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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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What I Made Summer 2018

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one shoulder mermaid dressWhat I Made Summer 2018 | Kimono Refashion Edition

Hello! I can’t believe the Summer is over and now we are deep into the fall season. I have not had a chance to update but here is a round up of what I made this Summer, Kimono upcycling edition. I also made non Kimono related stuff and I hope to be able to write about them soon. 

First off, this black kimono dress. This was one of my favorites. The black color makes is wearable and the graphic details at hem are amazing. The client sent me the kimono she bought from Etsy, and I refashioned it into a one shoulder mermaid dress. Working with kimonos is kind of like a puzzle – I try to find the best fitted motifs to match with each other. Sometimes the fabric runs out and you have to be creative but the problem solving aspect is fun.crane bird print kimono dressThis purple number is for a repeat costumer. She also finds antique kimonos and sends them to me to be upcycled into a dress. We decided to go with a wrap style, maxi length dress with this dark purple kimono. It has a lovely crane print. It’s hard to see from the picture, but I placed the crane print on the side bottom of the skirt.red mermaid kimono dressmermaid dress maxiThis was fun to sew – We tried to get some pop by adding a train with red color inserts. As a person with a small chest, I love American necklines that cover the bony chest area. I’m not going to be wearing this dress, but it’s fun to imagine 🙂 
dutch label shop woven labelsFor my handmade garments, I’ve been using Dutch Label Shop woven labels for a while – just going trough my instagram posts, I found so many of my handmade items with their labels!

They are offering 15% off discount for my followers😊Just enter vivatveritas15 (all lower case) at checkout.  It’s valid thru 12/8/2018.

What Should I Make With These Fabrics?

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rolls of kimono fabrics

What should I make with these fabrics?

My sister recently gave me a handful of kimono obi fabric. She knows that I upcycle kimonos and thought I could use some more material. In addition to a few rolls of silk kimono, she also gave me a few obi’s. These obi’s are beautiful – they are delicately embroidered and deliciously thick.
 
The problems are
1. They are quite narrow in width, about 3 cm.
2. Not long enough for a most garment sewing.

Mustard butterfly obi and gold medallion patterned obi

Ideas

In order to incorporate this fabric to garment, I have to either make a small item like mini skirt or incorporate partially. Perhaps a pencil dress, using obi as a statement fabric in the center, and from side to back use stretch knit to compensate for a good fit? 

Yellow floral patterned obi and bright orange obi

Inspirationtextured mini skirt inspiration

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (via Pinterest)

Let me know your thoughts! 

Winter 10 x 10 Challenge Day 6-10

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ootd geek sweatshirt

Winter 10 x 10 Challenge Day 6-10

Check out my 10 picks in my previous blog post. My day 1 – 5 post is here.

winter ootd

Day 6:
January 26, 2018
Red turtleneck + GEEK sweatshirt + dark red maxi skirt + jean jacket (not in 10 x 10 challenge item) + Zara boots 

Today was cold. A Russian friend of mind told me that Tokyo winters are colder than Moscow winters, which makes it really horrible since I’ve also met an Indian person who told me Tokyo summers feel hotter than Indian summers. Anyway, I needed to really bundle up. This was a day that I worked and took my kids out for a play date. Later in that evening, I had a friend’s exhibition in Sangenjaya. For that, I decided to switch up. I took off the sweatshirt, and pulled up the maxi skirt as if it is a strapless dress, which made the length of the skirt to be a little below the knees. I wore the same Zara boots in the evening and marked my waist with black leather belt. I’m really happy with the discovery of new way to wear it. I’ve never thought of putting together an outfit this way before this challenge. This challenge encouraged me to play with the pieces that  I already have in my closet. 

red turtle neck and pleated skirtDay 7:
January 27, 2018
Red turtleneck + pleated midi skirt

Similar to Day 1, but just a different top.white button down and ribbed skirtDay 8:
January 28, 2018
White button down (self-made) + dark red maxi skirt (wearing as a dress like day 6) + thrifted belt + Lands End canvas tote

Two more days to go! I feel like I can just keep going on wearing the same things over and over again the rest of the winter. Kind of getting used to mixing and matching the same items. Nothing much going on today. Just work. I was going to go to Herme’s exhibition in Ginza, “Greenland by Fujiko & Ukichiro Nakaya“. The exhibition is free. Unfortunately, my friend got sick and we had to cancel but If you are around Tokyo, you should check it out! 

Day 9:
January 29, 2018

For some reasons, I cannot find the photo for Day 9. Although I do not remember what I wore this day, I swear I did keep within the 10 x 10 challenge.

striped shirt and levis denim

Day 10:
January 30, 2018
White button down (self made) + GU stripe sweater + Levi’s mile high super skinny jeans

Today’s outfit is basically the same as the Day 2, but instead of putting the shirt over the sweater, I wore it underneath. Does this count as a new outfit mix? 

Overall, I’m really glad that I did this challenge. One of the benefits to this challenge was it gave me a chance to review my closet and purge some items I no longer wear. During this challenge, I ended up selling two cashmere sweaters I was not wearing anymore, one watch and one purse. I clung onto those items since I bought the sweaters myself and the quality was good. Those were the only reasons I kept them in my closet and  I did not love them. So I’m glad the challenge trigger the purging process. By selling those items, I made some money, so I bought new sandals (for my vacation)! 

Would I do this challenge again? Maybe in the summer. It is a good challenge to do periodically to face what you have bought or made. This put me in the mindset of what I should buy instead of binge buy to satisfy the urge of random spending. Whatever you bring in in your closet should be a good friend with other items in the closet; meaning the color should go with existing pieces and the style should compliment them as well.