Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Fab fashion from the flatlands


Whodathunk?

The Midwest is a not a hub for style trendsetting, nor a fashion mecca, so I was surprised when I found this story which combines not only a fashion statement but amazing creativity as well. This lovely young woman created her tres cool prom dress from coffee filters.

Really.

I saw a picture posted on a news site and when I googled her, realized she was from the St. Louis area. The following story was lifted from her school’s online newspaper.

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Who would have thought coffee filters could be used for clothing? Aimee Kick, a senior at Francis Howell North High School, knew she wanted to wear a dress that would not only be elegant and fashionable, but one-of-a-kind at her senior prom.

Aimee spends a lot of time at coffee shops in her spare time and has become known as the “the girl with a coffee cup,” which was the inspiration for her dress.

Aimee knew that she wanted to wear something creative, but after eliminating fabric her options for material were limited. She considered vegetables, tea bags, stamps, bubble wrap, and aluminum foil, but found that these items were perishable or not durable.


Being able to dance was an important factor in the final decision for the material, but she needed to be able sit and breathe comfortably, as well as be able to make and complete the dress in a reasonable time frame.

“When I really started to notice how into making the dress I got was the day before a large (and tedious) research paper was due. I kept saying to myself, ’Just finish the paper and then you can work on the dress as much as you want,’" said Aimee.

Aimee spent about a month on the entire project; folding and cutting as well as staining, dying, sewing, and hand blow-drying the coffee filters. According to Aimee, she sometimes spent six hours or more a day on the dress.

“Each and every filter is sewn onto a fabric base that I made. Most filters have multiple seams over them, save for the bodice, which was all hand sewn,” said Aimee.

At times this was a little difficult because she has never used coffee filters to make clothing, but she was very motivated to complete the challenge.

“I am very inspired to use different materials, so it was more of a stimulating challenge than a difficulty,” Aimee said.

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You rock, Aimee. Hope the prom was a blast.


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15 comments:

Cormac Brown said...

Uh, I hope she doesn't wear it in such weather as that occurred in the last post.

Kathleen said...

Kudos to Aimee! And thank you, Pyzahn, for pointing out this amazing accomplishment. The dress is adorable, as is its creator! Truly amazing!

sallymandy said...

I love reading about confident young women doing anything...and this is in that category. The dress and Aimee are beautiful.

Rudee said...

A budding designer, how cool is that? Do I hear Heidi Klum and Project Runway calling?

You know Pyzahn, we midwesterners often turn out good products. It just takes longer for us to get noticed here in the middle of nowhere.

Anonymous said...

Now THAT. Is really cool. Creative, original, and actually a very lovely dress, too. Sweet.

Hey Pyzahn - how do you do those "You might like these stories" thingies at the end of your posts? I use blogger too - contact me off-blog?

The Old Silly from Free Spirit Blog

we_be_toys said...

I think we're going to be seeing more of this talented young lady, either in the fashion world, or the art world, or both!
And now I'm really craving a cup of coffee!

Rosaria Williams said...

What an inventive person!

Nancy said...

What a talent! Hopefully someone will notice from Project Runway, and she will be off on a career of design. I'm always amazed at what those incredibly talented designers can create out of very weird things.

Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein said...

She's rockin' those filters.

drollgirl said...

BRILLIANT!!! so creative, and so resourceful! what a chick!!!

T said...

Wow! What talent, creativity and determination! Kudos to Aimee!!

Thank you for the nice comment on my blog! I very much appreciate it, that was very kind of you.

You have a great blog! I think I will be back often. :)

Marsi @ The Cottage Cheese said...

Wow, she is so inventive and creative to be so young. What a cool idea, and a beautiful dress!

Amy said...

Geez. We made our homecoming float out of coffee filters and it looked nothing like this!!

I love creativity like this, but envy it as well. Bravo to this little pixie and her coffee filters!

Anonymous said...

I love the dress. She truly is on her way to being a designer.

Tess Kincaid said...

Stunning! Absolutely amazing. I love the subtle vintage aged look. Just like it's mellowed for years.