DIY Style: Military Meets Casual

Army Casual

As most people already know, I'm all about the Do It Yourself lifestyle in most every sense of the word.  At the same time, I can definitely appreciate the quality and craftsmanship that goes into a well-designed often-times expensive garment.  I usually don't mind paying a little more money for exactly what I want. However, I much prefer an article of clothing that I can say that I customized and/or created.

One such garment project that I recently completed consists of what was originally a Topman denim jacket that I purchased a few years back in Chicago.  It's been through quite a bit and the light blue look has turned into an all out bleached/washed out  look.  One hot New York summer day, out of desperation and heat exhaustion coupled with the fact that I didn't want to find a new button and rivet for the cuff, this garment was transformed into a vest:

Topman Jean Jacket

The second piece to this project is a military standard issue uniform hood from the Field M-1943 uniform initially rolled out to U.S. Army troops in Italy in 1943:

Field M-1943

I came across a bin of these hoods in a Brooklyn thrift store.  My only regret is that I didn't buy the entire bin.  At the same time, due to age, and the war time conditions under which these garments were worn, it was hard to find a piece that didn't already have too much "character (ie. Holes, and questionable stains that I don't think anyone wants to know the true story behind).

apologies for the emo expression

I originally planned to attach buttons to the interior of the vest's collar to line up with original holes of the hood, but instead opted for a more permanent and less rain permeable option of sewing the hood into the lining.  This would serve me better on the days that I enjoy long walks in the summer rain (which is more often than one might imagine).

And now a brief interlude featuring the sewing process:

the process

artisan hands

trying to get the line straight

And voila...the finished piece:

front view

not pictured, I added a new button to close the hood for wind resistance

All in all, I think that the piece came out nicely and it's given new life to an older piece in my wardrobe that keeps reinventing itself for.  Maybe in two more  years, I'll re-attach sleeves to it.  On never knows.

As always, feel free to leave me praise or criticism in the comments section.  Thanks for reading

- Keilon

layered look for the streets of Montréal

Made in Brooklyn

Over the past few years I have been honing my craft for creativity in visual arts, merchandising and curation.  More specifically, for the past year or so I've been working more on tailoring and garment making.  My projects have taken me from dressmaking, to denim repair, repurposing leather, and accessories creation.

My latest work has been with handmade accessory pieces using different fabrics, including, denim, wool, leather and silk.  Though I will be creating items for sale soon, the main goal is to create quality items that I am proud to display and/or add to my wardrobe.  I find the experience of seeing your thoughts and ideas coming to fruition in the form of a product or good to be quite rewarding; even more so when you can be directly involved in every step of the creation from inception to conceptualization to the finished product.

For my latest endeavor, I decided to seek out fabrics to make the perfect scarf for a perfect winter day.  I thought of what feels good? looks good? and still keeps you warm.  That led me to marrying silk with wool.  Neither of these two fabrics was perfect on their own for the weather, but when combined together they are perfect.  Feel the silk against your skin and leave the wool fight the element.  The bordering edges that reveal the two fabrics in harmony creates beautiful luxe aesthetic.  The silk against your skin not only feels soothing but it insulates and regulates, to a certain extent, your body temperature allowing you to stay warm while not overheating.  The suiting wool that I sourced gives a very premium look to garment without losing the strength of the fabric to fend off the cold.  It's not much more to say about it, besides it is truly perfect for the season.

Have a look at a bit of the creative cut'n'sew process:

A good pair of scissors is clutch

steady hands are a plus...

...but not a necessity as long as you can sew cleanly.

always be sure to find the front-side of your silk before sewing

Classic Plaid

Understated Grey

Fin.