Sunday 13 May 2012

Tie til you...dye?

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I'm really enjoying the current 90's revival fever that has sneakily crept its way into our collective fashion consciousness this summer. Yup, it seems that ASOS et al have caught up with the teenage Tumblr masses and decided that grunge is most definitely cool again, which pleases me no end because a) it reminds me of my styleless yet fun-filled teenage years that were spent living in cerise jumbo cords and oversized Blink 182 merchandise and b) because my can't-quite-be-bothered-to-muster-up-the-required-energy attitude to life (and fashion) sits quite comfortably in the shabby-chic grungey mindset.

I'm probably far too old to be dressing like a teenage renegade - anyone doubting this should know that my bones have actually started to creak when I pull myself out of bed every morn - but  the fast-approaching summer of travel has made me want to deck myself out like a half-hearted Grateful Dead ligger.

Earlier this week Jenny and I took a trip to Hobbycraft and Asda in search of some cheapy monstrosities we wouldn't mind ripping apart and rejigging. We weren't disappointed. 10 minutes of browsing the mens section threw up these utterly tragic £5 jeans and £2 pack of two XXL t-shirts. How the devil could we resist?

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After a quick change into PJ's, we spread our tools out and tie-dyed the t-shirts by hastily chucking Dylon fabric dye powder into any bucket, sink or measuring jug we could find. Meanwhile, my horrendous man-jeans were sat in a vat of pure bleach. They remained there for 5 hours.

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When my t-shirt dried I took a good long look at it. It was still awful - tiedye alone apparently doesn't make a garmet approximately 15 times too big any more wearable. Progress was made after removing the sleeves and adjusting the neckline, but the shape was still atrocious. After popping it on and pinning it in various different ways I finally settled on a vague A-line shape that was fitted without being too structured. Excuse the freakish headwear in the pictures below - my hair was setting in rollers. I'm not just mental, honest.

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FURIOUS SEWING FACE.

When the bleach had worked its magic on the horrendous man-jeans, I promptly shortened them by a good two inches and took them in to create a skinnier, more feminine silhouette that still retained that element of the 'boyfriend' jean, turn-ups and all.

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T-shirt and jeans - DIY-ed to hell, originally from Asda Menswear
Necklace and sunglasses - Primark
Shoes - New Look

The t-shirt dress looks pretty smashing with the denim gilet from this post, which I added an extra bit of oomph to with some purple dye and happy smiley buttons. It's still a work in progress, so please don't judge too harshly...

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I promise I'll stop writing mammoth posts sometime in the near future. For now, I'll leave you with a top summer song that's been on repeat in my bedroom for the past 3 days. Adios! x

12 comments:

  1. Betti, I'm going to hire you to make me a new wardrobe. I am SO BORED of everything I currently own, and you can make even a man's tshirt and jeans looks ridiculously stylish and effortless. I hate you, in that girlie jealous way!

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  2. Replies
    1. Ahh thankyou!! When the hell are you going to update your blog again lady?! xx

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  3. Ahh I love this , really wanna try out tie-dying, loving the denim jacket too :D x

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  4. You make me want to smoke.

    I remember tie-dying shit. I want to start dying some of my vintage underwear really loud colours.

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  5. Love the scarf on the head look :P

    But seriously, how do you make EVERYTHING look so great? if I was wearing men's clothes, despite me having them tie-died or whatevs, I'd probably look like a man.

    Gorgeous as usual!

    And loving the song at the end btw, make me do a lil sway/dance whilst sat on my laptop. cheers <3

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  6. PPfftt... don't apologise - I love smoking, it's actually quite nostalgic.

    I realised the other day that I was a smoker for 18 years and have been a non-smoker for 20 years. Whoo!

    Pats to the b&w brigade, actuially, I think they require their own post.

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  7. While dressing recently, I too had the rebellion/age thought pass through my brain but then was just like, 'meh'. Clearly had already begun the descent into lazy punk. I really want to have a craft sleepover now too.

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  8. ACK just saw the Girls clip. love them.

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  9. My kind of fun. I would have been there with you girls in a heartbeat. The end result came out perfect. Thanks so much for telling me your friends appreciated my maternity fashion. I get embarrassed sometimes that no one is going to want to see someone pregnant on a style blog. I want to do a video on youtube soon with tips that Ive learned. I'll let you know. Stay fly,

    Sophia

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  10. Hi! Thanks for your comment, it was really sweet of you! I actually checked out your blog a few days ago.... but I've checked back and my comment didnt go through for some reason!? Blogger fail. I LOVE your blog though! I'm following. Definitely also a fan of the 90's revival - denim shirts are my life! Your tie-dye tee is amazing! xx
    http://polway.blogspot.com

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  11. A friend and I were set on doing a tie dye day over the summer, but it never happened. However, I think that t-shirt dress may have re-inspired me!

    http://gammacamera.blogspot.co.uk

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