Saturday, July 21, 2012

A Kilt is Reborn

Ottobre 02-2007-12
Reincarnation is the belief that our soul is preserved wholesale and transferred to a new body; rebirth is the belief that some essential essence is passed on, a unique energy force if you like, but not necessarily a fully preserved personality delivered to a new form.

I like to think of this skirt as a "rebirth".  I preserved some of the likeness of the original, and kept some of the features that made the original what it was, but changed it to make it more my style.

The skirt cost me $4 at a church fair. I was told it belonged to the minister. It was made by a kilt maker in Scotland, so the inside label told me. I love knowing about its past life. I reused the zipper and the lining, waste not want not, that's the Scottish way, and certainly the way I was raised, and from a world ecology point of view, the way to go.


the original skirt, pleated front and back, mid calf length


I wanted to reference the pleats, so topstitched the outer fold and pressed out the inner ones. I needed pockets so put in some front welts. I used scraps of plain silk to avoid the clash of lines that a bias strip of tartan would create and put on a double set of vintage ochre buttons to visually anchor the solid piece of colour to the front.


silk welt pocket with vintage button decoration, faux pleats


committing to the look: vintage bag, hand knitted gloves, thrifted pashmina, thrifted button necklace, thrifted jumper, woolen singlet

This skirt is part of a complete "nanna chic" outfit I have in mind. The other pieces comprise a shirt and a cardigan.  I will chip away at it over the next wee while. We'll see how it unfolds.

35 comments:

  1. I really like this. A perfect match with your tights and boots. I love the welt pocket and double button detail. The chicest kind of nanna-chic.

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  2. Ooh, warm and original!

    I'm big on tartan - must be my inner Scot. Also big on thrifting and rejigging to avoid waste.

    Well done!

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    Replies
    1. I love tartan too, especially the way Vivienne Westwood uses it so dramatically. If I was a bit bolder I'd go for something really ironic but a straight skirt is probably where I'm at, satorially-speaking.

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  3. Oh, well done! I was looking at a similar kilt in the op shop the other day and thinking it was too good to leave, but I didn't know what I could do with it. Wish I'd bought it now!

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  4. I love tartan and kilts. Great colors in this one too. And your refashion is excellent

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  5. Your skirt is highly chic, and the colours are perfect with your boots,congratulations on such a successful rebirth;)

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  6. You even reused the lining. Wow! That's pretty impressive. Your new skirt looks great. Not just Nanna chic, but chic by anyone's standards!

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  7. What a great refashion, I like what you have done with the pleats and adding a pocket. I bet the fabric quality is great - do you know what tartan it is? It is a great example of how grey and brown can go together (something Carolyn from Perth mentioned a couple of days ago), and it works wonderfully with your boots!

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  8. Beautiful skirt, love it. Excellent reuse of fabric. Dad was born in Glasgow, so I was raised to love tartan. Now I will be trolling the thrift stores looking for pleated skirts and kilts. Not that I am likely to find any here. Oh well, half the fun is the search.

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  9. Great refashion! I really like the contrast pocket welts. But your post makes me feel quilty about the bunch of wool plaid skirt I bought at the thrift store just for the gorgeous colors and the wool fabric, and have done nothing with, except add to the insulation value of the attic.

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    Replies
    1. It'll keep. It's not going anywhere and when the time comes you'll whip up something amazing and astonish us all with your vision.

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  10. It looks great!!! I like your hair too--is that a new cut?

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    Replies
    1. No just styled it. Makes a difference, doesn't it?

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  11. This outfit is fantastic- I too love those old woollen skirts in the junk shops but haven't managed to get past thinking I could make them into a cute little dress for wee Syl (and I haven't even got around to doing that). I love the design features and the ample re-use! Bravo!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Miss Smith - it has just the right amount of nerd left - and I feel it still references the "once belonged to a minister" heritage with its modest length.

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  12. Great skirt and love the bag too. Love a good re-fashion/ re-birth?

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  13. Was it a lady minister or a mister minister? I guess they could both be kitted out in kilts. According to the MacQueen profile in the Threads magazine, you need tartan and lace, lots of it, in a fashionable Victorian widower way. Me, an ironic kilt pin broach might just do it. Great skirt!!

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  14. What a great imagination and job! The skirt looks fabulous on you and the little unique velt pocket is a wonderful idea.

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  15. Love your creativity! Looks great!

    Brenda

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  16. Love the re-use. The skirt looks fab on you.

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  17. That`s a good idea - it is impossible to come across that type of material anymore anywhere.

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  18. Very nanna-chic. I like the way you've considered the appropriateness (or not) of pleats to your own personal style and tastes and reworked this beautiful fabric into something really beautiful.

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  19. An excellent refashion and the fabric will be top quality. I bet it is warm!

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  20. It has been reborn not just on it's appearance but also it's application to human lives. Very high quality made kilt which makes me very eager to have this. Thumbs up for this magnificent kilt.

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  21. I love it! And now I'm thinking about that old kilt I've had with me for years, but don't wear because it's a kilt, and I can't get rid of because it was my nana's... though it's not quite as modest, it definitely didn't belong to a minister!

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