Author: emmasummerscales

upcycling: layers & stripes

| emmasummerscales

I’m off for a child-free spa weekend and we’re going to a trendy restaurant in Liverpool on Saturday night! So, what to wear? My go to bible for such a moment is Grazia. It’s perfect for the time I have available, I can quickly pick up on the latest trends and feel inspired. A quick word about “trends” … I used to dislike trends with a passion and found it an overwhelming part of fashion design, trying to anticipate the next trend and keep on top of the ever changing styles. However, I’ve relaxed a bit and I now use them to give me a bit of guidance and actually, they can be useful for limiting my choices rather than complicating them. I just don’t get hung up on them anymore or worry if I’m not following every change … (thanks yoga!;)

So I had flick through Jan 18th copy and found a few images that inspired me … trendspot … long layers, wide leg pants, cropped tops and bold stripes.  Then a rummage through my collection of “clothes to do something with one day” …. here’s the result, before and after, with a couple of work in progress pics.

green stripes (jan 22)

black top(wip) green t-shirt(wip)

green & striped_after

my story

| emmasummerscales

Fashion is a second career for me, my first degree is in quantity surveying, two worlds collide if you’re old enough to know the Monty Python sketch about quantity surveyors. For eight years I worked as a cost consultant and then as a project manager for developers in the City. I studied a Fashion Portfolio foundation course and BA Fashion Design Realisation in my 30s.

I don’t remember learning to sew, I just feel I’ve always done it and I’ve always upcycled clothes. Growing up, I used to spend hours altering clothes in my bedroom and making hats from old garments. I wore this jacket to go to Macmillans nightclub in Liverpool, made from an old chemists coat of my dads and I wore his wedding suit the first time I went to the Clothes Show in Birmingham. I now have a lot of hand downs from my mum and dad in my wardrobe.

A chance meeting on a London street, a TV show about changing careers, I worked with a life coach who made me realise that clothes occupied a lot of my headspace and ignited a creative desire in me but I couldn’t immediately figure out a way to satisfy it. I did, however, decide that my future was not in construction so I left my job and went travelling, which is probably the experience that informs my ethical values today.

I loved studying fashion, I had decided where I was headed and was excited to be taking the next step. But when I started to think about my fashion career, I saw celebrity designers whose lifestyle seemed more on show than their clothes, unpaid internships with long hours producing clothes that I couldn’t afford to buy. On the high street there were mass market brands who seemed to be all about quantity rather than quality and ever changing trends; I wasn’t drawn to shop there, let alone work for them.

I did a few alteration jobs and one-off upcycling commissions, but the time it took me did not even cover my costs, let alone leave me with any profit; even allowing for my self-taught level of skill! I love sewing but I’m not a seamstress; I am self-taught and my skills are still very much in development. However, there is great satisfaction to be gained from making a garment and I have a growing appreciation for the amazing craft of garment making.

I tested a wardrobe restyling business with a friend based on using what you already have rather than encouraging people to buy more and it was well received. It also made me look at my own wardrobe. I realised that 80% of my wardrobe was second hand. Even when I was studying, immersed in the world of fashion, I preferred to scout the charity shops in Chelsea and Fulham for second hand bargains. And when friends on my course were excited about this amazing new high street store called Primark, I just wasn’t drawn to shop there (and I still haven’t ever bought a single garment there). I realised that I was drawn to second hand shopping because it offers something unique. I come from a generation where we strived to look different, I can express my creativity and individuality by upcycling. And I have always loved the idea of re-inventing a garment with history and a back story …. re-loving it! Second hand also suits my budget, I can get the quality I want at a price I can afford, finding the odd vintage bargain along the way.

Clothes have always felt important but as I searched for a new career path, fashion started to feel trivial and I couldn’t reconcile the passion I had with the industry I saw. I started to realise that fashion for me was more about an expression of identity rather than chasing the latest trends. This blog is the culmination of my life so far but it’s also my journey to find my new career. I’m looking for an ethical way to dress stylishly but also an opportunity to showcase and develop my skills and find some new ones.

