You gotta do what you can to pass the downtime in lockdown, right? The bread baking phase has been done, as has at-home art classes, video chat parties, online trivia, and going absolutely hog-wild on revamping the garden. Now we’re firmly onto the DIY stage, and Melbourne stylist Stuart Walford has dived in head first – he’s making high-end runway looks out of crap lying around the house.
What started off as Stuart styling different things from around the house – a tracksuit with a couch cushion, a set of Gorman pillowcases, a range of wigs (it helps when your partner is drag queen extraordinaire Karen From Finance) – soon turned into a full-blown couture from home series.
Yep, he’s taking existing runway looks from some of the world’s top fashion houses and transforming them into a very fashion-forward DIY version. What do you even call this? Haute haus couture? COVID couture? High-end WFH fashion? Whatever it is, I love it.
Here’s Stuart’s run at a Paco Rabanne Spring 2021 look with a grand total of 20 aluminium BBQ trays. A vision, a look, a MOOD.
Or how about the fashion house’ 1997 spring/summer lumpy bumpy theme, instead cobbled together with a shitload of Chux wipes, dog bed inners and rubber gloves?
Honestly, Stuart’s haus couture looks elevate with every passing day. I mean, how’s this Dior Spring collection look from 2007, which he’s recreated mostly with paper and a hot glue gun. Frankly gorgeous, if you ask me.
One of my absolute faves would have to be this run at Maison Margiela’s Fall 2015 collection, but with a twist that emanates our mandated two hours of exercise per day (and how many shits you see in that time).
The astro turf, the dog poo bags, the forgotten poos. I’m quaking, this is incredible shit – literally.
Stuart’s recreation of Emma Corrin having their Kayachi moment for W Magazine is not far off bus leans further into the clown piñata realm – yet it still works. Those long-toed kitten heels are going to haunt my dreams for months.
Hat’s off to you Stuart, this is all some real strong at-home DIY couture, which is definitely making me feel bad for having the same two pairs of track pants on rotation for 90% of my waking life at the moment.
