Mood DIY: Beyonce Super Bowl-Inspired Bustier

Was I the only one who sat in awe after the Super Bowl half time show last month?  Not only at Beyonce’s performance  — I mean Kelly and Michelle were a refreshing throwback — but of Beyonce’s COSTUME?  I literally said out loud when she flashed that winning smile at the end….”now THAT’S HOT!”  So, I don’t need to tell you how excited I was to learn that the very designer of Bey’s costume (his name is Rubin Singer)….got the guipure lace from Mood Fabrics NYC. Welllllll….that’s all I needed to hear.  I marched up to Mood, stalked the fancy lace section, got my hands on a secondhand leather vest, and got to work.

Supplies: Leather vest, guipure lace, rotary cutter, scissors, straight pins, tape measure, straight edge, pen, sewing machine, and/or  needle and thread.  (Note: you can use fabric paint or spray paint to dye lace if you’d like).

How-To:
1. Wrap lace around your body, or mannequin to estimate where lace will fall and how much you’ll need.
2. I used masking tape here, but it would be just as easy to use straight pics to section off a guide to what part of the design you want to include BEFORE you cut.
3. Cut out the “U” shaped form of lace you’ll be working with — slowly snipping pieces of the lace close to the edge that won’t be included in your design.
4. I wanted a slightly darker shade than what was available, but this step is totally optional.  To change lace color, feel free to use fabric paint or even spray paint to do the job.  (Note: I tried RIT dye initially, but unfortunately it didn’t work).
5. Use tape measure and pen to mark out the deep “V’s” of leather that you’ll remove from the abdomen area of the vest.
6. Use a rotary cutter to precisely cut the leather.
7. With straight pins, hem the rough edges of the vest that are left after you cut out the V’s.
8. With a half inch seam allowance, hem the leather V’s.
9. Hand stitch lace onto the inner lining of the vest.

Brandhyze Stanley is the chief voice of Frugal-nomics.com; a platform designed to share with women how to live and look fabulous on a dime. A DIY girl at heart—Brandhyze has been featured on The View, The Early Show, The Today Show, InStyle Magazine, Essence Magazine, and MTVStyle. A Wilhelmina Model for nearly a decade, with a Business Degree from Loyola University Chicago, Brandhyze is a Fashion & Style Writer and Video Contributor for Newsday Westchester, and provides DIY content to the popular How-To Site, eHow. Brandhyze is a huge thrifter and a lover of all good deals, follow her on Twitter @MyFrugalnomics and on Facebook at Facebook.com/Frugalnomics.