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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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Finishing Sheer Fabric Necklines

October 8, 2014 By Chie

Processed with VSCOcam with m5 presetOne of the fun things about sewing is that you are forced to face with unexpected challenges whenever you make a new things. It might be the same dress you’ve made a few times before, but if the fabric is different, it reacts differently. This is how I felt after finishing this peplum top!

I recently finished a three-way wedding dress for an October bride. We decided to use this beautiful gold lace (it is called crimp lace (クリンプレース) in Japanese).  One addition to the main wedding dress is the peplum top that can be worn on top of the dress for the reception to change the look a bit. It looks like the lace motif is embroidered with gold thread on cream color organza fabric. The fabric is gorgeous, and it was worth spending the money, considering the finished result. The bride went with gold, but Okadaya also has it in white, which is also beautiful for traditional wedding dress look.

Initially, I finished the neckline of this peplum top with a strip of fabric cut on bias with the same lace. You can see the “before” pictures below.bias finished neckline peplum top via vivat veritas blog

It seems like the neckline stands out quite a bit, right? I talked with the bride and she agreed. The neckline gives more of a sporty vibe for a rather delicate top.

So here is how I changed up.

1. Instead of bias strip, use facings cut in a solid color organza
I used off-white color polyester organza fabric (left over from this skirt’s insertion) and cut the facings, front and back. Depending on what sheer fabric you are using, perhaps you can use chiffon or tulle as well. For my lace, organza fit perfectly. I did not finish the lower end of facings for the fear of making the seam allowances stood out.

2. Using a clear thread, catch stitch the facings down on the lace fabric
Clear thread came in handy when sewing couture dresses. I use it for sewing tulle fabrics together if I fear that the seam allowances will be see though, and also use it for attaching lace on veil. I also used it for hand sewing these satin flowers. dress3two way wedding dress peplum top via vivat veritas blog

Look how much difference it made! Now the top looks more delicate and dainty. Do you have a favorite way to finish a sheer neckline?

最近仕上げたレースのぺプラムトップスです。
ゴールドのクリンプレースで、10月に挙式予定の花嫁様のためにお仕立てしました。
生地は、お値段が張るだけあって、本当に素敵!
刺繍のひとつひとつがデリケートで、綺麗です。

ただ、透ける生地のため、ネックラインをどのように仕上げるかに悩みました。
最初は同じレースをバイアスにカットしたもので仕上げたのですが、ネックラインが目立つ気がしたので、
なるべく目立たないように同色無地のオーガンジーを使い、透明の糸を使って作り直しました。chie sig2

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

Filed Under: blog, blogs, bridal, creation, 日本語 Tagged With: bridal, delicate fabric, diy, lace, neckline, sewing tips, sheer, wedding

Satin & Organza Flower Girl’s Dress

October 3, 2014 By Chie

Flower Girl1

I made this flower girl’s dress for Kiko for my brother’s wedding last weekend. We don’t have a custom of flower girl or ring boy in Japan, so the made-up function for her at the wedding was a “ring girl”, who brought the wedding rings up to the bride and groom during the ceremony. I was not sure how she can handle it without being shy or running away, but she actually seemed to have enjoyed the task!

My brother’s wedding was the day after we came back from our vacation, so I was in such a hurry in the morning and forgot to take my camera. So today, we went to a nearby park and waited for a sunset to take these pictures.

I made the dress in matte satin and matching color organza. The organza skirt has three layers and the dress is fully lined. I added three flowers in the front chest area, made with satin and pearls. I have not posted this on etsy or my shop, but it is available upon request in any color of your choice! Contact me from here.

