When in doubt, I just start removing the things that annoy me.
January 2, 2016 9:25 AM Subscribe
ReFashionista: Jillian Owens takes out-dated, oversized or was-this-ever-fashionable? thrift store clothing and turns it into wearable clothing. She's been blogging since 2010 so her archives are lengthy, but she's also just started an update-a-day challenge for 2016. Want to skip the lengthy explanations and just see some before-and-after photos? Try this slideshow of her work on the Grist.
She does have some no-sew refashions on her site.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:06 AM on January 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by jacquilynne at 10:06 AM on January 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
This is great and makes me want to try some of these ideas. I'm always nervous that I look ridiculous when I wear an article of clothing not-as-intended though. I always want the reassurance that a professional OK'd it.
posted by geegollygosh at 10:19 AM on January 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by geegollygosh at 10:19 AM on January 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
As a fat person who enjoys fashion, I have a lot of feelings about this blog and have posted about it on my Facebook page before. 1) I could do without all the pulling of faces about how hilariously big the clothes are! HEE HEE PEOPLE ARE THIS BIG?! 2) Could also do without her buying up all the plus size clothes at the thrift store. I can never find any in my size and considering that people are buying them up to customize them to their standard-sized bodies is a little irritating. 3) A lot of these are still ugly, but they're just smaller to fit her tiny frame. 4) I think she is pretty talented as a seamstress but I don't think buying up clothes with the intention of changing them is necessarily better for the environment than just wearing the clothes she already owns. I mean, she's going out to buy THESE so she's not exactly helping anything by cutting them all up, and she could effectively be taking the clothing away from someone who needs it and can't afford or doesn't have access to plus-size stores. I am sure I now sound like a bitter monster, but this has been popping up for a few years now and makes me feel yucky every time.
posted by masquesoporfavor at 10:43 AM on January 2, 2016 [77 favorites]
posted by masquesoporfavor at 10:43 AM on January 2, 2016 [77 favorites]
I had the same reaction about the "OMG, SO BIG HA HA!" photos. It is a serious advantage in thrifting, vintage and refashioning to be small, like this blogger is. I like the creativity, while at the same time recognizing that not all refashioned items are really all that successful in terms of the outcome. And it takes a lot of time to do the work, so saving money isn't always a guarantee if you recognize that it still takes inputs and abundant accessorizing. Still, I love sewing, looking to get back into it more in 2016, and this is fun inspiration. Thanks!
posted by Miko at 10:52 AM on January 2, 2016 [11 favorites]
posted by Miko at 10:52 AM on January 2, 2016 [11 favorites]
I share some of the concerns re plus size. It is interesting that in the first link she specifically responds to these concerns in a way that seems a bit tone deaf to me.
[Readers request] B. Doing a few longer/more modest refashes that would work for any body type
(Personally, I think that if you like something you should just wear it as you probably look more awesome in it than you’re giving yourself credit for, but I digress).
As a sewer who is plus sized, I know it is a challenge to sew for body types different from your own. Also that it takes a higher level skill to design for curves.
So I very much appreciate the creativity, but I'd love to see some work on transforming plus sized fashion for plus sized women...
Thus post also recalled for me an article in threads about vintage as a course for plus size gorgeous... When the clothes were from the 40s. You know, when curves were celebrated in clothes.
Finally, I think I could rock that mumuu.
posted by chapps at 11:10 AM on January 2, 2016 [3 favorites]
[Readers request] B. Doing a few longer/more modest refashes that would work for any body type
(Personally, I think that if you like something you should just wear it as you probably look more awesome in it than you’re giving yourself credit for, but I digress).
As a sewer who is plus sized, I know it is a challenge to sew for body types different from your own. Also that it takes a higher level skill to design for curves.
So I very much appreciate the creativity, but I'd love to see some work on transforming plus sized fashion for plus sized women...
Thus post also recalled for me an article in threads about vintage as a course for plus size gorgeous... When the clothes were from the 40s. You know, when curves were celebrated in clothes.
