmere yarn in quiet nudey beige shade for a garment that is made for layering. The yarn is relatively heavy (heavy DK weight, maybe even aran weight) but the construction of the dress is still very light because I used considerably larger needles than usual for yarn of this kind — and the holes of different lace patterns contribute to the lightness even more. The patterns align neatly in the sleeves and the body of the dress. It shows the layers underneath but is not too bulky to layer under other garments, either.
This first combination with the newly made dress is quite grown up and quiet, I wore my new leather pants with the zippers open on the legs, Rützou wedges, simple spaghetti strap top and old heavy brass necklace from H&M to underline the slightly barbaric feel of the loose fabric. The mix of leather, silk and cashmere is very luxurious and gives quite pleasant olfactory experience — silk has it’s recognizable nutty scent, too, for some reason it is more apparent in knits than most woven fabrics. But I have to say that I really miss those PVC panel pants here. The shiny plastic would be an awesome contrast for the rustic texture of this dress.
Mmm-hmm, I should bother to use my make up for the pics…
Posted on | November 15, 2009 | 15 Comments
// Work in progress
Posted on | November 8, 2009 | 13 Comments
It’s probably mentioned here before, that my knitting blog is on hiatus, because of my identity problems as a knitter. I’ve knitted tens (or maybe tons) of sweaters — and very few of them are on actual use. I started to knit mainly my own patterns maybe bit more than year ago — but that did not actually help instantly. I was thinking about utilizing my skills and selling patterns — but when I though what actually might sell I kind of lost the touch to what I would actually love to wear.
So it was quite natural to turn the thinking process upside down and start to explore that wearability factor from my own perspective. The first result was the Light Flyweight sweater — that actually has been in use quite a lot! From knitters point of view this might be the most boring project ever, but the oversized shape, sheerness that makes it interesting piece in layering and the extreme lightness (easy to tuck, knot, twist…) makes it a really good addition to my wardrobe.
I still knit when I have time (which is not much) — and somehow exploring the loose gauge knits feels really interesting right now. Can’t deny the Rodarte influence here, but I don’t want to make copies of their beautiful pieces.
My love for layering was the starting point for this work in progress. The result will be a large gauge fitted dress with simple lace patterns. Yarn is delicious nude silk-cashmere mix, looks bit boring and wiry here, but that’s because it is lightly oiled for machine knitting (I do only handknits but industrial yarns have their advantages). The oil is washed away when the piece is finished — and the yarn will bloom beautifully. The front and back pieces are finished, started the long, fitted sleeve yesterday. I really wait to see the finished product and try it on! That’s promising…
Oh, there has been some shopping happening… …I really had to get a pair of slimlined black pants to replace my skinny black jeans — and the unfortunate PVC pants. The idea was to wait for the Jimmy Choo for H&M stuff to arrive and snatch a pair of those leather leggings. But judging from the images they indeed were quite legging-like — and in this case more pant-like solution would serve my purposes better. So I wandered through few clothes stores and checked the pant selection — and came by to these.
A single pair of slimlined stretch leather pants in my size was waiting for me in Selected Femme. The price was very reasonable (less than H&M option), fit was good and I liked the details: zippered front pockets on the hip, zippers on the leg and nice vertical seam on the middle back leg. I hope that these will be a long time companion for me!
Posted on | November 8, 2009 | 13 Comments
// Harnessed in Ann Demeulemeester way
Posted on | October 25, 2009 | 16 Comments
Let me present you probably the best DIY project ever! I was inspired by Outi who did her version of Ann Demeulemeester zipper fringe scarf faster than I even understood that something interesting indeed happened in the Paris catwalks.
This piece is slightly different to Outi’s. I decided to rip the AD piece with tapes on the bottom of fringes, too. The tapes can be tied in multitude of ways, in addition to the possibility to wear it as a scarf I got a very versatile piece of body jewelry. I also opted for simple, nicely structured cotton tape instead of bias tape (bias tape, especially cotton one, gives me some bad kitchen decoration vibes for some reason) — and I preferred the matte look for tapes anyway.
