A Better Mousetrap?

Sometimes, I come across a great piece at a store that is almost perfect.  Key word? Almost.  Maybe it's the fit, the color, the styling, but it just needs a little something.   This past week, I stumbled upon a sweater at Anthropologie, one of my favorite stores- not only for their clothes, but because of their great displays.  The store inspires me, plain and simple.  So, when I saw a small striped sweater on clearance, I danced right to the checkout with it.

What I loved about it was the back.  The front is a relatively simple crew with two cute pockets.  But the back---wow.  Only two buttons at the very top, then totally open.  I thought of it over a long white tank, and mused---great potential. Yet, it needed a little something---perhaps in the way of color--- to tie it into my black pants or make it a smidge more interesting.














Enter some red sheer polka dotted material from my studio and a leftover black and white bottom from a sweater that had been made into a bolero.  By attaching them to the interior edges of the back and letting them drape, I created a more interesting back---- which still pays homage to the open idea, but without the hassle of pulling it together over my tank.

With the back complete, I needed to add clue on the front.  So, by attaching a leftover ruffle that could be tied on one side to the interior top of one pocket, I introduced just a little pop of color and maybe a curiousity of what you might find on the back.















Finally, I attached two buttons--- different sizes, but complimentary.  Not only did they complete the look, but helped hold the pocket upright as well. Different, unique and colorful---just what I had envisioned.



When I was finished, I realized what had inspired me. I had inadvertently created a simpler, backwards version of one of my favorite designs from 2011- a turnstyle (see Smoke Flowers below).  Perhaps my upcycled sweater was a slightly better mousetrap (for me at least), but it's nearly impossible to improve on Anthropologie.......

Smoke Flowers