Monday, June 30, 2014

Cropped Leather Jacket

I've got a thing for going cropped lately...maybe I'll get my courage up and crop my hair while I'm at it. I've also got a thing for free clothes. You know, when people throw out unwanted apparel and your building just so happens to have a designated area for such items that are unwanted but not necessarily trash? Well, ours currently looks like a trash heap (may need to take it upon myself to straighten it up) but this leather jacket that I found was by no means trash.
I really like the cutouts, the simplicity of the design (no lining), and the color. However, this is what it looked like on: boxy.
I wanted a more modern look and immediately knew I would crop it, though I posted it on Instagram asking for other ideas as well. I started out by marking the new length with a large clothespin.
And then I cut straight across the folded layers leaving me with this as extra.
That, I'll save for a later project :). The new cropped length was great, but now I needed to tackle the boxiness of it all. I did so by adding darts in the back. Here's a view from the inside.
And here they are from the outside.
I'll have to find a leather adhesive to get the seams to lie flat as the center one does...but for now, it'll do! Here's the final result.
I love how simple the changes were and what an impact they had! I probably won't style it as you see here (I was just throwing something on I thought might work, but I don't love it), but it'll go great with a flowy top and skinny jeans or a little dress or almost anything! Perfect for cool evenings...not that we'll be having many of those anytime soon :). Well, what do you think? An improvement or would you have left it? I can't wait to get to work with the leftovers from this one...I'm thinking a clutch/purse, iPhone case...I'll combine the two!

I'm hoping that tomorrow's post will actually happen...photo storage issues are making it difficult as it involves a homemade dress I thrifted back in March. (Also had to upload all photos on my phone which means poor quality...sorry!) Oh well, Happy Monday! Make it a great one.

Peace, 
Andrea

12 comments:

  1. It looks stunning! And, I actually love the outfit you put together. It's different from your usual, but something about it is so chick.

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    1. Thanks, Hanna :) I was thinking I'd wear a different skirt..., but you're right, it is different from my usual. In everyday life, I'll most likely wear it with jeans ;).

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  2. Stunning is the word! Well done. And go you for having the courage. It will be a wardrobe staple I can see! Also, don't be afraid to wash the leather. Research it on Google. I washed a leather coat in the washing machine, no problem. And I've read of others, even doing suede. They did use a special soap I can't remember the name of. But leather is much tougher than you think!

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    1. Thanks, Jack, I appreciate it! And big thank you on the cleaning tips!!! That was my next step, though I thought I'd have to buy some kind of suede cleaner...I'll do my research on washing myself :)

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  3. I like it too! I was interested in the washability factor; Jazzy Jack shed some light on that.

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    1. Yay, thanks Jenny :) Yeah, she definitely helped me on that one as I was wondering if I'd have to take it to a dry cleaners/leather cleaners!

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  4. Love the outcome! Did you use a sewing machine to sew the darts?

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    1. I did, Agy. My machine sews leather really well...never had any issues with that. One is not quite as straight as the other, but not too noticeable so it'll keep. Thanks for stopping by :)

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  5. Your reshape is amazing, love it. Oh and love your blog too.

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    1. Thank you, Tasmanian Minimalist ;) I appreciate you coming over!

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  6. That is just beautiful, a real staple piece... I've just got one question; how do I get my neighbours to leave their unwanted suede/leather garments at my front door? Any tips as to how I make this 'the natural thing to do'?
    Love your work, as per usual! X

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    1. Sorry its taken me so long to respond! Thank you, Gema! Hmmm, maybe you should start posting fliers in your neighborhood asking for people's unwanted clothing ;) But then I'm sure you might get more than you've bargained for!

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