I did not utilize the zipper canvas when sewing the zipper teeth on but cutted the whole fabric part away before sewing. I sew around the zipper, so the teeth kind of keep those fringes in place. This gives slightly less bulk to the tape ends, but even better thing was that I was able to use my rotary cutter for cutting the zipper canvas away. It bite like a beast, about 2 seconds per zipper. I probably could multiply the time by thirty if I had cut them with scissors.
So here I’m wearing it in three different ways. This is slightly different post to my usual ones because these are not actual outfits worn outside home. I apologise the image quality, I really need some additional light here…
Hanging freely: James Anthony winge print tunic, old waxed cotton pants, Rützou wedges, Tiger of Sweden silk-cotton vest, Filippa-K tunic, H&M scarf. Hmm, I probably will wear something like this next week.
Tied on waist: Zara printed silk dress (in need of ironing, but hey I was not going anywhere with these, anyway), DIY leggings over black sheer tights, leather MC jacket from Ellos, Rützou wedges. Could well go to the bar in an outfit like this. This one looks considerably better in real life. In the picture the chest area looks like a mess — but actually the splatterish print and zipper fringes discussed in very interesting way. And from this angle the dress looks like a sack (especially with my hand up for camera) but actually the tapes gather the looseness nicely and they kind of continue the black tape theme of the dress neck opening. Guess that the iron, better image quality and better angle when photographing would help…
Crossed around the body: Filippa-K sundress, DIY silk chiffon skirt, Divided mesh leggings, Vagabond thigh boots. Festive, but definitely looks like me. Like how the fringe scarf camouflages the slightly too open neckhole (for my taste). Boots contribute to this much more than you can see from the image, the chiffon layer is actually very see through.
Posted on | October 25, 2009 | 16 Comments
// Oh, it’s coming up nice!
Posted on | October 22, 2009 | 3 Comments
This evening I have been busy sewing the zipper teeth to cotton tape… …and I just can’t wait to be finished. Can’t really say that I feel very creative — but my thoughts about the possibilities of this great accessory more than keep me going. This piece will be slightly different to Outi’s with freely hanging zipper ends. I aim to the exact replica from the image above — the tapes on the bottom make the piece extremely versatile. That means 88 zipper ends to be sewn, 66 should be done tonight by the bedtime.
Image from Tobacco and Leather.
Posted on | October 22, 2009 | 3 Comments
// Sheerest of skirts
Posted on | October 21, 2009 | 7 Comments
My sewing projects tend to be simple and straightforward these days. This silk chiffon dress/skirt I actually started on August, my idea was to create a simple sheer layer for my Filippa-K tube dress to upgrade it for more festive occassions. The cutting, seaming and ruching was a snap… …but I hate hemming chiffon with my sewing machine, so I decided to do that by hand. And finished the damn thing yesterday.
Ok, I can imagine a multitude of uses for garment like this, so there is no harm done with this lengthy making-of process. Actually I realized that here I have a column skirt, although quite special one…
I layered the textured Divided mesh leggings underneath — and although it is impossible to see the texture in these images it gives a nice effect, those long slits actually show the legs quite liberally when walking. Then the old Fendi silk chiffon dress on top, and two old fine jersey shirts from French Connection. All layers are sheer and the materials create a nice gradation effect, especially when there is some light coming through the layers. For going out I added Rützou boots (liked the look better with my rubber band boots, but the bands did not mix with the delicate chiffon — snagging problems), H&M scarf & biker jacket. Was about to add some necklaces… …but sometimes I’m awfully lazy with accessories and I did not find the stuff I had in mind instantly, so I gave up. There is some almost religious soberness in subdued colors, flowy materials, long lines and restriction of decoration.
And oh, I have some plans for this evening!
Posted on | October 21, 2009 | 7 Comments
// Handknit on handknit
Posted on | October 12, 2009 | 9 Comments
I’m pretty sure that according to some style guides knit on knit is one of those things to be avoided. Except in case of the classic twinset…
Dunno, but somehow piling on heaps of hanknitted stuff seems to work for me, the bulkier the better. I even plan to make a pair of long and rustic armwarmers to go with this.