“I don’t know if I’m a fashion designer, an artist or a voice for ethical fashion … maybe I can find a way to be all three?! I gave up a lot when I left my career in construction to retrain and start from fresh in a totally different industry. But I look back on my teenage years and see there was a creative in me then and I can finally make sense of my years of scouting charity shops and collecting hand me downs.

My other passion in life is yoga … it keeps my head, my heart and my body in check! You may find I refer to it a bit, I’m a big fan and I probably wouldn’t be doing this if hadn’t started practicing yoga.

I’m sorry this post is so long, I hope you’ve stayed with me and will join me along the way (I’ll keep future posts shorter)! Some photos are my own, some are not. Where it’s not obvious, I’ve tried to indicate which photos are mine, with my initials ejs (and I’ve used free internet images for the rest:). Opinions and views, however, are all mine. Like me, follow me, talk to me …. share your upcycling trials and triumphs. Use the buttons on this site to follow me, share posts or subscribe by email.

wardrobe restyle

| emmasummerscales

January fashion magazines are all about decluttering and revamping your wardrobe, suggesting lots of lovely things we could go out and buy. However, I’ve just read a really interesting article from Red Online thats says just the opposite. It’s entitled “7 types of clothing you should get rid of immediately” (I’ve tweeted a link). It talks about an experience with which most of us are familiar, that moment of staring at your wardrobe full of clothes and feeling like you have nothing to wear ….. normal response is to go shopping. But NO Red magazine says that’s the last thing you should do. It recommends a strategic approach with a pen and paper and a “brutally unforgiving eye” to edit your current wardrobe and get rid of the excess. And before entering the shops, a good look at what is left. The article is definitely worth a look as it offers practical advice on how to declutter, listing 7 categories of clothes you should get rid of and within each, gives you some questions to ask yourself about the items you find in your wardrobe.

untidy wardrobe

I think we have a tendency to underestimate the importance of clothes and see them as something trivial but as the article says;

“What you wear has a profound effect on how you see yourself”

… and I’d go further to say that how you see yourself has a profound effect on how you approach life and how others see you. I’m reminded of a statement by the artist Grayson Perry in his TV series last year on identity he says

“Our most beautiful and complex artwork … is our identity”

Clothes ARE important, they are more than just an outer shell to keep us covered and warm, they are a representation of who we are and they tell others things about ourselves.

Question: How much of your wardrobe do you actually wear regularly?

I reckon most of us would say 20-30%. Why? Probably because we are all juggling work, home chores, kids etc and there is no time left to think about wearing something different, we go for the easy option of familiarity. And we feel safe in that 20-30% about what we are saying about ourselves. And as for taking a strategic approach to either our wardrobes or shopping, who really has the time for that?  We do exactly what Red say we shouldn’t and make impulsive purchases based on what’s available and looks nice in the shop. I find I am drawn to pieces and outfits in the store, only to get them home where they don’t quite look or feel as they did when I tried them on in the changing room so I end up taking them back! I’m definitely not strategic about selecting clothes because that would take the fun out of it, wouldn’t it? And I end up with a bit of a mix as most of my wardrobe is bought in charity shops where the choice is more limited. My friend, Katy, has a more strategic approach to her wardrobe, she’s lucky enough to have a built in rolodex in her head that she scans through when she’s shopping! However, she’d probably say that she’d like to mix it up a bit sometimes and be a bit more impulsive.

From our chats about our different approaches our Wardrobe Restyling service was born ….

tidywardrobe

I wouldn’t say we are brutally unforgiving but we are an independent eye able to view you and your wardrobe honestly and strategically. We’ve done some test sessions for practice and in exchange for other services and we’ve donated sessions for a couple for charity events. We’ve had a great response so far and I’ll be posting some client experiences soon. Unlike a straightforward styling consultation, our emphasis is on maximising your existing wardrobe by restyling and upcycling pieces you already have and we make suggestions of key purchases which will offer new outfits when combined with existing pieces in a client’s wardrobe. We like to give an honest opinion and guide clients towards creating a capsule wardrobe to suit their lifestyle, a part of their life such as a work wardrobe or a wardrobe for a particular event such as a holiday. We encourage clients to do some preparation in advance depending on their brief, then we arrive with a clothes rail, hangers and a camera … ready to rummage! We aim to leave clients with a good selection of outfits they didn’t know they had!

