Customise Me: An Update

   Fiona and I spent a little bit of time planning the next phase of my garment "remixes." Most of the pieces are summery in construction and purpose, which suits me rather well - winter wools and layering are truly my forte, allowing me to work on my summer looks - but on the other hand, low expectations are mandatory for English weather

   Included are a sketch of a linen short sleeved shirt that will be patched with extra fabric along the arms, a display of Fi's workspace, and my obligatory outfit shot, which I thought rather suited this rare day of dryness and sun

   More as it develops

For previous entries, click the 'customisation' link below

Customisation Deux: A la Mode

   Fiona took the lead on this latest "garment recalibration." Despite the florid, humourous twist it sometimes added to my ensembles, I'd pretty much resigned myself to having no further use for this ice cream man-friendly Interno8 shirt, although, seeing as it wasn't the only one of the three I own that I didn't choose myself, it, along with one other, would always face that fate

   But why let such a fetching red-and-white houndstooth pattern go to waste just because of an enormous collar and billowy fit issues? 'Twould fly in the face of my current "everything is usable" philosophy (if you ignore that a dozen of my pieces will be appearing online with an Ebay banner above their photos in about a week's time):

Before

   Together, over a delicious meal one evening, we came up with a concept that hearkened back to the kind of summer shirts young, open fated men would have worn in some bygone time where summer outfitting didn't mean slogan t-shirts, crocs and mismatched shorts

   Of course, the irony is that the shirt is unwearable at temperatures above 30 degrees due to its weight, but the look will still hold up on less tepid days

After

   The collar has been rendered inside out in a more unique banded style, while the 3-button barrel cuffs have migrated halfway up the sleeves. We thought that such an idiosyncratic detail should not go to waste. The fit around the body has been altered slightly, but a follow-up is forthcoming if I keep wasting away, as everyone seems to think I am

   All in all, a definite improvement

The first entry in this series is available here

Customise Me

   It's no surprise to anyone that I've developed quite the bulging... wardrobe over the years. And it's pretty much a sure thing that I don't wear everything I've bought, stolen, borrowed or been given. But I try to be a waste not-want not kind of man and over time, I'll be looking at customising pieces I own

   The bug bit me late last year when I snagged one of the many highlights of Junya Watanabe Comme des Garçons Man's S/S 08 collection, which in itself practically encapsulates half of my ideas on how menswear can be fun yet refined and referential. Perhaps the pinnacle of the ongoing collaboration the designer began with the ever iconic Lacoste in 2005, it's a safari jacket made out of Lacoste's own polo shirts, recut and stitched together, lined with Junya's own fabrics, designed using fanatically classic tailoring techniques and overdyed in various colours. Indeed, on the runway, it made two appearances, with one model peacocking in a rather sharp red:

Credit: men.style.com

   Naturally, Japan received every variation going (I mean, orange), but London made do with the pink one. As excellent as brazen pastels can be for the bright, sharp season, I needed a little more seasonal versatility from such a compelling piece, and I was prepared to stake its entire look on my desire

   All it took was one box of Dylon dye, one box of Dylon Colour Remover (essential to make sure the dye will run evenly over a more neutral, mostly colour-free garment), about 300g of salt and the help of a very good friend:

Before

After

   FAQs tend to focus on the lack of overdyed stitching. Simple answer: polyester thread doesn't take well to dyeing, and even the industrial strength dye of the jacket's original configuration only lent the tinge of pink to the stitches first time around. The faint purple wash on the buttons is a rather nice result, and all in all, I got what I wanted - a jacket to wear almost anywhere I want

   The fellows at Browns weren't so pleased, though