Upcycling for Charity - Resort Chic Wrap

It's really nice when you have a friend who shares the same passion as you. R had texted me early last week about an upcycling / refashioning initiative organised by  TaF.tc (The Academy of Fashion Professions) and the Singapore Committee for UN Women. Participants would refashion end-of-season garments from  Club21. These would then be sold, with the proceeds benefiting the campaign, End Violence Against Women. 

R asked whether I wanted to give it a go, and I thought "Why not?". We then realised that the deadline was a week away (15 August 2014). "No problem", said R, "Just do a simple refashion."  So, R ended up getting a dress and I chose a DKNY silk top (see below) which came with a square scarf.  So, we have been racking our brains and sewing furiously (well, I spent the first half of the week ..... worrying!). 

Before: Top with scarf hanging over its right shoulder. It also has a ruffle on the left side.

I did face some challenges along the way:

Why oh why did I choose the silk top? 

To tell you the truth, I was attracted to the colours of the top and didn't think! Silk is very difficult to sew and it can tear easily. So, I ended up sewing straight lines - no curves, no darts or fancy work. I also had to sew very slowly. And because I had no time to do rolled hems, I had to make sure the hemmed edges looked nice. 

The garment was a size "0"!

One of the rules was that the resulting garment could not be a size "0". The only problem was that the original garment was a size "0" too - I didn't realise until I got home. Oops!

We were not allowed to add other textiles

The other rule was that we were only allowed to use the fabric of the existing garment in our refashion. 

Think, think, think. It's useful to make a few sketches.

Square Scarf to the Rescue!

I am very thankful that the top came with a square scarf. It was about 50cm x 50cm. I was thinking of making a tank top with spaghetti straps, but then came up with the idea of making it into a beach wrap to take advantage of the square scarf, and also the lightness of the fabric.  I ended up dissecting the top along its seams, and attaching whatever I could to the square scarf to enlarge it.  

In the end this is what I made - a resort chic wrap dress! 

I made a macrame necklace to secure the garment in place. That's the only thing that will keep the garment up - no knots, zips, buttons or hooks. Besides, this is supposed to be for the resort, and you would have your swim suit underneath! If the wind blows, you will have an airy and breezy dress!

Note: You don't have to make a macrame necklace, you could you use an existing chain as well!

I made a hole on each side of the garment.  These is where the necklace would be inserted.

So, after a few days, this is what I got. It is translucent, so you would need to wear it with a bathing suit underneath, or shorts and bikini top / tube top. The intent is to enable the wearer to go from the beach and walk straight into lunch or dinner in the same outfit. I'm thinking resort chic!  What do you think?