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Custom Wedding Dress & Kimono Upcycled Clothes | オーダーメイドウェディングドレス&着物ドレス

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DIY Distressed Denim from Thrifted Jeans

September 9, 2014 By Chie

DIY Distressed Boyfriend Denim by Vivat Veritas

I’ve only owned one pair of jeans until today, and I am happy to announce that I added another, much more comfortable pair! I’ve never been a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl. I find flowy dresses far more comfortable than skinny jeans. But after watching this DIY video, I became obsessed with the thought of  distressing jeans. Somehow, the thought of plucking threads with tweezers to make the denim distressed seemed so soothing.. in reality, however it hurt my hands.

I picked up these mom jeans from 390 mart (サンキューマート) in Harajyuku. Everything in the store is 390 yen, which is about 4 USD. Here are the before and after pictures – The jeans in before picture were comfortable, but very momsy!
Before and After of DIY Distressed Denim by Vivat VeritasDIY Distressed Boyfriend Denim Process1

Here is how I turned the mom jeans in to distressed boyfriend jeans. First cut the hem. I marked the line with a pen right above my ankles. I wanted the cuffed look and I wasn’t going to hem it. If you are planning on hemming, cut an inch longer.  DIY Distressed Boyfriend Denim Process2

Then I flipped the jeans inside out, took in 5 cm from each sides to make the jeans tapered look. I figured it would be easier to roll up the hem with tapered look than straight cut. I sewed the sides and serged them.

After this, to make a distressed look, I cut two lines in parallel on knees and pull the vertical threads (blue ones) with tweezers. I was pulling the threads so vigorously I forgot to take pictures!  This was a bit time consuming and creates a mess. It took me about an hour to finish both knees. I placed one a bit higher. Once this is done, turn the jeans inside out and wash them with cold water to make the hems and distressed parts look more frayed.DIY Distressed Boyfriend Denim2 by Vivat Veritas DIY leather choker by vivat veritas

Andy said he liked this look, which took me by a surprise! While we were shopping at 390 mart, I told him my plan of making the jeans “boyfriend jeans”. He pretended that he understood what I was talking about, but I later found out he had no idea what I meant by “boyfriend jeans”!
Pink Dress Kiko

Kiko always wants to join me in the photo taking sessions…
Temporary Tatto by Vivat VeritasThe day we went to Harajuku happened to be the day of Fashion’s Night Out by Japan Vougue. So at Monki, they were giving away fake tatoos. Kiko got a lip mark on her arm and I got a wrist tattoo.

原宿竹下通りにある390マートで買ったバギージーンズ(死語?)をリメイクして、ボーイフレンドジーンズにしてみました。
やっぱり自分のために洋服作ったりリメイクするのは楽しい!

最近自分の洋服づくりの時間が取れてなかったので、新しい仲間がワードローブに加わってうれしいです。

chie sig2{find me elsewhere: shop, facebook, etsy, twitter, pinterest, instagram}

 

New Logo!

August 25, 2014 By Chie

vivat veritas new logo

I’m thrilled that I was finally able to update Vivat Veritas logo. I designed the last one just using clip art I purchased from etsy. I am not good at graphic design so I was not happy with the design, but kept pushing off the logo redesign. Honestly, I did not know what I wanted as my logo. I wanted cute, classy, fun, colorful, simple, black and white, and feminine all at the same time.

The last four months, I was with a volunteer group of business consultants who helped me focus the direction of the business and write a better business plan. I want to write about the experience in some other posts in the future, but this was tremendously helpful for me. Having someone other than my husband to give me honest advice was great! After four months, I had a better understanding of what I wanted my “brand” to look like, so for instance, I can design what logo I wanted.

I was happy to have bumped into Silvia Wren Designs on etsy and she designed the new logo in no time. I ordered this premade logo. I love the simplicity yet it leaves you with a feminine feel with the cursive font. There is no way that I would have been able to design it on my own..I have to learn to designate work in a more effective way.