happy new year

| emmasummerscales

This blog for me is very much about finding a new career, a professional journey more than a personal one. However, I am seeking a satisfying and sustainable balance of the two so I will feature some personal thoughts. The thing that struck me like lightening this new years eve was just how quickly the year had gone! Bam! Southbank fireworks and we’re singing Auld Lang Syne again! That thought stayed with me for a few days as I tried to figure out why the time goes so fast. I’m getting older is one thing, I know, but I decided it’s also about how you use the time. Time goes quickly when you are busy but the more you fit into a day, the longer it feels. We talked about new years resolutions one day and my daughter said that she is going to try and learn something new every day … easy when you are 8 but a little ambitious when you are considerably older than that! However, I like the sentiment and I decided that the way to make this year feel longer is to get busy and fill it up with new things. I want to feel differently when I look back on 2016.

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION 1. GET BUSY AND LEARN NEW THINGS

I have set myself a number of challenges in my post entitled Projects so I should have resolution 1 covered. But yes, it’s all very well to have grand ideas of being busy and learning new things but to make it happen I need a plan. And I need to stick to it …. I consider one of my strengths to be that I’m fairly easy going and flexible but our strengths can become our weaknesses so flexibility becomes procrastination and plans are not always realised. The test of my success will be how far I get with my challenges for the year.

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION 2. MAKE A PLAN AND STICK TO IT

As well as those challenges, I would also like to fill my year with people; old friends, new friends, interesting and challenging professional connections …. all good energy! A few years of sleepless nights and early years routines, I haven’t ventured far from the doorstep; I’ve made some brilliant new friends but I’ve seen very little of old friends. I still have a routine and I enjoy being based at home but with a bit more energy and more flexible routine this year, I hope I can reconnect with some of those old friends. And I want to use this blog and social media to make new, interesting and challenging connections.

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION 3. CONNECT … WITH NEW FRIENDS AND OLD

Culture! AAh! I miss that about living in London. I am surrounded by the most beautiful countryside, my family have the support of a warm and friendly community and my children have a sense of freedom they may not have in a big city but I do miss the grit and grime, the bizarre cultural mix, the art and culture that is on every street corner of London. I have no desire to trade what we have on a daily basis but I would like to invite a little more culture into my life this year.

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION 4. DEAR CULTURE … COME TO MY PARTY

My wardrobe! Mmmm??? From a woman in a mans world to fashion student via motherhood and my collection of hand-me-downs, my own wardrobe could do with a bit of attention. I live in a small town where the choice is limited and I have very little time to go shopping. I like to touch and feel clothes I am buying so whilst internet is convenient, I often don’t find what I am looking for or what I receive is not what I was expecting.

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION 5. SORT OUT MY WARDROBE AND SHOPPING HABITS

 

 

upcycling: cardigan becomes waistcoat

| emmasummerscales

grey cardigan

This was my Mum’s cardigan and she washed it on a high temperature and …. it shrunk! I retrieved it from the recycling pile, took the sleeves off and changed the buttons to make a gilet which I am wearing in my profile photo. A quick and easy upcycled garment which I wear a lot … my attempt at a funky presentation in photoshop was not so quick and easy but I’m learning!

upcycling: turn a dress into a suit

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SONY DSC

This dress was given to me, the zip was broken and the belt had been lost. The fabric and style is very 70s and only the most committed 70s fashion follower would have worn it as a dress. However, I liked the fluidity of the skirt, the way it dropped and flowed and the unusual pleated sleeves. So, working with those two aspects I decided to upcycle it into a skirt and jacket. I separated the bodice from the skirt, added a black waistband and turned the bodice around to make the jacket. It is now a wearable outfit with 70s inspiration.