Barcelona...

Viva La Moda Magazine is running a contest called Project Reconstruction, a charity fundraiser, that I am participating in. The idea was to take a men's dress shirt and transform it into anything your heart desired. Well, my heart seems to desire romance, equestrian chic, underwear as outerwear, and just a sprinkling of Karl Lagerfeld for good measure. Still waiting to hear how my creation will rate, but I wanted to give my readers a sneak peek.

The Sketch

The Before pic...

The Story of The Barcelona:

My inspiration for “The Barcelona” (this is the official name of my shirt) was a vintage 1980’s wedding dress bodice. The dress was originally purchased by my half sister for a wedding that never happened. I liked the idea of resurrecting the beauty of the original gown and in the process leaving behind the pieces of her failed relationship. The sleeves were so romantic and beautiful that they were really the crème de la crème of this project.

The original shirt was a soft cotton men’s tuxedo shirt in a size XL.  I added vintage military, rhinestone, and rose buttons at the shoulders to give a little bit of edge to all that softness and romance. I hand dyed the corset piece of the original gown and then sewed it to the front of the shirt. I love that it gives a nod to the lingerie trend that is so hot right now. All of the lace detailing was salvaged from that original wedding dress.

The end result is Karl Lagerfeld meets John Galliano while horse back riding in a magical forest at twilight. At least that’s the way I see it...