These photos are from the shoot I styled back in April with my favorite model Elissa (she modeled this and this in the past) and her friend, Karen. The shoot was fun and the studio called unikk in Shibuya was a full of antique treasure. All the antique trinkets and furniture you see are for sale at unikk.

Photo credits// Photographer: Nishihara, Model: Elissa and Karen, Make up artist: Ayumi Hanaki, and styled by me. 
vivat veritas new logo2vivat veritas new logo3

Silvia Wren Designsというオンラインショップで、新しいロゴをデザインしてもらいました♪
利用したのは、premade logoという、既に出来上がっているデザインを、自分の会社名でカスタマイズしてもらうパッケージ。
今までは自分で適当にデザインというか、クリップアートをつなぎ合わせて作ったロゴだったので、ちゃんとプロの方に格安でデザインしていただけて、うれしいです。

chie sig2{find me elsewhere: shop, facebook, etsy, twitter, pinterest, instagram}

Video// Shinjyuku Okadaya & Online Shopping

August 24, 2014 By Chie

I went to Shinjyuku Okadaya for fabric shopping yesterday! I avoided going there for a while since Shinjyuku is so crowded all the time, and the summer heat has been unbearable. In this video, I’m showing you what I got – mostly wedding dress related sewing material, including veil, tulle, bonnet, sparkly sash belt etc.

Shinjyuku Okadaya //オカダヤ
Kyoto Lace Shop Matsumura Shoten //京都のレース屋 松村商店

In the video, I’m wearing the tank dress I made myself. I also made the pendant myself from the charm I found in my mom’s closet and the leather strap from a craft shop.

Hope you’ll like the video! Comment down below to let me know if you have any questions or requests:)
質問、コメント等ありましたら下記にどうぞ★

Check out my last video “Vivat Veritas Spring 2014 Bridal Lookbook Shoot Behind the Scenes (ウェディングカタログの写真撮影風景)”

Music:
Seiho-Wet Asphalt
Someone_To_Call_My_Lover(SeihoRemix)

Subscribe to vv YouTube channel♡

chie sig2

{find me elsewhere: shop, facebook, etsy, twitter, pinterest, instagram}

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大正から昭和初期、若い女性たちの間で流行した銘仙。 かすりの技法を用いた平織りの絹織物で、さらりと 大正から昭和初期、若い女性たちの間で流行した銘仙。

かすりの技法を用いた平織りの絹織物で、さらりとした軽い着心地と、鮮やかな色柄・大胆なデザインが特徴です。

境界がにじんだような風合いと、鮮やかで大胆な色使い🌈

独特のにじみは、たて糸とよこ糸をわずかにずらして織ることで生まれます。

自分の一枚を自由に楽しむために生まれた、女性たちの心意気そのもののような布。その大胆さをそのままに、クロップ丈のキャミソールとまとうラップパンツで、今の暮らしにも映える一枚へ仕立て直しました。

Photographer @capturetokyo
Model @yaos.aisai 
Make up and hair @mami_hmua

Meisen — the kimono fabric that swept through fashion among young women in 1912 to the early 1930s.

A plain-weave silk textured with a kasuri (ikat) technique, prized for its light, breezy feel and its bold colors and daring patterns.

That soft, blurred-edge quality comes together with vivid, fearless color combinations 🌈

The signature blur comes from weaving the warp and weft threads slightly offset from one another.

This fabric was born from women’s desire to wear something entirely their own — it carries their spirit of freedom in every thread. Keeping that same boldness intact, I’ve remade it into a cropped camisole and wrap pants that drape and move with you — a piece that fits naturally into everyday life today🧚

 #KimonoUpcycled #MeisenSilk #VintageJapan #着物リメイク #銘仙
和のかたちを、新しい日常へ。 一本の帯を丁寧にほどき、普段づかいできるワンショルダーバッグへと仕立 和のかたちを、新しい日常へ。

一本の帯を丁寧にほどき、普段づかいできるワンショルダーバッグへと仕立て直しました🌸

見た目からは想像できないほどの収容力。ハサミや糸、リッパー、ペンチ…制作道具もすっぽりまとまって収まります✂️✨入れるのは私だけだと思うけど😆

内側の裏地も可愛い♡

一本の帯が、誰かの日々をまとう相棒に生まれ変わりますように。

From tradition, into everyday life.

