We had been looking for this item for a while, ever since a customer told us it existed and asked us to look out for it- and finally we have found it! Its a wonderful article about Make do and Mend with diagrams and instructions of how to convert and adapt and so recycle tired and worn out clothing to make it into something useful.
The idea is that the mans would have worn his suit so much that it would have started to get tired and possibly fray at the edges and cuffs for example. He may also have grown out of it size wise. This article gives the instructions of how to adapt the suit and make it fit ladies.
The original one makes the trousers into a skirt, but you could of course make them a tighter fit trouser by cutting them down. Gone (thankfully) are the days when it was frowned upon for women to wear trousers-even in the early 1970s elderly spinster great aunts were known to comment on teenagers girls wearing trousers and call them ' a disgrace to women!'. That is a true comment of the time by the way. Sad, but true.
Its not a new idea today-Armani for instance have been making women's suits out of mens suiting fabrics very successfully for many years now (admittedly they are very fine Italian fabrics tho!) But it is a great idea for all make do and menders and upcyclers and recyclers today- you could even make really pretty fabric flowers and corsages (see our fabulous fabric flower patterns) out of the bits and pieces of suiting cut away.
You could also embellish the new garment with beads, braids and velvet ribbons around the collar and cuffs. Changing the original buttons to funky modern ones can make a suit look really great too. Do remember to keep the original buttons for other projects tho!
The article also shows how to convert
a womans suit into a shirt dress,
a womans coat into a childs overalls and hat,
mens trousers into childs dungarees,
mans overcoat into a boys suit
a raincoat into a lumber jacket
a raincoat into a mexican poncho for a child
and other hints and tips for reusing old sheets, towels and curtains.
You can find it to purchase on the website - it is a pdf file and will be delivered to you via email within 24 hours of your purchase- click here to go straight to this and many other interesting period ebooks too, in a new window
This is a very interesting article. I didn't know that a man's suit could be converted into a woman's. I usually just get my vintage clothing at Aeropostale, but if you feel the need to recycle old clothing in order to reach that look then go for it. I think it is very creative and smart.
Posted by: Mike Cornelia | 09/28/2012 at 02:15 PM