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.

Happy Father's Day

Fathers come in a variety of assorted packaging. Some are wrapped in suits and hand stitched Italian loafers, whilst others are adorned with bowling shirts and eighties denim high pants. There are those who come with novel accessories such as beer cans, golf clubs, green thumbs, organizers, or fountain pens. However, different they may all be, a simple commonality can be found...that is we would not exist without them.

My father is one that should have come gift wrapped in a khaki safari suit and matching hat. The man lived quite an adventure, and I grew up listening to countless stories of amazing cities and characters he had met along the way.

A born traveler, dad studied abroad in Europe with a scholarship and an interest in seeing the rest of the world through his own eyes. He traveled everywhere, and whilst my mother was still pregnant with me he sent her letters and photographs from Paris, Berlin, and London.

I remember being ten years old and a curious girl who constantly rummaged through her mother's dressing table. There was a tiny yet beautiful Eiffel Tower necklace that caught my eye. The chain was thin and crafted out of a white gold, and hanging on it was a square marble pendant with the gold tower carved into it. I asked my mother if I could borrow the necklace, and she said yes but on one condition: I had to take very good care of it.

It was quite old, she explained.

Dad had sent it over to her in the mail when he traveled to Paris. At the time, she was still pregnant with me, and could not travel with him. She told me that the necklace was older than me, and that I should treat it like I would an elder: with respect. So I did just that, and wore it with pride to a dance recital where I later stood back stage showing the tower off to my peers, warning them that if they touched it I would tear a hole in their leotard.

Although I was only partially joking.

After me and my baby sister was born, dad made a rather drastic decision to move us away from our home town, which was then the bustling metropolitan city of Jakarta, Indonesia. There was political unrest that made my parents uneasy about our future if we chose to stay.

My father had been offered a job in Australia, and so he took us with him in search of a better life. It was lucky that he did, because only a month after we waved goodbye to relatives and friends, all hell broke loose as the economy crisis in Indonesia worsened. I watched the riots on the news miles away in Melbourne, my new home.

Until now I still think about how lucky we were to have fled just in time. And today, on Father's Day, I celebrated the life of a man who showed me the world.

"Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world"

click me

Wouldn't you agree?

BIENVENUE

The Japanese have a word called Shibori that is used to describe certain methods of creating patterns on dyed cloth; by means of twisting, stitching, folding, or binding. Different methods of fabric manipulation will lead to different outcomes in patterns. In the Western word, this method is more commonly known as Tye-Dye.

Humans are like Shibori pieces. Each one of us is a work of art, and each one so individual. We turn out the way we are because of the decisions we make in life. Our twists, and turns, and our choice of direction will eventually result in a life design that is as unique as a snowflake.

Now, most blogs function as online diaries. They give us an insight to a blogger's lifestyle, and describe the unique decisions they make each day. These are documented decisions that will constantly change their personality and who they will be remembered as. They say "This is what makes me who I am".

So my thought process was quite simple. If I were to create a blog that would document the daily lifestyle decisions I make I would call it a Shibori. These are the methods of life manipulation that I have chosen that makes me who I am. The day-dreaming Shasha Van Der Pendersen.

Welcome to my world!