Finally, I think I could rock that mumuu.
posted by chapps at 11:10 AM on January 2, 2016 [3 favorites]
The economic life of unsellable thirft clothes is complicated. They usually go in bales to developing countries where they wreck the local textile and tailoring industries because they're priced so low and sold by the container. Unless YOU personally were planning to buy any of this stuff then I don't think there's a criticism of what she's doing based on environmental or economic concerns. These are coming from the $1 or $2 clearance rack. They reamin unsold because they're not flattering on anyone, not just on her.
posted by 1adam12 at 11:11 AM on January 2, 2016 [29 favorites]
posted by 1adam12 at 11:11 AM on January 2, 2016 [29 favorites]
I agree with you, 1adam12, I just think she's being a little disingenuous by saying she does this to help the environment. I was personally planning on buying plus size clothes from the thrift store, to wear, because that is what size I am and cannot take smaller clothes and similarly modify them to fit my larger body, and while she's not my neighbor or anything it does suck to know that someone like her may be why I can never find my size in secondhand shops. Lately I have been making a decent amount of money so can afford to buy new, but for a number of years thrift stores were my only hope and I had to get by with men's jeans and shirts because plus size women's wear was nowhere to be found in the Goodwills, Value Villages, and Salvation Armies near me. Again I know she didn't personally do that to me, but I wonder if she is removing things from someone else who could use them in their current state.
posted by masquesoporfavor at 11:16 AM on January 2, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by masquesoporfavor at 11:16 AM on January 2, 2016 [5 favorites]
They reamin unsold because they're not flattering on anyone, not just on her
I think this is probably true and I think it is likely due to the clothes being krgely unstructured from flimsy fabric... This is something that can easily drape in a thin model, but can often look baggy on a larger person... Or at least I never endcup buying the filmy dresses because I ind the unflattering.
It is hard to know without seeing them on the person who is the size it was made for, but frk. The images they seem to have very little shaping.
Point taken about clothing shipped to developing countries. Happens with books too.
posted by chapps at 11:28 AM on January 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
I think this is probably true and I think it is likely due to the clothes being krgely unstructured from flimsy fabric... This is something that can easily drape in a thin model, but can often look baggy on a larger person... Or at least I never endcup buying the filmy dresses because I ind the unflattering.
It is hard to know without seeing them on the person who is the size it was made for, but frk. The images they seem to have very little shaping.
Point taken about clothing shipped to developing countries. Happens with books too.
posted by chapps at 11:28 AM on January 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
One reason you can't find anything decent in thrift stores for plus sizes is that it's really hard to find non-awful plus size clothes new, and when folks do find something, they wear the hell out of it such that it doesn't make it to a thrift store.
I feel like if this was an outfit-of-the-day blog with no sewing, just fashion compositions, we would all be complaining that she bought too many clothes, or was bragging about being thin and young, or something else. She doesn't go on about "Oh no, I lost/gained weight! Too much/little pie, now I require alterations, it is a calamity etc etc" that some fashion bloggers do, she just picks out dresses that don't work for her from the clearance rack and makes them work for her, creatively. I like it when people make stuff with their own hands. So I'm willing to appreciate it for what it is. I can certainly see the criticism, though.
I remain hopeful that more plus-size fashion bloggers will pop up and start amazing us all with their ingenuity. More of this kind of thing in general, actually.
posted by blnkfrnk at 11:30 AM on January 2, 2016 [9 favorites]
I feel like if this was an outfit-of-the-day blog with no sewing, just fashion compositions, we would all be complaining that she bought too many clothes, or was bragging about being thin and young, or something else. She doesn't go on about "Oh no, I lost/gained weight! Too much/little pie, now I require alterations, it is a calamity etc etc" that some fashion bloggers do, she just picks out dresses that don't work for her from the clearance rack and makes them work for her, creatively. I like it when people make stuff with their own hands. So I'm willing to appreciate it for what it is. I can certainly see the criticism, though.
