Kingdom Of Style

Time For A Quickie

A quickie post before I head off for some imminent pain.

A wee while ago the wonderful Suzanne from Idee Fixe sent me an amazing package of lovely gifts. We loved the same kind of music in our young days and so have been talking constantly about great bands we have both seen like the Ramones and Danzig. She has also been sharing some of her great stories of her days at CBGB's in the 70's.

Inside the parcel were 3 t-shirts which were stock from her old shop, as well a necklace she'd made me and a copy of Where White Men Fear To Tread. (I'll add photo's of the necklace later as it's so very, very cool!).

I completely adored all the t-shirts and I immediately hacked off all the sleeves, necklines and bottoms (few t-shirts escape this kind of mutilation from me) but one was crying out for an extra special DIY. It's taken me weeks to do because I had to wait for the grommet tape arriving from the US since I couldn't find any here, but it finally arrived this week.

I cut out a section out of the front of the t-shirt and attached 4 stripes of grommet tape and then laced them all up. Easy but very effective methinks.

I didn't do it all the way around because I'd have gotten bored half way through and the damn thing wouldn't have ever been finished, but it would look great if had been all around. I can also imagine a t-shirt which is nothing but strips of grommet tape and lacing up the entire front, but that's another DIY for another day. And at least it's an addition to the sadly neglected DIY section of the site (I have more in progress but it's just getting the time to complete them that's the problem).

I'm wearing it with this glorious tie-dye skirt from a label I'd mentioned before, which just goes perfectly with the top to channel me circa 1986.

Queen Michelle

Robin's Nest

I finished the second of the headband's I was making for Queen Marie. Different from the first one, this is more autumnal than winter. I imagined having a picnic outside in one of those crisp sunny autumn days and a little Robin comes near to watch what's happening.

I found a gingham headband and decorated it foliage, flowers, lace and of course a pretty little Robin.

I'm loving the way the little forrest at the back of my house looks right now. The old, twisted trees make great shapes.

Queen Michelle

Upon My Shoulders

I have been really hankering after a decent one shouldered t-shirt. I could never find one I truly loved so I decided to take matters into my own hands and make one myself.

I took an existing t-shirt with a wide neck, hacked off one sleeve and stitched up the hole. Easy!

It took all in all about 20 minutes. I already have a white t-shirt lined up for the treatment too.

Queen Michelle

The Deer Reigns

Ever since I spotted the boy with a bauble necklace (that turned out to be a coin purse apparently) I have been been scouting for good decorations for necklace potential. Queen Marie then did her own versions with christmas decorations from B&Q and today, whilst out paying some bills, I stopped by a shop a window and saw this most amazing reindeer christmas decoration that I thought Queen Marie would love.

So I simply added a ribbon and we have a glorious frosted reindeer with glittering antlers to hang around her neck.

And of course she can switch it up by changing the ribbon to any colour she wants.

Queen Michelle

One Mans Trash...

...is another mans treasure so the expression goes.

I always find that the best DIY's happen when you look to things that no-one else will. Buy fabrics in the Halloween section of the fabric shop or buy items meant for brides and customise them. It's all about looking beyond the completely obvious.

I popped to the fabric shop at the weekend armed with £10 to spend on fabric to make more leggings. I had initially planned on getting navy satin but couldn't find any but then I saw some fabulous army green PVC! It was clearly the colour nobody wanted, after all what could you really do with army green PVC? So it was hidden up the back of the shop with all the strange crap no-one wants (except me of course!). It cost me a grand total of £6. I took my stash home and with much glee made myself some tight PVC leggings...army green ones.

The PVC itself is incredibly stretchy which makes bending and general movement a lot less stressful. (whenever I wear PVC trousers I always have visions of the backside of them ripping open!). I made them very long so I could get them to wrinkle up my leg creating some texture, and it also aids bending.

The colour is one of amazing versatility since it really goes with most things.

I also made some legwarmer type things. These are designed to cover half my foot too and when I wear these with the leggings it will give the illusion of wearing PVC tights. It'd work slightly better with black as you could wear black socks and get the full effect.

And of course they can be worn independently of the leggings.

Queen Michelle

Get Yer Motor Running

That Hells Angel stalwart; the biker waistcoat, has made it's way into my wardrobe. It was inevitable really. I had one when I was 13 so there is no reason why I wouldn't have one again at 35. Last time it was genuine leather, this time it's a cheap PVC biker jacket from Primark which I have hacked the sleeves off.

It'll actually be very useful for toughening up any overly girly outfits, much like the traditional biker jacket does. And if I get mistaken for a Hells Angel, albeit a super puny one, then at least no-one will mess with me!  It's the alteration that keeps on giving!

Queen Michelle

Oh, and please click on any photos we include in any of our posts to bring up a bigger pop up, as Typepad makes them a bit blurry when they are this size of thumbnail.

