 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.
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
 This week's Revamped D.I.Y ended up being a special treat for myself! I love hand beading and I've been doing it for years. I even do a bit of hand beading work for sensational Aussie designer Rachel Gilbert. I was updating my Winter wardrobe this week and came across this cool shirt at Zara. It was baggy and silky and had these cool shoulder pads which were exposed on the outside of the shoulders. Well I couldn't leave it just plain now could I, and I happened to have all of the crystals and beads I needed at home! This Revamp didn't cost me a cent!  Something you may know about me is that I love crystals! If my sewing machine is having an off day, I sit my rose quartz crystal on it, have a break and when I get back to work, my machine is sewing like a dream (seriously, this has happened)! I was very excited to find in my box of beaded treasures, a rose quartz bracelet which was falling apart. What a find! Along with the rose quartz beads, I've included Swarovski crystals, fake pearls, silver seed beads, large sparkly glass beads from a necklace, and some plastic stars and other shapes which I found in a container of gems I got from Spotlight.  I don't mind combining the good quality, expensive beads with some cheaper ones. As long as they're not too 'plasticky' I'll throw some in there. This keeps the cost down (which makes clients happy), and also takes some of the weight out. The expensive beads are often a bit heavier and can really weigh a garment down! I also like using stars. I'm such a sucker for stars! I'll never grow out of them.  I love my new shirt. It's nice to know the healing energy of the crystals are sitting on my shoulders! I find that when I wear my own creations lots of people smile at me and talk to me about what I'm wearing. It's a wonderful way to make news friends and share with people what I do! If you're inspired to do some hand beading grab a needle and thread and put your favorite movie of TV show on! It's a great way to be still and calm. It's like meditating! * Just be sure to start and finish your threads off securely, and when you wash your beaded items it's probably best to dry clean or hand wash. As always, please share your creations with our Revamped community! Post your pics on the Facebook page and inspire others with your ideas :D
 The Bodice The detail of the bodice has been inspired by a fabric construction technique called chenille. More commonly seen in towels and jumpers, you can create your very own, exciting, colourful version of chenille. I love to play around with this technique, experimenting with layers of various fabrics, colours and textures. A simple way to make Chenille is by layering fabric (practice with three), stitching diagonal lines across the grain, and then cut in-between the lines. 
Have you experimented with creating your own chenille fabrics? I'd love to see your designs. As always, you can upload them onto our Facebook page and inspire the Revamped Fashion community!
This week's Revamped transformation is one of my favorites! My client is an exciting, young, musical talent who is on the verge of exploding to international stardom and success! The brief was: - Design an edgy, glamorous gown for a photo shoot. - The theme is glamor, with an urban, street feel. - Inspiration from early 90's Versace Supermodels. - Create a train which has layers to be detached.  Naomi Campbell in this Gianni Versace masterpiece! Breathing new life into a simple formal dress is a passion of mine. It fires me up inside! It's like the dress was intended for a great party, and I have the ability to set that dress free so it can experience the BEST party ever!!! A formal dress can be a excellent canvas, as often these gowns have a great fitting bodice, and lots of fabric and layering in the skirt. This particular dress had fantastic layers of taffeta and organza in the skirt, fantastic fabrics to drape and create drama and volume! There are three elements to this gown:
- The Bodice - The Skirt - The Train Next week I'm going to look at the bodice and break down a fabric layering technique called chenille.  This week's project is another one of those ideas that came to me in a dream. Some of my favorite design inspirations have come to me in that yummy half an hour before I properly wake up. I'd been thinking about getting a new pair of jeans for winter and had been researching boyfriend jeans. I've always really liked light coloured, distressed denim, and the bagginess and comfort of the boyfriend jean is very appealing. They're a cool 'street' sort of jean which can be dressed up or down so I decided it was a sound investment.  During my research, a colourful pair of Ralph Lauren boyfriend jeans caught my eye. They were smeared with coloured paint and reminded me of the 'splishy splashy' trend (as a four year old, I was absolutely obsessed with), of the early 80's! I went to bed that night happy with my findings, so happy that the next morning I had a dream that I was flicking silver and hot pink paint on a pair of jeans in someone's back yard! Today, I made that dream come true!  You will need: A pair of jeans Jo Sonja Textile Medium Coloured acrylic paint A paint brush A plastic container to mix the paint. An iron and ironing board An old tea-towel or brown paper This project is pretty simple and I found it to be lots of fun! First step is to mix up the paint with the textile medium as per the instructions on the textile medium bottle. *Textile medium is a product you mix with paint to turn it into a washable paint.  The second step is to find a place where you can flick the paint. A patch of grass is good. If you don't have this luxury put down some newspaper or a tarpaulin and lay the jeans flat on the ground. The third step is the fun part. Load up your brush with paint and start flicking! I found that the 'more is more' approach works for me. I'd done two layers of flicking (one pink and one silver), and after I had another look at the Ralph Lauren jeans I decided that I was ready to make a statement with my paint! I decided an extra two layers of flicked silver paint was necessary. If I really wanted to go nuts I could probably do more, and maybe I will add more next week! Step four takes place once the paint is dry. Set up your iron and get ready to heat set the paint. The instructions on the Textile Medium say to iron the paint for two minutes. That doesn't mean to iron the whole garment in two minutes! Take your time with it. Place an ironing cloth or a piece of brown paper in between the paint and the iron (you don't want the paint to melt on to your iron), put on your favorite music or tv show, and relax as you slowly move the iron over each section of the paint.  To the left is another example of how Ralph Lauren Revamp their clothing. Think of different ways you can Revamp a pair of jeans?
I'd love to see your creations! As always, you're welcome to share your ideas and post them on the Facebook page. Happy paint flicking! |
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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