Are you always saying to yourself "how come boys get all the good band tees?!" I know I am! Do you see people walking around with their sweet customized band tees and you're like "how the fuck did they do that?!" Well here's a blog on how to make a boy's band tee into a super girlie mock corset tunic top. It's easy, it takes ten minutes (for real, just ten minutes) and it looks super hot no matter what shape your body is. Last week Jessie and I were going to an 80's dance night at Neo, and she needed a cool tee to wear...and here's how that dream became reality.
The first step is picking out a tee. This style of customization involves cutting up the back of the shirt, so pick one with a really strong graphic on the front (or you'd just be ruining it if its on the back.) You want to get a shirt that is a lot bigger than what you'd usually wear. She picked out a men's XL for the custom shirt, but she'd wear a men's medium if she wanted it to be fitted, to give you an idea. She chose one with a large graphic on the front that we felt fully channeled the Bowie superpowers of seduction we were looking for.
The first cut will involve getting rid of the "mens neckline" and making it off the shoulder hottness. Lay your tee out on a completely flat surface and make sure all the seams are lined up so the cut will be even. You will want to cut from shoulder to shoulder, but DO NOT CUT INTO THE STITCHING ON THE SHOULDERS. Cut in a slight "scoop". Then go ahead and gently stretch the neckline by holding each sleeve and tugging gently. This will give you a good idea of if the cut is as much as you wanted. Remember- you can cut more off, but you can't add material if you fuck it up by not being careful.
Now flip the tee over so the back is facing up. Smooth the shirt very thoroughly to get rid of any wrinkles or bumps. Then, taking a very sharp pair of scissors (starting from about one inch below the neckline) you are going to start cutting HORIZONTAL slashes from about a centimeter from the hemline on each side (see pic below.) Repeat slashes, spacing them about an inch and a half to two inches apart until you reach the bottom of the shirt.
There is no need to be exact with the cuts, just eyeball it. Now that you've created all of your horizontal slashes, there is an optional step. If the shirt is much too long for you, just go ahead and cut it off to the desired length at this time. We cut off about four inches of the shirt because it was a super awkward length.
Eyeballing where the center of all the slashes are, cut VERTICALLY in the center all the way up the back. No need to be perfect, but don't go all willy nilly either.
This next step will require a friend or trusted confidant.Put the shirt on, and yes- you will look like an idiot.
Now have your friend start tying the slashes together starting from the top. Make sure the top is nice and tight so the shirt will stay up on it's own, whether you wear it off of one shoulder or draped off
of both. You can tie it tight or loose based on personal preference, or to enhance or hide what you want.
Yay! Now you are done! You can do little bows on the ties if you want it to be girlier, or wear a contrast color tank underneath for a pop of color....or wear nothin' at all if you want to be a seductress!