The cape and the scarf are my own handknits (see my knitting blog archives if you wish to find out more). Divided Exclusive Men shirt underneath, it has lovely long arms with thumb openings. A pair of old waxed cotton pants and Rützou wedges.
I tried first to combine this cape to all things casual with bad results. It definitely works best with some tight, relatively structured and simple underneath, preferably with toughish feel. A pair of skintight leather pants would be the optimal companion — but I guess that I have to settle with these or some black leggings I already have.
Today I felt like hiding from the world. It SNOWED, wet, cold, ugly stuff. Not too happy about that.
Posted on | October 12, 2009 | 9 Comments
// Dressed in distressed
Posted on | October 9, 2009 | 3 Comments
I’ve made some great second hand finds lately.
I know that I’m kind of late to jump to the frayed jeans wagon, but on the other hand at this age I have seen several of those passing by — so I trust that they are probably coming back. My love for frayed things goes to several levels… …there is always the aesthetic of destruction… …on the other hand I simply love the almost organic texture of all things torn and worn. But I really hesitated to rip any pair of my own beloved jeans — I don’t have too many pairs after all. So I have kept my eyes open in charity shops for a nice pair to end up as the victim of my scissors.
And this week I got lucky, I found these perfect straight legged pale gray jeans for 8 euros. I could not help myself, just destroyed them almost completely. The aim was to create a violently torn surface that still offers a decent amount of coverage — and I think that I succeeded. I also varied the state of destruction to get some shape for the leg.
This time I wanted to pair the newly torn jeans to things that contrast strongly; to something clean and sober. So I covered most of the damage with H&M heavy nude silk satin dress and threw the old Filippa-K blazer over (this slightly masculine and quite worn piece has been in heavy rotation lately). But the Docs kind of complete the worn denim look, so my upper and lower half are completely mismatched — in theory. Practically they make a pretty satisfyingly matching couple. No jewels, minimal makeup, pulled back hair.
Posted on | October 9, 2009 | 3 Comments
// Taking the DIY slashed one out
Posted on | October 2, 2009 | 6 Comments
I have been hesitating taking my DIY slashed T-shirt dress — aka poor girls Wang — out as a star of it’s own. I don’t do sexy dressing; and there is sex written all over the figure skimming nearly transparent American Apparel jersey. Slashing does not actually help. But one aim of this blog is to push myself out of my comfort zone, so I tried my best to tone the little devil down to wearable level with other tricks than using it as an underlayer.
I layered the dress over black American Apparel tube dress (this is one of the simplest and most useful garments I have) and H&M Divided Exclusive mesh leggings. My loved A.F. Vandevorst giant shrug camouflages the body contours quite nicely and adds volume. Huge disc necklace is from Pilgrim (I have heaps of disc jewelry, they kind of represent me an idea of an adornment, a detail with no details). I was not in the mood to add any black to this outfit anymore, so I let the Topshop wedges with wooden soles and bone white laquered leather offset the ensemble.
Excuse my dorky poses, I’m still very uncomfortable in front of the camera. But the visual feedback is very useful tool for wardrobe remixer, so I’m not giving up.
Posted on | October 2, 2009 | 6 Comments
// Not too chunky
Posted on | September 17, 2009 | 8 Comments
Lately I have been knitting large gauge sweaters. Might be Rodarte influence, might be eighties nostalgia. The cropped boxy shape of my latest design — if you can say that from a cloth constructed from simple rectangular pieces — definitely resonates with eighties vibe, with my Mad Max infatuation and love for layering. I took an easy casual approach on wearing this for the first time, but in the future I will probably combine it to metallics and / or leather (on which my wardrobe is pathetically insufficiently stocked).
Posted on | September 17, 2009 | 8 Comments
About
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Contact: kamicha (a) gmail dot com
I'm especially interested in young designers creations, non-established labels and indie fashion. So if you have something interesting to show, feel free to contact!
You can find Finnish design from both specific and some outfit posts - but both are tagged.
You might be also interested in DIY posts, How-to posts, DIY ideas - or my adventures in Etsy =).
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