Edmonton Journal
Saturday, October 11, 2003
Page: D6
Section: Ed
Byline: Olivia Cheng
Source: Freelance

Lisa Barry was raised by a single mother on a tight budget, and she still remembers salvaging her childhood outfits from Goodwill.

"I was so embarrassed to even come into (the) store. I always hoped other kids wouldn't see me," she says.

How times have changed. The 22-year-old hairstylist now makes Goodwill a regular shopping stop, and on this day she happily rummages through the packed racks at the 51st Avenue outlet.

Barry is far from ashamed of wearing secondhand finds, and has in fact developed some serious skill in customizing vintage pieces to suit her style.

"I'll get a pair of scissors and go at it," she says.

"A lot of cutting and adding different buttons. I have a lot of extra fabric at home so I'll cut that up and add it on."

Barry's talent is timely considering how the fashion-modification concept has hit retail stores across Edmonton.

At Whyte Avenue's Divine, vintage T-shirts are revamped into skirts, halter tops, tube tops, and off-the-shoulder shirts. Belts are cut into wristbands or used to make funky little handbags.

"The options are endless," says Divine manager Orissa Hainsworth. "You can cut anything up and make it into something new."

Hainsworth says Divine's handiwork inspires customers to get creative.

"They go: 'This is cool, I could do this.' People will buy (our shirts) as a sample and try to do it themselves."

Urban Women at WEM has a small selection of pieces with the DIY deconstructed look. Dave Olsen, Urban's operations manager, says brands such as Miss Sixty and Diesel design unhemmed Ts with hand-sewn stitching, vintage prints, spray-paint lettering and rhinestone detailing. He says the "unkempt, unstructured free-flowing fabrications" range in price from $25 to $90.

But back at Goodwill, Barry has picked up seven vintage Ts, plus a belt, for a bank-busting total of $20.42.

On a dare from ed, she modifies four of the shirts in less than a day (the other three didn't work out).

Barry's skill in crafting the final products may look intimidating, but she insists her methods are actually easy.

"I don't have a sewing machine. I just use a needle and thread," she says, before listing some simple sartorial solutions.

"On T-shirts, just try cutting off the sleeves. A lot of shirts have cheaply done collars so I just cut it off and add some fabric. That's easy."

It's also a cheap way to craft your own one-of-a-kind style.

"It's nice to walk down the road and know you're not going to run into a girl wearing what you're wearing," she says.

olivia.cheng@globaltv.ca
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