Me, Myself And DIY

I have been asked, more times than I can count, to make the stuff I create for my DIY's for other people. It has even been suggested on several occasions that I open an Etsy store to sell my creations. And whilst there is a part of me vaguely tempted by the notion of making some money with DIY's, the reality is that whatever I make will only ever grace my own closet. The reason for this is not a selfish one, even though it does sound like it, it's simply because I couldn't make anything for anyone else.

I make a distinction between designing clothes and making clothes, and a further distinction between making clothes and DIY - I very much occupy the DIY camp. This essentially, for me, means I guess everything. I make it up as I go along. I have no idea how it'll turn out but that's where the challenge and the fun lies. I never take one single measurement for anything I make. As a rule of thumb my measuring 'method' involves wrapping a bit of fabric around myself, marking it with chalk, followed by holding it up and squinting at it and lots of hoping for the best. It stands to reason then that I would never take that kind of risk with someones else's fabric/money.

I have made many, many things for Queen Marie over the years, but none of them clothes. I have made her spectacular necklaces, bustles and bows and all manner of wrist adornments, all of which took hours of toiling and hard work...but all of which were guessed and without planning. It's a strange thing but as soon as I have to do something 'properly' I am consumed by panic at just how 'proper' I can make it. I worry about uneven edges and poor finishing. But with my own DIY the fun comes in looking for strange fabrics/materials that other people might dismiss or deem too tricky and making them into something wearable...but wearable for me. I'd never dream of making someone a pair of my leggings because I'd be mortified when they saw my shabby overlocking, even though to them it might not be shabby at all.

DIY is at odds with my need for perfection. I finish a garment and immediately start picking holes in it, metaphorically speaking, looking at the imperfections and seeing where I went wrong. But that's the fun - because next time I know a little bit more so in theory I should get better each time.

My other problem is that I have a short attention span for these things. Yes, I can spend hours and hours making something but when I have completed it I want move on to the the next thing. I did once make something for someone, a harness for Rosie Pop, which I think turned out well, unfortunately whilst I was cutting the neckpiece I didn't realise my own was underneath the fabric and I cut mine in two! I haven't made myself another one - that ship has sailed.

I am sorry to all those people who I have to say no to. If I could I truly would. In January I am taking dress-making night classes so my attitude, and confidence, may change but until then I'm afraid it's a no.

Queen Michelle

Little Leather Discs

A while ago I sat and laboriously cut out lots of little circles from some old bits of leather I had. I knew I wanted to adorn something with them, a la Kane, but didn't have the right top or dress. Well at the weekend, whilst thrifting, I was gifted this amazing mesh top by the Royal Vintage Dressers. I knew it had such possibilities in all it's punkness, but when I put it on I couldn't help but think I looked liked a Trent Reznor throwback. It needed a little something.

Then I remembered my leather sequins. So last night I used a leather hole punch to make holes on the discs and set about stitching them onto the top. It took ages and my fingers are sore but the results were totally worth it. It adds some great texture to an all black ensemble and I love how the sequins swish around when I walk.

The beauty of these is that I can easily cut them off again if I get bored and put them on something else. I have a few left so I will add some more.

And I am reveling in the lovely weather we have right now which allows me to take some pictures outside for a change.

Queen Michelle

Elastic Cage Dress

At the weekend I used all my elastic and created my own version of the delectable Brian Lichtenberg bandage dress. I used the way I created my leg cages to make this dress, although I did have to add extra vertical straps up the sides and the back to keep the horizontal straps in place. I didn't make it super tight so I could fit clothes underneath it.

 

I will perhaps try this with fabric straps instead of elastic so I can do it in another colour - providing I have the patience to create another one! I will also have to add shoulder straps as it kept falling down because I made it reasonably loose. Overall I'm pretty pleased with the end result. It may not be as nice as Brian's but for now it will do me.

Queen Michelle

Cape Capers

At some point in our lives I think we have all pretended to be a super hero by using a skirt as our cape. Or was that just me? Either way, using a garment as something else is a simple way of getting more wear out of your clothes. But what if we reversed this? What if we wore our capes as skirts? I wonder if we'd still feel like super heroes?

I have this cape I bought ages ago and never wore. Every time I put it on I immediately thought it looked like one of those things at the hair dresses that catch your hair and that just put me off. It has languished in a clothes pile since then.

Rather than have it go completely to waste I decided to see if I could reverse it's fortunes and turn it into a skirt. Obviously the neck area is smaller than my waist, so to get the extra I needed I simply added panels. Because the cape is asymmetric I was able to add panels in a haphazard way, and didn't have to be too neat.

I added a PVC panel, a big exposed zip and a jersey panel at the other side. I layered it over my DIY organza skirt and some textured leggings and I have a cheap and cheerful re-invention. It's very easy to do since it doesn't have to be too precise, so it took about half an hour.

The cape and the fabric I used are creased but once I get those ironed out it should be perfectly wearable.

Queen Michelle