I have always drooled over Rihanna for River Island's first collection, so this DIY is to never getting around to buying any, (it was ALWAYS sold out when I was in Japan or shipping rates were through the roof). There's something so alluring about that staple, effortless simplicity, not to mention how darn sexy all of it was. This probably took me less than a few hours to whip up and costed about $20, just because zips are exy these days.
STEP BY STEP DIY AFTER THE BREAK!
So this was how I made the skirt and hope I was okay at explaining, if you're interested in making one for yourself!
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
1. Jersey material of your choice (I got 1.5m, allowing room for mistakes but adjust according to own measurements)
2. Your choice of zip (I went with a super chunky white one)
3. Sewing Kit
4. Sewing Machine (optional)
STEP 1
Measure out the length of the skirt and how wide you will need to wrap it around once, taking a few inches (or more for mistakes) for hemming and seams. Chalk up your material and cut your rectangle out. Pin the sides and hem (leave the top and bottom till later).
STEP 2
Now you will sew in the zip. I had to do this by hand as I wanted the zip to be invisible, if you wanted to show off the white stitching on the front, just run this through the machine, it would look pretty cool too as well as speeding up the process! As I pin down the hem (thicker) for the top, I wrapped it around the zip and pinned it down to the sides. I actually made a mistake here as there is a gap at the top of the zip but reckon it looks kinda cool.
*If you didn't want a gap there, you will need to allow more material to fill in the gap by cutting into the top hem and down that side seam.
Finished one side of the zip? Continue to do the same for the other side. It's easier to flip it inside out when you do this.
STEP 3
Now your sides should be joint by the zip! Then you will sew the top and bottom hem through the machine. After this, shape your skirt to your body for a flattering shape but taking in what is needed on the opposite side where there isn't a seam yet.
STEP BY STEP DIY AFTER THE BREAK!
So this was how I made the skirt and hope I was okay at explaining, if you're interested in making one for yourself!
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
1. Jersey material of your choice (I got 1.5m, allowing room for mistakes but adjust according to own measurements)
2. Your choice of zip (I went with a super chunky white one)
3. Sewing Kit
4. Sewing Machine (optional)
Measure out the length of the skirt and how wide you will need to wrap it around once, taking a few inches (or more for mistakes) for hemming and seams. Chalk up your material and cut your rectangle out. Pin the sides and hem (leave the top and bottom till later).
STEP 2
Now you will sew in the zip. I had to do this by hand as I wanted the zip to be invisible, if you wanted to show off the white stitching on the front, just run this through the machine, it would look pretty cool too as well as speeding up the process! As I pin down the hem (thicker) for the top, I wrapped it around the zip and pinned it down to the sides. I actually made a mistake here as there is a gap at the top of the zip but reckon it looks kinda cool.
*If you didn't want a gap there, you will need to allow more material to fill in the gap by cutting into the top hem and down that side seam.
Finished one side of the zip? Continue to do the same for the other side. It's easier to flip it inside out when you do this.
STEP 3
Now your sides should be joint by the zip! Then you will sew the top and bottom hem through the machine. After this, shape your skirt to your body for a flattering shape but taking in what is needed on the opposite side where there isn't a seam yet.
STEP 4
Trim threads and seams and you're done! How easy is it; you could probably go onto making shorter skirts, skirts with zips in the middle, at the back, become the master of zip skirts in general.
Now you can style with a simple crop, sweater, some sneakers or boots. Good luck! Let me know how it goes! :)
