pierrot / pierrette

today i'm finally sharing with you photos of my final pleated skirt attempt from the diy couture 'how to make a pleated skirt' instruction book. after two other attempts, i feel like i finally got this one right in terms of fabric choice, length and fit and i'm absolutely thrilled that i have had such positive experiences with the construction of these skirts! i feel a bit amazed that i was able to pull these pleated skirts off and actually come out with garments i really love.

for this skirt, i had pierrot / pierette in mind as inspiration. i have always been influenced by all things french and pierrot, in particular, has always caught my interest in his many incarnations from 'sad clown' to pantomime to musician. originally, i planned on making both a pierrot and a harlequin skirt with each symbolizing the personality & look of each of the characters (i may at some point finish the other skirt, we'll see.) i wanted them both to feature diamonds and match somewhat, but for the pierrot skirt to have a very light, soft palette in keeping with the traditional white pierrot suit and to really contrast with the bright, bold colors of the flashy harlequin skirt.

so, i went with a white bottom weight fabric - 95% cotton / 5% - medium weight, and dyed it with a mixture of pink and tan RIT dye before screen printing a series of cream triangles on it to form diamonds in different patterns for the front and back. i concentrated the diamonds in the center on the front piece and went with more of a bottom border pattern for the back. i made the waist extra thick and the length a bit longer than the other two skirts and feel like i really hit the perfect balance this time. it fits me like a glove & is very forgiving - that 5% spandex makes a really big difference in fit & comfort! i used a bit of my leftover fabric to make a 'capelet' of sorts in pretty much the same way as the skirt - basically, a pleated skirt for my shoulders - onto which i added two big black buttons for a more authentic pierrot / pierrette look.

i hope you like my pierrot / pierrette inspired skirt (the last pleated skirt i'm making for a while!) next, it's on to making cloaks using the diy couture 'how to make a cloak' instruction book. i'll be making a couple of lightweight cloaks over the next several weeks before attempting a serious fall cloak with expensive tweed or similar wool fabric and am so happy my sewing skills are slowly but steadily improving… yay! 

xoxo

☆ emilia ☆

adventures in dip dye

i couldn't help but get caught up in the "dip dye frenzy" last season on a pair and a spare - i'm pretty sure it was geneva's dip dye ombre mini skirt diy that made me fall in love with the blog and i've been a devoted fan ever since. she gave me the inspiration to make my own glitter shoes and i've been wanting to try another one of her diy tutorials for a while now (or, rather a whole bunch of them) but hadn't come across the right materials… until now!

a couple of weeks back, i came across a cream lace top on a thrift store run and then a homemade vintage white polka-dot skirt at a rummage sale. both of the items were crying out for some personality and the vintage skirt had a few tiny brown spots along the hem that refused to come out. i used the same technique geneva used on her ombre mini-skirt with a combination of navy & teal RIT dye for the lace top and pink RIT dye for the skirt. the top took a few days - i didn't want to overdue it so i kept dyeing and washing and dyeing some more - even using an old toothbrush at one point to spot dye a couple of areas until i was happy with it.

the skirt was inspired directly by the fam irvoll dress i mentioned a couple of weeks ago. i love the little burst of pink - i can't tell you what a difference it made to the skirt… it really brought it to life! one problem is that the skirt is incredibly sheer and i don't have a long enough slip so i'm on the lookout for a longer slip. overall, i'm absolutely thrilled with the results and can't wait to give another one of geneva's diy's a try! they're so quick & easy - almost instant gratification - and really breathe new life into old, outdated pieces.

xoxo

☆ emilia ☆