Edmonton Journal
Saturday, September 18, 2004
Page: D12
Section: Ed
Byline: Olivia Cheng
Column: urban COOL
Source: CanWest News Service

Lurking in our closets are the skeletons of bygone fashion eras. From zebra-print jumpsuits to neon Hammer pants, we all hang on to evidence of our fashion victimhood for a variety of reasons. Including the secret hope for a revival of the 2 Legit 2 Quit dance.

In fashion designer Ophelia Ho's case, she's unearthed neglected pieces that are "a waste of space. You don't wear them anywhere and they just sit there."

But that's about to change. On a dare from ed, the 27-year-old Marvel College graduate agreed to revamp the rejects -- including a green-and-brown plaid jumper that makes her "look pregnant," a peach bridesmaid dress that she'll "never wear again," and a pair of "ugly, cheap-ass jeans."

The concept of restyling old clothes is already popular among trendy shops along Whyte Avenue. Orissa Hainsworth, sales manager for Divine Decadence, says her store features a "plethora of vintage items" recycled into fresh, new looks.

"We've been taking men's suit jackets and spray-painting them," embellishing with an argyle on one side or a skull on a back shoulder, Hainsworth says.

Other hot Divine items include women's track jackets constructed from vintage Ts, cut-up lingerie slips fashioned into sexy tank tops, and leg warmers created from old sweater sleeves.

Over at Nokomis Clothing, manager Jessica Kennedy says many of the store's Canadian-made clothing lines feature re-worked pieces.

Kennedy points to the Preloved brand from Toronto, which takes "recycled sweaters, T-shirts and reworks them into a funkier, more modern style." The local label Dirty Side Up features skirts made out of Ts, and shirts decorated with designs cut "out of these vintage tie fabrics."

And she enthusiastically plugs the store's own brand, which crafts clothes out of recycled bedsheets. "You can find some great vintage patterns and rework them into beautiful dresses."

For those with little sewing experience, experimenting with clothes can be intimidating. But Ho says "anyone can cut a straight line" and has plenty of tailoring tips for the sartorially challenged.

"If you don't know how to sew, there is fabric glue or iron-on fabric glue," says Ho. She highly recommends the sticky stuff for dressing up old shirts. "Cut up little shapes or designs you like and you can iron it on to a plain black T-shirt."

Wielding a pair of good scissors can also work wonders. "Cut off one of the shoulders, make it an asymmetrical top," suggests Ho. "Cut the bottom off if you want. Maybe cut a slash in the front, in the chest -- there (are) a lot of shirts that are sold this way. Or make the long sleeve into a three-quarter-length sleeve."

Ho warns the material of a shirt has to be taken into consideration. Anything stretchy is ideal since it won't fray, so "you can just cut it up and go." If you need to finish the edges but don't have a sewing machine, Ho recommends you "iron the seam together and (sew it) by hand."

For that old pair of jeans that you can't wear without feeling like Steve Urkel's twin, Ho says snip off that waistband or "cut them into capris." When it comes to the bleached-out wash of many high-fashion jeans, Ho has tricks to copy the look. "Scrunch (the jeans) up, twist it, and dip the whole pair of jeans into bleach while it's twisted," she suggests. Or, for a different look, use a paintbrush. "Just dab at it. ... You don't have to be artistic to bleach a pair of jeans."

As Ho deftly snips away at a boring dress shirt, she says mistakes have to be kept in perspective. "Chances are, if you don't cut it up you're going to give it away someday anyway. But at least this way, you have the chance to maybe wear it again."

olivia.cheng@globaltv.ca
_