What happens when you don’t want to spend $1450 on your dream vintage piece

So let's start out by saying my tailor really did that! He was able to create an almost identical version of the 2003 Dior filth bustier and honestly you cannot tell the difference.

How did I come up with this idea?

Let's start from the beginning.

I saw this Dior bustier on one of my websites I use for sourcing, and sadly was too late and someone bought it before I had the chance.

I wanted to cry when I saw it had sold 😂

I was heartbroken because if you are a vintage collector like me, you literally have one shot to secure your dream piece before your chance is gone forever. This particular piece is sold out EVERYWHERE including 1stDibs, TreasuresofNYC and Mauve.

The only other one I was able to track down online was at Into Archive, with a hefty price tag of $1450. That was just too much for me to justify buying so I sat with my disappointment.

This mistake haunted me for WEEKS (I couldn't escape my feeling of "what if I would've searched earlier to find this?") and I couldn't even concentrate on sourcing for other items for KO and myself.

Then as I was browsing Depop for items from the Dior filth collection, I saw a set of 5 panties and 1 bra for sale, for a very reasonable $200 (¥28,000). I immediately thought "this is my chance to create my dream piece since I cant buy it!". I haggled with the seller to get it down to ¥26,000 and purchased the set.

I immediately got in contact with a few tailors, some who were based in Europe and another who was an atelier for UNIQLO for many years here in Japan.

All of them immediately told me no, that with the amount of fabric from the photos, they would not be able to complete this project.

I was of course discouraged, and ready to give up, until I went to GMT Factory, located in Yoyogi-Uehara station.

I had used their services before for shoes, since their main business is shoe cobbling.

I half-heartedly brought up the idea to them of making this bustier with the panties and bra as materials and to my surprise, they immediately agreed to the project.

Before starting, we took my measurements and I left them with my Pleats Please corset, which is also a custom, so they can get a feel for the sizing.

Then I waited patiently for two weeks.

I finally got a call which was ironically on my birthday! (August 21st), and I went in for the fitting. It was too big! but I was very pleased with how it looked and the craftsmanship!

He took it in with pins and said it would be ready in a couple of days.

To my surprise, my tailor called back the same day and said it was finished! I went back to try on the finished product and there it was!

A PERFECT fit!!!

I was so excited because it turned out exactly how I wanted it, and the details he put into it were amazing, including sewing in the tag like an original would have. The paneling also was so well done.

I know if you've stuck with me thus far in my story, you're wondering how much I paid for tailoring of the bustier.

a cool ¥44,000, which paired with material costs brings the total up to ¥70,000 ($481).

$1000 less than the market price.

Moral of the story: be creative, see your vision through and make anything you want a reality.

Thanks for reading!

Like this post if you want to see some new items on KO soon! I've been super busy with work/travel and I am also hoping to sell more sale items before I buy a new batch of items. If there is anything in particular you're looking for, please feel free to DM on Twitter or IG.

xoxo,

PW