D.I.Y - Acid Wash

Speaking of Shibori, and tye dye, and other ways to make your clothes look like you forgot to do the separating on washing day: A few seasons ago, a bizarre eighties trend re-emerged in the fashion look books - and it certainly did not fail to catch my eye. The method of burning the blue out of "blue denim" by dousing a pair of jeans in acid was rather popular in the time of Bueller and his breakfast companions. Such blotchy denim could be seen paired with fluorescent white hi tops and Baby's famous perm.

Whilst until now, the perm has still failed to make its glorious comeback (perhaps because it tends to make one look like a giant fluff ball) our friend Mr. Blotchy Denim returned with some new friends.

Introducing little miss Blotchy crop top. Designers decided that it was high time they broadened their minds and splash acid onto other materials. The blotchy crop top emerged in traditional acid wash and stone wash during the cooler months, designed to be layered over block colors to create texture and dimension. Other versions of blotchy garments emerged as well, such as the blotchy singlet, blotchy vest, blotchy tights and even blotchy dress. To further enhance their "garments-destroyed-in-the-wash" look, most fashionable acid wash tees were sold un-hemmed, ripped, or with novelty half-sewn-on pockets.

The price to pay for items that looked as if your dad did the washing whilst mother was away made me laugh. Therefore I decided that I could attempt to do it myself.

If you wish to wrap yourself in blotchy clothing, then do read on.

SIMPLE ACID WASH INSTRUCTION MANUAL (FOR LOVERS OF BLOTCHY CLOTHES):

1) Locate and acquire old top. Choose one that is colored, because most black dyes are brown based, therefore acid washing a black top may result in a muddy mess.

2) Do wear some sturdy cleaning cloves. You are working with chemicals that burn stuff. You do not want your hands to be on that particular list of "stuff".

3) Find a well ventilated area and strap on some bird-flu masks. Breathing in the fumes are obviously quite dangerous.

4) purchase strong and I mean seriously heavy duty bleach. You do not want to buy the weak diluted stuff. It won't work.

5) Lay old top flat and merrily splash some bleach over it like a madman.

6) WORK QUICKLY. The bleach will burn the colors in seconds, so hurry up and use your hands to scrunch and twist your old top so that the acid will settle in random areas (therefore creating the blotchy look).

7) Take a look at your work. If you are happy with the result, rinse with cold water, and let it hang dry. You can add more bleach if you want more blotches, otherwise I'm pretty sure most sane people would be satisfied after the first run. But...whatever floats your boat.