Chapter 2: Customizing & Tailoring

 

Poster was made on Canva! 

(None of these photos are mine)

    For a while, I was thinking of what I wanted chapter two to be about. At first, I wanted to write about baggy clothes and how comfort can definitely elevate style…and honestly, we can still talk about that. I might do that for the next chapter since it’s still in the drafts, but as I was writing that, I was experimenting with something else. For a long time, I wanted to try upcycling/tailoring my shirts. When I was 18, I bought a stiff shirt from the thrift store; it was teal and had a little cat design on it. I tried cutting the shirt without a tutorial (I wanted something off the shoulder); it turned out terrible, and I didn’t try it again. Then, fast-forward to me at 20, and I came across a few videos of people cutting their shirts. I saw how nice the fashion girls looked, and at THAT point, I decided to try again. I cut a more stretchy shirt; I had better resources, and guess what? My shit came out FABULOUS lmao. So, when I got good results, I just kept doing it and cutting more shirts. Mannnn, when I tell you my shirts came out so cute, I felt cute too. Which is saying a lot because I never felt that cute in my life, but I’m rambling a lot right now. Look, the point is you don’t always have to spend money on new clothes; sometimes you can just look in your closet. 

Also, you’d be amazed by how many tutorials are online for anything fashion-related. I saw videos of people making shit off the shoulder, putting pictures and logos on shirts; I even saw a video of someone making capris by just cutting a pair of skinny jeans. From spying on the fashion and alternative sides of the internet, I learned a lot of people are just tailoring their clothes. Most of the clothes you see people wear? They’re cute, and they probably weren’t expensive. This is why I get sad when people say they don’t have enough money for their style. Not everyone starts off super stylish. A lot of people you see on the internet have experimented and practiced until they found what they liked. So try giving yourself that same grace! 

Another thing I wanted to talk about is customizing your character lol. Okay, hear me out; you know how you can make your own character in (some) video games? In my opinion, that is exactly how we should treat ourselves. Everything about us is customizable. You want to change how long or short your hair is? You can do it. You want to get some dope ass piercings? Well, you can. You want to try a new makeup look? You definitely can. You want to do some funky shit with your eyebrows? Go do that shit. And some of y’all think doing little things like that doesn’t make a difference, but it does. Making subtle changes to your “character” not only makes you stand out, but it gives you the chance to experiment and figure out what you like. Additionally, I don’t think we use our free will enough. Like me, for example; randomly throughout the year, I’ll remember I like to cut my eyebrows, so I’ll do eyebrow slits sometimes. I think some people are just scared to fuck around and find out. It’s our bodies, and we should feel comfortable enough to change our appearances as we see fit…but that’s just me, though! LMAO 

Now, the last thing I wanted to talk about is something I want to try: designing my own clothes. When I was looking at people cutting up their clothes, I came across videos of people bleaching and painting their clothes too, and that’s one of the things I can see myself trying. Now, I can’t lie…I get a little nervous about bleaching anything. I don’t know, bleach is such a powerful ass chemical. I just get anxious…so I might try painting first! Dude, I see people on Pinterest do these cool paintings on their jeans; I just HAVE to do something like that, and when I do it, I’ll get back to y’all!

Anyway, I think I made this entry to tell y’all to experiment a little bit. The most stylish people you know probably took the time to find themselves out, and I think we should do the same. Since my last journal entry about watches, I’ve been fucking around and finding out. I’ve been tailoring all of my old shirts in my closet, and it’s encouraged me to accessorize more. I feel nice about it too. You know how people say when you look good, you feel good? It’s kind of like that. Anyway, I’m done rambling for the day. Thanks for reading! I’m going to go tweak some more clothes now! 

- CD ★