in the journal today.
link:
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/look/story.html?id=0abac463-f926-41bd-aa69-76ec3ca6f250 * * * *
Designer brings aprons out of the kitchen
Andrea Yacyshyn sews eye-catching creations that are chic, fun -- and practical
Cassandra Kyle, Freelance
Published: Tuesday, October 24, 2006
The apron, a symbol of the '50s and a shield against daily splatters for the classic housewife.
Colourful or bland, half-size or with full upper bib, and even made to match the kitchen's appliances, the apron slowly moved away from daily use as more and more ladies left the kitchen to find something more fulfilling.
Half a century since their iconic heyday, an Edmonton designer is reviving the simple apron, and she doesn't necessarily want them to be worn in the home.
"It's not supposed to put women back in the kitchen, it's hip and chic," said Andrea Yacyshyn, 20. The university student began making her retro aprons this past summer when she found the time to put her love of sewing into action.
"I found myself out of work in the middle of August, giving me three weeks of nothing to do (before classes started again). So one night I picked up some fabric and patterns and got to work."
Inthekitsch was born.
Yacyshyn uses fabric from curtains, blankets and shirts she finds at second-hand stores, along with new fabrics that range from country-home florals to wild animal prints. She spends two to three hours, sometimes more, devoted to making each apron perfect, binding them together on the sewing machine her mother used to make her baby clothes. She finishes the eye-catching product with buttons given to her by her grandmother.
With all the retro fashions ready to be re-created, Yacyshyn decided to focus on aprons after she found herself spending more time in the kitchen after switching to a vegan lifestyle. She attaches vegan baking recipes to each of the aprons with names like "cookies are for lovers."
"When I cook and bake, it means I really care for you, plus I wanted something really, really fabulous to wear," she said.
Friend Erin Stark thinks Yacyshyn's designs are so fabulous she wears them as an accessory.
"I think it's kind of sexy in a way that's not exploiting women," Stark said. She's getting an Elvis-inspired apron custom-made.
"They're just so cute," Stark said of the aprons. "They're more crisp looking than the ones you find at retro stores. It's like being in the '50s and buying them first-hand."
From her sales online and at local arts fairs like the recent Arts vs. Crafts, Yacyshyn's aprons are selling as quick as the vegan cupcakes she offers alongside the fashion.
She sells the retro aprons for $20 a pop for the half-size variety that sits on the waist and goes to just above the knee. Full-size aprons go for $40, and custom orders can be discussed, said Yacyshyn.
Busy with school and an array of part-time jobs, the young designer makes time for her beloved sewing machine, even starting work on a line of aprons for men. And while she usually wears her designs in her modest apartment kitchen, she'll occasionally model her wares on Whyte Avenue with Stark.
The aprons are fashionable, practical and fun, she said, and a great way to prevent ruining your clothes while cooking a feast or baking a batch of cookies.
"A lot of people don't wear them anymore, but how many shirts and jeans are stained with oil?" she said.
"Inthekitsch -- these are your grandma's aprons," says the clothing tag. Her grandma must have style.
Yacyshyn can be reached at inthekitsch@hotmail.com.