I remain hopeful that more plus-size fashion bloggers will pop up and start amazing us all with their ingenuity. More of this kind of thing in general, actually.
posted by blnkfrnk at 11:30 AM on January 2, 2016 [9 favorites]
I'm a bit surprised she can wear 100 % polyester. I end up sweating like a pig in fabrics like that.
posted by Omnomnom at 11:40 AM on January 2, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Omnomnom at 11:40 AM on January 2, 2016 [3 favorites]
I'd be interested to hear a thrift shop employee or owner speak on how well the particular kind of plus-size garments Owens is refashioning sell. My guess is that the answer is "not well", because why else would these items be priced at $1 or $2 dollars? I really, really doubt that there are any plus-size refashionistas out there who are unable to find as many hideous polyester garments to refashion as they can possibly get around to because Owens bought them first. If she were buying good quality, stylish, attractive plus-size clothes and chopping them down, it would be a different matter. I also note that a lot of the items Owens buys are not plus size, but merely a few sizes too large for her.
So I don't find much to criticize here, unless it's that given her high rate of production, Owens might built a larger wardrobe than she can make reasonable use of. Buying secondhand clothing is definitely better for the environment than buying new, and Owens gets bonus points for building a wardrobe out of secondhand clothing that is all but unsellable as well as for her kickass sewing and styling skills. Her approach is far more environmentally responsible than the supposed, much touted "capsule wardrobes" that consist of 37 items for each of the four seasons of the year (or 148 items total), plus the purchase of 4 to 8 new items per season (or 16 to 32 new items per year).
posted by orange swan at 12:11 PM on January 2, 2016 [6 favorites]
So I don't find much to criticize here, unless it's that given her high rate of production, Owens might built a larger wardrobe than she can make reasonable use of. Buying secondhand clothing is definitely better for the environment than buying new, and Owens gets bonus points for building a wardrobe out of secondhand clothing that is all but unsellable as well as for her kickass sewing and styling skills. Her approach is far more environmentally responsible than the supposed, much touted "capsule wardrobes" that consist of 37 items for each of the four seasons of the year (or 148 items total), plus the purchase of 4 to 8 new items per season (or 16 to 32 new items per year).
posted by orange swan at 12:11 PM on January 2, 2016 [6 favorites]
I don't really care about her buying them up; secondhand is a crazy game and there's simply no way to rationalize that market to maximize value and match users with products. Enough with the "who could be THIS fat?" mugging, though.
I agree that "capsule wardrobe" as promoted is a crock - a travesty of minimalism - but I've applied some of their ideas successfully using my existing clothes.
posted by Miko at 12:16 PM on January 2, 2016 [3 favorites]
I agree that "capsule wardrobe" as promoted is a crock - a travesty of minimalism - but I've applied some of their ideas successfully using my existing clothes.
posted by Miko at 12:16 PM on January 2, 2016 [3 favorites]
She is a size 2 apparently, so something which looks very outsized on her may still be within high-street regular sizing. I don't think the "look how big this is" stuff is "omg people are this big?!" but more "how big is this on me?!" with something that could still be a size 10.
posted by billiebee at 12:19 PM on January 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by billiebee at 12:19 PM on January 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
I'm not sure how that makes it better. Size-ism is size-ism.
posted by Miko at 12:20 PM on January 2, 2016 [7 favorites]
posted by Miko at 12:20 PM on January 2, 2016 [7 favorites]
I am binge reading this blog from the beginning (thanks for this post!) and while I find the before/after fascinating and inspiring, some of her early comments aren't. Like the weather being so hot it's like being stuck in a fat kid's armpit. Or chopping off the length of a kaftan because she didn't want to look like she was selling flowers at the airport.
In that light, her constant "look at tiny little me!" commentary and posing is alienating.
posted by Omnomnom at 12:25 PM on January 2, 2016 [4 favorites]
In that light, her constant "look at tiny little me!" commentary and posing is alienating.
posted by Omnomnom at 12:25 PM on January 2, 2016 [4 favorites]
Size-ism is size-ism.
