Visitation: a story in upcycled apparel

Local designer Geneva Bierce-Wilson of General Haberdashery doesn’t just upcycle fabric into new garments, She also revisits vintage forms and calls to mind styles of the past.
Geneva says she does ready-made pieces (for sale at HoneyPot) as well as custom work and alterations.

Here, Wilson, local singer/songwriter Chelsea Lynn La Bate and their friend Daniel Smedley pose in General Haberdashery designs.
Photos by Jonathan Welch.

Above, Chelsea wears a high-waisted skirt in iridescent blue and green, with a large front pocket. Her tank top is an altered t-shirt with a Lederhosen-style placket. Her hat, which matches her skirt, was inspired by — according to Geneva — “a crazy video about making hats during wartime in England.”

Geneva wears a a jersey-knit dress in brown, with pockets and scalloped embellishment at the hem. It has a lace back and shoulder embellishments. She wears a pillbox-style hat with a gold net bow and spats made of canvas.

Daniel wears suspenders embellished with velvet roses and a silk bow tie. (Geneva plans to have more menswear in the future.)

Here, Chelsea wears a dress that she commissioned for this spring’s All Go West festival. It’s a reworked lace shift with added sleeve detail and a textured floral embellishment at the hem. Her arm pieces are made with various textures of lace and long streamers.

Geneva wears a floor-length dress in cotton jersey with a fitted bodice and full Victorian sleeves. The jewel-studded collar is detachable. Her headpiece is of upcycled jewelry.