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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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Brooklyn Tweed Hudson Turtleneck

January 23, 2017 By Chie

I’m a complete novice when it comes to knitting, but I could not resist starting a project after looking at so many fun instagram photos of beautifully knitted projects (@kniting_inspiration, @brooklyntweed, @woolandthegang). I started this Brooklyn Tweed Hudson twisted rib turtleneck in the mid Summer to take to my Summer trips in Karuizawa and Atami. I finished it in December so it took five months. I have some experience knitting with circular needles (hat) but this was my first time knitting a sweater. This turtleneck is constructed by knitting the bodice and sleeves separately and then connecting them at the shoulder finishing at the neckline. Making the bodice and sleeves were pretty straightforward; however, joining them all together and at the same time decreasing the stitches was not. I just could not understand the pattern at that point and repeated the process 3 times. By the fourth attempt, I was so exhausted that I gave up on following the patterns all together. That is why the neckline is shaped in a weird asymmetrical way.
Thankfully the yarns I used were navy blue which is very close to black, so it is hard to notice the mistakes. Or at least I’m hoping so. I got the yarn in Yuzawaya Shinjuku at the end of last Winter when they were doing massive store closing sale. This yarn is a mix of wool and cashmere. It’s pretty warm when wearing with my polkadot archer button up.This knitted clutch was made by my friend. She gave me the knitted piece and asked me to just put it together myself since she knew I sewed. I added a zipper at top and lined it with printed corduroy. Also added a piece of plastic at the bottom so the clutch won’t sag when I put a lot of stuff in.
I’ve already started my second sweater project. This time I’m using a Japanese pattern from michiyo. Japanese knitting books provide graphics (figures?) for the patterns, so I’m hoping the neck shaping will go easier this time. I’m making it with pink mohair. More to come! 初めてのセーターを作りました。
型紙はBrooklyn TweedのHudson。
日本の編み図と違って、図がなく、全てが文章で書かれているのでかなり戸惑いました。
下から胴と袖を別々に編んで、肩からラグランスリーブとして繋げていくタイプ。
胴、袖2つのパーツは割と問題なく編めましたが3つを繋げて目を減らしていくところが本当にわからず、なんかネックラインの仕上がりがおかしいです😢
3回やり直してもまだわからなかったので、取りあえず編み進めて終わらせました。
濃い紺色の毛糸なので網目の間違いが分かりずらくて良かった。
8月から編み始め、12月にやっと出来上がりました。

クラッチは友達が編んでくれたものに裏地を入れて自分で仕上げしました。
太い毛糸で編むから1時間ぐらいで編み終わるって言ってプレゼントしてくれて、感動☆
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Filed Under: blog, blogs, creation, knitting, winter, 日本語 Tagged With: clothes, creation, knitting, sweater, 編み物

The Construction of Rental Wedding Dresses in Japan

January 16, 2017 By Chie

The Construction of Rental Wedding Dresses in JapanI make custom wedding dresses (my recent makes here and here), but occasionally I have a chance to refashion a dress from a rental shop. Renting one’s wedding dress is very popular in Japan. Usually the rental dress shop a given bride uses is associated with wedding ceremony venue so a bride “must” pick a dress from that wedding hall’s dress shop. If they choose an alternate dress rental provider, they will be charged extra fee.
It’s interesting to see the construction of a rental dress as it is different from a custom dress. Because the dress is meant to be used by different brides over and over again,  it must be made with more durable fabrics (synthetics) and is far more adjustable. I wanted to show the key features of a rental dress.inside-of-japanese-rental-wedding-dress-51. Elastic back panel
I incorporate this element in the recent dress I made.inside-of-japanese-rental-wedding-dress-62. Lace upinside-of-japanese-rental-wedding-dress-3inside-of-japanese-rental-wedding-dress-43. Wide waist stayinside-of-japanese-rental-wedding-dress-24. Bra cups
inside-of-japanese-rental-wedding-dress-15. Built-in tulle under skirt to add volume

Not only is the construction different, but also the style of the dress is unique to rental dresses. You almost never see a relaxed Bohemian style like Grace Loves Lace or Limor Rosen as a rental option. Rather, you see dresses in a Disney princess style with a big puffy skirt and many layers. I wonder if this style difference comes from the nature of renting as it is easier for many people to fit in a puffy skirt than a mermaid style where you have to worry about the exact fit in waist and hip area. My hope is to provide more variety of choice for Japanese brides!chie sig2Find me elsewhere:

Filed Under: blog, blogs, bridal, inspiration, 日本語 Tagged With: bridal, inspiration, ウェディング, ドレス

2016 in Review & What’s Ahead

January 1, 2017 By Chie

2016-in-review-and-whats-ahead-vivat-veritas2016 is ending soon. Thank you for all the support you’ve given this year. I hope to be able to keep creating beautiful things and sharing things I learn on my blog. To sum up the year, I wanted to recap some highlights from 2016.

