Bridgett Artise - Born-Again Vintage 25 Ways to Deconstruct, Reinvent, and Recycle Your Wardrobe

Copyright 2008 by Bridgett Artise and Jen Karetnik

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Potter Craft, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
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POTTER CRAFT and colophon is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

ISBN: 978-0-307-40527-2
eBook ISBN: 978-0-7704-3520-2

Design by Amy Sly

Photographs by Heather Weston

v3.1

FOR MY CUSTOMERS FROM ALL OVER WHO

BELIEVE IN B. ARTISE.

PHOTOGRAPHER HEATHER WESTON
STYLIST KRISTEN PETLISKI
HAIR AND MAKE-UP JULIA JOSEPH

My children, TYLER-MARIE and L.J. , are the driving force behind every good thing I have achieved, so I thank them for being great kidseven during not-so-great times.

I have friends that are straight from a fairytale: NITA YARBRO , ANGELA BAKER , LITA JOHNSON , and NANETTE BOGGAN . Your support and belief in me are truly appreciated.

PASCAL , thank you for helping me, sharing your time, and being patient with me when I asked for more than you could do.

DOMINI ORESKI , who lends her ear but never judges, thank you.

MELISSA LIM , my pattern editor, thank you for joining me late in the game and coming through to save the day.

Thank you to JEN KARETNICK , my right hand in this process who never once made me feel like a pain when I knew I was.

Many thanks to ROSY NGO , who stumbled across my clothing in SoHo and appreciated my talent enough to give me a chance.

A big thank you to my editor, COURTNEY CONROY , for putting up with my redundant questions without ever being bothered.

Tremendous thanks to AMY SLY for a gorgeous book design.

And, of course, countless thanks to the countless people and customers who inspire and encourage me: LISA SELLERS , JUDITH + FRANK LEWIS , BARBARA PETERS , SUSAN RAGBIR , JEANNE ANTOINE , HILDA BAKER , PAMELA MITCHELL , WAYNE FARQUHARSON , ALAN HORVATH , SIOBHAN BAILEY , DEBRA THOMPSON , CRYSTAL and SHELLY , RAOUL CALLEJA , MRS. C , and RUTH LEON , to name just a few.

INTRODUCTION

My clothing line, B. Artise Originals, is a product of my love for vintage duds but also my frustration with them. Period-dated, era-related clothing is great, but how many people can really pull it off? Whether the pieces arent in good shape or their fit is less than ideal, vintage clothing can be challenging. Some designers try to fix that with reconstruction: reworking the older piece, fixing the places that are worn. There are also designers who incorporate new fabric, coordinating with the flow of the older piece.

Not me. At its simplest level, Born-Again Vintage is about turning antique and disused clothing into stylish togs by deconstructing it, choosing its best elements, and piecing those together with those of other garments. Ill completely rip out the seams of one basic vintage item and put it back together with a second, perhaps more contemporary piece to create an entirely different look. In this way, an old-fashioned ruffled shirt or a frumpy fifties housedress with terrific buttonsplus a tank top you can pick up at a wholesale storecan become a funky top; a poodle skirt and your so-last-years knee-length cardigan sweater can be turned into anything from a poncho to a structured tube top. My niche is bringing together the matchless quality of vintage with a dash of trendiness and edge to create a fashion-forward conversation piece.

What also sets my designs apart from the ho-hum, cookie-cutter styles you see everywhere is the juxtaposition of two fabrics that nobody else would dream of. Im not bound by the standard rules of fashion (where stripes shouldnt go with polka dots or summer fabrics are never paired with heavier winter fabrics). My decision to explore fashion without boundaries gives me endless possibilities. When there are no rules, the only thing left is the freedom to create what feels right and looks good.

Thats the essence of Born-Again Vintage.

But the reference to faith is no accident. The personal challenges Ive conquered have given me new faith not only in life but in my own abilities. Prior to designing, I did very little that associated my passion for fashion with a career, and my path was somewhat foggy and unclear. However, through the pain of losing a loved one, my interest in clothing design came to the fore as a coping mechanism. Born-again for me means being given a second chance at happiness. It is therefore no accident that I use old clothing in my designs. I want to give it second chances at life, too! Just because something may have lost its luster or is hanging in the back of your closet doesnt mean that you should give up on it.

So do as I do and dont limit yourself by thinking in predictable ways. Do you like the seventies-era zebra stripe dress in that consignment shop but cant see yourself rocking an animal print head to toe? Well, youre not going to be wearing it as is, so buy it! There are plenty of opportunities here for using that material in ways you may not have considered before. Love just a collar or a trim or even a belt? The ideas in Born-Again Vintage call for all sorts of scraps, from pockets to pant cuffs. In a way, these projects are like therapy. Youll be tackling them, at least vision-wise, one piece at a time. Then, as you get closer to finishing your new garment, its both exciting and gratifying to see the culmination of your work and creativity.

The greatest part is that you dont have to spend a ton of money. Take a look in your closet and your dresser drawers. Pull out any old sweaters, skirts, and dresses youre not wearing anymore. Do they have some potential? If not, hit the thrift stores and sift through sweaters, keeping in mind that you dont necessarily have to find a perfect, unstained item or even the right size for a lot of these patterns. What matters is that you love the fabric or the details or the color. Swing by a wholesale store to buy inexpensive plain tank tops and T-shirts that you can use to refashion your vintage pieces. If you have too many for your own use, make gifts for all your friends. Youll be pleasantly surprised how economical your holiday season turns out to be.