Elastic-waist skirt

Photographs: (portrait, skirt) David Rosenzweig; (spring 2009 collection) Tom Hines

“One night, I was going out and needed something new to wear,” says fashion designer Rebecca Turbow (rebeccaturbow.com), while hoisting up one of her trademark gray skirts. “I just whipped this thing together and it blew up. Everyone wanted to buy it off me.” She laughs, but it’s no surprise that the design caught on. Turbow’s creations present futuristic, mod-influenced style with a dash of artsy experimentation via interesting shapes and cutouts that pleases avant-gardists and eclectic musicians—she’s dressed members of Tilly and the Wall, Of Montreal, Islands and Japanther, among others. She says that SAFE, her signature line, is all about security: It consists of stylish, well-made clothes for women who want to feel both comfortable and cutting-edge—and the strict palette of gray and yellow diffuses any early-morning “What do I wear?” anxiety. To offer you just such serenity, TONY sat down with Turbow to get the steps for constructing her trademark skirt.

MATERIALS
• 2 yards of fabric—any lightweight cotton or silk will do; we used silver brocade, $20 at Fabrics Garden (249 W 39th St between Seventh and Eighth Aves, 212-354-6193)
• Scissors
• Marking tool
• Safety and dress pins
• Sewing machine
• Iron
• Elastic, a half inch wide

1 Fold the fabric in half (right sides together) and draw an 18-by-34-inch rectangle with a marking tool, with the fold serving as the left side. Leave a one-inch seam allowance at the top, a half inch on the right side and two inches at the bottom.

2 Using pattern weights or heavy objects to hold the fabric down, cut out the rectangle you’ve drawn a. Then, cut along the fold so you now have two same-size rectangles. Place pins one inch apart along each side to hold the two pieces together b.

3 Sew each side seam, taking the pins out as you go a. When complete, use the iron to press the seams open; flip the fabric right side out; and mark one inch down from the top (this will accommodate the elastic band) and two inches from the bottom (for the hem) b.

4 Fold the waistline at your mark. Place pins two inches apart across the length of the waist (leaving a one-inch opening through which you’ll run the elastic); sew 5/8 inch in from the folded-down edge; and then iron the waistband flat.

5 Measure your waist with the elastic, mark the proper length and cut a. Secure safety pins to both ends of the elastic. Affix one pin to the fabric using the safety pin. Using the other end’s pin as a guide, thread the elastic through the tube of the waistband—making sure not to let the elastic twist—until it comes out the other end b.

6 Going back and forth six times, sew the two ends of the elastic together and into the waistband using a zigzag stitch. Trim excess elastic and then close the waistband’s opening with a topstitch.

7 Fold up the hem at your mark. Place pins two inches apart across the length of the hem and topstitch the circumference of the skirt a half inch from the edge. To secure, sew another line one inch above the hem you created.

8 With an iron, press the hem flat A, slip on the skirt B and wait for the compliments to roll in.

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