Obi Belt The Vagadu Way

Hi everyone! How are all of you?

We're all really happy here at Vagadu because of these new belts that we have been creating this month! They are the Vagadu take on the popular Obi Belt!

What is really cool about these belts is that we've made them to fit into our current collection! So there are Navy& Red belts, Neutral belts, and belts that are mix of all different blues! Isn't that a cool idea?! Soon there will belts

that will contain the pop color of our collection, we're making them this month!

Within these belts there are shapes that we haven't seen on any other Obi Belts, like really interesting geometric matters. Thebelts are all different, some are flowing from one side to another while some are totally different on both sides. We've used hand dyed silks, laces and velvets to add texture to these pieces and those textures make them pop!

We love the Obi Belts because they are an accessory that can be worked

in an outfit in such a wonderful way. Wearing them with a plain colored T-shirt or oversized shirt would create a totally different look than whenever you had previously worn that same top!

Another reason why these belts are great is that they are at a lower price point than some of the other Vagadu items

(under $150!!). This is great news for those of you who want to own

something by Vagadu but haven't found anything for your price point.

Love & Fashion,

Kelley for Vagadu

A Perfect Rose Reworked

Bonjour everyone!

One of the projects that I was really excited about reworking

was a vest that we'd come to call the Prefect Rose. The Prefect Rose was a blazer that we had already reworked into a blazer vest but people were not responding to this item the way that we thought they would be.

The idea came about to rework the Prefect Rose into an even better blazer vest than the first time. If a blazer vest is created and does not successfully sell then the next option is coming up with ideas on how we can make the vest even more flattering than how it currently is.

You can tell from the previous picture where I'm wearing the blazer vest what we've changed in the final product. But to explain, we unpicked the bottom drape and flattened out the way the blazer vest fell at the waist. Also we trimmed the bottom by about 3 inches so that it sat in a different location, we also dropped the bottom down creating a larger waist. We took material that we had cut off of the bottom and added it onto opposite the roses to create balance in the neck line.

Recently this blazer vest was wrote by a friend of Vagadu at a Gala in San Francisco and the vest was a great success. The woman wearing it was complimented throughout the evening, proving that a little reworking goes a long way!

Love & Fashion,

Kelley for Vagadu

New Creations Are Blooming at Vagadu

Good morning!

Right now we're really excited about a flowering vest that we recently created. This vest is a good accent piece to be worn over a long or short sleeve T-shirt depending on your climate.

We really love this piece because it is so versatile, we have it shown on the model worn with a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt. The flowering vest is something that can turn an outfit from low key into a one of a kind creation.

The flowering vest could be worn as shown or as a going out item paired with a tank and a high waisted skirt or trousers. This is one of those types of items that would get frequent wear because of the different looks that you can create with this flowering vest.

The multiple colors that were used for this item allow the item to both blend in and stand out depending on what color you pair the vest with. With a darker color the fuschia in the background would really pop where as with a lighter color the flowers would pop more.


Please don't hesitate to ask any questions! Have a great day!

Love & Fashion,

Kelley for Vagadu

Not Just Any Old Wedding Gift

Hey! How is everyone doing today?!

This blazer was first created as a pop color item that would bring color to any wardrobe since it is made from all different shades of purple. But this product ended up becoming something much more.

My cousin was getting married and after speaking to family members, they all agreed that I should make her a blazer specifically for her instead of a traditional wedding gift. My cousin loves colors that are bold and bright like reds.

We had already created this purple blazer, but to make it something that my cousin would like even more we decided to add red accent points to it. We did this through adding in red bead work, and fun red fabrics made from satin charmeuse to the neck line. This made the final product more flamboyant and exactly what my cousin wanted!

What was unique about this item is that we were able to rework the blazer for a second time to create the final end product. It shows that these blazers can be even further enhanced to make something that is even more liked.

Love & Fashion,

Kelley for Vagadu

The "New" Vest, Bunnies Not Included

Hello all!


Today Carol came in to pick up her new vests that she commissioned us to breathe a new life into. These items Carol had hanging in her closet, getting no use but she couldn't part with them either. The idea to change them into something more functional came about, so we set about this new task.

The idea was to create a new vest that would flatter her figure and would be able to be worn in multiple setting including a more formal atmosphere. The two vests created looked best falling at mid hip level. The creation of this item, along with Carol's extremely pleased reaction has spurred the idea to create more vests falling at the same length in different patterns and styles.

What was great about this project was that the pieces we worked with were brought in by the person who was having the items created. This is a great opportunity to bring in an item that holds sentimental value but just doesn't quite fit anymore, like your father's old blazer.

This project was also challenging because this was the first time creating a vest that would fall longer than waist level. The end product turned out wonderful and everyone walked away happy with the new vests.

In the case of the bunny vest, it has previously been a track jacket with a zipper up the very center of the jacket. This zipper was reworked into a decorative item along both sides of the vest that worked well with the silk along the neck line. A button allows the vest to still be closed.

Love & Fashion,

Kelley for Vagadu

T-Shirt Fun

I normally don't create from T-shirts but for an event for Global Action through Fashion (at which I spoke about the importance of Green Fashion), I was asked to create a design a la VAGADU in a t-shirt form. The idea behind creating a t-shirt was that they would be teaching people how to rework their old t-shirts into something great. Therefore, I went to work to show how I would do it.

At first I was unenthusiastic, mainly because I am sick of t-shirts and the fabric that is used in most ready-to-wear. To me, t-shirt fabric is cheap and ugly and doesn't last. So, I don't work in it. However, in honor of the event I decided to participate.

To my surprise, I actually had fun and created a design I was proud of. As you can see in the image my reworked tee turned out pretty well.

So, what did I do?

1. Cut the sleeves and bottom off the dark green tee. Took the sleeves and and rouged them into the flower on the front. In order to get the shape I hand sewed it. Yes...using my couture techniques that I use on the very high end VAGADU pieces. As I know, couture is appropriate for almost ALL DESIGNS!!!

2. Took the bottom of the shirt and used it to created a mini ruffle and trim around the neckline. Again, applied through laborious hand-sewing.

3. I had another tee that was falling apart, and so I used it to create the cascading ruffles. This was accomplished by simply cutting spiraling circles into the green fabric and then letting them unwind creating the effect you see in the image. Next, I stitched them to the shoulder.

Voila! You have a couture-inspired tee!!! Amazing!

The Vagadu Man Emerges...

In just the last couple months I have surprisingly gotten very inspired by menswear. This is a very unexpected development, yet it has come about so naturally that somehow it just feels right!

A little back end tidbit....besides creating clothing I have branched out into image consulting and my primary clients have been men. Through the research and development of how to create great style for men, my creative juices started to expand as I got more and more requests for custom clothing. Given my flair for the unusual , it has been a fun journey to find the sweet spot between striking and over-the-top. Granted my idea of striking is probably much bolder than most, but still, I am find that avant-guard men's clothing is a very up-and-coming market and men are just plain AWESOME clients.

The other day I got a commission for a special b-day shirt. The man was an artist and so I wanted to tie the shirt in with his artwork. My client's art is photography where he essentially collages different bits of the image so that it has depth and texture and has you rethink the entire image. I wanted to apply that same concept to his shirt...which you see--in the image to the left--is a reconstruction or a collage of several shirts in one garment.

Another concept I conceived for a shirt is using my "scrap technology" (as seen in the scrap tech vests in previous post) and applied to a masculine design. In the end, it became more of what I consider to be a new take on the tuxedo shirt... or in other words, a reinterpretation of the classic ruffle. In the image pictured here, the gentleman is also sporting one of my custom ascots...a great variation on the classic tie.