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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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Before & After | Cardigan to Cropped Sweater

February 20, 2015 By Chie

Cardigan to Gray Cropped Sweater Vivatveritas

I love the cropped top trend and I hope it will continue for a few more seasons. I wore this pink floral one in the Summer and got a good amount of wear out of it; however, I didn’t really get the rationale behind the cropped sweater since you wear sweater in the winter to keep yourself warm but if your belly is exposed, it defeats the purpose. I know that in my head, but when something is trendy, I just can’t seem to let it pass (evidence here for the neon trend).

I’m in a bit of a upcycling phase where I’m taking old clothes and give it new life as you can see it from my last post. I bought this gray sweater cardigan a few years ago from 390 mart. It’s one of my favorite shops in Tokyo! It is a mixture of vintage clothing and kitsy random zakka items like scented candles, make-up pouches and key chains. As far as I know, there are only two, in Machida city and Harajuku.

This DIY was super simple. I took off the buttons (and saved them for a future project) and sewed the front part together. The cardigan has a hood, but I sewed up as much as I can, leaving enough space for my head to go through. It resulted in kind of like a turtle neck, and it keeps my neck warm.

The cardigan was short enough so I did not do anything to make it look “cropped”.
Before and After of Gray Cropped Sweater Vivatveritas

Tokyo winter is not as cold as Philly, where I used to live but it still gets pretty cold in winter. I go everywhere by bike, so I usually have to dress appropriately to bike outside. I wore this over a maxi dress I made so head to toe was covered.

Cardigan to Gray Cropped Sweater Vivatveritas.com1

Cardigan to Gray Cropped Sweater Vivatveritas.com4Cardigan to Gray Cropped Sweater Vivatveritas.com2

また洋服をリメークしました♥
390マートで数年前に買ったカーディガンのボタンを外し、前を縫い合わせてクロップセーターに。

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

Filed Under: blog, blogs, DIY, top, 日本語 Tagged With: before & after, cropped, diy, sweater

Before & After | Cocktail Dress to Pleated Skirt

February 17, 2015 By Chie

Before and After of Dress to Pleated Skirt DIY Vivat Veritas2After reading about Wardrobe Rehab over at a pair & a spare, I try to review my closet every few months to get rid of clothes that I don’t wear by donating them to thrift shops. Although I made this a regular practice, there are some items that I neglected to part with even though I don’t wear them at all. This cocktail dress is one of those items. I do have an emotional attachment to this dress as this was the dress I wore to my engagement party nine years ago. After that, I wore this once for a work party, but not since. Since I bought the dress nine years ago, now being 30, I feel like this dress is too young for me.Before and After of Dress to Pleated Skirt DIY Vivat VeritasInstead of getting rid of the dress all together, I upcycled it by making it into a knee length skirt.

Here is how:

You need:
1. babydoll style dress with pleated skirt (stretch material)
2. 2″ wide elastic band cut in your waist length + 1″ for seam allowance

Cocktail dress to pleated skirt DIY1It was a baby doll style dress, so first I cut off the top part. Sorry for all the white fuzz in the pictures! Right before this DIY, I was working on a white fur… I made a tissue case cover.

Cocktail dress to pleated skirt DIY2

Sew the elastic band and attach it to the skirt you just cut. Since the skirt waist was bigger than my elastic, I stretched the elastic as I sewed it onto the skirt. Cocktail dress to pleated skirt DIY3

Cut two satin ribbons so you can attach it to the inside of skirt waist. This is so that you can hang the skirt on a hanger to store.
Cocktail dress to pleated skirt DIY4

All done! Brad new pleated skirt that works in winter with tights and spring! Cocktail dress to pleated skirt DIY5DIY-dress-to-pleated-skirt-

3か月に1回はクローゼットを整理して、もう着ないものは人にあげたり、リサイクルショップに持っていったりするようにしているのですが、それでも、着ていないのになかなか離れられない服が出てきます。

私はこのドレスを9年前に買って、自分の婚約パーティーで着たので、もうこんな露出度高いのは着ないと思いつつ、なんだか捨てられないでいました。

そんな時はリメーク!
黒いゴムを、切ったドレスのウエストに縫い付けるだけでプリーツスカートの出来上がり。
ウエストゴムだから、ちょっと食べすぎちゃっても大丈夫。
クローゼットに収納しやすいよう、内側に引っ掛け紐もつけました。

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

Filed Under: blog, blogs, DIY, skirt, 日本語 Tagged With: before & after, diy, pleated skirt, upcycle

Valentine’s Day Idea | $20 Gift Exchange

February 13, 2015 By Chie

valentines day 20 dollar gift exchange idea

Early Valentine’s day lunch at Bar de ESPANA LIBRA

Andy and I exchange gifts on special occasions that has a limit of $20. It started when we first got married. We were 22, and broke (Andy was still a student) but still wanted to make special days special. So we came up with the $20 gift exchange idea and even after 8 years of marriage we stuck with it.

When I tell my friends that I have a $20 limit on anniversary gifts, birthday gifts, valentine’s day gifts etc, they seem perplexed. But there is a lot you can do with $20! I love that it forces you to be a bit more creative. Here are some gifts I’ve given to Andy in the past:
– Three indoor golf lessons (found on Groupon)
– Handmade grappling dummy. These can cost up to 450 bucks.I used an online tutorial and made it out of PVC pipe, pillow and duct tape.
– Some CDs bought on ebay (you can tell that this is a gift from a while ago)
For this Valentine’s day, I gave him a new backpack which I scored with gift certificate, so it was still under the budget. It wasn’t the most creative gift, but it doesn’t have to be every time, right?
japanese hair curler heatless
japanese hair curler heatless2Andy gave me these heatless curlers! I do heatless curls overnight some nights. I usually wet my hair a bit and taking a piece of rag, I roll my hair with it and sleep with that on my hair. The curls usually last all day and I like that fact that it does not damage my hair. He always made fun of me for having rags all twisted up in my hair at bedtime so he bought me these plastic tube curlers. I haven’t tried them yet but they seem more comfortable than having rags in my hair!
Anyway, I always enjoy our gift exchange tradition. It’s fun. Would you try it with your boyfriend/husband? How do you decide on what to get for gifts and how much to spend? I’d love to read about it!
結婚した当時から、何かのイベント(誕生日、記念日、クリスマスなど)に、2000円リミットでプレゼントを旦那さんとあげっこするのが恒例になっています。
きっかけは、結婚後すぐは旦那さんが学生だったこともあり、自由になるお金が少なかったからなのですが、もう8年目になると、2000円だけという課題事態を楽しんでいます。
私は今回は貯めておいたギフトカードを使って新しいリュックをプレゼントしました。
旦那さんからは、熱を使わないカーラー!
寝る前に、今まで端切れに髪を巻き付けて寝ていた(翌朝ゆるウェーブになってるんです!)のですが、それを見かねたらしく、ちゃんとしたカーラーを買ってくれました。chie sig2
{find me elsewhere: shop, facebook, etsy, twitter, pinterest, instagram}

Filed Under: blog, blogs, every day life, holiday, personal, 日本語 Tagged With: gift idea, valentine's day

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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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