One obi, carefully unstitched and reborn as a one-shoulder bag for daily wear🌸

It holds far more than it looks — scissors, thread, a seam ripper, pliers… all my sewing tools tucked neatly inside✂️✨ Though I’m probably the only one who’d pack it like this😆

The lining inside is a little secret I’m quite fond of♡

#帯リメイク #着物リメイク #DIY #アップサイクル #制作動画
金色に輝く森は元は着物の羽織でした👘 漆黒の地に、金彩の木立が幾重にも連なって
夜の神秘的な森を歩 金色に輝く森は元は着物の羽織でした👘

漆黒の地に、金彩の木立が幾重にも連なって
夜の神秘的な森を歩いているような、静かで奥行きのある一枚🌳

水着の上に羽織れば、そのまま街へ歩き出せるビーチカバーアップにも。

お揃いのキャミソールは既に素敵なお客様の元にお嫁に行きました👰‍♀️
 
Photographer @capturetokyo
Model @kumabeeesan
Make up and hair @mami_hmua

A forest of gold, once a kimono jacket👘
L
ayer upon layer of gilded trees on jet-black silk. A quiet, deep piece, like walking through a mystical night forest🌳

Wear it over a swimsuit and go straight from the beach into the city as an effortless cover-up🖤

The matching camisole has already found its way to a wonderful new home👰‍♀️

#着物リメイク #ラップパンツ #kimonoremake
Furisode — the long-sleeved kimono young women tra Furisode — the long-sleeved kimono young women traditionally wear once in their lives, for their Coming of Age Day ceremony (Seijin Shiki) at 20 — often gets worn just that one time. I actually wore my cousin’s furisode for mine, so hers got a second life. But most don’t. They live for one single day, then disappear into the back of a drawer, unseen for decades 😴

But beautiful silk doesn’t have to end there.
From a once-in-a-lifetime ceremonial robe to something you can wear again and again. This piece — butterflies mid-flight, flowers in bloom — deserved a new season. So I remade it into an i line dress.

振袖は、生涯でたった一度しか袖を通さないことが多いです。

私自身は従姉妹の振袖を着たのでその振袖は二度人に着られたけど、成人式の日だけを生きて、あとはタンスの奥で眠り続ける😴誰にも見られないまま、何十年も。

でも良い生地には、終わりがないんです。

一度きりの晴れ着から、何度でもまとえる一着へ。蝶が舞い、花が咲くこの1着に、新しい季節を与えたくて、マーメイドラインのドレスに仕立て直しました。

#kimonoremake #振袖リメイク #upcycledsilk
オーストラリアからのお客様がオンラインで着物を選び、オーダーしてくださいました✂️ まずは仮縫いを オーストラリアからのお客様がオンラインで着物を選び、オーダーしてくださいました✂️

まずは仮縫いを郵送でお届けし、Zoomの画面越しに丈や身幅を確認しながら、少しずつドレスは形になっていきました。

桜の下で、鳥居の朱色の中で笑う二人の写真が届いたとき、 遠く離れた場所からでも、確かにこの手で紡いだものが誰かの人生の一部になったのだと感じて嬉しかったです♡

A customer from Australia chose her kimono online and placed an order✂️

I first mailed a mock-up, and little by little, checking the length and width over Zoom, the dress took shape.

When the photos arrived of the two of them smiling under the cherry blossoms, in the vermillion red of the torii gate — even from far away, I felt so happy knowing that something woven by my hands had truly become part of someone's life♡

📷@whoshotthephotographer
👰‍♀️@cscambary 

#KimonoUpcycled #MadeToOrder #BridalCouture
#着物リメイク #国際オーダー
このシルクの軽さ、暑い季節にちょうどいい🫠 一枚の着物から、ワイドパンツを作りました✂️薄手のシル このシルクの軽さ、暑い季節にちょうどいい🫠

