I love finding treasures at second hand and vintage shops. Lately I’ve even found garments even though some of the best finds I’ve found while looking for something completely different. I’ve also stumbled upon a garment that I didn’t know I needed until recently, the silk knit top. I found one not long ago that I’ve used a lot and now I’m always on the lookout for them. Why do I love this 90’s business woman wardrobe staple you might wonder? They’re so comfortable and you can wear them all year round. You also get all the benefits of silk but don’t have to worry about ironing as much, compared to let’s say a blouse from woven silk.
My silk knit top count is now up to four. I almost didn’t buy the most recent one. The fit was perfect but it was in this beige colour I felt wouldn’t work on me. So I decided to dye it purple!
The starting point, a very soft but very beige silk knit top.
At first I thought I’d try to get an even purple colour but in the end I went with tie dye. I just love the randomness and the patterns you can get sometimes. Instead of doing the traditional swirl in the middle, i tied the sleeves, the side seams as well as the center front and center back.
I was hoping to get some irregular stripes with these ties.
All tied up, ready to be dyed. I don’t have any pictures of the dyebath because honestly our bathroom is poorly lit and the floor tiles are not so photogenic anymore.
Voilá, it’s now purple! I’m quit happy with the result. I got the stripes and randomness of pattern I wanted. I’m gonna be wearing this top a lot this summer!
When you look close enough, doesn’t this pattern look like flames?
The result is very cool!!