Wedding dresses and client worksbridal photo in hamarikyuBridal photoshoot with Tulirefashioned wedding dress vivat veritas bridal3Refashioned wedding dresstulle-lace-wedding-dress-back-viewTulle knee length wedding dress
close up and back of purple dress
Lavender wedding dressivory-lace-mini-dress-by-vivat-veritasIvory lace mini wedding dress
white fur cape and sparkly romper
Sparkly costume for J-pop singersorange kimono dressKimono dressback view of emerald green kimono wrap dressMore kimono dress

35 Blog posts

I wrote 35 blog posts in the year 2016. That is much less than what I wrote last year, which was 69. There are many unblogged objects which I want to show here in the future. With limited time, writing blog posts was not my top priority and updating Instagram took over the place to showcase what I made. Of the small number of the blog posts, these three posts generated the most page views:

– Bluff-stitched patch pocket tutorial
– How to alter the back of a dress that is too small to zip up
– Realistic look on hours I spent on my handmade business

It’s interesting that these posts are informational posts as opposed to “what I made” posts that were popular last year.

Newsletters

I started a newsletter in 2015. For 2016, I wrote once a month. It is usually a recap of my blog posts of the month, some behind the scenes stuff and links of things I enjoyed reading/watching. If you are interested, sign up here.

What I sewed for myself
I had some opportunities to sew myself new clothes. Here is the roundup:
back style - beige wrap dressTransitional Piecestripes body suit and levis 501 jeans2Stripes body suitme made may outfit vivat veritas blogNeutial stripe skirtkhaki color wrap dress with big pocketsKhaki wrap dressmerckwaerdigh bhs10 size aMerckwaerdigh BHS10simple-outfit-white-button-up-and-blue-jeansArcher button-up with fly front modification

For Kiko
I sewed some stuff for my daughter. She recently turned five. We started going to Nippori together to choose fabrics. She likes that her opinions are incorporated in her clothes.
Princess aurora dressModern Princess Aurora Dresssimple knit dress in panda fabricPanda dresspeacoat-dusty-green-handmadePea coat

Most frequently used patterns
Last but not least, my most used patterns were Carolyn pj from Closet Case Files. It is a great pattern to make it as a gift! 
Carolyn Pajama Closet Case Files3
Carolyn pajama in silk satinaztec-pattern-carolyn-pajamas-by-closet-case-files-3Aztec Carolyncarolyn-pajama-pink-and-ivory-pipingCarolyn pajama in Pink

P.S. Here is 2014, 2015 in review.

2016年の総まとめをしてみました。こうやって見てみると色々作ったなとしみじみ。
作ってお客様に羽ばたいていったものたちや、自分のクローゼットに参加した洋服たち。
来年も素敵!と思っていただけるものを作っていきたいと思います。
今年1年、ありがとうございました!

chie sig2Find me elsewhere:

Filed Under: blog, blogs, every day life, 日本語 Tagged With: handmade clothes

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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
これを着て、カフェに行ったら絶対目立ちそう😆☕ アップサイクルで生まれた、新しいファッションの形。 これを着て、カフェに行ったら絶対目立ちそう😆☕

アップサイクルで生まれた、新しいファッションの形。
コーヒー豆袋のジャケット × 着物リメイクのセットアップ。

一枚一枚、生地の柄合わせから縫製まで、すべて手で仕上げています🪡🧚
実はこの着物、裏地にも別布を仕込んでいて、羽織ると初めて見える色があるんです♡

ヴィンテージ素材に眠っていたストーリーを、
もう一度誰かの日常に届けたくて作りました。

If you wore this to a café, you'd definitely stand out 😆☕

A new form of fashion, born from upcycling. A coffee bean sack jacket × a kimono-remake set-up.

Every single piece is finished entirely by hand, from matching the fabric patterns to the sewing itself 🪡🧚 Actually, this kimono has a different fabric worked into the lining too — there's a color that only reveals itself once you put it on ♡

I wanted to give the stories sleeping in vintage materials a chance to become part of someone's everyday life again.

Photographer 
@nothing_special_88 

Model
@emorylove33

Jewelry
@viviange

Make up
@elanoramua

#アップサイクルファッション #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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