 My favorite creation during my time on AGT (Australia's Got Talent) was this custom made tails coat for the legendary Tommy Franklin! That man is an absolute delight and so full of energy and love. I was so proud to see him on TV wearing my creation. The idea for the jacket was Tommy's and my favorite boss in the world Tim Chappel assigned me the task of making it. Tim gave me a sketch and a budget and a day later this was the result.
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 On Sunday, August 11th I participated in the third installment of ALPHAMAMA's '13 Trips'. Now... in the past I've been known for taking my sewing into nightclubs and parties but never before have I set up my sewing machine, iron and mannequin in a club! In two hours I transformed this drab, oversized, men's suit jacket (see the picture below), into a tailored, 'technicolour dream coat' inspired halter dress. It was sooooo much fun doing Revamped LIVE and I can't wait to do more of these events.
This week's Revamped DIY is in honor of my dear friend ALPHAMAMA. We've been 'pimpin shades' in preparation her exciting new event, 13 Trips! "This is music. This is fashion. This is film. This is interactive art. This is Alphamama's Truth, Trips and Revelations album brought to life through the imaginations of her vibrant art collective." Each fortnight a new single (from the album) will be released, and we will be creating ALPHAMAMA merchandise by Revamping all sorts of treasures. Click HERE to find out more information.
Yes... The TV show, 'The Carrie Diaries' was my inspiration for this week's Revamped DIY. I was lucky enough to be given this black, Gucci bag and I knew exactly what to do with it. I have so idea if it's real or not but I don't care, it's a really nice bag. This Revamp is very quick and easy. Kids can even have a go!
 Sydney's temperature is cooling down, so this week I've been looking for ways creative ways to keep warm. I'm quite a fan of the shrug, bolero, even just a long sleeve, but I still want to wear my nice fitted singlet tops. I love to layer and still show some skin so I've been chopping tops off and re-using the bottom in creative ways. 
 Once you've done the cutting it's a good idea to overlock or zigzag the edge of the material. Stretch won't fray but it will stretch out of shape if you don't finish it. Once this is done you can play around with add-ons. I found this beautiful beaded necklace in The Salvos store. I've stitched it onto shoulder pads and now they can be added onto many outfits.  The next top to tackle is adding a cowel neck. I thought it was a waste to chop the bottom off and throw it out, so I chopped it off and stitched the excess back on, around the neck. *Tip: When cutting around the top, think about the shape that will be most flattering to you. I find that just above the bust is good for the front, then curve the line around so that in the back it drops to just below the bra line. Before stitching on the remainder, cut it off straight so you have a band of fabric that's about 30cm wide. I sectioned the band into quarters, and the neck into quarters and pinned it on evenly before it was stitched in place. Top number three is a cropped hoodie. My mum gave me this cosy Puma jumper. I wanted to try something different with it so I used draping as a way to crop it and I think it looks quite nice. It has a great shape in the back, there was no cutting required, and the front pocket is still functional
So there are three methods of cropping while keeping your arms warm this Winter. If you have other cropped creations we'd love to see. Post them on the Facebook page and share away!
This week's Revamped DIY came about after an interesting request from a client. This talented chap is a successful street busker and he has his sights set on competing at the World Statue Festival in the Netherlands. My client dresses up as Abel Tasman. He has a costume already, and he decided it was time for a make-over. "I want to take it to the next level." I was super excited by this request as I've always wanted to play around with latex and create something like this!  What you'll need: - Latex - Matt spray paint - Metallic spray paint - Drop sheet - Paint brush - Brush cleaning liquid - Disposable rubber gloves - Face mask  Safety first! I double up on rubber gloves. Step 1 - Base Coat It was very convenient that the costume had already been painted grey, as this was an excellent base for me to work with. It's important for each component of the costume to be the same shade of grey, so before I started with the latex, I sprayed the pants with the matt grey spray paint to help gain continuity between the shading. *When working with spray paint I always wear a face mask (to prevent me breathing in nasty particles and fumes), and I double up with the disposable rubber gloves. Safety first! Step 2 - Latex WARNING!!! This is a very sticky job! Load your brush up and hope for the best! You need to be patient. Be prepared for the fabric to stick onto itself. Try to keep your strokes long, smooth and even. You will gain a smoother finish if you have time to paint each garment one section (or side) at a time. Let it dry, then turn it over and paint another part. Let the garments dry over night before spray painting.
