Uniqlo jacket and Primark top - how I cut a top which was too small. Dress of the day by Angela Lansbury.
The item was six pounds in Primark, or was it three. It was reduced, half price. Not my colour. Brown is not my favourite colour. (Americans say color, Grammarly a;; or Spell chccker keeps reminding me.)
Reflection On What Colours To Wear
When I was a brunette I wore brown and purple. And black. Not royal blue because my mother put me in that colour all my childhood because it suited me.
As a blonde I wear vivid, warm colours, red, orange, pink, occasionally green and blue. Nowadays I have tried yellow.
Silver and gold were once reserved for evenings. But with changing fashions, influencers who want to be noticed, wear bright and shiny colours, and their styles get copied. Asians living in all summer countries bring their colours to cool countries and cold seasons.
Irresistible Bargain
Not my fist choice colour. But a bargain? Who can resist a bargain? I can't. Primark's policy is to sell affordable clothes. But they also have sale rails.
Matching and co-ordinating colours.
Better than a contrast. Perfect colour co-ordination. All brown cardigan. Cream top with a brown pattern.
The light cream relieves the overwhelming effect of the all-brown cardigan, which is long.
Primark size XS. Photo by Angela Lansbury.
XS is not just small. It's extra small. Too small. For me.
Cut ? Where? Seams? Back?
Cutting One Side Seam
Cutting the seam under the arm is less conspicuous. But if I cut a long cut I would need a zip or ties. What if one cut was not enough, or made the garment lopsided?
Maybe cut both seams. But that means twice the time cutting. More importantly, twice the time sewing or fixing.
On reflection, cutting the centre back now seems more appealing. I have seen centre backs linked with a zig-zag ribbon and holes or slits. The corset effect, called a corset back.
Corset Backs To Expand Small Garments
You can even buy a corset back ready threaded through holes, which you can add by sewing it in, seaming both sides. But the cost of buying a corset back is as much as or more than buying a whole corset. I saw it for more than eleven pounds on Amazon. It is advertised as being in black or white, for wedding dresses. I suppose pregnant brides buy a dress and then find they have expanded. Or want to dye the dress and wear it after the wedding when they are pregnant. Or economise by buying a second hand dress which is too small. Or fall in love with the neckline and bust appearance at the front but the zip at the back won't meet.
You could buy a second hand corset and cut out the ribbon part. Yet more delay, cost, clutter, effort, sewing.
Small top cut up the back.
I started by making a cut at the waist. That was not enough. It was tight under the arms, across the chest.
I considered slitting up to the neck.but leaving it in place across the top stopped it slipping off.
Inside pocket revealed. Photo by Angela Lansbury.
Hidden Top
The top stayed hidden all day. A pity not to see it. Why bother wearing it. Why not keep it fresh to wear on a warmer day when the cardigan can be worn loose, unzipped?
Advantages of a hidden top
After all that trouble to cut the top, you could not see it.
So why did I wear it? Firstly, for warmth. Another layer.
Secondly, to keep the cardigan pristine. The blouse would protect the cardigan from perspiration, staining, smell, maybe even rubbing. It is easier to wash by machine or hand a light blouse whose colours are more fixed, and paler. Quicker to dry it too. Less bulky in the wash or dryer.
Moreover, the jagged cut was invisible. I was able to make use of the blouse after preparing it.
The outfit was warm. The cardigan had an outing. So did the cream top. A success!
About Primark
Primark makes affordable clothing. It has huge shops in the UK.
About Uniqlo
I could not remember how to spell unqlo. Was there a c or a q or a g in the middle? Logically it should b q, but then it should have a u after it, and q and g look similar on screen, especially in poor light or without your reading glasses.
However, when I read the history of the company in wikipedia, all became clear and memorable. It's a Japanese company. They wanted to name it unique clothing and shorten it to six letters. Early on, a mistake was made, but they liked the error version and kept it.
Useful Websites
Primark information and links
Primark's own site and their sale page
Corset back kit
Uniqlo
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