先週の弟の結婚式のために、フラワーガールのドレスを作りました。
表布はサテンとオーガンジー。
胸のあたりは手縫いで作ったお花で飾りました。

実際の結婚式では、残念ながらカメラを忘れて行ってしまったので、後日近くの公園で撮影。
夕方の、おひさまが沈む時を狙って、シャッターをきってみました♪

ドレスは、まだショップには載せていないのですが、リクエストがあれば、何色ででもお作りできます。
ご連絡はこちらから★
Flower Girl2 Flower Girl3 Flower Girl4 Flower Girl5 Flower Girl6 Flower Girl7 Flower Girl8

Here is a short video (35 sec) of our shoot. I enjoyed shooting with my little girl!chie sig2{find me elsewhere: shop, facebook, etsy, twitter, pinterest, instagram}

Filed Under: Baby & Kids Clothes, blog, blogs, bridal, creation, video, 日本語 Tagged With: bridal, flowergirl, little girls dress, organza, satin, vivat veritas, wedding, オーダーメイドドレス, フラワーガール, 結婚式

Mommy’s Diary: Looking Ahead

September 30, 2014 By Chie

20140420-kiko1

It’s been a while since I wrote mommy’s diary last, but I could not help putting up a post after finding these photo of my daughter taken six months ago. The photos had been waiting to be edited and saved in the hard drive but somehow got lost in the midst of busy days.

We just came back from our 10-day vacation in the U.S. That was the fastest 10 days of my life! It literally flew. I was glad that Kiko was able to meet with her daddy’s side of the family. She spent time with her gam gam (grandma), grandpa and great grand mother. In fact, I barely saw her during the trip because she was always with them.

After the trip, all of the sudden she looks grown up – talking in longer sentences, explaining her reasoning behind her actions (saying “because….”) and looking taller. With the amount of time she spends with Andy (Andy is very involved with the child raising), I thought she would be very much a tom boy, but she, for now, is super feminine. She loves doing her nails with me, playing with beads to make necklaces and braiding strings whenever she finds one long enough . I’m really enjoying having a girl.

Some of you had asked how our adoption process has been going. We are still waiting for a child. It has been two and a half years since we got approved by the adoption agency. We hope that the child will come sometime soon and are willing to wait as long as it takes!

On the bright side, we started to foster a child through a program called “friend home”. There are many kids in group home that are neither adoptable or foster careable in Japan. This blog by Sophelia explains well about the adoption situation in Japan, so I won’t go into the details, but to sum it up, the parental rights in Japanese laws are very strong, which makes it difficult to have kids up for adoption or foster care.

So for the kids who cannot be adopted or foster cared because the parents’ unwillingness to give up the parental rights, Tokyo has a program “friend home” where the kids get to experience home life by visiting certain family on regular bases for a day out or sleep over. We registered with the program last year and finally got referred to a child who will be staying with us once a month. Both my husband and I are very excited and it will be great for Kiko to have another child she can care for.
20140420-kiko2 20140420-kiko3 20140420-kiko4 20140420-kiko5 20140420-kiko6 20140420-kiko7chie sig2

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Filed Under: Adoption, blog, blogs, mama series Tagged With: adoption, foster care, friend home, japan, motherhood

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生地をよく見ると、お姫様が👸 金彩の御所車、菊、そしてひっそりと佇む姫。 裾に宿ったまま、また別 生地をよく見ると、お姫様が👸

金彩の御所車、菊、そしてひっそりと佇む姫。 
裾に宿ったまま、また別の人生を歩みだしました♡

Released. Reimagined. — Helen Castillo @designerhelen x Vivat Veritas 

Look closely at the fabric — there’s a princess👸

A gilded royal carriage, chrysanthemums, and a maiden standing quietly in the shadows. Still living in the hem, she steps into another life♡

Model
@_kasumi.y

Photographer 
@nothing_special_88 

Hair 
@angh0
@sho_kanaida
@iam__little__boy

Make up
@glam_by_jyoti

Nails
@ms_muse_nail

#着物リメイク #御所解 #KimonoRemake #TokyoFashion #ReleasedReimagined
@allpress_espresso のコーヒーバッグで作りました☕️ Cafés do Bras @allpress_espresso のコーヒーバッグで作りました☕️

Cafés do Brasil 豆を運んでいた頃の文字が、そのままジャケットの背中に残っています。
着物だけでなく、面白い来歴のある生地をもっと取り入れていきたいと思っています✂️
素材:コーヒーバッグ × 着物シルク

Made from a coffee sack sourced from @allpress_espresso.

Cafés do Brasil — the stamp from its days carrying beans stays right there on the back. 

Kimono fabric has always been at the heart of what I do, but I want to bring in more materials with a history — things that have traveled, carried weight, meant something before they became a garment.

