Alterations and Creations

As a 4’9 petite woman, shopping for clothing and accessories have always been a struggle. I always prefer to shop in person rather than online to try on the clothes and see how they fit me. 

However, most of the time, I always find myself in the kids section, which benefits me in terms of the price and size, but also does not have the clothes I like in my wardrobe.

I consider myself a resourceful and sustainable fashion girl with a great sense of style and a good eye, which my friends tell me. These are remarkable compliments because they boost my love for fashion and creativity.

Now, I say resourceful and sustainable because my two favourite outfits I am showcasing in this article are alterations and creations curated by me for me. I would say 90% of the clothes in my wardrobe are hand-me-downs or thrift.

I live by great finds, deals and trust the ‘thrift gods’ and my mother’s closet.

The first outfit is my mother’s dress for her church choir that I upcycled into a summer cover-up. I found this dress in my mother’s sheltered closet, and I immediately fell in love with this long dress because of its vibrant colours and how it reminded me of one of my favourite brands I want to own one day, which is Issey Miyaki.

When I got a hold of this dress, I asked my mother if I could alter it and make it my own. I am fortunate to have a mother who lets me express myself and my creativity.

After a few cuts and ties, I made it into a long skirt to match my orange bikini, and I used the fabric left as a top, but in this picture, I made it as a wrap for my small purse.

Along with my alteration skills by using a scissor, last year, I had the opportunity to learn how to sew as my sister gave me her sewing machine for my 23rd birthday. I took a few weeks to learn and decided to make my birthday outfit.

This outfit is inspired by y2k mini skirts, with golden embellishments to add shimmer and glitter to the dress.

Due to the lack of time to hone my sewing skills, the dress is a little bit unfinished and could have looked better in stitches and sewings, but I am still proud that I successfully finished it, even though I did not have enough time and skills to create this outfit.

I was still ecstatic with how this iconic outfit turned out, with a budget of under $50.

These outfits are my proudest achievements in terms of my personal dress and fashion sense. 

I was born and raised in a different country with different cultural experiences. In the Philippines, our culture values sentimentality and the importance of being resourceful and upcycling or recycling things, which I embody that came from generations, from my mother, grandparents and our ancestors.

In terms of the objectified state, it matters whether the clothing or items come from natural resources or are bought in an institutionalized state, since it is embedded in our culture to keep items of sentimental value that other people from different cultures may call hoarding.

However, coming from a low-income family, I have learned to budget and work with what I have, which improved my skills in being resourceful, sustainable, and fabulous.