Wahoo! It has been way too long since I've done a thrifty outfit post. When I moved to Waterloo last year for school, my focus shifted completely. Not only was I super focused on school, I didn't really have a good set up for photos or somebody to help me out with them. Also, in my spare time, I was often at work or hopping on the bus from city to city to get to work or back to school. It was a pretty wild year, and outfit photos were just not a priority. I'd like to try and post more now that I'm more settled back in Toronto again.
You may recognize the bag in these photos from my last outfit post over a year ago. My friend Cassandra made it for me out of leftover scraps from her previous projects. And we've been at it again! A couple of months ago I sent Cass a photo of a jacket that I really loved from a store that I don't love so much and don't want to give my money to. I asked her if she could make something similar for me. Now, Cass is a woman of integrity, and she told me she could make something like it but didn't want to copy someone else's design. So we started brain storming, and thinking, and dreaming up an entirely unique jacket that still fit into the style that I was hoping for.
For this jacket, we gathered pre-loved denim that was going to be thrown out if not used, and turned it into something brand new and totally perfect!
Bag: Cassandra Moy | Jacket: Cassandra Moy | Sweater: Thrifted | Scarf: Garage Sale| Pants: Urban Outfitters | Earrings: Scotch and Rye (Arts Market)
Total Thrift Tally: 5/6!
One of my favourite parts of this project is that each piece of denim tells a bit of a story:
• We used a pair of my Grandfather's jeans that he must have purchased just before he passed away; they still had tags on them and a few mouse-eaten spots from being stored in my Grandma's barn for 24 years. My grandpa was a big guy (the jeans were sized 48!) so we had tons of material from this to work with! I never met my grandpa, he passed before I was born, so it's special to me to have his jeans included in this piece.
• About 6 years ago I was convinced I would start my own upcycled denim jacket business. My plan was to decorate existing jackets that had holes or stains in them, to make them fresh and usable again. Evidently, it never actually happened. I didn't get around to throwing out the jackets though - thank you past self!
• Cass's fella Elliott (who also took these photos!) donated some of his jeans that had ripped in un-patchable areas to the project. These sleeves were once jean legs, and Cass intentionally placed the creased, worn sections right where the elbows are.
Here's a before shot, which we only thought to take after already ripping up some of the seams:
The other amazing part about working with Cass was going to her studio and helping out with the stitch ripping. It was so special to be included in the process of this jacket on so many levels! This is the beauty of bespoke and of working with friends.
I'm so in love with the jacket - I'm wearing it right now, sort of in place of a sweater. It's that comfy, and perfect for the fall weather that is just starting to creep into Toronto now (it's been on and off like crazy!). I've also already received so many compliments on it, and people love the story of how I got it made!
Be sure to check out Cassandra's website, and Elliott's photography!
xo - k
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