Materials: coffee sack × kimono silk

Photographer 
@nothing_special_88 

Model
@emorylove33

Jewelry
@viviange

Hair 
@angh0
@sho_kanaida
@iam__little__boy

Make up
@glam_by_jyoti

#upcycledfashion #sustainablestyle #coffeesack #wearablestories #ReleasedReimagined
蝶は、繭の中でひとりで変わるわけじゃない。 縫う人がいて、形が生まれる。 描く人がいて、顔に光が宿 蝶は、繭の中でひとりで変わるわけじゃない。

縫う人がいて、形が生まれる。
描く人がいて、顔に光が宿る。
飾る人がいて、耳元に物語が揺れる。

そのひとつひとつが重なって、
一着の服がランウェイで羽を広げます🦋

今回のショーに関わってくださったすべての方へ💌
ありがとうございました。皆様の手が、この服を完成させてくれました。

A butterfly doesn’t transform alone.

Someone sews, and a shape is born.
Someone paints, and light finds a face.
Someone adorns, and a story stirs beside the ear.

Each gesture layered upon the next —
until one garment spreads its wings on the runway🦋

To everyone who was part of this show 💌
Thank you.🥹Your hands brought this to life.

Photographer 
@nothing_special_88

Model
@yui78_02

Jewelry
@viviange

Hair 
@angh0
@sho_kanaida
@iam__little__boy

Make up
@glam_by_jyoti

#ReleasedReimagined #kimono #着物リメイク #sustainablefashion #runway
Before the doors opened, there was this. Garments Before the doors opened, there was this.

Garments waiting on the rack. Brushes in hand. Quiet conversations in corners. The unhurried moment before everything becomes a show.

""Released. Reimagined."" with @designerhelen was made possible by so many generous hands — our makeup and hair team, our models, every person who showed up early and stayed late. Thank you for caring for these pieces, and for each other, the way you did.

More to come🤍

扉が開く前の、静かな時間。

ハンガーに並ぶ作品たち。メイクブラシの音。片隅でかわされる小さな会話。 すべてがショーになる前の、穏やかな瞬間。

@designerhelen との“Released. Reimagined."" は、たくさんの方々の手によって生まれました。 メイク・ヘアチームのみなさん、モデルのみなさん、早くから駆けつけて最後まで残ってくれたすべての方へ。 本当にありがとうございました。
次回も頑張ります🤍

Photographer 

Models
@emorylove33
@naka_kanar
@bethenny.x
@izumi_nishida
@yui78_02
@aino.yamada03
@_kasumi.y
@sienna.christinaaa

Nails
@ms_muse_nail

Jewelry
@viviange

Hair 
@angh0
@sho_kanaida
@iam__little__boy

Make up
@glam_by_jyoti

#releasedreimagined #KimonoUpcycling #BehindTheScenes #SustainableFashion #着物リメイク
Behind the Scenes🪡 →The Runway ✨ カオスに包まれたアトリエから、ラ Behind the Scenes🪡 →The Runway ✨

カオスに包まれたアトリエから、ランウェイへ。

1つのコレクションが形になるまで、床が見えなくなるほどの生地、型紙、そして数え切れないほどの試行錯誤の時間が詰まっています。

命を吹き込んでくれた素晴らしいモデルの皆さん、そして支えてくださったスタッフの皆さんに心から感謝💝

あなたのお気に入りのルックはどれですか?ぜひコメントで教えてください👇❤️

From a chaotic atelier to the runway.

Before a collection comes to life, there are floors buried under fabric, pattern pieces, and countless hours of trial and error.

A heartfelt thank you to the incredible models who breathed life into each look, and to every member of the team who made it all possible 💝

Which look was your favorite? Let me know in the comments 👇❤️

#ファッションショー #ランウェイ #バックステージ #fashiondesigner #runway
Something I've been building since 2008 — taking k Something I've been building since 2008 — taking kimono fabric, fabric that already holds someone's memory, and giving it a new life.

Last Saturday, I got to share that with someone very special.

@designerhelen is a designer from New York who first reached out to me through my little sewing lesson account. When we started talking, I realized we were asking the exact same question: how do you take something with a past, and carry it forward?