Yes, I'm just not seeing it as size-ism that some things will always be too big for us and some things will always be too small and that's not necessarily an indictment of anyone's size. I've always struggled with my weight so I tend to be sensitive to size-ism but this just isn't setting off my radar, but of course I'm only speaking for myself and I haven't read all her posts yet.
posted by billiebee at 12:38 PM on January 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
Yes, I'm just not seeing it as size-ism that some things will always be too big for us and some things will always be too small and that's not necessarily an indictment of anyone's size. I've always struggled with my weight so I tend to be sensitive to size-ism but this just isn't setting off my radar, but of course I'm only speaking for myself and I haven't read all her posts yet.
posted by billiebee at 12:38 PM on January 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
Are her expressions notably different when she's wearing larger clothes? She seems to pull a "don't I look ridiculous in this" face in about 80-90% of the pictures. Is there something I'm missing?
posted by howfar at 12:53 PM on January 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by howfar at 12:53 PM on January 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
Reading through the archives, I find that Owens also sometimes reworks clothing that is too small for her (i.e., a size zero item or a child size item) and she does a silly before pose with those pieces as well. The before photos really do seem to be done in a spirit of "this item is hilariously unwearable for me and just wait until you see the contrast between it as it is and as it will be when I get done with it" rather than one of HURF DURF FAT PEOPLE'S CLOTHING IS HUUUUGE.
posted by orange swan at 12:56 PM on January 2, 2016 [9 favorites]
posted by orange swan at 12:56 PM on January 2, 2016 [9 favorites]
I agree that she benefits mightily from being tiny -- she can take a lot of fabric out of things that would only fit one of my thighs -- but I don't think she's exactly robbing the thrift world of plus-size fashions. There are relatively few things she refashions that I can imagine anyone wearing in their original form, though the Allagash top that I linked in the post is one of them. I don't love that top color, but I can imagine it being a reasonably wearable piece on a person it was actually meant to fit. Throw a black jacket or cardigan over it and it would be fine for work.
I think the thing I like best about her blog is the eye she has for the bones of a garment. She's so tiny that she could probably just lay pattern pieces on top of some of these garments and make entirely new items, just using them as a a source of fabric that's slightly trickier to get on grain than a straight cut from a bolt, but she actually re-uses many of the elements of the garments themselves -- button bands, waistlines, etc. -- while still ending up with items that look completely different.
posted by jacquilynne at 1:05 PM on January 2, 2016 [5 favorites]
I think the thing I like best about her blog is the eye she has for the bones of a garment. She's so tiny that she could probably just lay pattern pieces on top of some of these garments and make entirely new items, just using them as a a source of fabric that's slightly trickier to get on grain than a straight cut from a bolt, but she actually re-uses many of the elements of the garments themselves -- button bands, waistlines, etc. -- while still ending up with items that look completely different.
posted by jacquilynne at 1:05 PM on January 2, 2016 [5 favorites]
Oh my heart, there's a community blog for refashionistas. There goes the rest of my month.
posted by orange swan at 1:42 PM on January 2, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by orange swan at 1:42 PM on January 2, 2016 [5 favorites]
I remember this exact thing from New Dress A Day. And buy "thing" I mean - small-statured blogger buys lots of "hideous" thrift store clothes that are way too big for her, poses in them while making funny faces, and then refashions them to fit her small frame. Yay.
posted by 41swans at 4:48 PM on January 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by 41swans at 4:48 PM on January 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
As a thrift shopper and lover of loud prints (two things which, as you can imagine, go together quite well) her talent at redesign is so inspiring. As a plus-size person with an apple-shaped body and bat-wing grandma arms, I can't help but notice that a lot of her redesigns end up being sleeveless, if not completely bare shouldered, and belted. I feel like I would need a bit more actual sewing skill to make over ugly garments to fit and flatter my particular figure when belts are not an attractive option and I prefer to keep my upper arms covered.
