DIY Vintage Yves Saint Laurent Inspired Floral Bra

Everybody has those runway moments that feel like fashion royalty, and for me, the "wedding" look from Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Spring 1999 is one of them. Picture this, French model Laetitia Casta preens as she descends down the runway, wearing an all floral ensemble designed for her by Yves Saint Laurent himself. Laetitia Casta later would say of their partnership: "We were like two people in the water that stopped each other from drowning. I miss him very much, because you don't have many people like that in your life. One, if you are lucky."

Yves Saint Laurent would retire only three years later, but the effect of the nymph-like, Persephone touched ensemble continues to ripple in the fashion community. I've been obsessed with the look and wanted to recreate it since I first saw it years ago. I decided to save an old bra from its unused fate for a floral makeover in honor of looking forward to Spring! It’s not an exact recreation, but merely taking inspiration from this iconic look. I shared a preview of this piece on twitter back in December (and hinted I was working on it here heheh) and several people requested a how-to, so let's get started!

Moodboard:

Laetitia Casta, Very Rough Sketch I Drew in 2017, Glossier iPhone Wallpaper

You Will Need:
- Bra
- Fake Flowers (I also used Foam Pink Flowers, these are similar)
- Fake Leaves
- Glue Gun OR Hand Sewing Kit
- Scissors

How To:
Step One: Preparing the Bra
My bra was white, but I didn't want a stark contrast from my skin tone and the pink flowers. So, I dyed the bra with Rit Dye to create a blush hue that blends in better with the roses. You can use a bra that is already the desired shade, but in the spirit of repurposing an old garment, I used an old, off-white bra.

Step Two: Attaching the Flowers
With the knowledge that this bra will only be used for photoshoots in controlled environments, I decided to use a hot glue gun for attaching both fake and foam flowers. If you want this to be more durable, I highly recommend hand-sewing only fabric fake flowers on your bra. This is otherwise pretty self explanatory - glue or sew flowers on one at a time, filling up empty spaces as you go and alternating the different colors of the roses. I used cream, peach, and blush pink roses - but please feel free to experiment with different color stories!

Step Three: Adding the Leaves
Keep an eye out for more empty spaces, and put a few green leaves here and there. Taking inspiration from the original YSL garment, I also added a singular sprig of green to one bra strap.

And that's it, you are done! If you do this DIY please, please send me a photo - it would absolutely make my day! The end result is so beautiful, and I had such a fun time creating this piece!