We met in person here in Tokyo last December. That conversation became Released. Reimagined.
Two designers. Two cities. One shared belief — that beautiful things deserve a second life.

None of this would have been possible without our incredible team:

👗 Models: @emorylove33 @naka_kanar @bethenny.x @izumi_nishida @yui78_02 @aino.yamada03 @_kasumi.y @sienna.christinaaa

💅 Nails: @ms_muse_nail — gorgeous handmade nail designs 
💍 Jewelry: @viviange — pieces specially designed to coordinate with each piece
✂️ Hair: @angh0 @sho_kanaida @iam__little__boy — next level editorial 
💄 Makeup: @glam_by_jyoti — 8 models, flawlessly done 
📸 Photography: @nothing_special_88 — can't wait for you all to see his shots 
🎯 Model Coordinator: @naka_kanar — styling schedules, rehearsals, walkthrough, everything

Thank you to everyone who came🤍

Photos by @robertorivera.mx

2008年から、ずっと作り続けてきたもの——誰かの記憶を宿した着物の生地を手にとり、新しい命を吹き込むこと。

先週の土曜日、その想いをとても大切な人と一緒に分かち合うことができました。

@designerhelen はニューヨークを拠点とするデザイナー。最初に連絡をくれたのは、私の小さなお裁縫レッスンのアカウントを通じてでした。話し始めてすぐに、私たちは同じ問いを抱えていると。過去を持つものを、どうやって未来へ連れていくか。

昨年12月、東京で初めて直接会いました。その会話が、このショーになりました。

Released. Reimagined. ふたりのデザイナー。ふたつの都市。ひとつの共通した信念——美しいものには、もう一度輝く機会がある✨

#releasedreimangined #tokyofashionshow #harajuku #japanfashionshow projectrunwa
この会場を見つけるまで、けっこう歩き回りました。原宿竹下口から少し路地に入ったところ。前面ガラス張り この会場を見つけるまで、けっこう歩き回りました。原宿竹下口から少し路地に入ったところ。前面ガラス張りで光がたっぷり入って、一目見て「ここだ」と思いました🌱

入口すぐの受付エリアには @brownie_shots のポップアップ、中央スペースはランウェイ会場になります。VIP席も準備中です✨

イベントまであと1週間を切りました。当日、いいお天気になりますように☀️

It took quite a bit of wandering to find this venue. Tucked just off a quiet side street from Harajuku’s Takeshita Exit — full glass frontage, light pouring in. The moment I stepped inside, I knew🌱

Right at the entrance, @brownie_shots will be running a pop-up☕︎ The central space becomes our runway. VIP seating going in now.

Less than one week to go. Fingers crossed for sunshine ☀️

#Harajuku #FashionShow #KimonoUpcycling #SustainableFashion #TokyoEvents
【VIP限定✨】 5/30のファッションショー、席付きVIPチケットをご予約いただいた方は、こちらの 【VIP限定✨】
5/30のファッションショー、席付きVIPチケットをご予約いただいた方は、こちらの帯をリメイクしたオリジナルポーチをプレゼント🎁 

意外とたくさん入ると大好評。
鍵、カードケース、スマホ、メイクポーチまでしっかり収納できる優秀サイズです。

パーティーにクラッチとして、ループにストラップを付ければショルダーにもなる✨

どの柄が届くかは当日までのお楽しみ🤫💕

🗓 2026.05.30 (Sat)
📍 Harajuku, Tokyo
Runway Event & Pop-up Store
詳細はプロフィールリンクをチェック🔗

【VIP Exclusive ✨】
A little sneak peek at the special gift for our VIP ticket holders🎁

For the May 30th fashion show, all VIP guests will receive this original pouch made from upcycled Kimono Obi.

It’s surprisingly spacious! It easily fits your keys, card case, phone, and even a makeup pouch. Wear it as a chic clutch for the party, or attach your own strap to the loops to transform it into a shoulder bag✨

Each one is a unique, one-of-a-kind piece. Which design will you get? It’s a surprise until the big day! 🤫💕

#帯リメイク #サステナブルファッション #ファッションショー #原宿イベント #着物リメイク 
ファッションイベント HelenCastillo
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