Knitting inspiration - multicolor hand spun yarns

Just when I wrote about the Isabel Marant SS12 fabric yarn knitwear, Free People posted in their November catalog about this gorgeous (multi-colored hand spun threads) maxi fringe poncho which is made of Indian leftover yarns. They also have these multi-color striped sweaters in their Fall collection. Absolutely stunning. Real hippie chic. I have not seen stuff like this at second hand shops in ages, so I guess the only way to get one for yourself is to knit it. The wool thread version is definitely something for the winter, but I´d keep self made fabric yarns also in mind for next spring. You can buy hand spun wool yarns at Etsy or take a few secondhand sweaters and unravel them to get your wool threads.

I love slogan t-shirts

I loooove slogan tees. Usually they are so corny, but this one is just beyond awsome.

Via Fuck You Very Much.

Speaker wall by Benoît Maubrey

Speaker Wall in a recycled scurpture and space art by artist Benoît Maubrey. He is the director of DIE AUDIO GRUPPE a Berlin-based art group that build and perform with electronic clothes. Basically these are electro-acoustic clothes and dresses (equipped with amplifiers and loudspeakers) that make sounds by interacting thematically and acoustically with their environment. "In my immobile sculptural work I frequently use former public (disguarded) monuments and recycle them using modern technology and electronics. For example a recent project: SPEAKERS WALL (Le Mur Sonore ), the Berlin Wall as a participative sculpture for the Festival Accroche-Coeurs in Angers/ France this fall. For this electroacoustic sculpture I used an original segment of the Berlin Wall and extended it with 1000 recycled loudspeakers, radios, and amplifiers. People could call up the sculpture and talk through it directly for 3 minutes. The whole sculpture amplified peoples statements and functions as a “Speakers Corner”. During its installment at “Le Quai: Forum des Arts Vivants” more than 1800 calls were registered. During DJ concerts the Wall also served as PA system."

SPEAKERS WALL : LE MUR SONORE from Benoit Maubrey on Vimeo.

Via Recycleart.

Nurave club kid couture - Tata Christiane

Tata Christiane combines couture shapes, recycled materials (second hand knitwear, scarfs, party clothes and leather) and knittting techniques in their clothes. The result is what I´d best describe as nurave club kid couture. Comfortable explosion of color and form.

Photographer: Valquire Veljkovic (www.valquire.de)
Model: Alina Basakova
Make-up and Hair artist: Theo Schnürer (http://www.theoschnuerer.de)

SS12 DIY trend - Isabel Marant fabric yarn knitwear

Fabric/jersey yarn are a familiar material to recycle crafters. Back in the 70´s My grandmother used to cut up old house textiles (bed sheets, curtains, table cloths), tees, jeans and other clothes to finger width strips/yarn and made them to floor rugs. The reason why I´m posting about this is not to get you guys into making rugs, but to have a look at some SS12 catwalk inspiration for making clothes. One of my favorite designers, Isabel Marant, has taken this crfty recycling technique and embended it to her upcoming summer collection. It looks amazing and very comfortable to wear. Click the images to go to my Flickr to see the details in high res images. Craft Passion has a great tutorial on how fabrics and clothes are cut to strips and made to yarn. You can also buy balls of fabric yarn online from Etsy. Silk and leather garments make exellent material for making high quality fabric yarn, kimonos and leather jackets for example. One piece of clothing does not come up with so many metres of yearn so when starting supply yourself with several garments with a similar colors so you can mix them up. You can also try dyeing the pieces before cutting them to strips to harmonise the color story.

Acne Fall 2011

Acne had a leather skirt in their Fall 2011 collection that looked like the bottom part of an 80´s biker leather jacket. Also the cropped leather pants look super with a sleeveless blazer. DIY?

Photos via Style.it

gTie leather shopper

My older readers must know I have a difficult love-hate relationship to tote bags. The trashionista in me loves them. If they are made from recycled materials, they are the most ecological shopping bags because you can reuse them over and over again. But the vain fashionista in me hates most of them because so many are sooo ugly. And I really don´t see the point of wearing /using something just because they are ecological. I want things also to look good. My friend Jenni (from the label gTie) answered to my prayers by adding the perfect shopper to her collection - a black shopper made from leather. Super stylish and reusable. It fits pretty much to any style and wardrobe. Available from her web shop for 40 euro (about 53 dollars). Plastic bags are so last season..

Via Paras Aika Vuodesta
Photos Stella Harasek and gTie.

DIY Shirt wrap dress

XXL sized mens shirt can be wrapped up to different dresses and skirts. Very Westwood, yes yes?

I heart Varusteleka

I love altered menswear and especially altered army surplus. Varusteleka is one of my favorite places to shop secondhand and I find it to be exellent material for refashioning projects as old army gear usually is made from high quality materials.. Varusteleka recently launched a new site called Lekalooks which shows how the average Joe and Jane wears army surplus in everyday life. I was delighted to be asked to share some of my favorite outfits from army surplus. Against the common believe, traditional menswear can be worn in the most feminine ways, like for example these WW2 shoe leggins. Bind them together and you´ll have an instant canvas corset!

Outfit: Shirt - used german BW service shirt customized, Varusteleka
Corset - used US M-1938 leggings customized, Varusteleka
Necklace - US dog tags with custom text, Varusteleka
Skirt - second hand
Shoes - Jeffrey Campbell "Lita"

DIY crystal party shoes

Video via Craftzine.

Chunky neon

Chunky knit sweater with yellow contrast silk sleeves, by Paul and Alice. DIY from a second hand sweater and silk blouse? Via Pixie Market.

DIY belt boots by Subject to Fashion and Jen Ell

DIY belt boots tutorial by Subject to Fashion. Jen Ell also made her self a kick ass pair with chains. Inspired by Free People Luxury Jones Boots.

Nail it

Matte black acrylic paint applied only to the tip with a slim brush (see the tutorial by Kylie over at Nice and Shiny) or silver foil used as top coat.
Photos via Milk and Mead.

DIY plexi jewelry tutorial

Watch how Ivania from Love Aeshetics turns plexi into super cool transparent jewelry.

Overdye

The quickest way to upgrade a second hand 80s cotton intarsia knit sweater is to dye it gray. The overdye will mute down all bright/pastel colors so the knit will get a more modern look. Black and gray dyes are usually "blueish" in colortone, so mix 50% warm brown to make the dye result a "warmer" gray. Inspiration via Free People.

DIY Zipper jeans

Inspiration from Opening Ceremony.

DIY La Catrina Day of the Dead Halloween costume

This week on Corinne's Craft Closet, she shows you how to transform yourself into the creepy but classy, La Catrina, complete with how tos on hair, makeup, and her hat. Amazing looking Halloween costume!