Glitzy Western Denim
Now I am a HUGE fan of glitz and glamour, especially on more casual clothes. Sequins, crystals, diamante, lamé, I love it all. Most retailers seem to think that “party wear” is the range to apply the glitz and sadly is mainly a Christmas time kinda thing……………. Now I have different thoughts on that. I am a huge believer in wearing what you want when you want, be it wearing a “party” shirt in the middle of August. A denim shirt is a basic item in any wardrobe and for this time of year, it is a perfect laying piece for when you’re not sure how the weather is going to turn out and let’s face it that could be any time of the year in the UK haha. While I was at college and university I had a part-time job working for Swarovski. This is where the love of not only jewellery started but also for the glitz in life! I find that it can EASILY turn the most boring mundane thing and whip it up into the most exciting and interesting item you need even before you know what it is LOL. YEARS ago I remember seeing a Trussardi crystal-studded denim jacket in a magazine at the hairdresser’s. Now, this jacket was the most BEAUTIFUL thing I had seen, up until that time haha. It was completely covered in crystal studs all placed in lines of the same colour. They used blue, red and clear crystals with a little silver lip holding the stone in place, these are the only colours I can remember them using. It must have weighed a tonne and cost a small fortune. I have never quite forgotten this jacket and would love to be able to even find a picture of it. After searching and SEARCHING on Google it is like the jacket never existed. To recreate a jacket very similar would have cost quite a bit so I came up with a more original design.
I decided to use these colourful stones to adorn the shirt. I went for them over a clear crystal because I think they are more fun and it doesn’t matter if you go for a cheaper option because they are going to look cheap anyway LOL. Saying that the coloured stones really do not look bad at all, especially compared to a Swarovski stone. I loved the idea of the stones looking a bit like the bustier that Columbia wears on the Rocky Horror Picture show. I found this set on Amazon for £10.99 and you get 2000 stones, all different sizes. Now if I had gone for Swarovski stones the cost would have been astronomical and they would have weighed down and pulled on the shirt. Now I did have to go for a stone glue to attach the stones but in the kit, with the crystals, I got tweezers and a tool you can move the stone around once you have placed it, so you save a little bit there. The glue was also found on Amazon and it is called Gem-Tac and only cost £10.80. It has a very similar consistency and look to PVA glue and it also dries clear……….. so clear in fact that you can not see it. I have been planning on doing this shirt for a long time but I was unsure as to what kind of crystals to use. I bought this denim shirt from ASOS Marketplace, it was in the sale for £8 and they only had it in an XL. The fit of the shirt is PERFECT on me, it has an oversized look and the wash of the denim is DREAMY! The only downside to this shirt was it is made from a pretty thin fabric, because I went for a plastic stone it held up amazingly. If you go for a shirt made out of a thicker fabric not only will it be a little warmer but it will also help to hold the studs, and whatever else you want to throw at it, in place a little better.
I was inspired by pictures of Dolly Parton in her early days wearing a western shirt and her famous quote as well as Cher, and the iconic Bob Mackie outfits she loves to wear on stage. The inspiration I took from Cher was the way the stones would be applied to her costumes, applied to a power net mesh to make it look as though you're wearing much less than you are, and then covering them in crystals in a way that makes it look as though there are more stones then there are by fanning them out in size order. I Loved the idea of having my name on the pocket flap and the back of the shirt, almost like a 1950s bowling shirt.
The easiest way I found to apply the stones was to put small drops of the Gem-Tac adhesive where you want the crystals to go and then apply the stones one by one using the tweezers. Before I put the glue on I made sure I had turned over all of the stones so I could see the colours and make sure they were spread out evenly. I started off with the larger sized stones and worked my way onto the smaller sizes. The smaller stones were a right pain to not only pick up with the tweezers but to turn over the right way too. They would get stuck to EVERYTHING and I was finding small plastic gems all over the place for days…….. some things never change LOL. The small stones are perfect for filling in the gaps and they came in more colour options so a great way to add a new colour to the shirt. For the writing, I used an HB pencil and sketched the fancy font where I wanted it and then doing small sections at a time I applied the Gem-Tac along the pencil line then pop the crystals on the glue. The bit that took the longest was finding colours that weren’t the same to go next to each other. This started to drive me crazy because I was thinking about the colours far more than I need to be, so I would say just let it all happen a little more naturally haha.
For the back, I wanted to use the same font that I used on the front pocket flap but enlarged it and used Swarovski AB Hotfix stones to spell out “Van Cartier”. I find Swarovski Hotfix crystals a dream to work with. The first few you apply are always a little roughly applied but I always find the technique quickly comes back to me. At university, I used Hotfix crystals to completely cover a dress for my final collection. The number of stones added up to around 20,000 16ss which measure 4mm. This took me a good few weeks to do but I was a pro at it by the end haha. I used a dressmaking pin to gently ease the crystal out of the applicator if it won’t slide out the way it should do. I had a few of the larger coloured stones left so I decided to do a little spread of them coming out from the writing.
I am really happy with the end result of this shirt. From a distance, it almost looks subtle and it takes a while to work out what it is that has been applied to the shirt. I know this shirt will come in handy for the springtime weather either traveling to work, popping to the shops, OR even having a drink outside at a bar come Monday 12th!
Sunglasses - Kenzo x H&M
Shirt - ASOS Marketplace
Necklace/Belt/Bracelet - Moschino
T-shirt/Jeans/Boots/Earrings - ASOS
Bag - Balenciaga