一枚の着物から、ワイドパンツを作りました✂️薄手のシルクは風を通して、歩くたびに裾がふわりと揺れます♪

後ろ姿には、着物の袖だった部分を使っていてお尻の部分の花柄が上下逆さまになっています👻最初は迷ったけれど、これはこれで面白いなと思ってそのまま残しました🫶🏻

一点ものなので、この一本だけ。気になる方はプロフィールのリンクから見てみてください♡

This silk is so light, perfect for the hot season 🫠

I made these wide-leg pants from a kimono✂️ The thin silk lets the breeze through, and the hem sways softly with every step ♪

The back is made from what used to be the kimono sleeves, so the floral pattern on the hips ends up upside down👻 I wasn’t sure at first, but honestly it grew on me, so I left it as is 🫶🏻

One of a kind, just this one pair. If you’re curious, the link is in my profile ♡

#着物リメイク #kimonoremake #正絹 #一点もの #和柄 夏の装い ワイドパンツ
数年前に制作したシルクのドレス。 今回「Released. Reimagined.」というコンセプ 数年前に制作したシルクのドレス。

今回「Released. Reimagined.」というコンセプトに合わせて、@redyeingproject さんに黒染めをお願いしました。

Helen x Vivat Veritasのイベントにベンダーとして出展してくださったご縁から生まれたコラボレーションです。

「服を捨てる前に、黒染めという選択肢を。」
色あせた服を、グラム単位の染め直しで蘇らせる——そんなコンセプトに強く共感しました。

天然素材のシルクスカート部分は深く美しい黒へ。
シャンティレースの部分は、少し緑がかった表情のある色に変化しました。

一着を長く着続けるための、小さな選択。
Before / Afterの写真、ぜひご覧ください🩷🖤

A silk dress I made a few years ago.

For this ""Released. Reimagined."" concept, I asked @redyeingproject to dye it black.

This collaboration grew out of a connection made when he joined the Helen x Vivat Veritas event as a vendor.

""Before you throw it away, consider black dyeing.""
His concept — reviving faded clothes through by-the-gram redyeing — really resonated with me.

The silk skirt, a natural fiber, transformed into a deep, beautiful black.
The chantilly lace took on a subtly greenish tone.

A small choice, in service of wearing one piece for longer.
Take a look at the before/after photos🩷🖤

黒染め
@redyeingproject

Photographers
@nothing_special_88
@japanphotographer_

Model
@sienna.christinaaa

Jewelry
@viviange

Hair
@angh0
@sho_kanaida
@iam__little__boy

Make up and videos
@glam_by_jyoti

#黒染め #RedyeingProject #ReleasedReimagined #着物リメイク #サステナブルファッション
実はこのお洋服、今回のショーに入れるか自分では迷っていました。結構前に作った作品だったので。でもヘレ 実はこのお洋服、今回のショーに入れるか自分では迷っていました。結構前に作った作品だったので。でもヘレンと話す中で、これも一緒に見せようと決めました。

ヘレンと3週間近く一緒に準備を進める中で、コレクションの作り方、見る人を楽しませる魅せ方、ルック全体の組み立て方など、本当にたくさんのことを学びました。自分一人だったらこのルックスを入れる決断はしなかったと思う。誰かと一緒に作ることで見えてくるものがあるんだなと、改めて実感しました。
ヘレン、ありがとう♡

Honestly, I wasn't sure whether to include this piece in this show. It was something I'd made a while back. But talking it through with Helen, we decided to show it together after all.

Working with Helen for almost three weeks to prepare for the show, I learned so much — how to build a collection, how to style looks that engage an audience, how to put together a look as a whole. I don't think I would have made the decision to include this piece if I'd been on my own. Creating something together with someone else really opens your eyes to things you wouldn't see alone.

thank you Helen @designerhelen♡

Model @izumi_nishida

Photographer 
@nothing_special_88 

Jewelry
@viviange

Hair 
@angh0
@sho_kanaida
@iam__little__boy

Make up
@glam_by_jyoti

#KimonoUpcycled #SustainableFashion #DesignerCollab #着物リメイク #ものづくり
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