DIY Cycle Chic

When I was very young my mother taught me all of the basics of making clothes. By the time I was 4 I was very adept at threading her sewing machine and making button holes with it. I still remember the smell of her sewing machine oil and to this day it is one of my favorite scents. She also taught me how to knit and crochet. Those are the skills I followed through with, mostly because it was easier for me to acquire the tools needed to create all kinds of things. Most recently, I have made myself skirts to ride in the colder seasons.

In the knit category, we have my brown "tweed' skirt. It has little bits of orange and metallic silver in it.

In the crochet corner, I just finished a twirly skirt. It is made with a bamboo and wool blend yarn. Bamboo bikes, bamboo skirts.... I sense a theme.

Now, I just need to knit myself a bike. Heck, they make bamboo yarn, so why not?

eco-fashion in rouge et noir

Some people think that eco-fashion is all about making clothing from sustainable or organic fabrics. That's only part of it. The other part is about repurposing old clothes, shopping in second-hand stores and hand-me-downs. If you look closely at this cyclist's skirt, you'll see that the red layer is made from an old t-shirt. Her long skirt is paired with black below-the-knee combat style boots, her hair tucked underneath a red bandana. Uniquely San Francisco!

Here's a great fashion event this weekend that shows the limitless potential of hand-me-downs.