The Chain Dress: “This was made from only grocery store and garbage bags, VHS tape, and broken jewelry. I melted the bags into thick strips and wove them together for the skirt with an open, fluffy back. The skirt fits on the natural waist with a clean line before turning into carefully cut strips of plastic, a shortened, mermaid inspired dress. The belt is made from knitted VHS tape, and the chain accents were from necklaces in my jewelry box with broken clasps, tied in strategic areas. Modeled by Ione Lohnes.”
The VHS and Roses Dress: “This piece was made out of an old, loose weave shell which I found at Value Village. Upon taking it home to incorporate into my wardrobe, I noticed it had several holes and seemed pretty unsalvageable for daily wear. It stayed in my closet for a while before I decided to try and revamp it with my new-found fashion skills. I wove old VHS tape through the holes to fill in the gaps in the fabric and add sparkle, then I melted trash bags and danger tape into a sturdy under-bust belt which laces in the back. I used some remaining danger tape to twist and melt into rose-bub shaped accents. Erin Francis was a natural choice to model this piece with her long black hair and pin-up look. I even incorporated hair pieces into her outfit.”
Next: Formal and fun
Ronnie Ryno
I was so amazed and proud of Rachel’s designs. She worked hard and put together a fantastic collection…it was so inspiring! Great job, Rachel, I’m so glad to have had you a part of this year’s Runway Renegades!
Jeff McIntire-Strasburg
Thanks for the input, Ronnie! I’m no fashionista, but I was pretty impressed with what I saw… she did some amazing things with “trash”