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Vivat Veritas

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.

Chantilly Lace Wedding Dress Part 1

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このページを日本語で読む

 

I worked on a wedding dress last winter and I can finally reveal the details now that the bride is married! I was very excited about this dress. It is dainty and romantic. I would wear this for my own wedding! I’m thinking of writing a three or four part series, showing the process of making this made-to-order dress. 

テンパㇼー　ロンドン　ウェディングドレス

01.
Fining Inspirations – What’s the common element that you keep coming back to? 

Sources from left 1、2、3

When I work with a bride, we always start with collecting images and sketches. We use Pinterest secret board for this. With secret board, other people cannot what you pinned in the board, so you don’t have to worry about revealing the dress details before the wedding ceremony. I asked her to pin anything that drew her attention. When you look back at the board, you find that there are recurring themes, some design elements you keep coming back to. I write down those in bullet points. For this particular dress, it was “mermaid”, “back V”, “short sleeves”, “lace” and “sweep length train”. Some design element might fight each other, then I talk to a bride that it is possible that these two designs might not go well together and ask her the one she want to prioritize. People tend to jam everything in a design, since it is something you can do because of the nature of “order-made”. But it is important to figure out good balance as well. I find this collecting images process is crucial. 

02.
Sketching

ドレススケッチ

Once I have a list of design elements that we want to incorporate in a dress, I sketch. This is actually my least favorite part because I don’t particularly enjoy sketching as an activity, but I am learning to be better at it by doing it often. This process should not be skipped for two reasons – First, it provides the opportunity to imagine the step-by-step sewing process. Some of the questions I ask myself during this process are, “where should a zipper go?”, “what kind of lining should I use?”, “how much would this tulle skirt stretch down if I apply beaded lace at hem?”, “how much fabric do I need” etc. Second reason is to be on the same page with bride. What I’m thinking might not communicate to a bride well without having it in a concrete form, sketch. 

03.
Choosing fabric
繊細　レース

I often use Etsy and Mood Fabrics to source fabrics, especially for lace. I can find satin, tulle, organza and chiffon in Tokyo, but good lace for a reasonable price is hard to come by here. I got samples for three different laces for the bride thsi time – delicate Chantilly lace, classical cord lace and playful tulle lace. During the muslin fitting, we took a look at the samples together to decide which one to go with. 

Next post, I will be writing about a muslin and muslin fitting! 

Price list for made-to-order wedding dress can be found here.

Table of Content

Chantilly Lace Wedding Dress Part 1 (6/6/2018)
  01. Finding Inspirations
  02. Sketching
  03. Choosing Fabric

Chantilly Lace Wedding Dress Part 2 (6/13/2018)

Behind the Scenes of Shibuiro Mode Exhibition

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このページを日本語で読む

 

渋色モード　展示

Hello! I wanted to share some pictures of my recent exhibition/fashion show from 5/15/2018 – 5/25/2018. On display were my one of a kind kimono dresses using second hand kimonos, mostly in silk. It was an opportunity for me to showcase twenty different dresses and my first attempt to put together a fashion show. I have more photos coming from the official photographer, but here are some from my camera. 

I collaborated with a spacial designer, David Takahashi and illustrator, Erica Ward. David made the all-white installation with fabrics, paper and plastic, which complimented the colorful kimono dresses. Erica made pen and watercolor paintings that were directly inspired by six of my kimono dresses. 渋色モード　展示

渋色モード　展示

渋色モード　展示David layered white in different textures. According to him, he took the ideas from wisteria trellis, which blossom in May here. 

渋色モード　展示Erica’s illustration, “Alight”, next to my azuki beans dress (left). 

渋色モード　展示

渋色モード　展示

渋色モード　展示Hidemi (left) modeled for the show, and Yuji (right) is the owner of the gallery, “Ego – Art & Entertainment Gallery” in Nihonbashi, Tokyo.渋色モード　展示Here is what it looked like the front, my dress displayed:)渋色モード　展示 渋色モード　展示 渋色モード　展示 渋色モード　展示

I made a short video clip of me working with the kimono. Captions are in Japanese. I started making kimono dresses for a client about two years ago. Client would provide me with kimono and patterns, along with specific instructions as to how it should be made in terms of pattern placements. I really enjoyed working with these projects as each one is different. As I was sewing these dresses, I could not stop imagining how I would make it if it were left to my own devices, because although I enjoy the idea of using old, beautiful silk fabric and turned it into something new, the patterns, silhouette, colors were not something I would wear. Then when I was walking a street of Tokyo one day, it dawned on me, perhaps I can make it myself? Why not, since there are so many second hand kimonos available in Japan. I bought them at second hand shops like Tansuya, thrift shops, flea market and online (I wrote more about it here) and started experiment with them.  It takes a long time to make one dress, since I have to take the kimono apart first, wash it (if I think the fabric can take the wash), iron it, examine the pattern and stains (old kimonos often have stains or damages), and sew it into a dress. Depending on a design, I can make up to two dresses from one kimono. Each time is different and it is fun!  

Watch video on YouTube