Last week some of our favorite fashion goddesses (hi, Kate Bosworth + Chloe Grace Moretz!) made an appearance at a Coach party sporting our favorite new look: an illusion collar. Wait, you’re saying. An illusion collar? Let me explain. It is pretty much a faux collar that looks just like a real collar without the tightness and bulkiness. And you can DIY one with some mesh fabric and any ol’ t-shirt in need of an upgrade. We are all about this trend during the hot summer months when we don’t want any extra fabric around our necks. But this DIY is so cute it might just stick around forever.
Materials:
– T-shirt
– mesh fabric
– paper + pen
– pins
Tools:
– sewing machine
– fabric scissors
Instructions:
1. Grab a piece of scrap paper and create the shape of your collar. Cut it out and measure it up to the neckline of your shirt to make sure that it is even.
2. Turn your shirt inside out and trace your collar pattern onto the fabric.
3. Using the fabric scissors, cut out the collar pattern from your shirt.
4. Cut a piece of mesh fabric that is large enough to cover your collar and then pin in place.
5. Sew the perimeter of the collar shape attaching the mesh to the shirt. Make sure you don’t sew both sides of the shirt together!
6. Flip the shirt right side out and place onto a hanger to watch how the neckline falls. Pin in place and then sew.
7. Trim the extra mesh off of the shirt. Make sure you do not snip a hole into the new mesh collar!
The best way to make a perfect collar is to create a pattern. Place the piece of paper on top of the shirt and use the pen to trace the basic shape of the neckline. The find the center of the “U” shape and create two points or two curves of the collar. Cut out your pattern, then turn the shirt inside out and trace the pattern onto the fabric.
Using fabric scissors, cut out your newly traced collar.
Cut out a rectangle piece mesh that will cover your collar and then pin it in place. We recommend that you start pinning each corner and then go back and fill in the perimeter. This is one of the trickier parts — make sure you only pin the mesh to one side of the fabric. You definitely do not want to pin both sides of the shirt together!
Slowly sew the mesh to the shirt. Again, make sure you don’t get any other parts of the shirt underneath the presser foot. The mesh is delicate, s0 mistakes that involve a seam ripper could get messy.
Place the shirt on a hanger and watch how the neckline falls. Pin it to the mesh and then sew.
Trim the extra mesh away from your new illusion collar.
Is that a collar? Or is it an illusion??
Rounded collar or pointy collar? Your choice!
Our art director, Annie, was visiting Brit HQ last week, and I was lucky enough to get her to model this illusion for me!