So there you have it! If you ever wanted to know how to make a living statue costume, here are some simple instructions on how to go about it.
And if you happen to see an Abel Tasman living statue in your city, give him a wink and throw some gold coins his way (and compliment him on his excellent costume)! How can you use this technique for Revamping your wardrobe? I'd love to hear your ideas!  This week's Revamped DIY Project is a customized creation especially for my mum (Me Julie)! Mum gave me a plain black cardigan to play with. She'd had it for a while but she thought it was a bit 'boring' to wear. We went to Spotlight and bought some great ribbon which has polka dot and mesh flowers sewn on it, Swarovski crystals and some fabric glue.
Do you have a throw rug that's looking a bit drab? Why not back it with some fur and create a snugly, glamorous rug to keep you warm this Winter.
I'd love to see your Revamped throw rug creations! As always, please share pictures on our Facebook page and keep the ideas flowing. I'm off to bed now to snuggle under my new, fury rug. xo
 Have you been looking for a new pair of Winter shoes? I have and all I've seen is bland, boring and BLAND! That was until I discovered the amazing site Shoes of Prey. It's a fabulous site where you can design your own shoes and have them made. In two hours I had designed 8 pairs! Now as fabulous as they are, I'm not going to go buy 8 pairs of shoes, but this process has inspired me to think about how I can Revamp cheaper shoes, and have my very own, fabulous, twinkle toes booties!  Things you need: - Black booties, $25 from K Mart - Fabric glue - Glitter - Sponge to apply the glue What to do:
Disco! Disco! Party! Party! Now I'm ready to dance the night away in my new, twinkle toe shoes!
Have you Revamped a pair of shoes you'd like to share? Post a pic on our Facebook page. We'd love to see!  I manifested this dress. No joke! A few weeks ago I said to my friend, Elle "I want to look for electric blue sequined fabric today. I'm going to make a hot party dress! It's going to be above the knee and have big shoulders and it's going to be FABULOUS!" An hour later we discovered Love Story, a sensational pop-up vitage store in Surry Hills, and the 'Blue Tiger' dress was there! The fabric was incredible and the dress was in such good condition. The dress itself wasn't quite what I had imagined but this was great because it has given me the chance to Revamp it!  As you can see, the dress was originally very rectangular and straight. It was also a bit long for me (below the knee). Now... I'm a curvy lady so I've created a solution where I've created shape in the waist, and I've shortened the dress whilst maintaining this fabulous Bam Bam hem - no cutting required! Step 1 Mark where you would like the new waist to be. *Measure from the hem up, to get the correct measurement the whole way around the waist. Use coloured thread to tack a running stitch around the waist. This is your fold line.  Step 2 With right sides together, fold dress on the fold line. Step 3 Measure around your waist and cut a piece of elastic (2.5cm wide). Stitch the ends together to make an elastic band.  Step 4 Place the elastic band in the crease of the fold line and pin folded fabric below the elastic. Step 5 Using a zipper foot, stitch around the waist, beside the elastic, so you create a casing. Voila! That's all it takes. This method is quick and easy and there is no cutting required. *It's best to avoid cutting sequined material if you can, as reinforcing freshly cut sequins can be a long process. 
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AuthorI am a freelance designer and stylist who creates avant-garde fashion and costume. I specialize in custom making costumes for musicians, physical theatre, and dance companies. I love what I do and I love to share my passion and teach others :D Archives
December 2013
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