Still, her redesigns are a lot of fun and certainly inspire new ways of looking at "ugly" clothes. I am madly in love with this dress as she has refashioned it. I could probably fit in the original version but I have no idea how I would go about making something like that look cute on my plus-size frame.
As someone mentioned above, I'd love to see a plus-size blogger do something similar.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 4:49 PM on January 2, 2016 [3 favorites]
Still, her redesigns are a lot of fun and certainly inspire new ways of looking at "ugly" clothes. I am madly in love with this dress as she has refashioned it. I could probably fit in the original version but I have no idea how I would go about making something like that look cute on my plus-size frame.
As someone mentioned above, I'd love to see a plus-size blogger do something similar.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 4:49 PM on January 2, 2016 [3 favorites]
From the slide show:
posted by davejh at 8:03 PM on January 2, 2016 [3 favorites]
"Columbia, S.C.-area clothing stores donate unsellable clothing to Owens -- and she throws in the occasional $1 find from other secondhand stores."...so she doesn't appear to be buying up all the plus-sized clothing. This is stuff absolutely nobody wants.
posted by davejh at 8:03 PM on January 2, 2016 [3 favorites]
New Dress A Day is also pretty big on the "remove sleeves + add belt" formula.
I really do admire the DIY spirit, but the thing I have trouble getting beyond is that a lot of the clothes on these blogs still look, well, like leftover thrift clothes, just with a nicer fit on the model. Sewing can't improve the fabric itself, its drape, its condition. I'm sure there are some really excellent pieces but not sure you can make every sow's ear into a silk purse.
posted by Miko at 8:40 PM on January 2, 2016 [7 favorites]
I really do admire the DIY spirit, but the thing I have trouble getting beyond is that a lot of the clothes on these blogs still look, well, like leftover thrift clothes, just with a nicer fit on the model. Sewing can't improve the fabric itself, its drape, its condition. I'm sure there are some really excellent pieces but not sure you can make every sow's ear into a silk purse.
posted by Miko at 8:40 PM on January 2, 2016 [7 favorites]
Argh, I hate when I am inspired to do something and want to be lazy. Now I'm going to dig out a too-big dress I bagged up for the thrift shop ages ago and do the quickie "add belt and wear a different way".
This is why I don't read craft blogs or any blogs about being creative. It means I have to put down the laptop and do something. Thanks a bunch.
posted by tracicle at 12:42 AM on January 3, 2016 [6 favorites]
This is why I don't read craft blogs or any blogs about being creative. It means I have to put down the laptop and do something. Thanks a bunch.
posted by tracicle at 12:42 AM on January 3, 2016 [6 favorites]
In today's post she deals with the question of altering a thrift buy to make it bigger. Featuring a non-tiny fashion/crafting blogger.
posted by thelaze at 5:14 PM on January 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by thelaze at 5:14 PM on January 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
I do that same basic gusset alteration when I get given t-shirts I have to wear for some reason (volunteer gigs or whatever) because they inevitably don't fit me. Add a panel of contrasting fabric in the underarm and side seams to widen things out.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:20 PM on January 3, 2016
posted by jacquilynne at 8:20 PM on January 3, 2016
Ha! I actually know Jillian. My wife's last roommate bought Jillian her first sewing machine and Douglas once bit me (I hold no ill will, I probably deserved it).
Anyway, she's a great talent and and really great person so it's been fun seeing her hobby become a career.
As far as sizeism or whatever, Jillain once gave ginormous (both height and width), male, me some great advice on altering clothes, so there's that.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 8:49 AM on January 4, 2016 [2 favorites]
Anyway, she's a great talent and and really great person so it's been fun seeing her hobby become a career.
As far as sizeism or whatever, Jillain once gave ginormous (both height and width), male, me some great advice on altering clothes, so there's that.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 8:49 AM on January 4, 2016 [2 favorites]
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posted by billiebee at 9:52 AM on January 2, 2016 [3 favorites]