Reclaimed garments
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Something about the work of Piet Mondrian is so timeless, but maybe because it’s so simplistic. I’ve had an urge to design many crew necks recently, and when I came across Yves Saint Laurent’s line of cocktail dresses inspired by Mondrian, I knew what I had to do.

Drafting didn’t take long, as the similar pattern of varying rectangles utilizing primary colors was easy to achieve, (on paper that is). Planning was a different story, as not only would I be reworking an existing crew neck to create something new, but I also wanted a wraparound pattern. Luckily, I came across three primary colored garments while thrifting, that way I didn’t have to purchase new sweater fleece to work with. I bought a new white sweater to risk any staining from previously owned ones, and already owned a black crewneck to repurpose for the line work.

When putting together all the components, I found that the sleeves of the garments often had the most available material to use, as the front or back usually had a graphic. The most challenging aspect was cutting and sewing the black stripes in between the rectangles evenly, but the lay of the fabric helped in hiding imperfections.

It also wasn’t until I was creating a collar out of a waistband that I decided to make the crewneck into a turtleneck, but I think it’s chic!

-JA