Tutorial: DIY Cut-Out Shoulder Shirt

Alright guys, so this is my first (kinda dodgy) attempt at a tutorial. It's fairly simple so hopefully you guys can understand it and hopefully it's reproducible! It's not going to be the best tutorial you've ever seen but I figure it's a learning curve so here goes...


Inspiration

This image to the right was my inspiration and "guide" for how I wanted the shirt to vaguely look. I found it in a Sportsgirl catalogue.

It didn't end up looking quite like this because I managed to get the cut-out look without actually cutting away any fabric. I may go back alter it for a more dramatic look if I feel like it later =)

Step 1. Pick your shirt!

I bought this shirt for the tutorial, it's actually an oversized shirt dress. It was only $5 from a Cotton On outlet store so I figured it wouldn't be a great loss if my DIY attempt failed miserably. The advantage of the shirt I chose it that it has a seam running down the shoulder, which is what I used to make the cut out portion.

 

  Step 2. Start Unpicking!

Start by unpicking the seam closest to the collar. I cut a couple of stiches with a pair of scissors and then unpicked each stitch with a needle.

I was very careful not to actually cut away any of the fabric and only the stiching.





Step 2. Keep going!

The picture to the left pretty much just shows the front and back panels being separated as a result of unpicking the seam.

Be careful not to go too far with the unpicking, it's a lot easier to unpick more than to have to resew it.I would suggest trying the shirt on every inch or two to see how you're coming along.

Step 2. Stop unpicking and start reseaming!

When you feel like you've unpicked enough, stop! I think I ended up unpicking along about 16cm from the collar.

When you're happy with how far you've unpicked, you can re-seam the front and back panel separately. I used the folding and the original seam holes as a guideline on where to sew.

I didn't include pictures of my sewing because I did it by hand so it's a bit shoddy. I would recommend using a machine!

Voila!


I hope this helps someone! If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to ask =)

Finish the look...

...with a girly, high-waisted, full-skirt and fantastically whimsical kicks!

To get a look similar to mine, I would suggest:

ASOS's "Tailored Wool Paperbag Full Skirt" (£30.00 from ASOS) layered over American Apparel's "Multi-Layered Reversible Petticoat" ($70.00USD from American Apparel).







and...

 Jeffrey Campbell's "Michelle" ($119.99USD from Modcloth)

H&M's new flagship store in Amsterdam

For those who haven't seen yet, you must watch this video of the 4D light show (from Andy's blog "Style Scrapbook") for the opening of the H&M flagship store in Amsterdam. Watch it! It's AMAZING!

Treat her like a lady...

Top: DIY/Cotton On   Skirt: H&M   Shoes: By Appointment   Bag: Vintage   Corsage Headband: Diva   Necklace: Hello Kitty

 

 

First of all… THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone who has commented, voted and favourited my recent entries. And and extra big THANK YOU to my newest fans and followers! My fanbase has been growing faster than I would have expected and I’m so thrilled. I wanted to have some kind of giveaway or something organised when I hit 100 fans but I got there before I even had time to think about it!

I don’t know how anyone has time to be such great bloggers, as well as participate in multiple fashion communities, manage ebay or etsy stores and get anything else done! I’m working like mad at the moment, and unlike while I was studying, I’m not in front of a computer most of the day so I don’t get to keep up with the happenings on here quite as much. Apologies if I’ve missed your looks and haven’t replied to comments and such but I’ll do my best to keep up!

So I decided to DIY a shirt, I’ve been loving the cutout shoulder trend and wanted to try it myself and here is the result! I came across this pale pink (nudey-blush) shirt dress on a sale for $5 and I figured it would be the best thing for me to experiment on. I actually had the foresight this time to snap some photos as I went along so I will be posting a tutorial soon!

Wunderkind Spring 2011

I was originally planning another post when I came across this collection and fell quickly and madly in love with it and wanted to dedicate an entire entry to it!

I've always loved "mish-mash" type outfits, because it's so easy to look like you got into a fight with a confused clown. But when done well, I love the visual stimuli, the geometric and structural complexity, and the apparent knack required to design and style a look to appear as though it was just thrown together and works! Sometimes in  fashion, "less is more" is just not enough, and this collection is truly representational of a contradiction of this statement.

"Though the striking prints of oversize fruits and flowers were inspired by Portugal, Wolfgang Joop’s Wunderkind collection took an unexpectedly edgy turn — with their ample baby-doll dresses, paired with striped tights and sky-high platform boots, his models brought to mind a modern-day Pippi Longstocking, as seen by Tim Burton." -wwd

Loving the fantasy aspects, the colours, the gorgeous striped body stockings, the menswear and the SHOES! What are your thoughts?? Love it or hate it?

Photo credits to style.com.

NY City Loves to Mess Around with the LA Sound...

 Dress, Clutch: Vintage   Necklace: DIY   Shoes: Steve Madden   Bracelet: Forever21

I bought this gorgeous Champagne Gold crochet dress at a thrift store the other day, it was actually a large top with a lining that I cut out and it turned out beautifully! So I often see people in forums asking about thrifting tips o and although I am no expert I decided to mention the tips that I have found worked for me recently…

My thrifting tips:

1. Look at fabrics, colours and prints before looking at cut and shape. With often racks upon racks of things to sort through you often don’t know where to start. I find scanning for fabrics that I like first helps narrow things down. Shape and cut you can change, the others you can’t.

2. Don’t bother looking at the sizing. Just go with it regardless of how big or small it might be, silhouettes have evolved and so often clothes look better in different sizes on you than they were designed for. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve bought things, only to find it is 4 sizes bigger than I would normally take.

3. Take a patient friend with similar thrifting style to yourself, otherwise go alone. I prefer to go alone. You need to be patient to sort through the racks and the last thing you need is to know that your friends are waiting for you. Plus, your friends might not see the potential of something the same way you do and may discourage you from giving it a go! Plus, since there’s only one of anything, you can avoid both falling in love with the same piece.

4. Take cinchers, pins, anything that helps you wear an item in different ways. Often, something won’t look perfect on, but with the right belt, falls into place perfectly. Try wearing it in different ways by adding belts (which you can often find there), pinning bits or rolling up the sleeves and you’ll be surprised how different things can look!

5. Just give it a go! You never know until you try! I can genuinely say, of all the pieces that I was uhmm-ing and ahh-ing about, after trying them on, a majority of those pieces have consequently come home with me.

I hope this helps someone! Thrifting is a truly wonderful way to shop! Not only is it fun, cheap and you can pick up some amazing pieces, but it's great for the community and for the environment. I lean towards shopping at non-profit, charity stores. I sometimes find it a little wrong to pay more for a thrifted item than it probably would have cost brand new!