Fashion DIY

The other day a group of friends and I were reminiscing about the early days of secondary school. You know the time, when everything and anything was on the curriculum. When you got to do a wide variety of subjects and not have to worry about getting good results……when you were more focused on ensuring your shirt was untucked than you were mastering simultaneous equations…..

As someone now studying for an English degree at Oxford, things have changed. In terms of work, my day is pretty much limited to reading. Yep: read, read, read again. 

Dropping into Vogue over breakfast - still reading right?
Image: Folio 

The conversation we were having about school soon led to those of us who did year 7-9 textiles. The memories flooded back: Sewing machines and bobbins. Safety pins and wadding. Oh, and that dreadful white fleece hoodie with the polka dot buttons(definitely a top ten 'what was I thinking' moment).

But it got me talking about how the ‘DIY days’ of making/customising/adapting clothes are rapidly falling away. Yes, I did textiles because it was part of the curriculum. However, whilst there was a time when it was quite normal for someone to tie-die their own clothes or customise their jeans, this would now be seen as something rather mad.

If the elephant ain't impressed, no one is
Image:Waitbutwhy

After all, with SO many clothes out there and with some really amazing tailors who can customise your stuff for you, then really, why go to the effort of doing anything yourself? 

Don’t get me wrong. I AM NOT saying go out and get some great rolls of fabric and make your dream jacket. A) you need far more than just  rolls of fabric (interlining, interlacing and potentially wadding all need to be brought) and B) well, it is bloody difficult. Even as an A-level textiles student, I didn't attempt this.*

But you definitely CAN get creative in easier ways.  

Think about old clothes that you would otherwise chuck out. A great example is a pair of jeans you don’t want anymore. Turn up the bottom by an inch or two and sew to create some ankle grazers. Sewing too scary? Be brave and cut them to create denim shorts that have a *deliberately* frayed edge. 

Image:pinterest

And if you’re feeling really experimental or simply want to create something a little retro in time for those summer festivals, grab an oversized white shirt, some hairbands and get creative with fabric dye. Dip dye, tie-dye….. just have a quick google and there are SO many easy-to-follow instructions on how to do this. 

More than anything though it’s about having FUN with clothes. We are so used to just accepting what we are given. If we can’t find a dress that has the exact embellishment we want, we either keep looking or have a mini breakdown. But what about going out to a craft store and buying those emerald gems to dot around the neckline? 

Image:Imgbuddy

t’s a bit like food - we all like eating out at restaurants, but there’s nothing quite like creating your own meal at home. Here, even if we're not creating something right from scratch, we are still experimenting with what we can do. 

So next time you’re about to chuck out something you no longer want, think about how it might be saved. Re-fashion that T-shirt, tie-die those shorts or stitch a pretty bow onto your jumper. Challenge yourself - you never know what you might come up with! 

#queen of the sewing machine
Image: sewnews

*Could say more about my skills on the overlocker machine.

Dress For Power

Clothes are powerful things. Okay, perhaps not per se (although I did once have a fight with a pair of jeans shrunken in the wash) but powerful in making first impressions.

I guess this is especially true for the workplace. Without going all psychoanalytical on you - I'll leave that to the experts - most people would agree there is a clear correlation between body language and getting hired. A boss makes his decision ‘the second you walk through the door’ dependent on posture, how you walk, eye contact, your hand shake etc etc........ but surely some of this is also on what you are wearing, too? 

dangly earrings: THE reason to hire her
Image: studye

Clothes are an effective tool in helping you make the impression you want and maybe even landing you a job.

Over Easter I did an intern with a financial PR agency. Chatting to one of the guys who had just started there full-time, he told me how on the first day of he came in all ‘suited and booted’ as it were(cleache, but that's the phrase he used). You know - new tie, suit, cuff-links, polished shoes....He told me how he was way too over dressed and, after seeing that most people went for the ‘smart casual look’, quickly removed his tie and blazer in embarrassment. 

Image: Cartoonstock

However, this story got me thinking. What impression would he have made when he walked into the office dressed like this? Surely a positive one. Yes, he may have looked as if he was trying too hard. But so what? As a 21 year old graduate starting his new job, at least his clothes showed that he was looking to please and was taking the position seriously!

A rule of thumb? If in doubt = overdress. Don't wing it. Turn up in a crumpled shirt and an old pair of trousers and you run the risk of looking like Shaggy - not the best first impression you could make (and this is from someone who loved Scooby-doo). Turn up in a suit and the response? Well he means business.

For us ladies who don’t need to make the black and white decision of ‘suit or no suit’ overdressing is pretty hard to do. There is now so much overlap between formal and informal that you really can get the balance right! To go back to my intern, on the first day I wore a long black fitted skirt, vintage blouse and Topshop blazer. The dress code was ‘smart-casual’  - a notoriously difficult requirement to get right as I'm sure you'll agree! But because the blazer and skirt took care of the ‘smart’ bit, ‘casual’ meant I could wear my comfy black loafers – painful heel-driven blisters suck on that.

When the going gets tough, the  tough gets going heels come off
Image: modelinia 

Even without my patent black heels (which, btw, have found a comfier home beneath my desk than on my feet) I was still one of the smartest girls in the office. After three days of 'fashion observation' - there's only so much EXCEL spreadsheets one can manage - I released that I could probably take it down a notch. But am I glad that I dressed so smart day one? Most definitely. And I’m sure that that guy was too, when he started his job there.

 So I guess the point to make is that both inside and outside the workplace, clothes really are key for creating first impressions, feeling confident in yourself and perhaps even landing you a job.

Hey, who would have thought a clothes could be such powerful things!? 

Image: izquotes