refashion, restore…
so, i’m getting ready to make a big, cross-country move from new york city to san francisco in one-point-five weeks. eep! so soon!!
but before i leave, i decided that i would force myself to go through my closet and get rid of anything i don’t wear/doesn’t fit and fix what needs TLC/could use some restyling. i have a laundry basket full of clothes in need of small and big fixes, which i am diligently working my way through this week, in and among moving errands and the requisite packing.
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earlier this summer, i bought this madras/tie-dye sundress from old navy, because i was intrigued by it’s unusual, mish-mashed fabrication/fabric treatment. it was sort of long, so i hacked it off, making it short enough to reveal a good chunk of a vintage nordstroms circle skirt i found some time ago at buffalo exchange here in brooklyn (williamsburg, to be exact). it’s paired with a vintage navy blue ribbed tee with crochet trim, and i thought the outfit would look mighty fine with either the green or the blue shoes! i really like the idea of layering skirts over skirts, or skirts under dresses, to shake things up from a styling point of view…
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i found these citizens of humanity cropped jeans at goodwill, on e. 23rd street at the beginning of the summer. they had big branded snaps on the waist and pockets, and one was missing. i covered the remaining snaps and snapless areas with monochomatic yo-yos. i also hacked them off and re-hemed them, turning to knee length shorts (because as i’ve said before, things that hit somewhere between my calves and ankles make me look truncated).
i rather like how this simple refashion worked out. 
i’m imagining the jean shorts above with strappy heels or heeled sandals, or with knee high boots and thick, colorful tights (perhaps printed?) once the weather finally cools off.
***
last week i took eight pairs of my beloved vintage and new shoes and boots to a manhattan cobbler whom i read about in lucky magazine (twice!) many moons ago, for some much needed TLC. soles were wearing down, fissures had formed across the top of some parched vintage boots, and scuffs marred the surfaces of many pairs of my precious footwear. arty of arty’s shoe service on 8th between 22nd and 23rd fixed my shoes up and has given them new life!! arty is apparently the second in a line of cobblers, and runs the shop, greeting customers and is totally the epitome of new york-ishness. i recommend him wholeheartedly…not something i do lightly!
he replaced the soles on this particular pair, conditioned the leather, and replaced the dried up, scary insole. i haven’t ever been able to wear these shoes, and now i can!
after bringing my cache of repaired shoes home yesterday, i was inspired to get out all my shoes (not a light task!), clean the insoles with soap and water (you wouldn’t BELIEVE the dirt that inexplicably collects in one’s shoes living in NYC, it’s CRAZY! it never happened when i lived elsewhere), and conditioned and polished the leather on each pair. it looks like i have a closet full of new shoes. a little TLC for one’s things goes a long way, and in the end it’s cheaper than buying a bunch of new shoes (or clothes for that matter!)…
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i’m not officially participating, but there’s a participatory blog entitled wardrobe refashion over at blogger, where members pledge for varying periods of time to refashion clothing they already own, rather than buy new, and they post the results for all to see. some of the results are quite successful!
August 16 2006 | Posted in creative dabblings., fashion musing
August 16 2006 at 12:56 pm
AmberOh I know you’re telling the truth about NYC dirt. When I was there for four days last summer, we did a lot of walking around Manhattan and my feet were black INSIDE my Vans slip-ons, and don’t even ask about the day I wore sandals. I was like, what is UP with this?
August 16 2006 at 1:50 pm
madam0wlSince it is almost bedroom-y lightweight I’ve resorted to wearing my sundress as a layer also… during this past road trip I wore it under a lightweight green shift so that about 4 inches of madras peeked out at the bottom and a bit of the ruffle showed at the neckline. When you featured it earlier this summer I was attracted to the colors & print too so it was a happy coincidence that I found it in my size on clearance last month.
Best wishes on your cross-country move… is everything getting trucked? Do you have a fun road-trip to look forward to? Wave if you pass by Iowa!
August 16 2006 at 2:06 pm
DeniseThe yo-yos are fabulous, I can’t get enough of them!
August 16 2006 at 2:11 pm
mayawhat are the prices at arty’s like? i’ve never been to a cobbler but i’m going to be in nyc labor day weekend anyway and i’ve got a few pairs of shoes that could use a little lovin’.
August 16 2006 at 2:17 pm
triciamaya: follow the link and give him a call…he’d be glad to help you. you can even tell him that i recommended him.
my bill was quite expensive since i took in 8-10 pairs at once, and i frankly can’t recall the exact prices. i believe it depends on how complicated the repair is.
August 16 2006 at 2:45 pm
birdietricia, will you be having a yard sale/flea market set up to get rid of the clothes you can’t take with you? i would love to rummage through all of the pieces you’ve decided to part with. i live in brooklynand i’m sure your other new york readers would totally support you and take your cast-offs off your hands
August 16 2006 at 3:24 pm
triciabirdie:
unfortunately i don’t have time to have a sale before i leave…i am planning on taking most of my cast-offs to beacon’s and buffalo exchange so that i can get some cash for them or credit, etc…i’d probably get more from that than a sale. plus, i live in a very guarded building (3 doors to my place and no stoop).
sorry!
if i lived in the burbs again, i would, but it’s really hard here.
August 16 2006 at 3:30 pm
jordanahave you seen any of this season of project runway? one of the contestants is obsessed with yo-yos, but they never turn out as well as yours.
August 16 2006 at 3:38 pm
triciajordana:
hahah! yes, i have been watching PR3 this season…angela and her “rosettes”. ANGELA, they are called “yo-yos”! she’s so annoying.
August 16 2006 at 10:01 pm
NgocOH man.. everytime you post, I fall in love with your style all over again. :DD I hope you have an easy and stress-free move to California.
I have a question for you, if you’d be kind enough to answer? So, my dad makes about $37,000 a year and my mom is a housewife. What are the chances of me getting financial aid? I know NYC is extremely expensive to live in. How do you manage? I’m going to be dorming (all the years that I’m there, hopefully). I’m thinking, part-time job? Is it hard to handle it along with the workload of school?
August 16 2006 at 10:26 pm
triciangoc:
thanks! i need all the good wishes i can get concerning this move!
as far as with school, i’d say you’d definitely get financial aid, but you might want to contact the schools financial aid department and ask them what they think. you may even be able to get grants, so i’d ask what situation you have to be in to qualify for those. you might not get it all for free, but i think financial aid is in your favor, though, again, i’m no expert.
if you need to, you can live in student housing, which may be cheaper, or you could room with other students in an apartment and split costs.
i had a lot of friends who worked and did internships AND did their classes. it’s NOT easy, but depending on how you work and how you schedule your classes, it’s possible that it might be done. again, i would consult with the school and see what they suggest…they’ll probably be able to tell you what works for their students, in general.
you could work on or near campus…or near where you live, which would be helpful, perhaps.
i think there are ways to make it work, you may just have to do your research.
and yes, NYC is expensive…it becomes increasingly more so over time, sadly. *sigh* but if you want to do it, you’ll have to work as hard as you possibly can! i think you’re amazingly creative…i know you can do it if you put your mind to it!
August 17 2006 at 1:50 am
allyI love the YO on the jeans! I long for a pair of those lean-thigh style jean shorts, but I have to find a pair that will fit me!
You know the inside of my shoes gets filthy in London. I have to clean them out all the time. What’s up with that?
I’m excited about your move. I want to send you some Colinette, but I thought I would wait until you were settled in SF.
August 17 2006 at 9:03 pm
MelissaI love those shorts! And you always have the best shoes.